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Owwa says it’s’ intact, but RP envoy to Lebanon says there’s no money: Which is which?
COA pressed to audit P 8-billion Owwa fund

Staunch critics of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday urged the Commission on Audit (COA) to immediately conduct a through audit to determine the real status of P 7.6 B Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) fund.

The leftwing fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) pressed COA to examine the financial statement of the Owwa fund after Marianito Roque, head of the overseas workers agency and Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Al Francis Bichara trade barbs over the real status on the fund.

“The Owwa said the fund is still intact, but the Philippine ambassador to Lebanon was crying out loud there was no sufficient money to repatriate 34,000 overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon. Which is which? The COA must come to the picture and tell the real score,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“ If the Owwa fund is still intact, how come Roque cannot show any financial statement or report about the overseas workers’ welfare fund? Is he saying something that does not exist.? Is he keeping a big secret regarding the real status of the Owwa fund?” Hicap queried.

Hicap said national interest and public trust hereby direct COA to perform an aboveboard audit of the Owwa fund because of the gross failure of the Office of the President to explain to the public what really happen to the P 7.6 B Owwa fund and why President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo only released P 150 million for their evacuation.

“ There are 34,000 OFWs in Lebanon, but it seems to us that the government is discouraging our Filipino overseas workers to come home and avail of their right to be repatriated because Malacañang, operating merely on P 150 million budget allocation, limited the number to be sent back home,” Hicap said.

Roque said the Owwa fund stood at P 8.1 B as of December 2004. But Pamalakaya said that was 2004, and a lot of things could happen between 2005 and 2006.

Pamalakaya asserted that COA’s action is needed to give the public a thorough assessment about the condition of the Owwa fund. “ Did President Arroyo use the Owwa fund in her election campaign last May 2004 elections? Did she use the money to buy votes? Mrs. Arroyo cannot hide from public accountability over this grand misuse and malversation of people’s funds and COA must do its constitutionally mandated job to look for the truth ”, the group said.

The militant group expressed support to the plan of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, chair of the Senate oversight committee on labor and employment to look into the status of Owwa funds and investigate claims of Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Alfrancis Bichara that he was running out of money for the OFWs in Lebanon and had yet receive funds from the national government.

“ A full-blown inquiry on the status of Owwa fund is highly necessary. The situation calls for the all-out mobilization of Owwa funds to repatriate thousands of Filipino compatriots in Lebanon and bring them home alive, sound and healthy,” Pamalakaya said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 08:34 | link | comments |

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