THE Commission on Audit has denied a petition by a technical-vocational school against the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for payment of P27.94 million cost of trainings under the Training for Work Scholarship Program of the Arroyo government in 2009.
In its 12-page decision, the COA en banc said the claim of Asiantouch International Training Institute was not backed by requirements and must be denied.
“The ATL (audit team leader) and the SA (supervising auditor) correctly observed that the petitioner’s claim … has no specific details on the nature of the unpaid services/advances made for each region and was only supported with billing statements,” the commission noted.
Asiantouch’s claim was anchored on the memorandum of agreement it signed with TESDA on January 9, 2009.
Under the MOA, TESDA will provide scholarship vouchers to the trade school’s 13 branches in Quezon City, Manila, Pasig City, Silang in Cavite, Minalin in Pampanga, San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, San Pedro in Iloilo City, Muntinlupa City, Balanga in Bataan, Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Montalban in Rizal, and Batangas.
Based on the same MOA, TESDA issued bar-coded Pangulong Gloria Scholarship (PGS) vouchers with a validity period of two months. If unused after that period, the PGS are considered canceled and ineligible for payment.
Asiantouch said it implemented the training vouchers endorsed to it by TESDA and advanced its own money to cover the Training Support Fund (TSF) when TESDA failed to distribute the stipend.
Included in the claim were P20.07 million in training costs and P3.74 million in assessment fees.
Unable to collect from TESDA despite sending several letters, Asiantouch filed its petition with the COA on July 6, 2020.
In a reply dated September 8, 2020, then TESDA Sec. Isidro Lapeña said the claim cannot be validated in the absence of documents to prove that the petitioner advanced money for the TSF.
