Immediate hiring of MRT maintenance firm sought

The group of Manuel V. Pangilinan is reiterating its request to be given the authority to choose a new company to maintain the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line.

This comes amid accusations that the company dragged its feet in approving the appointment of an interim maintenance company for the Edsa train line. The government’s existing deal with TES Philippines, the firm subcontracted by Japan’s Sumitomo Corp., expires on Friday.

This would leave the heavily-congested MRT3, already prone to frequent breakdowns, without a maintenance company.

“The responsibility of procuring a new maintenance provider was transferred to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on Nov. 24, 2010,” Pangilinan-led MRT Corp. (MRTC) said in an open letter published Wednesday.

After taking charge of the MRT’s maintenance, MRTC said the government decided to grant three contract extensions to Sumitomo and its subcontractor, TES.

Earlier this year, then Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said that under the provisions of its previous contract, TES was only required to make sure that the 18 trains were running at any given time before any penalties were to be imposed.

The DOTC said this arrangement worked when the train line first opened.

Today, due to heavy passenger traffic, at least 23 trains were needed at any given time. But because of its contract, TES had the luxury of not keeping all the needed trains running without being penalized.

The main issues with the MRT line today are the shortage of spare parts for the signaling and fare collection systems, and passenger overloading.

In its letter, MRTC said it supported the government’s plan to find a replacement for Sumitomo. On Oct. 3, however, the MRT’s management led by general manager Al Vitangcol III, asked the Pangilinan firm to support a move to appoint an interim service provider that was not chosen through a proper bidding process.

The company denied that it had “vigorously objected” to the hiring of an interim maintenance provider for the MRT line. The company also denied that it was advocating a one-year extension of Sumitomo’s contract, as was reported earlier this week.

“MRTC is not abdicating its responsibility to maintain MRT3 but the DOTC left MRTC with no choice but to have DOTC take responsibility for the interim period,” the Pangilinan-led firm said.

The company said if the DOTC had allowed MRTC to find a new contractor earlier, a new maintenance provider could have been found by now through a transparent procurement process that complied with the company’s own corporate governance standards.

“The MRTC board, by a unanimous vote, agreed to extend all cooperation and assistance to the DOTC in appointing a new interim maintenance provider for MRT 3, so that all the critical issues in respect to the maintenance of the MRT 3 may be addressed immediately,” the MRTC said.