April 5, 2018
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General, Sec. Guiling A. Mamondiong, has warned Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs) from perpetrating corrupt practices, saying that these have no place in any government agency.
Mamondiong's warning came after he sent a memorandum to President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacanang as he vowed to sanction anyone involved in the illegal activity.
“In due time, we will be cancelling registered programs and sanction TVIs if the inspections which we have been conducting for the last two (2) months, and hope to complete this April, will reveal anomalies in their respective allocation of scholarship slots and absorptive capacities,” Mamondiong said.
Together with this, and to dispel any rumors of spurious activities, the TESDA chief has also ordered the “reassignment” of regional and provincial directors of the agency.
“I apologize to the Directors but if only to prove that under my watch there is no corruption, I had to do it and I am doing it," Mamondiong explained.
Further, Mamondiong instructed regional directors to be the sole authority in distributing scholarship slots to prevent any delays in their implementation saying that the "tendering system" in 2017 caused a delay in the awarding of scholarships to TVIs.
“Because the tendering system had caused a delay in the implementation of the scholarship program, the authority to award the scholarship grants has now been delegated to the Regional Directors,” added the TESDA head.
He instructed Regional and Provincial Directors to submit the list of names of the scholarship beneficiaries in their areas for verification and validation in an effort to eliminate the possibility of “ghost scholars”.
TESDA has also been conducting internal audits and technical audits in all registered tech-voc programs nationwide since 2017.
Mamondiong said that the agency continues to conduct spot inspections at TVIs implementing scholarship programs of the agency to ensure their compliance to the TESDA Code of Conduct and Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE).
He said that any resolutions of administrative cases should be sped up by coordinating closely with various oversight agencies, non-government agencies and international bodies.
In 2017, the TESDA chief conducted public consultations in all regions and provinces and announced a Php 50,000 reward for anyone who could provide any information regarding illicit activities involving TESDA officials or employees.
“To this date, nobody has come forth with any substantiated complaints regarding this matter," Mamondiong said.
The awarding of scholarship programs like the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) and Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) will be strictly monitored in line with the National Technical Education and Skills Development plan (NTESDP) 2017-2022, and the 17-Point Reform Agenda of TESDA, he said.
The procurement process in the purchase of starter toolkits for the Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) will also be stricter, requiring these to be approved by the TESDA board, and made to more closely comply with R.A. 9184.
“While we do not claim to have perfect control mechanisms over possible areas of corruption, we remain steadfast in our fight against corruption and our resolve towards providing the best service to our citizens,” added Mamondiong.
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