MALACANANG welcomed on Tuesday the filing of charges against former Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and 10 others in connection with an alleged anomalous P3.8-billion contract for the maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), saying it was “long overdue.”Advertisements“The filing of graft charges against former secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and other officials from the then Department of Transportation and Communications…is long overdue. Our people, especially the long suffering commuters of MRT who would experience daily train breakdowns during their travel, surely welcome this development,” Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said during a press conference. Abaya was also appointed by former President Aquino to the now defunct DOTC. Also charged were BURI incorporators Eldon Ferdinand Uy, Elizabeth Velasco, Chae-Gue Shim, Antonio Borromeo, Jun Ho Hwang, Elpidio Silvestre Uy, William de la Cruz and Eugene Rapanut. Last week, the government notified BURI that it would terminate the firm’s contract due to service interruptions in the railway system.

Source: Manila Times October 24, 2017 09:33 UTC