Nation

Czech firm not blacklisted in MRT-3 project-- Abaya

Dennis Carcamo - The Philippine Star

July 19, 2013 | 2:46pm

MANILA, Philippines - Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya on Friday denied allegations by a Czech firm that it has been blacklisted from joining the bidding of the Metro Rail Transit-3 expansion project.

"Inekon has not been blacklisted. There is no blacklist. There is simply no truth to the claim,â€ Abaya said.

He said he met with and requested Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar last April 2013 to relay to Inekon that the DOTC was encouraging the firm to participate in the bidding of the MRT-3 Capacity Expansion Project.

During that meeting, Rychtar also raised some concerns regarding the bid, and even requested Abaya to be cautious about this issue.

Abaya said that personally, he felt that there was too strong a push for the Czech proposal, such that the allegations of irregularities were mixed with a business agenda.

He said that he has already initiated an investigation into the claims contained in the news report, which alleged that there was an extortion attempt from an official of the transport agency when Inekon offered to supply additional light rail vehicles for the MRT-3 system.

"We at the DOTC express in the strongest possible terms our commitment to fight corruption at all levels. We will take all the necessary steps to uncover the truth behind these allegations, which remain unsubstantiated at the moment," Abaya said.

The DOTC resorted to a solicited bidding mode for the project, to ensure a level playing field, openness, and transparency.

The direct contracting mode was not pursued because it is not as transparent as an open bidding.

"Opening the project to bidding erases doubts as to any favoritism. I personally felt that the Inekon proposal -- which was never formally submitted to the DOTC and which amounted to around $3 million per LRV -- could make it appear that favors were being made," Abaya said.

The approved estimate for DOTCâ€™s bid was only $ 1.8 million per LRV, around $ 1.2 million per LRV less than the indicative amount in the Inekon proposal.

The supposed extortion attempt first came into the news as a rumor, and the news report now carries misleading claims, prompting Abaya to clarify the issue.

"We are already investigating the matter, and welcome any other investigations into this issue. The DOTC remains fully committed to daang matuwid," the DOTC chief said.

Abaya said he has always had authority from President Benigno Aquino III to bring in his own people to assume the appointive positions at the DOTC, but that he has found no need to

replace the existing team when he assumed the post of Secretary.

"Having worked with the current DOTC Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, and members of our Bids and Awards Committees, I vouch for their integrity and good work ethic," he said.

Abaya said the DOTC is inviting the people who claim to have been involved in the alleged extortion attempt to come forward, submit sworn statements, and file a formal complaint.