THE Office of the Ombudsman is asking the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into the graft complaint filed against a Light Rail Transit Authority administrator and other former and incumbent officials of the facility for alleged anomalous contract for the upgrade of LRT Line 2.
Assistant Ombudsman-Proper Pilarita Lapitan, in an endorsement letter, told COA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba to take appropriate action” on the complaint of lawyer Gerry Francisco against former LRTA administrator Jeremy Regino, current LRTA chief Hernando Cabrera, Paul Chua, Jose Jobel Belarmino, Federico Canar Jr., Cesar Legaspi, Hilfred Tusing and Aylwinston Pillos for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Also cited as private respondents were representatives of LRTA contractors Multiscan, Brownsteel and Worldleaders — Yollee Ong-Ramos, Joseph Ramos, Ma. Grazia Lee, and two other Koreans of Woo Jin Corp.
On May 25, Francisco filed a 52-page complaint against Regino, Cabrera and the other LRTA officials before the Ombudsman for graft, violation of procurement laws, grave misconduct, gross incompetence, gross neglect of duty and serious dishonesty in connection with a multimillion-peso propulsion and monitoring system project for LRT 2 train sets.
Regino, now the Philippine National Railways general manager, maintained his innocence.
Francisco said the public respondents approved or consented to the use of three good and running LRT2 trainsets to be used by the Ramoses for the testing of the Woojin Korea equipment.
He claimed the government lost P274 million in revenues for 301 days due to the respondents’ actions.
He cited the maintenance cost of the propulsion and train monitoring system of 10 trainsets under the Ramoses’ contract was P223 million, while for the three trainsets under the upgrade works by Multi Scan and Woo Jin Korea was P220 milllion.
A copy of the criminal and administrative complaint was received by the Office of the President on Aug. 15 as well as by the Governance
Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations.