Ex-Iloilo lawmaker and TESDA chief Syjuco, 77

MANILA, Philippines — Former Iloilo congressman and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Augusto “Buboy” Syjuco Jr. passed away due to a lingering illness. He was 77. 

Reports indicated he died Monday from an unknown illness, although there was also news he died in Singapore – where he was undergoing treatment – and that his remains were brought to his hometown where he was immediately cremated.

Syjuco served as congressman of Iloilo’s second district from 1998 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2013. He was appointed TESDA chief by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and attempted to run for a Senate seat but lost. 

He was convicted by the Sandiganbayan in August 2019 after he admitted to the P4.3-million cash grant from the Department of Agriculture, where he was found guilty of graft based on the pork barrel funds when he was still a lawmaker. 

The Second Division allowed him a plea bargain for reasons of frail health. 

“Syjuco is slowly dying as he is currently suffering from advanced myelodysplastic syndrome,” a portion of the motion for plea bargain agreement he filed in Sandiganbayan in March 2019 read.