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OATH. Oscar Bongon took his oath before former transport secretary Jaime Bautista on September 10, 2024.
Department of Transportation's Facebook page
The Department of Transportation submits to the Palace its recommendations to be the new general manager of MRT3
MANILA, Philippines – Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) general manager Oscar Bongon was sacked from his post over a week after an escalator malfunction at the Taft Avenue station and injured 10 commuters.
Bongon was a “senior career official” at MRT3 who had already worked with in the rail sector for nearly three decades. He had occupied various positions in MRT3 and in the former Department of Transportation and Communications.
“Ang kailangan po kasi talaga natin dito yung mga tao na talagang kailangan mabilis umaksyon,” Transport Secretary Vince Dizon said in a televised interview with Radyo Pilipinas on Tuesday, March 18.
“Kasi halimbawa po, itong escalator na nagloko sa MRT nung nakaraang linggo… napakatagal po kasi bago naayos at hindi ko gusto yung attitude na hindi agad agad na inaaksyunan. Parang dini-delay at hindi nagiging urgent sa mata ng ating mga kawani,” he added.
(What we need here are poeple who act swiftly. Because, for example, this escalator that malfunctioned at the MRT last week… it took so long before it was repaired and I do not like the attitude that they did not immediately address it. It seemed like it was delayed and it was not seen as urgent in the eyes of our workers.)
He also noted how he had to make a call for the railway’s management to do something to address the problem.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has already submitted to the Palace its recommendations to be the new GM of MRT3. Dizon declined to name anyone during the interview, saying that it was better to wait for an announcement from the Office of the President.
“Ang sabi po sa atin ay nakapag-submit na po yata ng listahan… nakapagsubmit na po sa PMS (Presidential Management Staff) at hinihintay na lamang po kung sino po ang maaaring maging susunod na GM sa MRT,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday.
However, Castro was not able to disclose how many names were submitted.
The escalator incident was not the first time MRT3’s need for safety features and proper maintenance made headlines.
In 2023, a 73-year-old commuter jumped onto the southbound tracks at the Quezon Avenue Station and died. The management previously said that it lacked budget to install platform barriers to prevent commuters from falling to the tracks.
Dizon on Monday conducted a surprise inspection of the railway, where he also spoke to the riding public to get suggestions on how to improve services of MRT3.
The transport chief has since asked MRT3 management to extend operations by “at least” another hour and consider deploying more trains during rush hour. – Rappler.com
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