Iloilo Rep. Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco has decried as misleading and inaccurate reports of alleged irregularities during his stint as head of the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

In an undelivered privilege speech placed on the chamber’s records last Monday, the opposition lawmaker said that contrary to allegations aired by his successor, TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva, he was the one who cancelled the purchase orders for P39 million worth of training equipment and power tools found to be either overpriced, deficient, or undelivered.

“It was I who ordered an investigation into these anomalies and referred them to the Department of Justice,” he said.

Time constraint forced Syjuco to waive his right to deliver his privilege speech during the House privilege hour on Monday. Instead, he manifested that the copy of his speech be placed on the chamber’s records.

The former TESDA chief reacted sharply to Villanueva’s decision to cancel contracts for over P100 million worth of purchase made by the agency during Syjuco’s term.

Commenting on the alleged overpricing of P73 million worth of computers for e-Tesda, Syjuco said there could not have been overpricing since the bidding procedure was not completed and no contract had been awarded when he left office.

Returning to the House after nine years, Syjuco also took exception to observations that the employment of TESDA scholars was only 20 percent. He said it is much higher and was 55 percent in 2008.

Syjuco said that it was during his term when thousands of TekBok-trained Filipinos found employment abroad, pointing out that the number of TekBok graduates rose from 839,898 in 2004 to 1,702,307 in 2007, a 102.68 percent increase; the number of workers assessed grew from 207,928 in 2004 to 398,711 in 2007, an increase of 91.76 percent; and the number of certified workers increased by 139.45 percent from 122,453 in 2004 to 293,219 in 2007.

On claims that some schools get paid for “ghost” enrollees, Syjuco said that payments to schools are effected only upon graduation of student trainees who are officially registered as TESDA-scholarship recipients.