Manila: The former head of a Metro Manila light train service has been accused of entering into a fraudulent maintenance contract, which led to overall poor service and jeopardised the safety of commuters.
Former general manager of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-3, Al Vitangcol III, was charged by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales with graft and corruption, as well as violations of the law governing government procurements, for entering in a fraud-ridden contract for the maintenance of MRT-3.
MRT III is one of Metro Manila’s three elevated commuter train services. It is estimated to convey some 500,000 commuters everyday. Inaugurated in 2000, it had been relied on by intracity travellers to get to work and other destinations quickly and cheaply.
In recent years, it had fallen into a state of disrepair as its coaches encountered frequent mechanical malfunctions.
This is aside from the lack of trains that led to serious overcrowding. Some of these glitches led to accidents such as the one that happened in August 14, 2014 when a wayward MRT-3 coach broke past the railway’s concrete barrier.
The mishap, which officials blamed to faulty train linkage, injured at least 30 passengers.
Carpio-Morales said, based on the information they had gathered, Vitangcol used his power and authority as general manager of MRT III to award the contract for the maintenance service contract to a favoured bidder.
“As MRT 3 general manager and head of the negotiating team and member of the Bids and Awards Committee, Vitangcol III and five incorporators of Philippine Trans Rail Management and Services Corporation (PH Trams) conspired to irregularly award the MRT-3 contract to PH Trams-CB & T joint venture,” Carpio-Morales said.
Vitangcol was dismissed as general manager of MRT-3 early this year following widespread clamour for his removal.
Aside from Vitangcol, others charged for their involvement in the alleged anomalous contract were Vitangcol’s uncle-in-law Arturo Soriano — presently the Provincial Accountant of Pangasinan province — as well as four others.
According to the Ombudsman, the maintenance agreement was entered into in December 1997, between MRT Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation, for the safe and proper operation of the trains.
“The original maintenance agreement expired on June 21, 2010 and had undergone four extensions from June 2010 until October 2012. Fifteen days before the expiration of the last extension, a resolution was passed authorising the procurement of an interim maintenance provider for six months while negotiating the terms and conditions of the maintenance agreement.”
The negotiating team recommended that the project be awarded to PH Trams-CB & T joint venture in the amount of $1.15 million (Dh4.22 million) monthly.
On October 20, 2012, the project was awarded to PH Trams-CB & T and was renewed three times until September 2013.
