Tesda urged to probe ‘sale’ of training grants for farmers

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) is being urged to investigate the alleged “selling” of training grants for farmers by some of its personnel and agents of certain elected officials.

Citing field reports, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) alleged some Tesda provincial personnel demand up to 30 percent in “under the table” advances in exchange for approval and release of the grant for each farmer-scholar ranging from P10,000 to P12,000.

“In other cases, these payments are allegedly solicited by agents of elected politicians in cahoots with unscrupulous agency personnel,” the FFF said in a statement on Monday.

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The FFF appealed to Congress and newly appointed Director General Jose Francisco Benitez to look into these claims amid an ongoing review of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

The Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) created the RCEF aimed at bolstering local output and increasing farmers’ income and competitiveness. Sourced from tariffs levied on imports, the rice fund has an annual budget of P10 billion for six years.

Enacted in 2019, Republic Act No. 11203, or the RTL liberalized the importation, export and trading of rice, and lifted the quantitative import restriction on the commodity.

From the RCEF, P5 billion is earmarked for the distribution of farm machinery and equipment, P3 billion for high-quality inbred certified seeds and P1 billion for credit support, training of farmers and extension.

Tesda receives P700 million annually to train rice farmers in improving farming technologies. The funds are disbursed to eligible beneficiaries through financial grants to accredited farm schools and their farmer-scholars.

The bill seeking to extend and amend some provisions of the RTL already reached plenary sessions in the Senate.

Some of the proposed changes include extending the law for another six years or until 2031 and increasing the rice fund allocation to P30 billion to be sourced from the tariff rate on imported rice, with any deficiency to be supplemented by the General Appropriations Act. INQ