Lawmaker wants MRT-3 privatized

MANILA, Philippines - As commuters continue to suffer from malfunctions at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, a lawmaker proposed yesterday the privatization of the MRT-3 to improve its operations.

“Congress should support the bid of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. of Manny V. Pangilinan to buy out the government’s 77 percent stake in MRT-3,” Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said.

 “MRT-3 should be privatized to make it more efficient as a mass transport system. This is the best solution to improve the services of MRT-3,” he added.

Evardone made the proposal after Rep. Jericho Nograles said that a trusted “political operator” of former interior secretary Manuel Roxas has been supplying fake spare parts to the maintenance provider of MRT-3.

Nograles tagged Marlo de la Cruz as the alleged supplier to Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI).

According to Nograles, De la Cruz was among those accused by former Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar of extorting $30 million from Czech train maker Inekon. 

Dela Cruz is the owner of Diamond Pearl Development Corp., a construction firm that supplies spare parts to BURI for the maintenance of MRT-3.