Lawmaker says BURI shareholders qualified to bid for three rail projects

A northbound MRT3 train arrives at the Quezon Avenue Station in this file photo taken at 6:09 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Photo by Victor D. Sollorano, GMA News

Two of the companies behind Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) are qualified to bid for major rail projects of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), a congressman claimed on Monday.

Citing “unimpeachable sources” from the DOTr, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Partylist Representative Jericho Nograles said both companies were qualified to bid for the rail replacement of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3), the restoration of four Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) trains, and the LRT2 Maintenance Contract.

In a statement, Nograles said Busan Transportation Corporation and Edison Development & Construction were qualified to bid for the three projects.

“This is shocking! How can the Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade allow this?” Nograles said.

“It’s basic common sense that Busan and Edison should have been blacklisted from joining any bidding for any government project, especially projects of the DOTr. Iniluwa na nga isusubo pa ulit?” he added.

The DOTr terminated BURI’s contract as maintenance provider of the MRT3, citing “poor performance” and “failure” to comply with contractual requirements.

Nograles said both companies should not have been qualified to bid for the DOTr projects, given its tarnished record as MRT3 maintenance contractor.

“How can the DOTr even consider qualifying Busan and Edison as bidders for its projects shortly after getting entangled in a scandalous contract for MRT3? Anyone in his right mind would not even touch these two companies with a ten-foot pole under the present circumstances,” he said.

“Edison, one of BURI’s incorporators, is a sole proprietorship of Elpidio Silvestre Uy who failed to declare his ownership stake in BURI to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. While Busan, another incorporator of BURI, is a Korean company facing charges as well in a plunder case filed by the DoTr,” he added.

Other BURI shareholders are Tramat Mercantile Incorporated, TMI Corp Incorporated, and Castan Corporation.

GMA News Online has contacted both the DOTr and BURI to comment on the matter, but has received no reply as of this posting. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News