TESDA to probe own officials in P30-million scam

MANILA, Philippines - The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will look into the alleged irregularities worth over P30 million uncovered by the Commission on Audit (COA) in their electronic portal project started in 2007.

Roger Peyuan, TESDA deputy director general for field operations, said he would form a task force to investigate COA findings of some irregularities in the contracts signed by the agency with the contractor in 2007 and 2008.

“We will question concerned officials on the irregularities raised by COA about the project and evaluate what they have to say,” Peyuan told The STAR.

Peyuan pointed out that they would not tolerate graft and corruption among TESDA officials, saying they want to protect the integrity of the agency that has a P5.6-billion budget to push for technical-vocational education and training programs for jobless Filipinos.

He said TESDA has some 800,000 scholars of various technical-vocational courses to meet the demand of skilled blue-collar workers in the local and international job markets.

TESDA has initiated a move to have the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation conduct a thorough probe on another project found by COA to be tainted with serious irregularities, namely the P302.1-million purchase of training equipment from lone supplier V. G. Roxas Co.

The COA found an overprice of as much as 4,000 percent in some baking equipment for bakery training courses of TESDA training schools.

In the electronic portal project, COA questioned contracts in 2007 and 2008, citing irregularities such as the supposed ineligible but winning bidder, the payment of millions of pesos to the company despite the failure to deliver some components of the project, and the project’s not having been included in the agency’s Annual Procurement Program.

– Rainer Allan Ronda