This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 27, August 14-20, 2005
New ‘Illegal’ OWWA
Funds Transfer Bared
In the run-up to the 2004
presidential election, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received flak from
several overseas workers’ groups for the transfer of the Overseas Filipino
Worker (OFW) Medicare Fund from the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA)
to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). It turns out now
that this was not the only disbursement of OWWA funds that the Arroyo
administration made.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
and AUBREY SC MAKILAN The overseas workers’
alliance Migrante International has uncovered new evidence proving, the group
says, that the Arroyo administration made more “illegal” disbursements of funds
from the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) than the transfer of
the agency’s Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Medicare Fund to the Philippine
Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). OWWA funds are composed of
contributions from OFWs. This developed as OFWs in
Hong Kong joined Migrante Sectoral Party (MSP) in calling for the scrapping of
the contract authentication fee and other “illegal collections” by Filipino
labor and airport authorities. In the run-up to the 2004
presidential election, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received flak from
several overseas workers’ groups for transferring OWWA funds to PhilHealth,
apparently as response to a Nov. 22, 2002 memorandum from then PhilHealth
president Francisco Duque III (now health secretary) suggesting the transfer of
the said funds. The fund transfer, Duque said in the memorandum, “will have a
significant bearing on (the) 2004 elections.” President Arroyo directed
the fund transfer under Executive Order No. 182 (signed Feb. 14, 2003). On Feb.
2, 2004, OWWA passed Resolution No. 005, series of 2004, authorizing the
transfer of P530,382,446 from the Medicare Fund to PhilHealth. EO 392, dated
Dec. 28, 2004, amended EO 182, showing that a portion of the OWWA Health
Insurance Fund is to be transferred to PhilHealth. Latest reports show however
that this was not the only disbursement of OWWA funds under the Arroyo
administration. DoLE-ILAS In a news conference in
Quezon City Aug. 8, Connie Bragas-Regalado, chair of Migrante, told reporters
that aside from the P530.382 million transferred to PhilHealth, the Arroyo
administration had also disbursed P23.587 million (then $87,757) in OWWA funds
to the International Labor Affairs Service of the Department of Labor and
Employment (DoLE-ILAS) on Oct. 1, 2003. Bragas-Regalado showed a
copy of an Oct. 30, 2003 memorandum of then acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson
to OWWA administrator Virgilio Angelo regarding the implementation of OWWA Board
Resolution No. 040, series of 2003. The memo instructed Angelo to “effect the
immediate transfer of the funds from OWWA to DOLE.” The amount, the memorandum
also stated, was for the “overseas allowances” of medical doctors and social
workers. An April 2, 2004 memorandum
by Imson to Angelo also requests the latter to “effect the immediate transfer”
of P23.587 million from the OWWA to the DoLE. The amount was to be used for
support to seven medical officers and eight social workers. “The said amounts were to
fund the Overseas Comprehensive Social Service Package (OCSSP) of the
government,” said Bragas-Regalado. “This is not a program of the OWWA. Therefore
sourcing of this funding should not be from OFW trust funds at the OWWA.” “It is also an absurdity
(to deploy) seven doctors and eight social workers and (pay) them allowances
drawn from OFW money,” Bragas-Regalado added. The Migrante chair said
that out of the 15, two doctors and two social workers were sent to Saudi
Arabia; one doctor and one social worker to Hong Kong; one doctor and two social
workers to Kuwait; one doctor and two social workers to the United Arab
Emirates; one doctor each to Bahrain and South Korea; and one social worker to
Taiwan. She named the medical
officers as: Bernadette Seludo (Hong Kong), Emma Lou Maturan (South Korea),
Angelita Go (Bahrain), Grace Melchor (Kuwait), Jocelyn Pagaran (Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates), Federico Alfonso Puente (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) and
Froilan Jacinto Obillo (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia). The social workers are Delilah
Fuentes (Hong Kong), Carmen Miñano (Taiwan), Bailano Salik (Riyadh), Perlita
Macapil (Jeddah), Portia Roldan (Abu Dhabi), Fatima Caminan (Dubai, UAE), Pilar
Francisco (Kuwait) and Marilyn Fabian (Kuwait). They are listed in Imson’s April
2, 2004 memorandum to Angelo. GMA poll
campaign Bragas-Regalado said the
doctors and social workers were used for Arroyo’s electoral campaign. “These
doctors and social workers were seen distributing tablets of paracetamol to OFWs
at the start of the campaign period in February 2004,” she said. “Thus, the
illegal disbursements mentioned aided Gloria’s campaign visibility but did not
extend much-needed services to the owners of the funds: the OFWs and their
dependents.” Migrante International is
calling for a congressional investigation of the matter and appropriate
punishments for all involved, said the Migrante leader. “Milking
cows” Meanwhile, the MSP chapter
in Hong Kong last week denounced the Arroyo administration for using OFWs as
“milking cows.” Vicky Casia-Cabantac, MSP-HK
chair, said the HK$212 contract authentication fee charged to Filipino workers
in Hong Kong is illegal and is only another income-generating scheme of the
government. The authentication fee was
scrapped in October 2002 only to be restored by the DoLE in early 2004. OFWs
have been calling for the removal of the fee since Arroyo became President,
Casia-Cabantac said. Casia-Cabantac challenged
that “if they (DoLE) are really sincere in protecting the interest of overseas
workers, they shall scrap it immediately notwithstanding their squabble with the
DFA.” But Bragas-Regalado said
that this “service” is no different from the illegal escort services that the
MIAA uses “as a feeble ‘side-reason’ to justify the premium or fee.” “If the airport
administration really intends to serve the plane-riding public, it must extend
all types of assistance without charge,” she said. Also recently, the MIAA
board of directors moved to double the P100 airport fee charged domestic
passengers starting Sept. 1. MIAA statistics showed that
domestic passenger traffic from January to December 2004 reached 6.74 million.
Of these, 3.59 million queued at the NAIA Terminal 2, while 3.15 million passed
through the Manila Domestic Airport. From these, the MIAA collected P320.62
million in terminal fees. © 2004 Bulatlat
■
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Bulatlat
Bragas-Regalado also scored the Meet and Assist Service (MAS) of the Manila
International Airport Authority (MIAA) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(NAIA). MIAA’s move to charge fees for “special passenger assistance requests”
was allegedly meant to provide passenger service and generate revenues, and curb
the rampant illegal escort service practiced at the NAIA.
From January to June this year, MIAA posted domestic passenger traffic of 3.67
million with P174.35 million in terminal fees.
MSP said the “dubious and burdensome fees” are part of the “crimes” that the
Macapagal-Arroyo has committed against Filipino migrant workers. Bulatlat