For buying and paying a pair of video discs on meat processing at P306,250.00; a dough cutter at P48,507.46; and an incubator jar at P15,375, Mr. Augusto Syjuco was sued for alleged plunder.
Mr. Syjuco is currently the director general of the Technical Education & Skills Development Authority (TESDA). According to the "Across the Nation" ofthe Philippine Daily Inquirer, the complaint was filed by the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLink) in a two page letter complaint.
Under the Laderized Education Program–TESDA (LEP-TES) and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF–TES), it alleged that the purchases were overpriced by P60.96 million which ranged from 4 percent to 42,723 percent per item. Syjuco allegedly paid P306,250 for a pair of video discs which actual price was P715; dough cutter for P48,507.46 which actual price was P120; incubator jar at P15,375 which actual price was P149 only.
In 2008, PSLink also filed corruption charges against Mr. Syjuco in connection with the printing of his book entitled: "Salabat For The Filipino Soul" that cost P9.2 million printed without any public bidding. After a thorough investigation, the PDI reported, the Presidential Anti Graft Commission (PAGC) found Syjuco guilty of grave misconduct over that book project. However, the committee of peers in Malacañang reversed the decision.
According to Ms. Annie Geron, PSLink secretary general, their complaint cited the Commission on Audit (CO) findings dated March 12, 2009 which reported that "four contracts awarded to VG Roxas & Co, Inc. worth P302,109,054.53 were overpriced by 20.18 percent."
The highest overprice, according to the report is in the cost of two (2) video compact discs "Gabay Sa Negosyo" on meat processing which cost P306,250 as the audit team found, it "only cost P715 with a 20 percent discount for government" agency like TESDA. It was found the overprice reached P305,535 or 42,732 percent.
Another item TESDA bought was plastic medicine cabinets at P2,182.86 each which only cost from P200 to P300 each in 2007.
Moreover, it did not only had big price differences between what were paid and the actual regular market prices, it were also of low quality.
In view of the tools’ low quality, some officials and employees in TESDA regional offices called it "Training Toys". COA also reported field officials and employees just kept them in the locked cabinets for fear that the items might get lost that they cannot afford to pay them or that it is not worth paying them in case of lost". /MP
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