COA hits Tesda fund transfer

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) had no business transferring over P58 million to nongovernment organizations in 2005 and 2008 to implement a program that provided school supplies to students in Iloilo’s second district, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.

The program was not part of Tesda’s mandate and was “highly irregular,” the COA said.

The Tesda director general at the time was Augusto Syjuco, the incumbent representative of Iloilo’s second district who was also its congressman before he took the helm of Tesda. In the interim, his wife Judy Syjuco, won the congressional seat.

In its 2010 report on Tesda, the COA found that P20 million from the agency’s central office was granted to the Tagipusuon Cooperative, while P38.12 million from its Region VI office was transferred to the Tagipusuon Foundation.

Not Tesda’s mandate

The Tagipusuon Cooperative’s mandate was to implement livelihood projects and support the government and other organizations in sustainable socioeconomic development programs.

But the cooperative, the second congressional district of Iloilo and Tesda entered into an agreement to create the Expanded Education for All Program under which elementary and high school students were to be given uniforms, bags, notebooks and other school supplies and training materials.

Tesda’s mandate, the COA said, was to improve technical education.

“It was noted that providing elementary and high school students with free uniforms, bags and school supplies through the Expanded Education for all Program was not part of Tesda’s mandate considering that its mission was toward quality technical education and skills development,” the COA said.

According to the audit agency, Tesda granted the P20 million to the Tagipusuon Cooperative on Dec. 29, 2005, intended for school uniforms, school supplies, training programs and facilities, and scholarships.

“Hence, the implementation of the project was clearly outside the ambit of Tesda’s mandate. It was not in accordance with the cooperative’s primary purpose of planning and implementing livelihood projects,” it said.

Only a total of P14.702 million was liquidated, COA found.

The COA said that in 2006, the cooperative transferred P5 million to Tesda Region VI as part of its 50-percent share in Tesda’s P10-million scholarship program. The funds, however, remained unliquidated.

Deficiencies

In 2008 and 2009, Tesda Region VI transferred P13.12 million and P25 million to Tagipusuon Foundation Inc. Tesda received the amounts from the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel of then Iloilo Rep. Judy Syjuco for the Expanded Education for all Program.

COA said Tesda submitted memorandums of agreement covering P8 million of the funds, but it found deficiencies.

It noted that the two MOAs were signed by the second congressional district office of Iloilo, Tesda and Tagipusuon Foundation. Under the agreements, Tesda should have been represented by Rogelio Peyuan, its deputy director general for field operations.

It was Augusto Syjuco, however, and not Peyuan who signed the agreements, COA said.

The COA said Tesda should “take appropriate action” against the officials who authorized the release of the funds to Tagipusuon Cooperative and Tagipusuon Foundation.