4 ex-TESDA officials plead guilty to fraud, fined P1,000

MANILA, Philippines —  Four former officials of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have pleaded guilty to fraud to avoid undergoing a full trial for a heavier charge of graft over an alleged anomalous P30-million computerization project in 2007.

Under a plea bargain, former TESDA Bids and Awards Committee chairman Teodoro Sanico, former BAC members Buen Mondejar and Ernesto Beltran and former budget division acting chief Annabelle Quimbo confessed on Jan. 31 to fraud against public treasury before the Sandiganbayan’s First Division, which fined them P1,000 each.

Private respondent Jason dela Rosa, president of information technology provider Prime Logic Corp. (PLC), also pleaded guilty to the same offense and agreed to pay TESDA P2 million under a compromise deal with the Office of the Ombudsman.

Dela Rosa and the four former TESDA officials are the co-accused of the late former TESDA director general Augusto Syjuco Jr., who was accused of violating Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The First Division dismissed the case against Syjuco due to his death on Jan. 10.

In a case filed in 2018, the ombudsman alleged that a total of P30 million was paid to PLC “despite several procurement irregularities and instances of fraud attending the transaction.”

PLC was awarded a service contract in October 2007 for the installation and maintenance of the Integrated Technical and Vocational Education and Training Management System through the e-TESDA portal.

The ombudsman said the project did not have a valid source of funds, contrary to the TESDA budget division’s certification.

The published invitation to bid did not indicate the approved budget for the contract, fund source, contract duration and delivery schedule, which violates RA 9184, the government procurement law.