Bichara ready to face sanctions

Philippine Ambassador Al Francis Bichara - the man who revealed last month that no Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) money was being sent for the evacuation of Filipinos from Lebanon - said Wednesday that he is ready to face the music once the crisis is over. The remark came a day after Malacanang said that it had sent $150,000 in cash to the Philippine embassy in Lebanon and that the money was received by Bichara on Monday. Earlier reports have it that government has allotted $2 million for the evacuation of workers fleeing war-torn Lebanon and on July 29, OWWA administrator Marianito Roque said his agency had already spent $1.5 million for the evacuation of about 640 workers. Since then, the number of workers who were able to return to the country has balooned to 1,363 on Monday, and that an additional 450 - funded by the International Organization for Migration or IOM - are expected to arrive starting today. SNUBBED Questions over the funding had cropped up after Bichara's revelation and the Senate scheduled an investigation Monday. Bichara was able to testify - through phone patch - saying the OWWA sent $19,000 but the money was transferred to the personal account of an OWWA officer in Lebanon. This drew a sharp response from labor secretary Arturo Brion, who chairs the OWWA board. Brion told Bichara to keep his hands off the OWWA funds. While Monday's Senate probe was ongoing, Conejos, Brion and OWWA administrator Marianito Roque "declined" a Senate invitation to testify, saying they were "busy" with repatriation efforts. But the three officials appeared with presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye in a press briefing at Malacañang. This prompted the Senate to issue subpoenas to the officials concerned in time for another hearing on Monday, Aug. 7. On Wednesday, Bichara said he sees no problem if he will be recalled to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila, or transferred to an assignment in the "freezer." "I don't have any problems with that. I'm not salivating after this post anyway," he said in an interview on DZXL radio. NO REGRETS He added he has no regrets in revealing before media the funding problem plaguing the embassy's efforts to repatriate Filipino workers from war-torn Lebanon. Last month, Bichara disclosed that the embassy was running out of funds for repatriation, because the government had not "replenished" funding for the efforts. Embassy staff even footed the bill for the repatriation of at least one batch of OFWs last month. But after Bichara disclosed the funding problem, DFA spokesman Gilbert Asuque and undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr admonished him not to wash dirty linen in public. When asked about the possibility of his being relieved from his post once the crisis is over, Bichara said he has no problem with it. "I have no problem with that," he said.-GMANews.TV