Ombudsman charges LRT execs for P400-M maintenance deal

MANILA, Philippines –  There is probable cause to file graft charges against top officials of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Office of the Ombudsman said Tuesday, February 9.

Eleven officials will be indicted before the Sandiganbayan, including LRTA former administrator Melquiades Robles. The others who were named were: Federico Canar Jr, Dennis Francisco, Evelyn Macalino, Marilou Liscano, Elmo Stephen Triste, Eduardo Abiva, Nicholas Ombao, Roger Vaño, Maynard Tolosa and Juliet Labisto. 

They were all found to have violated Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) in connection with the anomalous implementation of the maintenance and janitorial contracts. 

Service providers Lilia Diaz and Dennis Acorda of the joint venture (JV) of COMM Builders and Technology Philippines Corporation, PMP Incorporated, and Gradski Soabracaj GRAS were included by the Ombudsman in the indictment.

The Office of the Ombudsman also found Canar, Francisco, Triste, Macalino, Liscano, Abiva, Ombao, Vaño, Tolosa and Labisto guilty of misconduct. They were ordered suspended for 6 months. 

In the event of separation from service, the suspension is convertible to a fine equivalent to 6 months of the respondent’s salary.

Contract

In January 2009, the LRTA entered into a contract with the JV for the preventive and corrective maintenance of the trains, rails and depot facilities of LRT Line 1. Under the contract, the JV was supposed to deploy at least 793 workers and janitors to the areas of the LRT line stations and rolling stocks.

The service providers were paid in 2009 for the “combined costs of human capital and consumed material totaling P400.6 million,” documents showed. The Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office found that only 209 personnel were deployed to the LRT Line 1’s stations and depots.

Documents also showed that “the disbursement vouchers of the series of monthly transactions had been processed without payrolls.” The maintenance and janitorial contracts were extended until July 2013.

The Joint Resolution said the joint venture should not have deviated from its minimum commitment. It found unfortunate that “some public respondents aided the contractor in its desire to reduce its committed number of janitorial workforce.”

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said that “instead of pushing for the implementation of the awarded contract, the respondents agreed to the reduction of janitorial manpower.” – Rappler.com