Ex-TESDA chief Syjuco to run for president

A former lawmaker and Arroyo-era Cabinet official facing a string of graft charges before the Sandiganbayan has declared his intention to run for president in the 2016 elections, saying it will be his “last great act of public service” before dying.

 

Former Iloilo representative and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Augusto Syjuco Jr. said he will be run for president because he is “angered” by the rampant corruption and greed in the country.

 

“Ako po si Tito Boboy Syjuco. Ako ay magfa-file ng aking candidacy bukas to run for president of this country because I have so much to share— of knowledge, experience and wisdom,” he said in a speech at a Quezon City restaurant Sunday.

 

A GMA News TV Live report quoted the former lawmaker as saying he considers his candidacy as his “last great act of service to the country and the people before “leaving the earth.”

 

Aside from seeing himself as the “most qualified” among all presidential aspirants, Syjuco said he is confident he will be able to stop the alleged cheating that will take place during the May 2016 polls.

 

“Ako ay naniniwalang itong dayaan sa darating na eleksyon na isinasagawa na ngayon ay mapipigilan natin. I believe with God’s help and the people’s support, that the wisdom and experience I bring to the job will make it possible,” he said.

 

So far, four politicians have declared their intentions to run for president. They are: former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who will be the Liberal Party’s standard bearer, Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance, Senator Grace Poe and OFW Family Club party-list Rep. Roy Señeres.

 

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has yet to confirm if he is running for president.

 

Earlier this year, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of graft charges against Syjuco for the allegedly anomalous procurement of schoolbooks worth P9.25 million in 2008. The Commission on Audit had issued a notice of disallowance for the books’ procurement because it did not undergo public bidding.

 

State auditors also questioned the processing of payment, delivery and inspection of goods which were completed only in one day.

 

Other than this graft charge, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales also approved the filing graft charges against Syjuco and his wife, former Representative Judy Syjuco, in connection the anomalous disbursement and use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) amounting to P20 million, which was coursed through TESDA and released to and implemented by the Tagipusuon Cooperative, a non-government organization which they founded.

 

In 2013, graft charges were also filed against Syjuco and several TESDA officials in connection with the irregularities in the implementation and disbursement of funds for the Ladderized Education Program and the Nordic Development Fund-TESDA  projects. —Xianne Arcangel/ALG, GMA News