Doubts on alleged TESDA reforms aired

The Philippine Association of Recruitment Agencies Deploying Artists (PARADA) yesterday aired doubts on reports that reforms are being put in place and implemented by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to resolve the problems besetting the assessment and certification of overseas performing artists (OPAs).

PARADA secretary general Art Pangilinan said that contrary to claims, the backlog in the processing of the Artist Record Book (ARB) has not yet been fully resolved. "We continue to receive complaints from our member-agencies about their backlog that dates back to 2001. On top of this, ARB issuance for applicants who passed the skills assessment test from July to November last year has been lopsided and still has to be completed," Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan finds it puzzling that TESDA considers as backlog the 35,000 ARBs turned over by the POEA when these are finished products that only need to be released to their rightful owners.

"TESDA is but a temporary custodian of these ARBs per mandate of the new policy adopted last year by the Department of Labor and Employment — Department Order No. 10 Series of 2001."

Pangilinan said the industry associations have a pending request for Dante Liban, TESDA director-general, to issue an official and complete inventory of ARB issuance from July to November indicating names of ARB holders, ARB serial numbers and names of skill endorsees. The request was embodied in letters dated Nov. 25, Dec. 3 and Dec. 18, 2002 duly received by the office of the TESDA director general.

"We wonder why up to now Liban is not responding to the letters as the requested inventory can finally erase allegations of irregularities in ARB issuance whereby reports get passed around that hundreds of untested applicants were able to obtain their ARBs at a cost of P25,000 per booklet," Pangilinan said.