Ombudsman may ask LRT authorities to explain why they have "too many" consultants

Philstar.com reports that "the Office of the Ombudsman will look into allegations that the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has too many consultants." According to the report, LRTA administrator Rafael Rodriguez has been asked to explain the reported employment of 36 consultants by the agency.

Documents obtained by The Philippine 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. The report noted: "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."

The report also quoted Atty. Diosdado Silva, Rodriguez’s head executive, who told The Philippine 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."

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