Sa gitna ng kabulukan ng MRT, nagbitiw sa posisyon si DoTr-MRT3 General Manager Roman Buenafe. Sa araw na inanunsiyo ang kaniyang pagbibitiw, ipinagmalaki ng DoTr ang kaniyang “achievement of 20 running trains.” Isa mismong araw ng pagmamalaking ito, nagkaproblema sa riles ng MRT, tatlong beses napilitang huminto ang operations, at naipon sa mga nagsarang estasyon ang mga agrabyadong pasahero. Na naman.

Malinaw na malinaw: Wala sa lugar ang pagmamalaki ng DoTr sa bulok na serbisyo ni Buenafe, dahil bulok pa rin ang MRT. At ang kabulukang ito, dulot ng pribatisasyon sa mga tren kung saan inuuna ang interes ng mga negosiyante bago ang kapakanan ng mga mamamayan. Ang MRT, kabilang ang LRT, itinuturing na negosyo, hindi serbisyo.

Inaresto noong Agosto si Angelo Suarez, isang miyembro ng Train Riders Network (TREN) dahil sa pagsisiwalat at pagpoprotesta sa kabulukang ito. Pinakasuhan at pinaaresto ng DoTr-MRT3 sa ilalim ni Buenafe, batay sa eye-witness account ng isang guwardiya na nagbandalismo raw siya ng “MRT bulok” sa isang bulok na tren. Matapos salubungin ang kaarawan sa presinto, nakalaya lamang siya dahil dismissed ang kasong nagpiit sa kaniya—kasong di dapat natuloy kung pinili na lamang makipagdiyalogo ni Buenafe sa mga tulad ni Suarez na nagpoprotesta sa kabulukan ng MRT dulot ng pribatisasyon.

Sa araw ng kaniyang paglaya, sa isang meeting kasama ang Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), nagbitiw ng salita si DoTr Sec. Arthur Tugade na bagaman kinokondena nila ang naganap na bandalismo, hindi sila interesadong ipagpatuloy ang kaso. Mas interesado silang buksan ang diyalogo sa pagitan ng gobyerno at ng mga nagmomobilisa laban sa pribatisadong MRT.

Kaya kagulat-gulat na matapos ang isang buwan, nakatanggap si Suarez ng subpoena. Noong September 28, nalaman niyang hinahabla siya ng gobyerno, matapos sabihang di interesado ang gobyerno sa habla. Kasinglinaw ng pagkabulok ng MRT ang kagustuhan ng pamunuan ng DoTr-MRT3 mang-harass ng mga militante sa kabila ng sinabi ni Sec. Tugade.

Para sa damages na naghahalagang P380 dulot ng bandalismong ginagawa lamang ng mga nagpoprotesta sa kawalan ng alternatibo para sila pakinggan ng mga awtoridad, nahaharap si Suarez sa posibilidad ng kulong hanggang 6 na buwan, dagdag sa multang aabot ng P3,000.

Sa October 12, haharap siyang muli sa Office of the CIty Prosecutor ng Quezon City para maghain ng counter-affidavit. Sa gitna ng pagbabago sa liderato ng DoTr-MRT3, walang pagbabago sa kaniyang kaso. Batay sa pagtuloy ng DoTr-MRT3 sa habla, tila sarado pa rin sa diyalogo ang gobyerno; ang bukas lamang ay ang posibilidad na ikulong si Suarez at iba pang militanteng lumalaban sa pribatisasyon ng MRT at iba pang public utilities.

Sa bagong pamunuan ng DoTr-MRT3—sina Cesar Chavez at Deo Manalo—ito ang panawagan namin:

1. Drop all charges against Angelo Suarez: Umiba sa landas ng nakaraang lideratong nakagawiang mang-harass ng mga militante. Pakawalan na ang kaso at tanggaping hahanap nang hahanap ng paraan para magprotesta ang mga mamamayan hangga’t nananatiling negosyo, hindi serbisyo, ang trato ng gobyerno sa public utilities gaya ng mga tren.
2. Dinggin ang mga militante: Maraming taon nang paulit-ulit ang sigaw ng mga nagmomobilisa—balikan ang onerous contracts na pinasok at pinabayaan ng mga nakaraang rehimen, at usigin ang rehimeng Duterte na panindigan ang pangakong #ChangeIsComing pagdating sa kasalukuyang pribatisadong mass public transport.
3. Rescind onerous contracts: Panahon na para bawiin ng gobyerno ang mga pribatisadong tren. Unang-una ang MRT sa mga dapat isauli sa taumbayan. Suportado ito ng mga mamamayan, at tamang suportahan ng DoTr-MRT3 ang panukalang ito bilang #PartnerOfChange. Makiisa sa tulak tungong pambansang industriyalisasyon! Magsisimula lamang ito sa nasyonalisasyon ng public utilities gaya ng mga riles.

Umaasa kaming hangad din ng bagong liderato ng DoTr-MRT3 ang pagbabago sa mga tren. Masisimulan ito sa pagbitiw sa kaso ni Suarez.

Inaanyayahan ang lahat ng nakikiisa sa protesta na lumagda sa online petition na bitiwan ang kaso at paki-share ito nang may sumusunod na mga hashtag: #MRTBulok #PPPBulok #DropAllCharges #SerbisyoHindiNegosyo

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In the middle of the MRT’s rottenness, DoTr-MRT3 General Manager Roman Buenafe resigned. On the day his resignation was announced, the DoTr took pride in his “achievement of 20 running trains.” On the very day of this proud declaration, there had been a problem with the MRT rails, operations had to be halted thrice, and distressed passengers piled up at the closed stations. Yet again.

Nothing could be clearer: DoTr’s pride in Buenafe’s rotten term is out of place because the MRT remains rotten. And this rottenness is the outcome of the privatization of our train lines, in which priority is given to the interests of businessmen over the good of citizens. The MRT, alongside the LRT, is treated like a business rather than a service.

Angelo Suarez, a member of Train Riders Network (TREN), was arrested last August for revealing and protesting this rottenness. The DoTr-MRT3 under Buenafe had him charged and arrested, based on a security guard’s eye-witness account that he vandalized on a rotten train by writing “MRT bulok” (“MRT rotten”) on it. After greeting his birthday at the police precinct, he was freed because the case that put him under detention was dismissed—a case that shouldn’t have proceeded had Buenafe chosen to dialogue instead with the likes of Suarez who rail against the rotting of the MRT due to its privatization.

On the day he got out, in a meeting with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New People’s Alliance), DoTr. Sec. Tugade gave his word that while they condemn the vandalism that had occurred, they weren’t interested in pursuing the case. They preferred opening a dialogue between government and those who mobilize against the privatized MRT.

The subpoena Suarez received a month after was therefore unexpected. On September 28, he was faced with a case filed by the government, all after he was told government wasn’t interested in a case. As clear as the MRT is rotten, the DoTr-MRT3 leadership would rather harass militants despite Sec. Tugade’s word.

For damages amounting to P380 caused by vandalism protestors only resort to because of the lack of alternatives to approaching authorities who turn a deaf ear to demands, Suarez is faced with the possibility of jail time of up to 6 months on top of a fine of P3,000 at most.

On October 12, he appears at the City Prosecutor’s Office of Quezon City to file his counter-affidavit. In the midst of a change in DoTr-MRT3’s leadership, there has been no change in his case. Based on DoTr-MRT3 having proceeded with the charge, it seems government remains closed to dialogue; all that’s open is the possibility of jail-time for Suarez and other militants against the privatization of the MRT and other public utilities.

To DoTr-MRT3’s new leadership—Cesar Chavez and Deo Manalo—this is our petition:

• Drop all charges against Angelo Suarez: Take a path that’s different from the previous leadership’s, which routinely harassed militants. Let the case go and accept people will keep finding ways to protest for as long as public utilities like train lines are treated by government like businesses instead of services.
  
• Listen to protesters’ demands: For years the cry of mobilizations has remained the same—review the onerous contracts previous regimes have gotten into and allowed to exist, and urge the Duterte regime to live up to its promise that #ChangeIsComing even to currently privatized mass public transport.
  
• Rescind onerous contracts: It’s about time that government seize back the privatized trains. The MRT should be first among the lines to given back to the nation. The people support this, and, as as #PartnerOfChange, the DoTr-MRT3 can only be right in supporting this demand. Join the push toward national industrialization! It can only start with the nationalization of public utilities like the railways.
  

We hope the new DoTr-MRT3 leadership desires change in the train system as we do. It can start by dropping charges against Suarez. Everyone who stands in solidarity with this protest is urged to sign the online petition to drop all charges, and kindly share it with the following hashtags: #MRTBulok #PPPBulok #DropAllCharges #SerbisyoHindiNegosyo