The Czech Embassy in Manila is arranging for a group of railroad experts to come to the Philippines to offer solutions to the problems bedeviling the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 [MRT 3].
“Benjamin Žiga, [first secretary, Economic and Trade Section], is arranging a group of companies to present potential solutions from the Czech side, and also we would like the chance to enjoy Filipino hospitality.
That’s one important part we are discussing during our meeting [with Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade],” said Deputy Minister Martin Tlapa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the BusinessMirror Coffee Club Forum on Wednesday.
Tlapa’s reply was in answer to a question where, a few decades ago, the Czech Republic delivered trams for MRT 3 and whether they are still interested to cooperate with Philippine authorities in this field.
He allowed Žiga to explain the details of the arrangement.
“You are completely right, we did deliver those trains from 1979 to 1999, they’re still operating, a proof that our technology is good and still working even though there are some maintenance issues that we are all aware of,” Žiga said.
He said the robustness of Czech trains are their legacy to the Philippines, reminding us that Czech Republic “is a powerhouse in the transportation industry.”
“[Despite the] size of our country, it is export oriented, that’s our strength, so obviously we would like to follow up on our sort of [unintelligible] projects here in the Philippines.”
According to Ziga, the tram issue was the subject of the visit in the country of their deputy minister, Martin Tlapa.
“It’s a historic visit, they meet with the Department of Transportation [DOTr] and I mentioned this is the first visit and, hopefully, it will materialize into a full project,” Ziga said.
He added that there would be more follow-ups, and he hopes that the agreement would materialize for the conclusion of the signaling equipment from the Czech republic.
“We might offer potential solutions, those are the important parts that we discussed during our meeting.”
On the other hand, Tlapa said that aside from trams, they are also offering to sell aviation-related equipment, radar systems and communication systems.
“We have value chain of all products and services on aviation, we build planes, we build airports and we have technical men to maintain them,” he said.
He said the Czech republic has “put together the aircraft industry alliance under one umbrella, which they discussed with the DOTr on Monday.
“We know that the competition is high but we hope to have a chance to enter the competition and present potential solution. It’s perfectly in line with your initiative of “Build, Build, Build,” so I think the new infrastructure for transport is part of the initiative we’re trying to bring,” Tlapa said.
Tlapa said they have the means to upgrade the knowledge and training of Filipino technicians and experts in aviation-related projects, “because we studied the locals and we offer the value of the projects, the training of people who will be maintaining the airport. It is of added value for cooperation, we share the skills and knowledge of doing things together.”
“We like to join your Build, Build, Build. I would like to see more investors coming to your country because there’s a lot for exports for both sides,” he stressed.
He said his country exports many things to Germany, France and the European Union and would like the Philippines to be part of their export market.
He noted that the Philippines is composed of many islands and the Czech republic is ready to modernize and maintain the Philippines’s many airports, which, he said, is one of their expertise.
Image credits: Alysa Salen