Government Buyout MRT 3: Good or Bad?

Metro Railway Transit or simply called as “MRT” plays an important role on every day commuter’s life. I can attest on this as I am part of the “commuters” that are crying for a better change.

Meanwhile, as the government buyout the MRT 3 this year, DOTC executives led by Secretary Joseph Abaya and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator Honorito Chaneco, concurrent MRT3 officer-in-charge (OIC), must also screen the contractor-bidders thoroughly and study and review performance of the train lines’ current maintenance service providers but also government’s original commitments to MRT Corp. (MRTC), which, by rights, should be running the EDSA rail system.

By doing so, they will secure the safety and security of the people whose been using the MRT 3 as their means of transportation over the years. Abaya and Chaneco should conduct a technical audit of the accident-prone MRT3, either by an independent third-party expert or jointly by DOTC/LRTA and its partner MRTC. Secretary Abaya also announced that the DOTC awarded a P4.5-billion capacity expansion contract to lone bidder Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co.  

So do you think the involvement of government on MRT 3 will be beneficial to all of us, commuters and taxpayers? Or is it just another source of income for them as it is being led by the corrupt government officials? Giving the benefit of the doubt, are they skilled or knowledgeable enough to run such business? Well, I hope that before they consider on buying such, they already conducted studies, know the basic “how-to’s” of the process and undergo trainings that would help them manage it on the better ways.

In line with that, there will be 48 new coaches for MRT 3 on the basis of a P4.5-billion allocation in the 2014 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the 2015 national budget. 

The question now, is it a good or bad idea for the government to acquire MRT 3? Or is it just another tool for a “matuwid na daan” bragging right for Aquino’s camp before he ended his presidency on 2016, that’s why they’re such in a hurry.