NO TO TOTAL MRT-3 SHUTDOWN, EYES ECONOMIC SABOTAGE SUIT ON FORMER MAINTENANCE FIRM Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, 2nd District of Quezon City) today objected to the proposed complete shutdown of MRT-3 without alternative to give way to maintenance works to keep it safe for the nearly 700,000 commuters who use it daily. In a statement, Castelo, chair of the committee on Metro Manila Development, warned that government officials and private parties that would resort to its temporary closure would face charges of economic sabotage. “However, if technical experts see the necessity of a shutdown in consideration of the maintenance work, then we should strike a balance between what we can afford to do and what we cannot under the circumstances,” Castelo pointed out, exploring the possibility of partial use of train coaches with half of them alternately undergoing maintenance work. “Foremost is the safety of our riding public. Hence, there should be in-depth study before they close operation. They should offer alternative solutions. Total shut down without alternative is unacceptable,” Castelo said. “The fact that its former maintenance firm (Autre Porte Technique Global Inc , or APT Global) mishandled the maintenance of the MRT3, it deserves to face economic sabotage charges,” Castelo said. A temporary shutdown, or closure of MRT-3, could bring untold miseries for workers, who depend on this cheap mode of transport, and unfathomable economic losses for business firms, Castelo warned. “The entire Philippine economy would be adversely affected by any ill-conceived shutdown of MRT-3. Even a one-day shutdown would be enough to paralyze the economy,” Castelo said. The MRT-3 is the cheapest mode of transport nowadays, as every commuter pay only a maximum fare of P15 for a 26-kilometer ride from one end in Calookan City to the other end in Pasay City . It is originally designed for 350,000 passengers a day but the heavy traffic has forced it to serve nearly double the passengers under its original design. Because of the heavy volume of daily traffic, maintenance problems have started to manifest. Broken tracks, dilapidated coaches, malfunctioning doors, malformed wheels are some of the maintenance issues. Castelo urged the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) and MRT-3 management, to hasten the bidding of the new maintenance group to handle MRT-3 to avoid disruption its services. “Heads will roll. The remiss ones should be held to account. Nobody should be exempt from liability because of omission. Negligence and omission at the expense of the public should have its price. The public, first and foremost, should be protected and recompensed,” Castelo further stated. #
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:20:24 +0000
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