OWWA officers on AWOL fail to remit P8M

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is still tracking down its officers who have gone AWOL (absence without official leave) without remitting collections amounting to about P8 million.

“Unfortunately, there were collecting officers who went on AWOL and we've been trying our best to locate them using their last known addresses,” OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon told ABS-CBN News Channel.

Dimzon said the collecting officers just left without securing any clearance from OWWA.

“The addresses that were left with OWWA are no longer their present addresses. But we have asked help from some quarters to help us locate them,” said Dimzon.

The estimated P8 million amount is part of the P21 million in dollar and euro collections that OWWA officers from foreign posts have failed to remit, according to the Commission on Audit (COA) report.

“We are looking at a 10-year period. Itong pinaguusapan na ito ay magmula 2000 hanggang 2010,” explained Dimzon.

Nevertheless, Dimzon is still confident that OWWA will still be able to recover the entire amount and will do everything to find the erring officers.

“We are very strict now and I've instructed our finance people not to release any monetary benefits, their salaries and even with the provident fund shares I will add, we are also not releasing any,” Dimzon said.

“But for those who are still with us, we continue to collect from them. We have withheld their salaries and other monetary benefits so that they can pay whatever they have not been able to remit."

She added cases have been filed against some of the officers with the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) legal service and with the Ombudsman.

COA Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan said OWWA had been given the opportunity to explain its side.

Tan, who has been in office for only 7 months, will look at the previous COA reports on OWWA.

“Alam na ng mga taga-OWWA na may ganitong problema. Dapat hindi na umabot ng ganito if they were implementing our audit recommendations,” Tan said.

Likewise, Tan said she too will try to see if there are lapses in the part of COA.

“Kung nai-request na nga namin in the past ito dapat may constant follow up with management and OWWA para ma-implement nila yung paniningil at para ma stop na sana nila yung practice,” said Tan.

Tan said it may be possible OWWA was not very careful in hiring people who would be in charge of its collections.

“According to the findings of our team, medyo nagkulang din ata ang OWWA sa pagpili ng mga taong pangongolektahin,” she said.

But Tan was quick to admit that the process is also a little difficult.

“Remember, these are foreign posts and di naman ganun kadami ang tao natin in the foreign posts. Minsan nago-overlap din ang kanilang functions. Maski hindi talaga koleksiyon yung trabaho nila kung minsan ikaw na lang gumawa nito kasi nga kulang din tayo ng mga tao. Maraming factors,” she said.

Tan assured the public that COA will hold accountable those officials, who failed to remit the money.

“Maliit yung P21 million kung maihahambing sa iba pang nawawalang pera, pero these are hard-earned money of OFWs. Wag po kayong magalala tinitingnan po natin ito kung sino ang dapat managot, papanagutin po natin,” she said. ANC