The Commission on Audit (COA) called the attention of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the unremitted foreign aid totalling to Php10.7 million intended for assistance for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and victims of typhoons.
In its 2017 report, COA noted that several embassies and consulates have yet to remit Php9.78 million-worth of “end of service benefits” (ESB), the financial aid received by the embassy and consulates from employers of deceased OFWs which must be remitted to the Philippines through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs.
“The amounts were receipted by the concerned collecting officers for remittance to the HO (Home Office) through the OUMWA (Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs) which is responsible for the payment to the legal heirs of the deceased OFWs,” the COA report said.
The report noted that nine offices of the Philippine embassy and two offices of the Philippine consulate have not remitted their ESBs. The embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia have the highest balance of P4.9 million and P3.79 million, respectively.
Unremitted donations for typhoon victims and OFWs
Aside from the Php9.78 million-worth of unremitted ESBs, DFA was also flagged for Php947,049-worth of foreign donations for typhoon victims and financial support for OFWs.
Moreover, financial support for OFWs Wilfredo Bernales in Jeddah and Manuel Edgardo in Chile have not been received by their respective families yet.
In response, DFA said that all unremitted money will be distributed to the beneficiaries.
“Management commented that a directive will be circularized to all concerned posts to remit all funds received pertaining to end of service benefits, donations for typhoon victims and financial support for OFWs,” COA said.
