Poe: MRT’s ‘current system is already on last leg’

“THE FREQUENT breakdowns of the MRT, especially during the latter part of 2017, only tells us that the current system is already on its last leg,” Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares said in a statement on Wednesday. She added: “The DoTr should start the year with urgency in addressing this problem, that might require extensive repair work rather than just regular maintenance. But extensive repair might mean the need to put operations on hold, and without an alternative mass transport system to replace it, this would bring commuters greater woes. This is the challenge that the government should solve asap. Hopefully, the new year will give the DoTr the chance to start fresh and show us that it is a department that is capable of making better management and engineering choices and not politically driven decisions.” For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said talks continue for the possible return of Sumitomo Corp. in MRT’s operations. “(T)ingin ko (The way I see it), Sumitomo will be the preferred maintenance at nagsalita na po ang DoTr nung nakaraan na nais nga nilang maibalik ang Sumitomo diyan (and the Department of Transportation has said it looks forward to the return of Sumitomo’s services).