EX-Metro Rail Transit 3 general manager Al Vitangcol III on Wednesday filed a graft complaint against outgoing Transportation Secretary
Joseph Emilio Abaya before the Ombudsman over the allegedly anomalous purchase of 48 train coaches from a Chinese company in 2014.
Vitangcol, along with Leon Peralta, the chairman of the Liga ng Eksplosibong Pagbabago Inc., claim Abaya and Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla received P75.187 million in commissions for the purchase of the coaches as part of MRT 3’S P3.7-billion capacity expansion project.
Vitangcol urged Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to look into Abaya and Lotilla’s liability for their alleged violation of the Code of Conduct for public officials and employees.
Included in the charge sheet were the Department of Transportation and Communications’ bids and awards committee members Rene Limcaoco and Julianito Bucayon Jr., secretariat overall head Catherine Jennifer Gonzales and MRT 3 general manager Roman Buenafe.
Vitangcol accused the officials of conspiracy in awarding to Dalian Locomotive Rolling Stock Co. a P3.7-billion contract for the purchase of 48 light rail vehicles in 2014.
He anchored his complaint on the exchange of e-mail messages between Dalian’s representatives Antonio de Mesa and Eugene Rapanut.
Rapanut allegedly promised to deliver a five- percent commission to De Mesa if the contract was awarded to Dalian.
Vitangcol, citing the e-mail messages between the two, said two percent of the kickback or a total of P75.187 million would go to Transport Department officials.
The Bids and Awards Committee’s members should receive one percent or P37.593 million, he said.
“Clearly, the named respondents directly received a percentage for themselves in connection with the contract wherein they, as public officers in their official capacity, had intervened and in fact awarded the contract to Dalian,” Vitangcol said in his complaint.
Vitangcol and Peralta said their accusation was further supported by a sworn statement of former Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar, who had exposed the attempt by Filipino officials to extort $30 million from the Czech transport equipment supplier Inekon Group.