News Release - March 17, 2005
References: Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson, 259-1145 & 0927-2157392
Vince Borneo, Information Officer, 0927-7968198

On 10th anniversary of Flor Contemplacion's unjust death
More corruption against overseas Filipinos under the Arroyo administration

Migrante Sectoral Party Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado today detailed some of the "ongoing crimes of neglect and corruption of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government" towards overseas Filipino workers and their families.

"Ten years and two administrations after the unjust hanging of Flor Contemplacion in Singapore, deepening corruption violations continue to plague OFWs and their families. This administration is fast to harp on the previous year's deployment (894,661 Filipinos sent abroad and remittance figures (US$8.54 billion) as its laurels on OFWs. But it takes pains to hide the various anomalies it has committed towards the very sector that helps keep the economy afloat," Bragas-Regalado said.

MIGRANTE enumerated funding scams that the administration is silent on.

"Under the new Omnibus Policies of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, previous questionable withdrawals and future anomalies concering OFW funds held in trust and administered by government are being justified and concealed at the expense of OFWs and their families in distressful situations," Bragas-Regalado said.

The OWWA is financed from the "contributions" charged to OFWs for them to avail of "government benefits." A U$25 OWWA Membership Fee per contract and an annual P900 Medicare fee is collected from all OFWs who leave the country through regular channels.

According to MIGRANTE, among the major anomalous finance transfers and/or withdrawals are the following:
¢ OWWA Medicare Fund transfer to PhilHealth - P530,382,446 (by way of the secret Executive Order 182 (series of 2003) as amended by Executive Order 392 (series of 2004);
¢ US$293,500 withdrawal in 2002 as Malacanang support to the US-Iraq war and for a massive evacuation of OFWs in the Middle East that has not happened;
¢ P100 million transferred from the OWWA to the National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF) under the Office of the President; and
¢ the concealed anomalous investments Smokey Mountain Certificates of P664,000 (from OWWA Main trust fund) and P171,000,000 (OWWA Medicare) wherein no one has been prosecuted.

"These are only on the funds at the OWWA. The Department of Foreign Affairs also has scams that hurt OFWs. In 2004, P15 million of the Gulf War victims'compensation fund was illegally transferred by the DFA to Department of Labor and Employment. Again this is not government money as this fund is supposed to be given to those OFWs who lost their lives and livelihood in Kuwait and Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War," Bragas-Regalado said.

MIGRANTE also exposed the questionable DFA practice of pressuring families of distressed OFWs to raise funds for repatriation expenses and deployment expenses of runaway and stranded workers.

"With stranded workers in Saudi Arabia (at least 200), Jordan (50), Kuwait and elsewhere, the DFA has refused to divulge the status of the P100 million repatriation fund in its care. It has resorted to passing its responsibility to the distressed OFWs' families," Bragas-Regalado ended. #