BY JOSEPH PEDRAJAS
The dialogue between the Valenzuela City government and NLEX Corporation, supposedly to address the RFID fiasco, has been postponed due to “veiled threats” of the company to bring the matter to the court, Mayor Rex Gatchalian said Wednesday.
Gatchalian said over TeleRadyo interview that the local government is postponing its talks with the company since the latter “is going to the court.”
“Doon na lang kami mag-usap. We welcome them going to the court kasi alam naming legal ang ginawa ng lokal na pamahalaan,” the mayor said.
Gatchalian’s sudden decision came after Metro Pacific Tollways chief communication officer Romulo Quimbo, in an earlier interview with DZRH, disclosed that they would seek the help of the national government agencies regarding the matter.
“So ang pananaw po namin na ‘yung proseso dapat ng national government ang masunod. So dinudulog din naman natin ito sa national government, na kinakailangan makita din naman po nila ‘yung buong proseso na ‘ito ba ay tamang gawin?,” Quimbo said.
“Hopefully makita naman ni Mayor na tama po ang hakbangin natin, eh hindi na sana tayo tutuloy doon, para hindi naman po maging legal issue,” he added when asked if NLEX Corp. is planning to file before a court a petition for temporary restraining order against the Valenzuela City government which has suspended last Monday its business permit in the city.
In a series of tweets, Gatchalian hit the company for its plan, saying he is not sure if the action “is in good faith.”
Gatchalian, in the same TeleRadyo interview, said they will write again a letter to NLEX Corp. to set out “the conditions” that the company must meet before the city lifts its suspension.
“So, ang mga ilalagay natin doon, una, kailangan ma-address nila yung technology issue, ‘yung nawawalang load. Pangalawa, ‘yung censor na palyado. Pangatlo, gusto rin natin ma-address nila na moving forward, ‘pag nangyari, ano ba ‘yung mga measure, ‘yung mga perfomance index natin,” he said.
