OWWA collection dropped 46% due to COVID-19 — Cacdac

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration's (OWWA) collection has dropped in recent months as the global pandemic caused a reverse diaspora of Filipino migrant workers from various parts of the world.

"Our income and collections have dropped by as much as 46% and although our investment showed good signs in the first quarter, we're expecting the worst for the second quarter," OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said on Friday during a Senate hearing of the panels on finance and economic affairs.

The trust fund is now down to P18.8 billion from P19.6 billion at the start of the year, he said.

"So far, we have been spending P738 million for food, accommodation, transport, and other expenses. About P584 million of those, we have tapped into the OWWA trust fund," Cacdac said.

"With the GAA, we have a P153 million emergency repatriation fund—we exhausted that 100%... Now the word sustainability starts to creep into the picture," he added.

Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate committee on finance, pointed out that the trust fund's purpose is being fulfilled amid the pandemic.

"I think you've been saving up for a rainy day when the OFWs would need it. Ito na po 'yung rainy day na kailangang kailangan na nila," he said.

Cacdac agreed and said that the agency will also roll out additional livelihood benefits for the repatriated OFWs—P20,000 for active members and P10,000 for inactive ones.

"We will start this program. We're just letting the OFWs settle down in their respective provinces and by next week we will start this program... This is money straight into the hands of OFWs and we're willing to spend them," he said.

Around 40,000 more OFWs are expected to return to the country as the global problem with COVID-19 continues.

"They will be coming over a series of arrivals in a period of a month or so," Cacdac said. — RSJ, GMA News