Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to file graft charges against top officials of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) for the anomalous implementation of the P400 million maintenance and janitorial contracts.
Those who will face indictment before the Sandiganbayan for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019) are former LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles, Federico Canar Jr., Dennis Francisco, Evelyn Macalino, Marilou Liscano, Elmo Stephen Triste, Eduardo Abiva, Nicholas Ombao, Roger Vaño, Maynard Tolosa, and Juliet Labisto.
Also included in the indictment are service providers Lilia Diaz and Dennis Acorda of the joint venture of COMM Builders and Technology Philippines, Corporation, PMP Incorporated, and Gradski Soabracaj GRAS.
In a statement, the Office of the Ombudsman said that the LRTA has entered into contract with the joint venture for the preventive and corrective maintenance of the trains, rails, and depot facilities of LRT Line 1 (LRT-1).
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Under the contract, it was agreed that the latter would deploy at least 793 workers and janitors to the areas of the LRT line stations and rolling stocks. But the Field Investigation Office, as complainant, found that only 209 workers were deployed. Documents showed that the joint venture was paid “the combined costs of human capital and consumed material totaling P400.6 million.”
It was also found that the “disbursement vouchers of the series of monthly transactions” were processed without payrolls. Despite these, the maintenance and janitorial contracts were extended until July 2013.
In a joint resolution, the Office of the Ombudsman stated that the joint venture “is not justified to deviate from its minimum commitment.”
“Instead of pushing for the implementation of the awarded contract, the respondents agreed to the reduction of janitorial manpower,” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said in a statement.
Ordered suspended for six months were Canar, Francisco, Triste, Macalino, Liscano, Abiva, Ombao, Vaño, Tolosa and Labisto after they were found guilty of misconduct.
“In case of separation from service, the suspension is convertible to a fine equivalent to respondent’s six months’ salary,” the Ombudsman added.
