The Senate Committee on Finance Sub-Committee J, chaired by Sen. Joel Villanueva, approved the proposed 2022 budget of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority but asked for clarity on issues raised by the panel on Monday, Oct. 18.
Sen. Franklin Drilon, in his interpellation, questioned TESDA’s ‘wrong budget usage’ citing questionable fund transfers and low budget and disbursement utilization rate. He also noted during the hearing the fund transfer made to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict amounting to P74.4 million.TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña, however, denied that there was any fund transfer to NTF-ELCAC, saying the said allocation was given to the regional offices of the agency which was used for its training assistance to far-flung areas.