COA flags DFA's P10.7-M unused aid for OFWs, typhoon victims

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for its unused P10.7 million worth of foreign assistance for OFWs and typhoon victims.

In its 2017 audit report, the COA said the DFA has P9.78 million in "end of service benefits" (ESB) from 11 foreign service posts, nine of which are Philippine embassies and two consular offices.

The COA said almost P6 million of ESB funds incurred from 2015 and prior years remain outstanding. 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.

The embassies in Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Amman, Bangkok, Islamabad, Manama, Doha, Cairo, and the consulate in New York were also included in the list of DFA foreign service posts with unremitted balances.

DFA embassies and consulates receive ESBs from employers of deceased OFWs, according to COA. The amounts will then be remitted to the Philippines through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs which is tasked to remit the payment to bereaved families.

Typhoon, OFW relief

The COA said P947,049.40 worth of donations intended to support victims of typhoons Ondoy, Yolanda, and Frank plus financial support for OFWs Wilfredo Bernales in Jeddah and Manuel Edgardo in Chile have yet to be received by the intended beneficiaries.

The bulk of this amount came from the P653,499.32 donation under the disposal of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Germany, for victims of Typhoon Yolanda followed by the P170,139.81 aid for Bernales.

The consulate in San Francisco and the embassies in Brussels, London, New Delhi, Beijing, Port Moresby, and Tokyo also have unremitted typhoon assistance.

"The accumulated balance of the account per SL (subsidiary ledger) indicated substantial amount of unclaimed/unremitted benefits which accordingly deprived beneficiaries of the much needed financial assistance," the COA said.

The COA urged DFA management to require its chief accountant to verify the existence of these funds and order its foreign service posts to remit the financial aid to the head office for proper disbursement.

In its comment, the DFA said it will issue a department circular directing all concerned embassies and consulates to remit all ESBs and donations for OFWs and typhoon victims.

Calgary consulate

The consulate in Calgary, Canada, was also flagged for deficiencies in the lease of its official residence due to the absence of a "diplomatic clause" in the lease contract between the Consul General and the landlord Wu Qing De.

The COA said this clause would have ensured the safeguarding of both parties' interests.

The COA said it also cannot verify if Wu received the payments since the payee stated in the disbursement voucher for the $5,860 monthly lease stated his name but check payment was for DL Unique Shop.

State auditors urged the consul general to refrain from issuing checks different from the name statement in the disbursement voucher and amend its lease contract with the landlord to include the diplomatic clause.

The DFA, in response, said the lease contract was already terminated on April 15, 2018 due to the reassignment of Consul General Julius Torres to the head office. —KBK, GMA News