Some overseas Filipino workers have expressed their disappointment over the recent Commission on Audit (COA) findings flagging the P1.2 million expenses of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The transactions include close to PHP1 million hygiene kits, sanitary napkins and thermal scanners purchased from a construction and trading company in Pasay City.
COA also called out the agency for purchasing bottle water and snacks from a caterer in Quezon City rather than in supermarkets.
“Nagka-bukingan na kaya pala pati repatriation namin apektado,” an OFW commented in the story posted on The Filipino Times.
“Napkin sa isang construction company? so pwede na pala bumili tinapay sa botika?” another netizen said.
“Tapos pahirapan pang maka kuha ng ayuda sa owwa yun pala may magic purchase… dapat sa inyo ma-sniper,” another OFW commented.
In its latest COA report, it said that state auditors conducted an inspection in Pasay City but the store was not located.
Several media outlets showed that the address was a residential area and not a construction firm.
COA said that an unnamed Deputy Administrator spent PHP1.26 million in buying the supplies in question.
State auditors also said that the construction store could not be found.
The agency also noted that OWWA purchases sanitary napkins from the construction firm amounting to P10, P20, 30 per pad which is ‘very costly’. The agency says that napkin pads in sari-sari stores can be bought at P5 to P8 each.
State auditors also flagged why OWWA purchased bottled water and snack items from a caterer in Quezon City when these items are available in supermarkets or hypermarkets within the vicinity of Pasay City.
In response, OWWA Chief Hans Cacdac said in a statement: “The COA finding is not yet final. Deputy Administrator Faustino Sabarez III, who headed our ground operations during ECQ in 2020, is given a chance to explain his side and liquidate his cash advance.”
“The amount of PHP1.2M for the purchase of operations-related supplies was not sourced from the OWWA Trust Fund, but the General Appropriations Act,” Cacdac explained.
He also cleared Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson from malicious accusations.
“Lastly, Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson is not, in any way, involved in this isolated transaction,” he explained.
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