Save TESDA! Prosecute Syjuco!

We are pleased over the positive developments during the past weeks concerning the corruption case against Syjuco and the five members of the TESDA Bids and Awards Committee (TESDA-BAC). The corruption scandal is nearly over as all the aforesaid officials have been found guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) for their participation in a P 9.2 Million anomalous transaction involving the printing of a book entitled Salabat for the Filipino Soul. Malacaсang has upheld the PAGC ruling and ordered the dismissal from government service of the five TESDA-BAC members. On the other hand, Syjucos case has been forwarded to the Committee of Peers due to his cabinet rank.

While we are eagerly hoping for the Committee of Peers to finally bring the case to its just conclusion, we are deeply saddened by the emerging bid among some of our legislators to abolish TESDA and to transfer its functions to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

As you may know, TESDA was established through the enactment of Republic Act No. 7796 otherwise known as the "Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994. Signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos, the need for it arose from the key recommendations of the 1991 Report of the Congressional Commission on Education. These recommendations came about as a result of a national assessment of the state of education and manpower development in the Philippines. Three offices the National Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Bureau of Technical and Vocational Education (BTVE) of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), and the Apprenticeship Program of the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) of the DOLE were merged into one in order to reduce overlapping in skills development activities initiated by various public and private sector agencies, and to provide national directions for the country's technical-vocational education and training (TVET) system.

In general, TESDA is mandated to:

1. Integrate, coordinate and monitor skills development programs;
2. Restructure efforts to promote and develop middle-level manpower;
3. Approve skills standards and tests;
4. Develop an accreditation system for institutions involved in middle-level manpower development;
5. Fund programs and projects for technical education and skills development; and
6. Assist trainers training programs.

TESDA has gone a long way since its inception. In an assessment of TESDAs performance during the period from 1995-2000, the said agency earned an average rating of 2.71 or Fair by various stakeholders and an Independent Review Panel. Moreover, the report concluded that there is still a lot of room for improvement. This indicates that even after just a few years since it was established, TESDA already showed potential to serve as a conductor, a referee, a policeman, a helper, a strategist, a planner, a visionary for the TVET sub-sector. Combining three agencies into one is no easy task and yet, TESDA in its early years has managed to come up with notable initiatives.

The assessment report made various recommendations to strengthen TESDA and what surfaced as the most urgent need to further strengthen the TVET sub-sector was to push for adequate funding for TESDA. More recommendations were made and every one of them pointed to strengthening TESDA, focusing its mandate and instituting reforms within the agency. Not one suggested that TESDA be abolished or be placed under another jurisdiction.

Now more than ever, the country needs to address the issues concerning our manpower development. With the degrading state of our education system and the job-skills mismatch that has been pointed out as the major cause of the unemployment among our youth and labor force, we must reform TESDA in order for the institution to become more responsive. Placing it under the management of DTI will only defeat our purpose of developing our manpower as the two agencies cover different mandates and have different expertise. In addition, doing so will only result to a multi-layered bureaucracy that would not have the sufficient focus and resources to address the needs of our middle-level manpower.

We call on our legislators not to be swayed into abolishing TESDA just because of the Syjuco corruption scandal that has negatively its performance. Ever since he became Director-General, Syjuco has only brought shame to TESDA. This is because he has merely used the agency as a tool to further his political and vested interests. This is evident on how the budget of TESDA is concentrated in District 2 of Iloilo where he served as former Congressman and how he spends excessively on programs that have nothing to do with improving the plight of the TVET sub-sector and publicity stints meant to raise his profile and please GMA.

Our legislators should banish Syjuco, not TESDA. The whole agency does not deserve to bear one mans failings.

SAVE TESDA! SACK SYJUCO!