Tech-Voc Institutions flay TESDA for unspent funds
THE 140-strong members of the Technical-Vocational Institutions (TVIs-Pangasinan) are adamant in saying the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) “has lost its mandate – to train Filipino workers, especially those who were retrenched and repatriated, for national development”.
In an open letter to President Duterte, signed by Andrei Abalos, TVI Pangasinan president, it said “TESDA has not only failed us, it has failed the Filipino people, especially during this pandemic.”
The letter, expressed hope that Senate leaders, especially former TESDA Director General and now Sen. Joel Villanueva, “will heed our call for accountability on TESDA’s leadership’s failure to implement training programs that could have benefitted millions of retrenched and repatriated Filipino workers.”
In an interview with Pangasinan newsmen, Abalos, however, clarified their move is not a personal affront against Director General Isidro Lapeña who is their fellow Pangasinense.
They also told the President that they are alarmed by the recent findings of the Commission on Audit about the billions of pesos of unspent scholarship funds placed under the charge of TESDA.
“These funds could have circulated in the economy at a time of economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic; taxpayers’ money that could have saved from closure some of our members; taxpayers’ money that could have been used to retrain returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents and give them a chance to find new jobs; and taxpayers’ money that could have given our employees to put food on their families’ tables,” the letter said.
It added that they are enraged that TESDA has more than P800-million of unused budget for this year and complained that Secretary Lapeña allocated scholarship programs to the sectors he preferred.
It cited that one third of the total scholarship budget was only earmarked to agriculture. But TVIs and TESDA Technology Institutions (TTIs) can only gather few since many prefer other occupations than farming.
There are about 4,400 TVIs representing 98 percent of all the training institutions nationwide, Abalos said. (Eva Visperas)
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