A party-list lawmaker has chided an official of the Department of Transportation for failing to terminate the questionable maintenance contract of the Metro Rail Transit-3 with Busan Universal Rail Inc.
PBA Rep. Jericho Nograles said Transportation Undersecretary Reiner Yebra was “treading on dangerous grounds” in defending the contract.
“His inaction may constitute graft under Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” Nograles said.
He said Yebra, during a budget hearing before the House committee on appropriations last week, appeared to defend the contract.
“What was clear in the hearing is that the undersecretary for legal has the mindset of protecting the questionable contract, instead of looking after the safety of the public,” Nograles said.
The lawmaker said said neither Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade nor his predecessor, Joseph Emilio Abaya Jr., signed the maintenance contract.
“The MRT issue is primarily a safety issue, and secondarily, a legal issue. No wonder Secretary Tugade has not made a decision for months as the department is busy legalizing an illegal contract,” Nograles added.
“Without a contract, why would we allocate any funds at all? It would be illegal to waste a single centavo on this and don’t get me started on the sloppy service,” he added.