Malacañang remained tongue-tied over the weekend, trying to explain why Undersecretary Rogelio Peyuan’s appointment as director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was revoked.

On Saturday, TESDA officials and employees came out with a manifesto in a major daily to urge President Arroyo to reconsider the recall of Peyuan’s appointment.

Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo was quick to pacify the sentiments of the TESDA community, saying over government-run Radyo ng Bayan that “the President placed him (Peyuan) where she feels his formidable talents would be best utilized.

Peyuan, whose latest appointment as Press Undersecretary for Broadcast was announced by Arroyo in Cebu last Friday, last gave his word on the issue on the same day when he turned over the reins of TESDA to new Director General Pastor Guiao.

Peyuan denied allegations, purportedly floated by his predecessor Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco in the Palace that he would be using TESDA funds to bankroll the campaign of senatorial bet, Ilocos Governor Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

In his Facebook blog, Marcos made reference to the issue on Saturday, stating: “The removal of the new TESDA chief two days after his appointment due to his perceived close ties to the Marcos family and his reported plans to use TESDA resources to help my campaign is indicative of the paranoia of Palace officials and the possibility of true opposition candidates gaining a seat in the Senate.

Arroyo, who took careful consideration of public opinion over whether or not to appoint a new Chief Justice, seemed to have thrown caution in the wind of her appointing powers in making the last-minute decision to appoint Peyuan to the OPS on March 10 to beat the constitutional ban on “midnight appointments.”

The Palace, however, seemed short of explaining the President’s decision despite having four Palace officials – Saludo, Deputy Presidential Spokespersons Gary Olivar and Charito Planas, Press Secretary Crispulo J. Icban Jr. – speak on the matter since Thursday.

On Sunday, labor rights leader and Nacionalist Party senatorial bet Susan “Toots” Ople insisted that there should be an investigation to Peyuan’s allegation that Syjuco had lobbied for the withdrawal of his (Peyuan’s) appointment because of his refusal to yield control of the dispensation of TESDA funds.

Ople said the Palace cannot brush aside the concerns of TESDA employees as “trivial issues”, particularly in the interest of the P700-million scholarship fund in question.

“Where does this conflict with the public’s right to know the truth about what’s going on in TESDA lead us?” Ople said.

The Alliance of Concerned Employees (ACE), led by Sonia Lipio, said that while Palace officials have declared the leadership of TESDA as settled, many of their questions regarding Syjuco’s unwelcome interference in running the agency remain unanswered.

Meanwhile, Peyuan could not be reached for comment Sunday. But his peculiar silence, now that he is Arroyo’s appointed Press Undersecretary for Broadcast, is deafening.