The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has filed a corruption case with the Office of the Ombudsman against some officers due to the anomalous purchase of substandard LRT-2 equipment amounting to P170.3 million.
It includes the purchase of re-railing equipment and escalators on such rail lines.
Among those that the LRTA filed a case against was former LRTA Head Executive Assistant and Project Implementation Officer Engr. Fernando Quiambao, Operations Department Manager and designated representative to the PS-DBM Bids and Awards Committee Antonio Laigo, Jr., and Manager of Project Management Office for Rehabilitation Projects Engr. Julito Bernales.
In the contract with Kempal Construction and Supply Corp. for re-railing equipment, the manufacturer was a Chinese company but it came out that a sticker was placed in order to show that it came from a Chinese company.
However, after reviewing the shipping document, it was revealed that it came from India and other companies.
Meanwhile, the 13 escalators installed at the LRT-2 Recto station have a low boarding capacity compared to what was presented during the bidding and in the contract.
The same goes for the elevators that could carry supposedly 9,000 people per hour, but can actually only carry 6,000 people.
“Iyun yung escalator based doon sa report na natanggap namin. Iyun nga iisa na lang ang gumagana out of the 13 na dineliver. So ayun talagang may effect iyun sa daily operation. On the daily basis, lahat ng pasahero natin sa Recto station apektado ng situation,” LRTA Spokesperson Atty. Hernando Cabrera said. – Report from Karen Villanda/PG-rir
Watch the report here:
