Ex-LRTA administrator: Janitorial deal aboveboard

MANILA, Philippines - Former Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator Melquiades Robles maintained yesterday that there was no irregularity in the agency’s maintenance and janitorial deal with a private firm in 2009.

Robles said the contract entered into by the LRTA with the joint venture of CB&T Philippines Corp., PMP Inc. and Gradski Saobracaj GRAS (CPG) was aboveboard.

He claimed there was nothing irregular in the reduction of janitorial personnel contracted by the LRTA, contrary to the findings of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Robles said the reduction of workers of the service providers was legal and made after the LRTA determined that not all contracted janitorial personnel were needed for the work.

“The reduction is allowed under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Law as a deductive variation order, meaning payment of less than the contracted price; this even saved the government money,” he explained.

“Since contracts with the government can no longer be changed once approved, such variations are reflected in the payment vouchers with the contractors, which are with  the ombudsman,” he added.

Robles said the minutes of the meeting on Jan. 6, 2009 between the LRTA and CPG show that the parties agreed to reduce janitorial personnel by 87, resulting in monthly savings of P864,084.

“The proof of the propriety of this action, which was ratified by the LRTA board is the renewal of the janitorial contract with the same contractor and with the same conditions, since its approval in 2009 until this year,” he said.

According to Robles, reports that the janitorial contract was worth P400 million were inaccurate since the deal was worth only P3 million.

After the contract was signed in 2009, he said he stayed on as LRTA chief only until August 2010.

Robles, a nominee of the party-list group Buhay, said he found it suspicious that while the Senate and the public are demanding that officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications be charged over the failure of the country’s rail system, it is he and the LRTA managers who were ordered charged by the ombudsman.

Last week, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales found probable cause to indict Robles and 12 other LRTA officials for graft for their alleged involvement in the maintenance and janitorial contract.