Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Augusto "Boboy" Syjuco downplayed Thursday the P3.8 billion plunder charges filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman by the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) and anti-corruption advocates, saying they are singing the same old tunes.
In an interview, Syjuco said the cases filed by the parties were all "rehash" from the cases lodged against him in 2006.
"I have already met those issues squarely several times over, even as those cases were already passed upon by the Ombudsman and dropped for lack of merit," said Syjuco."Also even as they brought the same cases to a congressional investigation, the committee on labor decided almost unanimously on my innocence from those trumped up charges," he said.
Syjuco claimed that his opponents are resurrecting the dead issues because he is again running as congressman in his district in Iloilo this coming May 10 elections.
In its complaint affidavit filed last Tuesday before the Office of the Ombudsman, the group led by
Annie Enriquez-Geron, general secretary of PSLINK said that Syjuco committed at least six major irregular transactions and cases of gross negligence and mismanagement involving a total amount of P3.8 billion.
They accused Syjuco of violating Republic Act (RA) 7080 or the Anti Plunder Law, RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices, RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct of and Ethical Standards for Government Officials and Employees, and General Appropriations Act of 2006, 2007, 2008.
Among the anomalies included in the plunder charges were the overpricing by 150 percent in TESDA's Ladderized Education Program, the highly irregular contract of the e-TESDA Portal, the wasteful caravans and unnecessary spending on media and infomercials, high phone bills and Syjuco's frequent travel to Iloilo, unsubstantiated and insufficiency documented expenditure on representation, miscellaneous expenses on meals and corporate gifts and diversion of at least P231 million worth of funds from Region 10 to his district in Iloilo.
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