BURI seeks audience with Tugade, Duterte over MRT-3

The Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) is seeking an opportunity to be heard after the resignation of Department of Transportation (DOTr) undersecretary for railways Cesar Chavez, whom it tagged as the one behind BURI’s woes.

BURI’s lawyer Maricris Pahate said they were surprised by Chavez’s resignation as it was not a “foreseeable step.”

But she expressed optimism that they would now get an audience with DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade and air their side now that Chavez is out of the picture.

The DOTr terminated the MRT-3’s contract with BURI last Nov. 6 due to its alleged poor performance and failure to procure the spare parts needed for the trains. She also claimed that BURI was “unceremoniously kicked out” of the MRT maintenance contract.

BURI is also seeking an audience with Malacañang but presidential spokesman Harry Roque said there was no more reason for President Duterte to sit down and talk with BURI’s officials.

“We find no reason to have the requested meeting” as “we have already canceled the contract with BURI and the government decided to meanwhile take over the maintenance of MRT,” Roque said.

Pahate said that they had never had a good working relationship with Chavez since his appointment as DOTr official in October last year and his working directly with the MRT-3 as undersecretary for railways.

“Hopefully, after this (Chavez’s resignation) there might be a chance to sit down with (Secretary) Tugade,” Pahate said, adding they want to continue working with the government.

She expressed belief that a discussion with Tugade would fix the conflict that Chavez left in the MRT-3.

Pahate maintained the MRT-3 contract was entered into in good faith.

Chavez refused to issue statement when asked by The

STAR to comment on Pahate’s reaction about his resignation.

Chavez tendered his irrevocable resignation last week purportedly out of delicadeza in the wake of the almost daily disruption in MRT operation, the latest of which were caused by decoupling of MRT3 train cars and an accident involving a female commuter who lost her arm.

Chavez said nobody from the DOTr and Malacanang or even BURI made him resign though BURI had repeatedly called for him to quit for his apparent failure to ease MRT3’s troubles under his stint.

“I resigned not because of the BURI, I resigned because I take all the responsibilities (for) the MRT-3 problems,” he said.

BURI bagged the three-year P3.8-billion service contract with the MRT-3 during the time of transport secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya in 2015.

They still have a year to do their obligations if their services were not terminated.

After terminating BURI’s contract, the MRT-3 created the “MRT Transition Team” to supervise the service maintenance of the train system while waiting for the next service provider.

Three service providers signified their intentions to become the next service provider for the MRT-3, Chavez previously said.