Stops payment for P39M ‘ghost deliveries’
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The new head of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has cancelled the bidding for P70 million worth of "irregular" purchases and stopped payment for remaining P39 million payables for an "irregular project, including ghost deliveries."
In his first day of office Wednesday, newly appointed Tesda director general Joel Villanueva also ordered an immediate investigation into the agency's P1 billion debt on scholarship.
"After hours of briefing and study, I cancelled the bidding for a P70-million irregular IT-related procurement," Villanueva said in a statement.
The procurement was irregular, he said, because the costs of the IT products have gone down by P10 million now.
"Thus, we cannot approve a contract where product costs have now depreciated," he pointed out.
Villanueva said he also cancelled "the continuous payment for the remaining P39 million payables for an irregular project including ghost deliveries and ordered an immediate probe on a P1 billion debt on scholarship."
"As for the cancellation of payment for the remaining P39 million payables, Tesda will not pay for products which were not delivered, or delivered but with discrepancies in specs," he said.
"These products include, among others, equipment for bar tending, crop production, refrigeration and airconditioning and computer hardware," he added.
Before joining the government, the new Tesada chief completed his nine-year term of office as representative of Citizens Battle Against Corruption (Cibac) party-list group in the House of Representatives.
"Tough decisions, but at the end of the day, kailangan talaga nating humakbang tungo sa matuwid na daan (we really need to take a step toward the right road)," said Villanueva.
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