Pimentel seeks probe into MRT 3 mishap,
questions train's poor maintenance

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III today sought a deeper probe into the latest accident involving a wayward Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 train which caused injuries to several passengers and a stranded thousands of commuters Wednesday in the metropolis.

Pimentel blamed the poor maintenance of MRT 3, one of the three elevated railways that has been at the center of complaints from commuters because of congestion, citing urgent concerns about its integrity to safeguard the wellbeing of the riding public.

Reports said at least 38 passengers of the train that was decoupled and rammed into a metal stopper were injured after it overshot the tracks at the Taft Avenue Station of MRT 3 at the corner of EDSA Avenue and Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

Pimentel also asked why the MRT administrator is also the general manager of the poorly maintained government-run, mass transit system which is serving over half a million passengers every day, well above its intended capacity of 350,000 per day.

"Why is this happening? What must be done? Let's probe the existing maintenance contract of MRT 3, and everything else will follow," said Pimentel, who noted that in the last three years no single bidding for maintenance of the overused units was conducted.

Because of the failure of the MRT management to update its maintenance service, he said the MRT 3 management was forced to go on a month-to-month procurement of capital spares and consumables that led to the "cannibalization" of some parts of "downtrains".

"Indecisiveness. The management could not decide to whom to give the maintenance contract for three years," noted Pimentel, adding that some Malacanang officials were also indecisive on whom to trust the management of the three MRT lines.

"The top level officials of MRT are all in acting status," he said.

Pimentel said this is the second time that a major accident marred the MRT lines operations in two years, pointing to an accident in 2012 where an MRT trainset was "decoupled" while in transit to Santolan station from Cubao in Quezon City.

He said he is filing a Senate resolution, seeking an investigation into the operations of MRT 3 which had drawn sharp rebuke from the riding public because of the long queues during rush hours in addition to problems in computer glitches and loss of power.

MRT 3 was earlier hit by a major management shakeup when its former general manager Al Vitangcol III, who was linked to an alleged bribery attempt, was sacked following charges of conflict-of-interest over the train's maintenance deal.