MANILA, Philippines -- Opposition senators Wednesday challenged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to prove that her anticorruption stance was not just ?for show? by prosecuting Director General Augusto Syjuco of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Syjuco, a former congressman and loyal Arroyo ally, is the first Cabinet member to be charged with grave misconduct by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) for using P9.2 million in TESDA funds to print 250,000 copies of his book, ?Salabat for the Soul.?

?PAGC is only for show if (Ms Arroyo) will continue to ignore its recommendations. That is the general view of the public on the government?s anticorruption efforts because it is never implemented against her officials,? Sen. Francis Escudero said in a text message.

Straight to Sandigan

In an interview, Sen. Benigno Aquino III said he saw no point why the PAGC recommendation should go to the Malacañang Committee of Peers instead of straight to the Sandiganbayan.

Aquino said that a reversal of the PAGC findings would deal a big blow to the fight against corruption because the public would see the anti-graft body as useless against Ms Arroyo?s men.

The case was filed against Syjuco and TESDA?s bid and awards committee (BAC) by the TESDA employees? union which saw the PAGC ruling as a vindication of its efforts to expose Syjuco?s shenanigans and an acid test for the Arroyo administration?s campaign against corruption.

The book?s delivery, contract signing, payment, inspection, and acceptance of the book were all processed in one day two years ago without a public bidding.

The PAGC in a resolution last month found the five BAC members guilty of grave misconduct but because Syjuco, also a respondent in the case, was a Cabinet member it decided to refer his case to the Palace committee.

Syjuco: No corruption

In a phone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer Wednesday, Syjuco pointed out that in the PAGC resolution there was no allegation of conspiracy and the ruling found no element of corruption involved in the publication of 250,000 copies of his book.

He stressed that the resolution also said that the charge of causing undue injury to the government should be ?dismissed for lack of merit since no undue injury has been caused to the government.?

?However, we are in the process of appealing the PAGC?s resolution referring the case to the Committee of Peers. With its ruling on the absence of corruption and other irregularities, we believe that there is no case to decide on anymore,? Syjuco said.

He said that the four books he had written and published for the government agency were aimed at assisting the country?s 1.4 million students who graduate from high school annually.

Syjuco said that of the number only 300,000 were able to graduate from college. ?How can the rest have careers or professions without the necessary skills??

These skills, he explained, are discussed in detail in his books.

?Writing these books is the only good way I could communicate with our young graduates,? Syjuco said.

Retaliation

Syjuco said that the case against him was filed by Annie Geron, president of the Samahang Malaya at Nagkakaisang Kawani ng TESDA, in retaliation for her dismissal from the agency two years ago for absenteeism.

He also said that Geron?s union was not accredited to the Department of Labor and Employment which reportedly dismissed its petition for certification after it failed to prove it had the support of 20 percent of TESDA employees.

Geron Wednesday questioned the PAGC decision to bring the Syjuco case before the Malacañang committee.

?What is this Committee of Peers? Who comprise this?? asked Geron in a phone interview with the Inquirer newspaper, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

More evidence

Geron urged Ms Arroyo to act immediately on Syjuco, saying the TESDA union was collating evidence against the TESDA chief to be submitted to Malacañang.

Geron also said the union would file a criminal case in relation to the questioned transaction against Syjuco before the Ombudsman. ?This is only the administrative aspect of the case,? she said.

Syjuco?s counsel, Cornelio Panes, said in Iloilo City he was preparing to file libel charges against Geron.

?We are preparing to assess and determine what cause of action to make. We are tying to retrieve all the materials,? Panes told the Inquirer.