Up to TESDA chief to take leave – Palace

It is up to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva to take a leave from office after being implicated in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam, Malacañang said yesterday.

Under existing laws, officials are not required to temporarily vacate their offices because of charges filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said over radio dzRB.

“We leave the decision to the concerned official,” Coloma said.

“We know Secretary Joel Villanueva as a conscientious public servant and in all opportunities we saw his hard work to implement the many programs that would improve the situation of the people through acquiring the needed technical or vocational skills,” he said.

Coloma said they were certain that Villanueva would be able to make the right decision based on public interest and the issue would not affect work in his office.

Villanueva has repeatedly denied knowing alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

The TESDA chief also questioned the timing of the filing of charges and said on Friday that he could defend himself. He said his signatures in the supposed evidence against him were forged.

On Friday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed criminal charges against the third batch of incumbent and former lawmakers, including Sen. Gregorio Honasan, for alleged involvement in the pork barrel fund scam.

Also named respondents were Villanueva as former CIBAC party-list representative, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing, La Union Rep. Victor Ortega, Abono party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III, former La Union representative and now Gov. Manuel Ortega, former Abono party-list representative Robert Raymundo Estrella and former Zamboanga del Sur representative Isidro Real Jr.

Hours after NBI filed the charges, the ombudsman announced that its own probers found sufficient evidence to proceed with its investigation against Villanueva for his alleged involvement in the multi-billion scam.

The anti-graft agency said the factfinding probe against Villanueva, former agriculture secretary Arthur Yap and nine others in connection with the anomalous utilization of the PDAF amounting to P10 million in 2008 led to a full-blown preliminary investigation.