The Commission on Audit discovered that thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were able to avail the free flights provided by the Philippine government multiple times at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its latest report, COA asked the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on how 3,707 OFWs received emergency repatriation in the span of 26 months.
COA said that the OFWs availed free flights, lodging, and food multiple times from April 2020 to May 2023.
State auditors said that the OFWs used the repatriation program when their contracts expired since they don’t fall from Filipinos in distress. COA said allowing multiple free flights for OFWs could have deprived the OFWs who are in dire need of repatriation.
“Using funds for expenses that should have been borned by these OFWs during their regular trips back home contributed to the depletion of scarce government resources,” COA said.
The agency also discovered that the majority of these repeated repatriations came from OFWs in Northern Mindanao. The OWWA regional office there said that they will coordinate with their main office in vetting the beneficiaries.
