MRT-3 safety signaling equipment 'tampered' with —DOTr consultant

The safety equipment for trains of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) were altered, a consultant of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) told a House panel on Wednesday, citing a report from the mass rail transit system's spare parts supplier.

DOTr consultant Hernando Cabrera presented before House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability an audit report from Bombardier Transportation Signal Ltd., the authorized supplier of MRT-3 spare parts.

The report supposedly claimed that Vehicle Logic Units (VLU) were tampered and modified. Each unit was supposed to cost P2 million.

"Yung VLU po na naka-install po, nakalagay dyan, has been tampered and the circuitry modified. So pinakailaman na po 'yung VLU natin. So 'eto po 'yung pagpapatunay na there's something wrong with our VLUs," Cabrera, who serves as a consultant to the DOTr undersecretary for railways, said during the hearing.

The VLUs in at least two MRT cars have been have been "tampered" with, the report, dated June 7, 2017, supposedly claimed.

The VLUs were supposed to have come from supplier Diamond Pearl Development Corporation, the company that named as the supplier of supposedly "fake" safety equipment for the MRT-3 last year.

"The VLU is part of the automatic command and control system of our trains. This system is standard to all modern railways. This is the heart and soul of the safety operations of our trains," Cabrera said.

Oscar Bongon, the chief engineer of MRT-3, also told the House panel that the VLUs were still installed on the trains.

"To the best of my knowledge, naka-install pa po iyon dahil wala kaming na-receive na report na na-pull out 'yun," Bongon said.

Wednesday's hearing focused on the supposedly anomalous deal, valued at P4 million,  between the MRT-3 service provider Busan Universal Rail Incorporated and Diamond Pearl.

Last August, Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Representative Jericho Nograles filed a resolution seeking to investigate why BURI bought and installed supposedly "fake" spare parts amounting to P4 million.

The committee threatened to cite in contempt Marlo Dela Cruz, the owner of Diamond Pearl, for refusing to show up in committee hearings on the case.

Transportation Undersecretary for Legal and Procurement Reinier Yebra noted the maintenance contract with BURI may be terminated once approved by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

"We recommended the termination of the BURI contract. And now we're awaiting for the verified report from the MRT-3, after which we will recommend to the secretary to issue a notice to terminate," Yebra said. — Nicole-Anne Lagrimas/VDS, GMA News