MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / May 28, 2014) – The commuter’s group called Train Riders Network or TREN has demanded that formal charges be pressed against resigned Metro Rail Transit 3 General Manager Al Vitangcol after being accused of giving a P517-million MRT maintenance contract to his wife’s uncle, Arturo Soriano.
TREN’s spokesperson James Relativo expressed their disgust over the new corruption case being hurled against Vitangcol, calling it a “criminal indifference” against commuters who brave the conditions in the MRT everyday.
“Hindi maaaring makalusot na lang si Vitangcol. Nasikmura na niyang ipagkanulo ang mga commuter noon, ngayon malalaman pa nating iligal na ibinigay ni Vitangcol ang kontrata ng maintenance sa kamag-anak niya. Sila-sila ng pamilya niya ang dahilan bakit bulok ang MRT,” Relativo said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Vitangcol was also linked to an alleged $30 million extortion attempt to Czech train maker Inekon Group in exchange for a contract for 48 new coaches for MRT-3 in July 2012.
Relativo also criticized President Benigno Aquino for protecting those accused in the scandal.Wilson De Vera, a Liberal Party ally of Aquino, was also accused of extorting with Vitangcol. Both men strongly denied the accusations against them.
“Ngayong inamin na ni Vitangcol na ibinigay niya ito sa kamag-anak niya, nakagagalit na patuloy pa ring prinoprotektahan ni BS Aquino ang mga alipores niya. At dahil lahat ng atensyon ay nakay Vitangcol, yung ka-partido niyang si De Vera nakatakas na patungong Amerika,” he said.
The group also chided the Department of Transportation and Communication after Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya exclaimed that the anomalous awarding of contract only came to his attention recently.
“Sila ang DOTC, ang parte ng gobyerno na nangangasiwa sa operasyon ng MRT3. Tapos ngayon sasabihin niya na hindi niya alam na kay Soriano ibinigay ang kontrata? Huwag siyang maghugas kamay na parang hindi niya alam,” Relativo said.
While the group welcomed the recent removal of Vitangcol, Relativio said it will not solve the perennial problems MRT commuters face everyday. “As long as government services like the mass railway system are run like businesses and subject to privatization, a simple change of face within the MRT-DOTC will not change anything,” he said.
He said his group will intensify efforts in fighting corruption, privatization, and impending fare hikes within the mass railway system through street protests.
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