Roque: New cases to be filed vs then-DOTC officials for MRT-3 mess

(Eagle News) — Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday said cases will be filed against officials of the then-Department of Transportation and Communications for the Metro Rail Transit-3 mess.

Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte himself instructed Solicitor General Jose Calida to  pursue the cases in Monday’s Cabinet meeting.

According to Roque, officials during the term of then-President Benigno Aquino III should be held liable for what happened to the MRT, which  experiences technical glitches almost everyday.

“I think we know already that it includes the former Transportation secretary, that includes even Mr. Mar Roxas, it includes Budget Secretary Butch Abad and among others. This is for the award of the contract to a company with absolutely no track record; a company that was obligated to repair 26 coaches and they only delivered two; and they even supplied the wrong signaling system,” he said.

According to Roque, the new cases were apart from the charges already filed by the Department of Transportation against Roxas  and Abaya last year.

The cases before the Ombudsman stem from the allegedly anomalous awarding of the P3.8 million MRT maintenance contract to Busan Universal Rail, Inc.

The government of President Rodrigo Duterte has terminated the contract with Busan, and awarded the same to Japan’ Sumitomo, the MRT’s previous maintenance contractor.

https://youtu.be/euHqGzL_-pU