Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Sec. Silvestre Bello III is seeking a supplemental budget of P9.8 billion for the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), whose funds for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are fast depleting.
OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac made these revelations Wednesday, March 10, during a virtual press briefing wherein he discussed the status of his agency's budget.
"Tagalang challenged yung ating budget ngayon and we project na by April and May ay mauubos yung 2021 budget na P6.2 billion (We are really challenged budget-wise and we project that by April or may, our 2021 budget of P6.2 billion will have been completely used up)," Cacdac said.
He said that as a "preemptive measure," labor chief Bello wrote Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Wendel Avisado last Feb.24 to request the P9.8-billion supplemental budget to cover for OWWA's expenses "for the remainder of the year".
Cacdac said there are currently 10,000 OFW-returnees staying at government-tapped hotel quarantine facilities.
Accommodation cost for one OFW per day is more or less P3,000, he said.
This means that OWWA spends an estimated P30 million per day on accommodation costs, with each OFW having an expected stay of eight to nine days at the hotel.
The figure excludes swab testing on the sixth day and OFWs' transportation expenses, particularly when they go back to their home regions.
"May pera pa naman sa ngayon (We still have money as of now). But we are already looking forward and projecting na magkakaroon ng kakulangan ng budget around April or May (we will have budget shortage around April or May)," Cacdac said.
Despite this, the OWWA chief didn't fret and was optimistic that DBM would deliver on their needs.
"We are thankful to Sec. Avisado kasi in principle we know na handa naman tumulong ang DBM (we know that in principle, the DBM is ready to help).
"Hindi namin inaassume na hindi siya maga-grant (We're not assuming that our request won't be granted) in the sense that we are coordinating, we have received positive signals from the DBM. So it's really just a matter of when and how much," Cacdac said.