Old dogs, old tricks

It is indeed unfortunate that the first order of business for newly appointed Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon is to fix problems created by his predecessors.

- MARY ANN LL. REYES

His marching orders from the President are to enhance physical connectivity and make life easier for the commuting public. But before Dizon can accomplish that, he probably needs to undo or redo a lot of things at the department.

Take the case of the common station project that is supposed to link the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1, Metro Rail Transit or MRT Line 3, as well as the still-under-construction MRT Line 7 and Metro Manila Subway.

The project features an inter-modal integrated system that will allow departing passengers of the common station to catch buses, jeepneys and taxis. It's supposed to feature a 13,700-square-meter concourse area that can accommodate 500,000 passengers daily.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced last Thursday that it has fired the contractor of the Unified Grand Central Station (UGCS)—the consortium BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co.—due to excessive delays. BF Corp. is a construction company owned by former MMDA chairman and Marikina mayor Bayani Fernando who died in 2023.

According to Dizon, the DOTr's legal team is already finalizing the termination of its contract with the consortium, which may even be slapped with penalties for failing to honor the agreement.

He emphasized that the delays in the project's implementation are unacceptable. The contract between DOTr and BFC-FDSC was signed in 2019.

After terminating the contract, Dizon said that the department is now seeking options under the Government Procurement Act or the Public-Private Partnership Code.