Sen. Grace Poe has vowed to pursue charges against the Aquino administration officials led by Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya and his underlings at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), who could be found liable for the MetroRail Transit (MRT) Line 3 mess, inconveniencing thousands of daily commuters riding the glitch and breakdown-prone light railway sytem.
Poe chaired a Senate subcomittee that endorsed filing of graft cases against Abaya, concurrent president of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), who shrugged off the charges as politically motivated.
In a radio interview, the senator said she was not surprised with Abaya’s reaction to the Senate subcommittee findings recommending his indictment.
“Hindi nga ako nagtaka sa DOTC. ’Yun nga ang sinasabi natin na parang walang pakiramdam. Pinagkibit balikat nila kasi nakita naman natin noong mga una’y wala rin siya sa listahan ng Ombudsman na dapat managot dito nga sa mga anomalya sa MRT 3.” Despite this development, Poe said she remained confident that the committee report, endorsing the filing of charges against Abaya and other erring officials for the MRT 3 mess, can stand in court.
“Ako naman po ay kumpiyansa na ang ating committee report ay kumpleto,” she said. “Mismong chairman ng mother committee na si Sen. Sergio Osmeña III ay nagsasabi nga na ito’y base sa aming mga findings at sa mga transcript ng mga hearing na mayroon talagang basehan,” Poe said.
She voiced hope that the Office of the Ombudsman would affirm their findings even as she indicated “private citizens” also expressed interest in filing separate charges against those involved on behalf of inconvenienced MRT 3 daily commuters.
“Sana naman ang Ombudsman natin ay makita rin ang basehan ng aming report at gawin itong basis para nga masampahan na ng kaso,” she said.
Poe added: “May mga private citizens na tumatawag din sa amin at humihingi ng kopya nitong report dahil kung hindi man ang Ombudsman, sila mismo ang magsasampa ng kaso laban dito sa DOTC.”