Some people prefer to live in alternate realities.
With just a few days left in his administration, President Noynoy Aquino is still convinced of that Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya was a very capable head of the said agency.
“Abaya, who was appointed to the top DOTC post in 2012, has been widely criticized for the lingering DOTC woes, from heavy traffic in EDSA, slow Internet connection and exorbitant mobile fees, poor airport facilities, delays in release of license plates, and breakdowns of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). Many groups have demanded his resignation but Abaya has refused to leave the Cabinet, saying that his status was dependent on what the President wanted,” recalled Genalyn Kabiling in Manila Bulletin.
An InterAksyon.com editorial makes the most levelheaded argument about Abaya’s non-performance. The editorial is titled, “Just fire him already. Please.”
But, well, PNoy never did that.
In fact, in a recent interview, Aquino reiterated that he has full trust and confidence in Abaya and that the latter should not be blamed for the problems hounding the DOTC.
Aquino was quoted as saying, “Number one, (he’s) not corrupt, which is the fundamental. Number two, he had training in very related fields. Number 3, he was chair of appro (appropriations committee) of the House (of Representatives).”
As for the MRT woes, Aquino said that Abaya is definitely not to blame as “the past administration was unable to conduct proper maintenance of the MRT coaches in 2008, that consequently resulted in frequent breakdowns.”
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