Skip to main content

MRT3 GM offers to resign after getting lashing from Alvarez

Rodolfo Garcia and Pantaleon Alvarez © Provided by GMA News Online Rodolfo Garcia and Pantaleon Alvarez

Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) General Manager (GM) Rodolfo Garcia on Wednesday offered to step down from his position after getting a lashing from Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on the issues of the mass transport system.

At the joint House Committees on Transportation and Public Works and Highways hearing, Alvarez quizzed Garcia on the woes of commuters and patrons of MRT3.

Alvarez pointed out that passengers have long been suffering from the results of MRT3 issues, including having to fall in long queues and overcrowding in trains.

"Halos araw-araw binabatikos tayo dahil walang nangyayari. Mahigit isang taon na po tayo diyan at wala pa ring nangyayari," he told Garcia.

Garcia said they are already looking to augment the present number of MRT3 coaches by using Dalian coaches.

But Alvarez stressed that the signalling system of the Dalian coaches was not compatible with the present system, asking Garcia if he was sure of what he is telling the lawmakers.

"Then, I will resign kung hindi ako sigurado! Kung gusto mo mag-resign na ako, ngayon na!" Garcia said in a fuming voice.

"Go ahead," Alvarez told Garcia. "Then the country will be happy."

Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas reprimanded Garcia, saying that if the committee decides, it can order the latter's detention. An apology was sought from Garcia.

"May I move that GM Garcia be removed... for being disrespectful of this committee because that is unbecoming of a resource person especially on the Speaker of the House of Representatives. That is also a direct affront to the House of Representatives," Fariñas said.

"This is a legislative inquiry, Mr. Garcia! At the very least you should give utmost respect moreso to the Speaker of the House of Representatives," he added.

Garcia apologized to the committee. He later approached Alvarez to personally apologize.

Following his apology, the motion to cite him in contempt was withdrawn.

In an ambush interview, Alvarez said he was questioning Garcia's competence to run MRT3, but he would not call for his resignation.

"Ayokong manawagan," he said.

But Alvarez believes that Garcia seemed to be pushing through with his resignation.

“Kanina nung tinanong ko, my last question, kung talagang seryoso. Ang sabi naman niya, oo seryoso siya,” he said.

Even during the hearing, Alvarez asked Garcia if he was serious in stepping down.

“Yes, your honor. Medyo pressured na po ako as GM. I’m contemplating getting out,” Garcia said. — RSJ, GMA News

Popular posts from this blog

You can pay at a restaurant by smiling at a camera

© Provided by Engadget As easy as it is to make purchases in the era of tap-to-pay services , it's about to get easier still. Alipay (which handles purchases for Chinese shopping giant Alibaba) has launched what it says is the first payment system that uses facial recognition to complete the sale. If you visit one of KFC's KPRO restaurants in Hangzhou, China, you can pay for your panini or salad by smiling at a camera-equipped kiosk -- you need to verify the purchase on your phone, but you don't have to punch in digits or bring your phone up to an NFC reader. The system (Smile to Pay) is purportedly resistant to spoofing with photos and other tricks. It relies on both depth-sensing cameras and a "likeness detection algorithm" to make sure it's really you. Reportedly, the technology is good enough that it can accurately identify people even when they're disguising themselves through makeup or wigs. You shouldn't have to worry about someone buying ...

Cimatu warns miners: Don’t befoul watersheds, forests, aquatic resources

© Provided by Mediamerge Corporation Newly-appointed Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu poses for a photo before being sworn into office by President Rodrigo Duterte ahead of the 15th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday, May 7, 2017. Robinson Niñal/PPD Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Tuesday warned mining firms to observe responsible mining and avoid destructive practices or face sanctions His pronouncement came in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's second State of the Nation Address, in which the chief executive emphasized mining's impact on the environment. "I know for a fact that in a number of cases, weak and irresponsible mining practices result [in] environmental destruction—contaminating farmlands and poisoning our rivers and seas," Cimatu said in a statement. "Miners better refrain from despoiling our watersheds, forests and aquatic resources," he added. Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Res...

Tesla cloud account hacked to mine cryptocurrency

© Provided by The Hill An unidentified outside hacker infiltrated Tesla's Amazon cloud account and used its systems to quietly mine for cryptocurrencies, a cybersecurity firm announced Tuesday. The hack also potentially exposed the electric car company's data. Researchers for RedLock found that Tesla's credentials on an IT administrative console were not password protected. They made the discovery while trying to track down which organizations had left their Amazon Web Services (AWS) credentials openly exposed on the internet last month. The hackers quietly hijacked the console and began running scripts to generate virtual currency like bitcoin, the latest in a series of "cryptojacking" attacks. The researchers also found the hackers used "sophisticated evasion measures" to go undetected. A spokesperson for Tesla said the company learned about the breach in a company-sanctioned bug bounty program that pays outside hackers to discover vulnerabilitie...