Binay camp calls on Abaya to resign

MANILA, Philippines - Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya should resign and allow competent people to do his job, a spokesman for Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

Rico Quicho, Binay’s spokesman for political affairs, said Abaya appears to be blinded by pride and seems incapable of understanding the problem in the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).

“Accidents have happened, and just recently, two trains stopped during rush hour. Do we wait for something worse to happen?” he asked.

Stephen Deacon, a signaling and communications consultant hired by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), earlier said the obsolete signal system of the MRT could lead to a fatal train collision.

Quicho criticized Abaya for proposing the hiring of four different companies on six-month renewable contracts to do different aspects of maintenance work.

He said Abaya’s proposal would not ensure the commuters’ safety.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that you don’t give short-term contracts to four different entities to handle a complex process,” Quicho said.

“As you have already hinted that we provide a solution to the issue, the best advice we can give is for you to resign, Secretary Abaya, and leave the problem to competent people who are better-suited for the job,” he said.

“It is clear that your performance, including your predecessor’s, (now Interior) Secretary (Manuel) Mar Roxas, proves that no amount of excessive foreign schooling can guarantee competence in public service,” he added.

Quicho said the correct action is to give the maintenance contract back to Sumitomo and Mitsubishi who have proven their ability to do the job.

“No search for the cheapest company, or one owned by party mates from LP (Liberal Party). Just choose the proven and competent company. And do it fast,” Quicho said.

Asking for a bigger budget

Amid the public outcry for the government to address the operational glitches of the MRT, the DOTC is asking for approval of P43.5 billion under the 2016 national budget, lawmakers said.

The DOTC is asking Congress to appropriate P7.09 billion in MRT-related expenses broken down as follows: P1.96 billion for operation and maintenance; P1.5 billion for rehabilitation and capacity expansion; and P3.63 billion as subsidy for “mass transport.”

The budget would cover deficiencies in “settling prior and current years’ obligations for equity rental, maintenance fees and other obligations” in case “farebox revenues” are insufficient to cover such deficiencies.

About P15.7 billion of the total amount is being allocated to improve services of the MRT, LRT and the Philippine National Railways (PNR), former Senate finance chairman Sen. Francis Escudero said yesterday.

According to Escudero, it is only right to attach “measurable performance” to every peso that the DOTC is asking in taxpayers’ money to subsidize the commuter rail operations.

“The DOTC says it will speed up transfer time in stations from 10 minutes this year to five minutes next year. Now the question is: do you still have to wait for 10 minutes?” Escudero asked.

The DOTC is justifying its request by saying the funds would allow it to field more trains, end long queues at MRT stations and start the long-delayed line extension projects.

Escudero noted that almost 41 percent of the agency’s proposed spending plan is earmarked for the rail sector. – With Christina Mendez