Ex-Tesda exec gets 156 years

A former provincial director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) in Cavite has been sentenced to up to 156 years in jail by the Sandiganbayan for awarding a supply contract to a company owned by her sister in 2003.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday said Felicidad Zurbano was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the antigraft court for 13 counts of violation of Section 3(h) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Each count imposed a jail term of 12 years as maximum sentence. The court also banned Zurbano from working in the government.

“The bidding process was but a sham since the other participating suppliers had no chance of securing the lowest bid,” read the ruling penned by Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos.

The Ombudsman said Zurbano used her position as Tesda provincial head to award the supply contract to CDZ Enterprises, which was owned by her sister, at least 13 times in 2003.

“Zurbano rigged the procurement process by making sure that CDZ would be able to submit the lowest price quotations by keeping a blank canvass form and waiting for the two other supposed bidders to submit their quotations first so that the favored supplier could come up with the lowest price quotations,” it said. Marlon Ramos