Ombudsman to probe LRTA consultants

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman will look into reports that the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has too many consultants.

LRTA resident ombudsman Ruby Gonzales said she has already asked LRTA administrator Rafael Rodriguez to explain the reported employment of 36 consultants by the agency.

Gonzales said they will await the response before deciding whether to initiate further inquiry on the matter.

Documents obtained by The STAR showed that the LRTA only serves to supervise the LRT Lines 1 and 2, whose operation and maintenance are outsourced to private engineering contractors.

Insiders said of the 36 consultants, 14 held positions that were newly created and that 11 of them are “legal consultants” in an agency that should have more engineers than lawyers.

Lawyer Diosdado Silva, the head executive of Rodriguez, told The STAR that the LRTA resorted to hiring consultants to fill in vital technical and managerial tasks that could not be served by existing employees of the LRTA.

Silva said while these hirees were “consultants,” they actually served regular necessary tasks. He added that the other consultants were merely rehired by Rodriguez since they were already there when he assumed the LRTA’s top post.