NCFC blames Abaya for systemic breakdown of comm and transportation

Lack of foresight by DOTC caused Holy Week systemic breakdown

Glitches in the operation of the MRT and the LRT as well as sudden breakdowns in the operation of airports and seaports during the Lenten season could have been avoided had Malacanang appointed a technocrat instead of a politician at the helm of the Department of Transportation and Communication.

This is in reaction to what Malacanan today announced thru Communications secretary Sonny Coloma asking the public for patience and assuring the riders of the MRT-LRT that assistance is forthcoming.

Atty. Oliver San Antonio, spokesperson of the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC), an umbrella organisation of five urban poor groups says how can government normalize the already “abnormal” situation in the MRT and LRT stations when the DOTC did not prepare any contingency plan for the expected surge of the number of riders for the two railway systems.

Instead of letting the situation gets worse, the DOTC should have planned for utilising other modes of transport to ease the pain of more than 1,600,000 commuters using the MRT-LRT systems.

San Antonio blames Secretary Emilio Joseph Abaya for the veritable systems breakdown that the entire transportation and communications infrastructure suffered during the Lenten season and which extended today, Monday.

San Antonio says Abaya, a former Cavite politician, does not deserve to head the DOTC, the agency tasked in ensuring that the integrity of the transportation and communications infrastructure of the country remains robust and functioning. Sources say that Abaya and his officials over at the agency failed to create contingency plans and did not coordinate with the MRT3 technical team.

Instead of preparing for the expected spike in the influx and outflux of people, goods and services, Abaya was seen with DILG secretary Mar Roxas distributing goods to thousands of Yolanda survivors in Leyte.

Abaya was even quoted as referring to Roxas as his “president” an obvious disrespect to President Pnoy who appointed him and remains in power. Aquino’s term ends in 2016.

“ The President should let go of Abaya and replace him with a person who is more than capable of handling the myriad and technical issues besetting the country’s entire transportation and communications infrastructure. What happened during Lent affected millions of Filipino commuters and consumers who suffered long hours of waiting for their buses, their trains, their planes and their ships all because of a systematic breakdown of the country’s infrastructure which began last Tuesday and ended Sunday.

Today’s breakdown (Monday), all the more emphasized the urgency of letting Abaya go and replace him with a guy who can handle the Samsonian task of harmonizing the operations of the entire infrastructure. Someone who will concentrate on fixing the problems and not someone whose mind is obviously directed at ensuring the victory of his political benefactor,” adds San Antonio.

Thousands are still stranded in various parts of the country due to the failure of communications and signalling equipment of various ports and airports around the country. Several thousands missed their flights over at several international and local airports either due to brownouts or technical glitches of navigational equipment.

Hundreds of thousands more got stranded in different bus terminals which began last Thursday, the start of a noticeable increase in the volume of people leaving the metropolis.

IN the past, notes San Antonio, the DOTC averted possible technical glitches because officials prepared for months prior to the advent of Lent. Now, the DOTC did not even notify the public or went tight-lipped when asked about their preparations during the Holy week.

“ Let’s face it---Abaya is a political animal more than a technocrat kind of guy. He loves politics so much he had the gall of referring to Mar Roxas as his president. Let him go, Mr. President. Abaya needs to be given what he truly wants, to be Mar Roxas’s `trouble shooter’.”

--nothing follows—

For inquiries:

Atty. Oliver San Antonio
Spokeperson
09178388196

DOTC officials shown as inept and clueless of their own processes

The recent Senate inquiry chaired by no less than Senator Serge Osmena revealed how inept and indecisive the present leadership of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) is.  Osmena is investigating the brouhaha caused by several DOTC officials involved in the Mactan airport controversy.

What Osmena discovered was pretty much damning and entirely humiliating, to say the least. The inquiry showed how inept and totally clueless the DOTC officials are, with their own bidding processes that it is entirely unacceptable why we need them in the first place.

Osmena ferreted one important thing from the whole process of inquiry---the obvious lack of due diligence on the part of these officials in doing background checks of companies which want to bid for PPP projects.

My good friend Bo Chanco wrote this highly interesting piece in his column today see here.

I am not entirely surprised why people are militating against the DOTC, and why even the MRT-LRT common ticketing system has been questioned because of the very fact that these DOTC officials lack the proper skills and intelligence necessary to do their jobs right.

Mr. President, please fire these nincompoops pronto. The people do not deserve such charlatans in power.

President Aquino should order a review of the Oil Industry Deregulation Law

PISTON's George San Mateo says they will push thru with their nationwide strike this Monday. San Mateo announced the plan shortly after meeting with President Benigno Aquino III. PISTON says the "meeting" was just a "courtesy call" and nothing happened with the so-called "dialogue".


Demands for a review and repeal of the Oil Price deregulation law, and filing of charges against giant oil companies are some of the appeals of the transport group. Oil companies have been jacking up their prices in wanton fashion since a month ago. Several groups accuse these companies of abusing the "liberality" given to them by the law. Many sectors of Philippine society are demanding for a review of the law while others say, government should at least impose price controls to stem the rising prices of goods, services and products. These are the effects of oil price hikes.


Oil prices are indeed exorbitant. We have the highest pump oil prices in the region, and to think that we are a struggling Third World country. People are really finding it extremely hard to cope up with these price hikes, what with the rising inflation, unemployment and underemployment.


President Aquino should side with the masses. There is nothing wrong with giving in to the demands of the people directly affected by these oil price hikes. Why protect the asses of these oil companies? They report to their mother companies abroad, and they report profits, at the expense of the riding public. 


This is also one thing that the DOTC needs to look into. Mar Roxas, department secretary, has to strengthen his relationship with the transport sector to be able to directly address their concerns. If he has plans come 2013 or 2016, this is the time to shine. The public will remember this day when those who claim to love the people, sided with the mobsters in corporate attire.