MRT-3 MANAGEMENT CONTRACT

THE provincial accountant who, together with former Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-3 General Manager Al Vitangcol III, was found guilty by the Sandiganbayan for graft for the anomalous grant of a multi-million-dollar management contract to PH Trams CB&T Joint Venture in 2012.

But for Arturo Soriano, provincial accountant, his legal fight is not yet over.

Soriano and Vitangcol were found guilty by Sandiganbayan’s Third Division and were sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month up to eight years each and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

Soriano, who is the uncle of Vitangcol’s wife, was one of the incorporators of Philippine Trans Rail Management and Services Corp. (PH Trams) that won the MRT-3 interim maintenance deal worth $1.15 million a month without public bidding on Oct. 20, 2012 when Vitangcol headed MRT-3.

The contract was renewed three times until Sept. 4, 2013.

Soriano said he has already filed his motion for reconsideration on Feb. 3.

Aside from Vitangcol and Soriano, also charged by state lawyers were other PH Trams incorporators Wilson De Vera, Marlo Dela Cruz, Manolo Maralit, and Federico Remo.

“Only the two of us were left,” Soriano said, referring to the Sandiganbayan decision that found him and Vitangcol guilty.

But he said he will exhaust all legal means available to him up to the end to prove his innocence.

He added that although the decision also barred him from holding public office perpetually “yet still, that too, is also not yet final”. Soriano said he will remain chief of the Provincial Accounting Office of the provincial government of Pangasinan.

Soriano earlier said he resigned from the company when it joined the bidding for a government contract. (PhilStar Wire Service /ECV)

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