Gov’t needs faster procurement system – MRT official

MANILA, Philippines –  A specialized procurement process is needed to hasten the improvement of government facilities and services, including the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3), a transportation official said on Thursday, September 11.

Speaking on Rappler’s #TalkThursday, MRT3 spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said transportation authorities are mulling over the possibility of presenting the Government Procurement Policy Board with a better procurement system to speed up the process.

The MRT3 has been hounded by technical problems, highlighted by its worst accident so far on August 13, when one of its trains derailed and breached the safety barriers of its southernmost station, hurting 36 people. MRT users have criticized slow government action in improving the passenger line.

Cabrera said the MRT3 management is faced with a stringent procurement law that makes it “very, very difficult to procure anything.”

“You have to pass through a lot of processes just to buy 10 pieces of airconditioning units. You have to go through a lot of processes to buy the needed spare parts for the trains, and also the funding of course,” he said.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) recently announced it has proposed 11 projects worth P10 billion to improve MRT3 operations.

But the agency can only hope that the rehabilitation projects would be completed before the end of Aquino administration. In the meantime, commuters have to endure kilometric queues during peak hours (READ: MRT and the violence of our mass transport system)

Cabrera again asked commuters “for their patience and their cooperation when it comes to our policies.”

“It all boils down to, on one hand, their cooperation, their understanding; at the same time the sincere effort on our part especially in the LRTA and MRT3 management to do our part to provide the convenience, the safety, and the reliable service…that we owe the public; our riding public,” he said.

While the Aquino administration has been largely blamed for the inefficiency of the MRT3, President Benigno Aquino III had blamed the previous administration for the current state of the train system, saying there would be less problems now had his predecessor addressed them during her time. – Rappler.com