Was DAP partly sourced from OFW funds? — Migrante
Did part of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional come from funds of Overseas Filipino Workers? Migrante International, an organization of Filipino migrants and their families, called on the Aquino administration to reveal the true source of funds used for DAP, and suspects that part of it may have come […]
Did part of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional come from funds of Overseas Filipino Workers?
Migrante International, an organization of Filipino migrants and their families, called on the Aquino administration to reveal the true source of funds used for DAP, and suspects that part of it may have come from OFW contributions for the Overseas Workers Welfare Agency (OWWA) funds.
“Migrant Filipino workers are suspicious as to where the funds may have come from. Sure, the Aquino government says (it came) from so-called savings, but savings from where? We have this nagging feeling that DAP funds may have come from OWWA funds, too,” said Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante Sectoral Party chairperson.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) stated that the unprogrammed fund used for DAP were “tapped when government has windfall revenue collections, e.g., unexpected remittance of dividends from the GOCCs and Government Financial Institutions (GFIs), sale of government assets.”
Regalado asked that DBM break down “unexpected remittance of dividends from GOCCs”. “Does this include welfare funds, including OWWA funds? We demand a full accounting of where the DAP funds were sourced,” Regalado added.
She wondered how the Aquino government saved funds, even as it slashed funds for OFW welfare services. In recent years, the Aquino administration also closed down embassies and consulates, supposedly to cut costs.
“Government hospitals and educational institutions are now being put up for sale to the private sector, supposedly for lack of funds, to the detriment of the poor. Basic utilities are also being likewise privatized because the government says we lack funds to sustain these industries. So it appears services are being denied of us so that Aquino can have funds for his whims,” Regalado said.
OWWA funds reportedly reached more than P2 Billion in 2013, as the agency collected a mandatory USD $25 from OFWs.These funds were yet to be subjected to full audit, as allegations of corruption and misuse of these funds continue to plague the agency, Regalado added.
