Outgoing Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and five other officials of the DOTC are now facing graft and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman. Sec. Abaya and five other DOTC official were charged by former MRT General Manager Al Vitangcol III.
The graft and administrative charges filed against Sec. Abaya and other officials of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) was due to their alleged involvement in receiving kickbacks from the supplier of train coaches for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).
Based upon the complaints filed by Vitangcol, the respondents were accused of receiving kickbacks from Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stocks (Dalina) for manipulating the bidding and procurement process for the purchase of new train coaches worth P3.7 billion in 2014.
Aside from the outgoing Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya, one of the closest Cabinet member of Pres. Aquino, the other respondents are DOTC bids and awards committee (BAC) chairman Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla; and members Rene K. Limcaoco, Julianito G. Bucayan Jr., Catherin Jennifer P. Gonzales, and Roman R. Bunafe.
Accordng to Vitangcol he anchored his charges against Abaya and company based on the admissions of Dalian representative Antonio de Mesa himself and his communications to a certain Eugene Rapanut.
Vitangco also claimed that Jun Abaya and other DOTC officials were given to percent of the contract price totaling P75 million while the BAC members got one percent amounting to P37 million.
