TESDA going after former officials

The Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) on Thursday vowed to try its best to go after officials liable for the misdeeds in the agency particularly those appointed during the previous administration.

TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said the findings of the Commission on Audit (CoA) on the illegal transfer of TESDA funds to non-government organizations during the previous administration have “bolstered our own findings of irregularities of the fund use.”

Villanueva said TESDA conducted its own investigation and has submitted the findings to the Office of the Ombudsman in November for possible filing of graft charges against former Director General Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco.

In the said CoA report, it was stated Syjuco should “not have allowed” the transfer of over P58 million in 2005 and 2008 to the Tagipusuon Cooperative, a total of P20 million, and to the Tagipusuon Foundation, a total of 38.12 millions, for purchase of school materials “because this is not TESDA’s mandate.”

Villanueva also shared their key findings on the cash advances to Tagipusuon where it was reported that cash advances total to P33.2 million—P20 million in 2005, out of which close to P5.3 million remains unliquidated and P13.2 million in 2009, the whole amount of which are unliquidated.

As early as September 2010, Villanueva issued a directive for the cooperative to account for the grant. “Our own findings also found certain deficiencies in the fund transfer and breach in the agency's mandate of providing technical education and skills development,” he said.

Villanueva explained that the fund came from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of then Iloilo Representative Judy Syjuco, wife of Boboy Syjuco, which was released to TESDA-Region VI and was later on transferred to Tagipusuon Foundation Inc., which runs the cooperative.

“In using her PDAF, Representative Syjuco conceptualized and undertook the Expanded Education for All Program which seeks to provide assistance to needy youth in the second congressional district of Iloilo by giving free uniforms, bags, notebooks, ball pens and other school supplies and training materials,” Villanueva said.

The TESDA chief said that based on their own findings, it was revealed that providing the elementary/ high school students with free uniforms, school bags and other school supplies through the Expanded Education for All Program is not among TESDA's scholarship programs considering its mission is towards quality technical education and skill development.

Villanueva said that TESDA also noted a deficiency in the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the fund transfer. While the MoA provided that TESDA was represented by Rogelio Peyuan, deputy director general for field operations, the one involving the fund transfer of five million pesos and P3.1 million was signed by Syjuco.

“The original MoA covered the fund transfer of P8.1 million but was replaced by a new agreement splitting the fund release into—P5 million and P3.1 million—to circumvent government regulation,” he said.

Aside from fund irregularities in the Tagipusuon Foundation, Villanueva also ordered investigation on the Pangulong Gloria Scholarship Program (PSG) program.

By INA HERNANDO-MALIPOT
MB.COM.PH

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