DOTr exec assures public MRT is safe, but Poe wants certification

While she trusts the assurance of Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez that the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) is “safe,” Senator Grace Poe still wants the department to produce a certification of safety from an independent firm.

Poe said this after consultants for the MRT’s operations hesitated to answer her question during a Senate committee hearing on whether the train system is safe for the riding public or not.

“Ang sinasabi natin sa DOTr, dapat unahin nila ang kumpanya na magse-certify kung ang atin bang mga train ay tunay na ligtas,” Poe, chair of the Senate public services committee, said.

“Sa ngayon, wala pang kumpanya na gumagawa niyan at tayo ay umaasa lamang sa garantiya ni Undersecretary Chavez,” she added.

During the hearing, Chavez assured the committee that the MRT is safe despite the almost daily breakdowns and technical problems of the train system, inconveniencing thousands of passengers.

“Ang MRT po ay safe na sakyan. Number one, lahat ng signaling ay in operation,” Chavez said.

Chavez said there is already a recommendation pending for Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade’s approval to conduct a performance review jointly by the MRT-3 and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).

He said there is also an ongoing negotiation with a company that would check on the safety of the Dalian trains, which have been delivered but are yet to run on the tracks.

Poe noted how Jorjette Bellen, the program head of the Uici-Seoul Metro-Dong-IL-JF Cancio joint venture, and Hoe Sung Yang, an operation and maintenance expert, hesitated to confirm whether the MRT is safe.

“You can’t seem to guarantee the safety. At least from your movement, you have reservations. You’re not very quick to assure us the way Usec. Chavez did,” the senator told Bellen.

She also asked Yang, who opted not to give a response.

Poe said her committee will conduct another hearing on the MRT issue in August, as Congress will be adjourned sine die starting next week until July. —KBK, GMA News