What the Commuters Need is Action and Not Reaction

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya "Not Fatal" remark as his answer to the traffic problems and woes of the Philippines drew mixed reactions from different sectors of our society. Some labelled him as incompetent and insensitive, while others called him a stupid man.

But is the remark a genuine outburst of the heart or plainly a slip of the tongue? Whatever the reason may be, still it does more harm than good in addressing the present traffic woes Metro Manila residents and nearby provinces are daily dealing with.

So Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya is waiting for fatalities before he acts on the tons of problems of DOTC and MRT. His line of reasoning is directly pointing to one thing.... He really does not care with the traffic situation and the safety of the passengers. He lacks genuine compassion, the sincere desire to alleviate other people's misery.

Think about this Sec. Abaya.... what is fatal is loss of work hours for hourly paid workers which is fatal to the health and nutrition of their families. On average, each commuter had to endure 4 hours a day of traffic taking the public transportation caused by your incompetence and lack of vision in handling the affairs of DOTC.

Not burdensome? Sec Abaya, imagine a working mother having to leave home early while her children are still sleeping and arriving late when the children are asleep.

Abaya, what is fatal is what the riding public want to do to you. The riding public has been very patient, overly patient with you. People are fed up of hearing "have patience" over the past five years. All they know is that all the money for the maintenance of MRT-LRT were not being used for that purpose. And they have to suffer every day?

There are many solutions out there, big and small, that would ease this massive problem. It only takes a political will to do what needs to be done to address the issue. Time for action, have the guts, Sec Jun Abaya!

Alarming Facts About MRT-3 Frequent Service Interruptions

For the nth time, there was yet another MRT-3 service interruption!

According to reports, passengers of a northbound train were forced to walk along the railway at Santolan station when the coaches suddenly stopped. Apparently, the passengers were "trapped" inside the idle coaches for over 30 minutes before the doors opened.

This is an alarming fact (MRT-3 glitch) that should be look upon by the Senate and be addressed ASAP by DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. Good thing the train commuters suffered only conveniences. What if the next MRT-3 breakdown will result to death to train riders? Can the government and the public bear the consequences such accident will create?

Another alarming fact, DOTC was granted a 50% fare increase supposedly for repairs and rehabilitation of the train line and other matters; and yet, no significant repair jobs were done except for the replacement of railroad tracks for the past several Sundays.

Where's the money? the riding public is now waiting for Jun Abaya to present them an answer. Senator Grace Poe for her part has this to say “At the very least, the DOTC must implement all it can at the moment to ease the burden and guarantee the safety of the riding public," and directed directed DOTC officials to submit a full report on the MRT-3's technical glitch Thursday night.

The good lady senator even stressed that to end passengers’ woes, the vowed overhaul of the system and the re-awarding of the maintenance contract must be completed according to timeline.

Sec. Abaya, during the February 2 Senate public services subcommittee on transport hearing led by Poe, presented MRT-3 rehabilitation deliverables with target dates. Is the agency really putting actions to its words?

Another alarming fact exposed here. The riding public doesn’t have any idea at all about how much has been spent on supposed repairs and rehab.

Is Abaya hiding something from the public? your guess is as good as mine. But it is a fact that DOTC is synonymous with corruption! Another fact, Jun Abaya is now perceived by many as a new rising lord of personal corruption and theft for immoral reasons.

Why?

He dumped Sumitomo in favor of 'favored' service maintenance provider where 'grease money' is involved.
He is cheating the government by stealing from the DOTC through MRT-3 revenues.
Some political observers believed that Abaya is starting to fuel money for Mar Roxas campaign fund this 2016 Presidential election.

To some it up, the public is at a loss, whether the added revenues generated from the fare hike are channeled to MRT-3 rehabilitation works; and not going to his pocket. For now, the public should deal with the frequent MRT-3 service interruptions.

I say, Let's give Jun Abaya the benefit of the doubt until such time he voluntarily opens his mouth to tell the nation the whole truth.