Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Chief Denies P5 Million Fund Offer to Senator

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Kiko Benitez denied authorizing any fund allocation or offer amounting to P5 million to Senator Panfilo Lacson this week.

Lacson rejected the alleged P5 million allocation fund offer after it was made through his senate staff by a person claiming to be a representative of the agency.

The controversy emerged publicly when Lacson revealed the outreach, prompting the Senate to seek answers during upcoming budgetary plenary debates.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian criticized the incident during a radio interview, stating public funds must serve genuine necessity rather than political favoritism.

"That's not your money. This is the people's money and it should go to those who need it most," Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian defended the agency head, describing him as highly capable and suggesting an errant staff member might be responsible for the unauthorized contact.

Benitez thanked the senator for reporting the incident and ordered an immediate internal investigation to identify anyone responsible for misrepresentation.

"We thank the Senator for promptly informing us of these misrepresentations. We welcome the opportunity to get to the bottom of this matter and fully support efforts to establish the facts," Benitez said in a statement.

Benitez added that any improper offer, allocation, or solicitation involving legislators runs contrary to the directives of the office.

The internal probe aims to apply appropriate administrative and criminal cases if warranted by the findings of the investigation.

Lacson noted that the specific figure involved made the offer highly unlikely to be a standard scholarship provision.

Gatchalian stated that in his 11 years in the chamber, he had never received such leadership funds or allocable funds from the agency.

Lawmakers will continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged offer as budgetary proceedings approach.