MANILA, Philippines - A trusted “political operator” of former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II has allegedly been supplying fake spare parts to the maintenance provider of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), an administration lawmaker said yesterday.
Marlo dela Cruz is the “mystery man” reportedly behind the series of malfunctions that beset the MRT-3, as he is the “supplier” to maintenance provider Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI), according to Rep. Jericho Nograles of party-list Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta.
He said Dela Cruz was among those accused by former Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar to the Philippines of allegedly extorting $30 million from Czech train maker Inekon.
Nograles said Dela Cruz also owns Diamond Pearl Development Corp., a “dubious” construction supply firm that also supplies BURI spare parts for the MRT-3.
“This is very, very dangerous. Using fake spare parts for a very critical component such as safety equipment for signaling system is a criminal act. Our people’s lives and limbs are in danger each time they take the MRT-3,” Nograles said.
Nograles said the safety equipment for the MRT-3’s signaling system is crucial in ensuring the safety of passengers as it basically controls train speeds and keeps them apart to avoid collisions, sudden brakes and other risks.
Nograles filed House Resolution 1212 that seeks to investigate why BURI is allegedly using fake parts instead of the original proprietary parts supplied by Bombardier Transportation Signal Ltd., the maker of MRT-3 safety components for its signaling system.
“We have already previously exposed how BURI fails to purchase needed spare parts but what is more appalling is the evident disregard of passenger safety. BURI has been purchasing fake replacement parts for the safety equipment,“ he revealed.
Nograles noted that while most of the MRT-3 service interruptions are due to rolling stock breakdowns with 31 interruptions in 2016 and 21 more in 2017, the second source is the signaling system or safety system, with 21 interruptions from January 2016 to July 2017.
Data from the MRT Control Center show that in 2016, the MRT-3 experienced the most number of service interruptions in its lifetime with 58 under BURI. And for January to July 2017, MRT-3 already had 38 service interruptions, much higher than last year.