THE Commission on Audit has lifted the Notice of Disallowance issued in 2009 against the P12.33 million media advertisement expenses incurred by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from 2005 to 2007 under former director general Augusto Syjuco Jr.
In its en banc decision released last week, the COA affirmed the 2017 ruling of the COA National Government Sector – Cluster 5 that granted the appeal filed by Syjuco three years before he passed away in January 2020.
Audit records showed TESDA spent P1.434 million in media ads in 2005, P5.826 million in 2006, and P5.073 million in 2007.
Among the bigger expense items listed were P1.52 million paid to Crown Asia Entertainment for the taping of “Hagdan ng Tagumpay” and “Almusal sa TESDA;” P1.66 million to IBC 13 for airing both programs, and P1.83 million supposedly paid to “Manny Pacquiao” for the “e-mechanical right” over “Laban Natin Ito.”
In 2008, the audit team declared the expenses as unnecessary and held Syjuco liable together with chief accountant Guillerma Aguilar, deputy director generals Rogelio Peyuan and Santiago Yabut Jr., executive director Marissa Legaspi, information officer Carlos Flores, director Rinzi Fadrilla, and executive director Cliffor Paragua.
In his appeal, Syjuco justified the expenditure as an important part of a sustained advocacy to promote TESDA’s major programs and services and to counter the perceived bias against Technical-Vocational education.
He added that the newspaper and TV ads were not merely for publicity or propaganda but also development communication tools in support of the TESDA’s mandate to promote quality training, skills assessment, and mobilizing participation of the private sector in manpower development.
In sustaining Syjuco and TESDA, the COA en banc held that the media ads expenses of the agency are recognized as exceptions to the general rule.
“It is allowed in the issuance of agency guidelines, rules and regulations, the conduct of public bidding, the dissemination of important public announcements, and in the case of promotion of trade and business. Simply stated, the payment of media advertisements is allowed if it is a necessary expense, as in these instances,” the Commission said.
It pointed out that promoting and strengthening the quality of technical education and skills development is one of the goals of TESDA to attain international competitiveness.
“To realize this goal, there is a need to have an intensified information dissemination campaign for the public to be fully aware of the programs of TESDA. Likewise, the programs and training of TESDA are in the nature of important public announcements that require advertisement in newspapers of general circulation and are necessary to the operations of TESDA,” it added. THE Commission on Audit has lifted the Notice of Disallowance issued in 2009 against the P12.33 million media advertisement expenses incurred by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from 2005 to 2007 under former director general Augusto Syjuco Jr.
In its en banc decision released last week, the COA affirmed the 2017 ruling of the COA National Government Sector – Cluster 5 that granted the appeal filed by Syjuco three years before he passed away in January 2020.
Audit records showed TESDA spent P1.434 million in media ads in 2005, P5.826 million in 2006, and P5.073 million in 2007.
Among the bigger expense items listed were P1.52 million paid to Crown Asia Entertainment for the taping of “Hagdan ng Tagumpay” and “Almusal sa TESDA;” P1.66 million to IBC 13 for airing both programs, and P1.83 million supposedly paid to “Manny Pacquiao” for the “e-mechanical right” over “Laban Natin Ito.”
In 2008, the audit team declared the expenses as unnecessary and held Syjuco liable together with chief accountant Guillerma Aguilar, deputy director generals Rogelio Peyuan and Santiago Yabut Jr., executive director Marissa Legaspi, information officer Carlos Flores, director Rinzi Fadrilla, and executive director Cliffor Paragua.
In his appeal, Syjuco justified the expenditure as an important part of a sustained advocacy to promote TESDA’s major programs and services and to counter the perceived bias against Technical-Vocational education.
He added that the newspaper and TV ads were not merely for publicity or propaganda but also development communication tools in support of the TESDA’s mandate to promote quality training, skills assessment, and mobilizing participation of the private sector in manpower development.
In sustaining Syjuco and TESDA, the COA en banc held that the media ads expenses of the agency are recognized as exceptions to the general rule.
“It is allowed in the issuance of agency guidelines, rules and regulations, the conduct of public bidding, the dissemination of important public announcements, and in the case of promotion of trade and business. Simply stated, the payment of media advertisements is allowed if it is a necessary expense, as in these instances,” the Commission said.
It pointed out that promoting and strengthening the quality of technical education and skills development is one of the goals of TESDA to attain international competitiveness.
“To realize this goal, there is a need to have an intensified information dissemination campaign for the public to be fully aware of the programs of TESDA. Likewise, the programs and training of TESDA are in the nature of important public announcements that require advertisement in newspapers of general circulation and are necessary to the operations of TESDA,” it added.
