Manila: The former top executives of the Light Railways Transit Authority, including its ex-administrator Mel Robles, had been charged with graft on Tuesday by the government anti-corruption watchdog in connection with anomalous maintenance and service contracts.
The Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to indict Robles and 12 other Light Railways Transit Authority (LRTA) executives for the anomalous implementation of maintenance and janitorial contracts consummated between 2009 and 2013.
In January 2009, the LRTA entered into a joint venture contract with private firms COMM Builders and Technology Philippines, PMP Incorporated and Gradski Soabracaj GRAS for preventive and corrective maintenance of the trains, rails and depot facilities of LRT Line 1 (LRT1).
Under the contract, the joint venture firm was mandated to deploy at least 793 workers and janitors to the areas of the LRT line stations and rolling stocks.
But instead of nearly 800 workers, the contractor firm only placed 209 personnel to man the stations and depots.
Anti-graft investigator also found the contractor was at fault when it deviated from the minimum commitment of placing hundreds of personnel to maintain the facility and provide janitorial services.
“Robles, et.al. cannot sweepingly claim that they had regularly performed their duties because had they done so, they would not have given in to the demands of a private contractor,” anti-graft investigators said.
“The contractor was paid the combined costs of human capital and consumed material totalling P400.6 million (Dh30.71 million). The Field Investigation Office, as complainant, found that only 209 personnel were deployed by the contractor to the stations and depots. In addition, the disbursement vouchers of the series of monthly transactions had been processed without payrolls,” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said.
As a result, the Ombudsman recommended the filing of graft charges against Robles and 12 LRTA officials as well as executives of the joint venture firm that was awarded the maintenance contract almost seven years ago.
The 12 officials were ordered suspended for six months.
Last December, the Ombudsman filed charges of graft and corrupting against Al Vitangcol former head of a the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) III, another elevated train service serving Northeastern and Southern Metro Manila.
Carpio-Morales said that based on the information they had gathered, Vitangcol used his power and authority as general manager of MRT III to railroad the bidding for the maintenance service contract of the train service to a favoured bidder.
Perennially jam-packed during rush hours, Metro Manila’s light rail services have been heavily criticised for its poor service.
But critics said the service could have been better if the money allotted for its maintenance did not fall on corrupt hands.
