POE TO DOTC: PRODUCE MRT CONTRACT
WITH KOREAN-FIL FIRM

Independent presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe is asking Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to produce the negotiated contract between the government and the Korean-Filipino consortium that will conduct maintenance operations on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3).

Poe, who chairs the Senate Sub-committee on Public Services that is looking into issues surrounding the MRT maintenance, wants to review the P3.8 billion, three-year contract with the consortium following Abaya's pronouncements that Busan Transportation Corp., which operates Busan Metro in South Korea, would no longer be backing out.

"Maganda naman na hindi sila umatras kung sila lang talaga 'yung may technical know-how kaya lang nga po eh tingnan natin yung kontrata. Ito po ay negotiated contract and wala man lang tayong kaalam-alam kung ano ang mga probisyon ng kontrata na 'yan," Poe said in a radio interview.

"Sabi ko nga hanggang ngayon, hinihingi pa rin namin 'yung kopya ng kontrata na iyan. Marami nagsasabi na, 'yan ba 'yung original na contract o na-revise ba iyan to make exceptions para hindi umatras ang mga Koreano," she said.

Busan Transportation Corp. was earlier reported to be withdrawing from the contract with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) because it feared facing lawsuits due to the controversial 11th hour awarding of the contract to a consortium, which includes Edison Development & Construction, Tramat Mercantile, Inc., TMICorp Inc. and Castan Corp.

Of the four firms in the joint venture, only the Korean company has the technical know-how in railway maintenance. The consortium took over the maintenance works of the MRT-3's rolling stock and signaling system on January 5.

Poe said that in previous hearings on the woeful MRT-3 operations last year, the Senate Sub-committee on Public Services has already asked for documents from the DOTC but has not received the pertinent contracts from its officials.

Poe pointed out that the difficulty in securing documents such as government contracts underscores the need for the Freedom of Information Act, which the senator has been pushing for since she was elected in 2013.

"Alam mo naman yung sistema natin dito ng hustisya at byurukrasya. Nakakalungkot. Kaya dapat ipasa na nga natin yung Freedom of Information Act sapagkat kalokohan itong mga naitatagong mga ganitong bagay sa atin," she said.

Poe said she would immediately schedule a hearing on the MRT maintenance when Congress resumes session on January 18. She, however, expressed frustration that lawmakers can only do so much to correct any failings on the part of national agencies.

"Sa Senado o sa Kongreso, ang dami mong gustong gawin, hanggang sa pagdinig ka lang. Pero 'yung talagang pwedeng mag-alis sa kanila o kaya pwedeng umaksyon ay sa ehekutibo lamang," Poe said. "Kami kasi sapagdinig para sa batas, rekomendasyon. Kaya nga nakakainip talaga ang ganitong sitwasyon na wala kang kapangyarihan."

Poe and other lawmakers have called for the removal of Abaya from the DOTC but President Benigno Aquino III said Abaya, the president of the ruling Liberal Party which the Chie Executive chairs, will stay on as DOCT chief until the end of his term.