What Caused MRT-3 Mishap?

                Last Wednesday the EDSA-MRT crashed in Taft Avenue and 38 people had been injured. Because of the incident, the MRT management is on fire again. They are under the criticism of the public because of their negligence. But DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya said that it is still safe to ride in MRT. He also blamed the two drivers of the train for not doing their duty well. He also added that it is our choice to ride or not in MRT.

                But who should be blamed in this tragedy? Of course, not the driver like what Sec. Abaya pointed out. It is very clear that is the fault of the MRT management, which is under the Department of Transportation and Communication. It is really hard to accept the fault if you knew that you only inherited the problems as what Sec. Abaya’s argument. But P-Noy appointed him as a head of transportation to organize our transportation system including the MRT. So, he should act as a true leader who takes all the responsibilities in his department.  If not, what’s the use of his power if he doesn’t improve the sub-satndarstand train system in our country?

                The root cause of the mishap in the MRT 3 is because of poor maintenance and not because the train is has been already old. It is just 15 years old compared to LRT which is already 30 years old. But do they have a problem like MRT in terms of maintenance? There is an allegation that Sec. Abaya gave the favor to the PH Trams-Vitangcol group just because of their connection with the secretary and not because they are the best maintenance group. Before PH Trams-Vitangcol group entered, the MRT don’t have a major technical problem. But since they took over it, the condition of the train becomes worst.

                The Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), a company under of Metro Holding Rail Transit Holdings (MHRTH) and a partner of MRT-3 was not favored with PHILMAR-Vitangcol group because they were not undergoing in the right process. Beside that, they have only a total capitalization of 5,000 pesos, but they gained monthly contract worth of 45 million pesos. Hmm, what’s the basis of DOTC for choosing this maintenance company and how’s the result of their work? But don’t worry folks, their contract will be already expired.  In year 2012, the MRTC requested that they would like to conduct a technical inspection to know the true condition of our train system. But DOTC rejected their request although their intention was for the benefits of the public.  And now, the Philippine government wants to take over the full operation of MRT despite of their mismanagement.