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[av_heading heading=’Poe wants ex-Transport execs probed over MRT-LRT station’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Wednesday, february 15, 2017
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MANILA – Former Transport officials should be held to account over the long-delayed construction of a common station linking the proposed Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 7 to the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and MRT 3, according to a senator.
The MRT-LRT common station has been stalled for nearly eight years.
“In the past, whoever has approved the previous agreement with naming rights as well as those who whimsically reneged on the same, all without public consultations and due regard to public interest should be held accountable because of the undue delay that plagued this project,” said Sen. Grace Poe.
Whoever was at fault should be charged, Poe said.
During the Monday’s hearing on the LRT-MRT common station, the chief of the Senate Committee on Public Services reminded the government to not enter into agreement and change the plan later on since it most likely will not attract investors.
“This should be a lesson learned,” she added.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), meanwhile, was asked to furnish the public services panel a copy of the previous agreements on the common station.
“‘Yun ang hinihingi natin. ‘Yung mga lumang kontrata na sinasabi nitong DOTr ay hahalungkatin nila para matunton natin ‘yung mga tao na nasa likod nito,” Poe said.
Last Jan. 18, the DOTr and private companies signed an agreement for the MRT-LRT common station construction. The transportation agency hoped that the Supreme Court would lift the temporary restraining order issued in 2014 that stopped the construction.
Construction for the common station will commence in December and is scheduled to be completed in April 2019, they said.
“I hope that this would be for the interest of the public and not for the interest of a few,” Poe concluded./PN
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