2012 proposed budget for OFWs (concerned agencies)

Prepared by Migrante International, August 2011

Summary of new appropriations Comparative from previous years (in thousand pesos):

DEPARTMENT 2010 2011 (adjusted) 2012 (proposed) Remarks
Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA)
Office of the
Secretary
Foreign Services
Institutions

9,773,960

11,101,166

10,912,081



9,714,623

11,047,320

10,851,549



39,651

35,189

40,870


Department of Labor
and Employment
(DOLE)
Office of the
Secretary
POEA





2,290,529

1,993,499

2,300,205


317,670 311,355 309,583
Office of the
President
2,405,025 2,478,248 2,695,422
Office of the Vice
President
176,697 187,805 401,786
Department of
Justice
Office of the
Secretary


2,754,691


2,609,014


3,098,473



Commission on
Filipinos Overseas
51,142 50,853 54,316
Contingent Fund 1,000,000 1,000,000
Unprogrammed
Funds
161,690,047


Per department allocation:

1. DFA

Item Personal Services MOOE Capital
Outlay
TOTAL
2011 2012 2011 2012 201
1
201
2
2011 2012
Reimbursemen
t of advances
made by the
OWWA for
emergency
repatriation
and other
emergencies
(MENA, etc)
new
90,500,000 90,500,000
appropriation
Implementatio
n of Overseas
Absentee
Voting
43,414,000 43,414,000 43,414,000 43,414,000
Purchase of
blank
passports for
e-passport
2,843,000,00
0

1,961,700,00
0

2,843,000,00
0

1,961,700,00
0

Implementatio
n of RA 10022
(P30M for
LAF)
ATN?
14,260,00
0
12,196,00
0
122,220,000 192,920,000 136,480,000 205,116,000


Sub-total
funds
intended for
direct services
to OFWs
14,260,00
0
12,196,00
0
3,008,634,00
0

2,198,034,00
0

3,022,894,00
0

2,210,230,00
0
()


Notes:
1. No capital outlay
2. General budget decreased (due mainly to decrease in blank passport purchase)
a. Big increase in MOOE is intended to pay off debts from OWWA
b. a 2M decrease in PS for implementation of RA10022, but no increase in MOOE
3. No clear ATN allocations, while LAF is minimum of P30M. 2010s LAF under DFA was P50M, 2011 LAF was P27M.
Not clear where other funds to fulfill P100M LAF will come from (as required by RA8042).
4. Questionable: 90.5M debt incurred from OWWA new appropriations OWWA compensated decrease in ATN
and LAF budgets for 2011? Where did this amount go? What happened to supposed budget augmentation for
emergency repat in 2011 for MENA and stranded? To supposed cash balances savings from Office of the Sec
was 302,829 in 2010?
5. For FY 2011, DBM promised to submit an erratum in Congress to correct less than P100M LAF, did this push
through?
6. OWWA funds disbursement? Accounting for 2010-2011 or at least how the DFA utilized OWWA funds for its
operations


2. DOLE

Item Personal Services MOOE Capital Outlay TOTAL
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Emergency
repatriation
program
50,000,000 65,500,000 0 7,800,000 50,000,000 73,300,000
Workers
protection
and welfare
services to
OFWs
214,300,00
0
218,027,00
0
188,290,00
0
186,754,00
0
0 2,075,000 402,590,00
0
406,856,00
0
Reintegratio
n Program
for OFWs:
Training and
50,000,000 50,400,000 0 1,364,000 50,000,000 51,764,000


education
program
Verification
of OEC
documents
85,740,000 91,895,000 0 18,000,00
0
85,740,000 109,895,00
0
Sub-total
funds
intended for
direct
services to
OFWs
214,300,00
0
218,027,00
0
374,030,00
0
394,549,00
0
0 29,239,00
0
588,330,00
0
641,815,00
0 ()


Notes:
1. Very minimal increases in emergency repat and welfare and protection and reintegration programs. How were
funds for emergency repat and welfare and reintegration programs used in 2011 in light of MENA, calamities,
influx of returned OFWs?
2. Main increase in capital outlay (specifics?).
3. What constitutes DOLEs reintegration program, independent of OWWA?
4. Increase in PS for welfare and protection increase in salaries and benefits for labor attaches?
5. No clear funds for emergency employment for OFWs. How will DOLE fund expected influx of huge number of
OFWs due to Saudization, domestic workers ban in Saudi, global debt crisis and continuing conflicts in MENA
region?
6. Biggest increase in verification of documents, mainly facilitation of fees charged to pre-departure OFWs for
overseas employment contract (OEC). There is also no clear accounting of profit from fees charged to OFWs.
7. Savings from DOLE from 2011 budget: NLRC 13,100; Office of the Sec 58,060; TESDA 100,315
8. Re: OWWA, no accounting of utilization of OWWA funds. Where will funds for OWWAs P2B Reintegration
Program come from?


3. POEA

Item Personal Services MOOE Capital Outlay TOTAL
Operations 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Overseas
employment
promotion
services
(marketing)
31,690,000 34,861,000 15,343,000 17,844,000 47,033,000 52,705,000
Welfare
assistance
and
overseas
placement
19,475,000 21,345,000 22,593,000 21,092,000 42,068,000 42,437,000
Licensing
and
regulations
services
(including
anti-illegal
recruitment)
32,473,000 35,465,000 16,821,000 24,621,000 49,294,000 60,086,000
Adjudication 20,926,000 25,565,000 11,770,000 11,770,000 32,696,000 37,335,000


Sub-total
funds
intended for
direct
services to
OFWs
104,564,000 117,236,000 66,527,000 75,327,000 171,091,000 192,563,000
()

Notes:
1. Big increase in promotion and marketing when PNoys budget framework specifically states that it will veer
away from dependence on overseas employment.
2. Funds for welfare and assistance and overseas placement increased in PS, but decreased in MOOE mainly for
salaries (increase in personnel?) but not for operational expenses.
3. Big increase in licensing and regulations, including illegal recruitment program what does this entail in terms of
operations and target prosecution of perpetrators?
4. MOOE for Adjudication retained (when adjudication is directly correlated to anti-trafficking efforts).



LUMP-SUM FUNDS no clear or specific allocations

4. DOJ

Item Personal Services MOOE Capital Outlay TOTAL
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Anti-
Trafficking
(IACAT)
(Confidential
and
Intelligence
Funds)
25,000,000 40,000,000 0 10,000,000 25,000,000


(2,000,000)
50,000,000


(10,000,000)
Sub-total
funds
intended for
direct
services to
OFWs
25,000,000 40,000,000 0 10,000,000 25,000,000 50,000,000
()




5. Commission on Filipinos Overseas

Item Personal Services MOOE Capital Outlay TOTAL
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Welfare
programs
13,309,000 15,102,000 12,715,000 13,631,000 450,000 0 26,474,000 28,733,000
Information
system and
strategic
plan
5,477,000 8,157,000 4,595,000 4,527,000 10,072,000 12,684,000
Sub-total
funds
13,309,000 15,102,000 18,192,000 21,788,000 5,045,000 4,527,000 36,546,000 41,417,000
()
intended
for direct
services to
OFWs

Notes:
1. Increase in PS, MOOE and CO but what exactly does the CFO do? What of the CSO component on the CFO?


6. Office of the President

Item Personal Services MOOE Capital Outlay TOTAL
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Overseas
preparedness
and response
team new
appropriations
6,000,000 6,000,000
Sub-total
funds
intended for
direct services
to OFWs
6,000,000

Notes:
1. What are the core programs of the preparedness and response team led by Exec. Sec. Ochoa?
2. P1B for P2B OFW Reintegration Fund from Presidential Social Funds not indicated
3. Allocation for LAF from President Social and Contingency Funds not indicated



General observations:

Funds for direct services to OFWs (in DFA, DOLE, POEA, DOJ, CFO, and OP budgets):
2011 Php 3,843,861,000
2012** Php 3,142,025,000
**Php 90.5M (in the DFA budget) are for debt payments to OWWA = Php 3,088,901,000 Php 3,288,901,000
1. At face value, funds for services for OFWs seem to have increased per department, albeit very minimally and
mostly for PS, but a closer scrutiny of the total sum of funds intended for direct services for OFWs will show that
allocation for direct services for OFWs DECREASED from P3.843B to P3.142B (or by P702M)
a. Most of the increases per department were in PS, some in MOOE but not very clear if intended for
services or administrative operational expenses
2. Minus the P90.5M intended for debt payments to OWWA in the DFA budget, total funds for direct services for
OFWs would only amount to Php3.051B, or P792M LESS THAN the 2011 allocations for direct services to OFWs.
3. There are also no clear allocations for items such as LAF, ATN, and other welfare services
4. Proposed 2011 national budget contradicts PNoys framework of creating jobs at home and offering incentives
and sustainable reintegration programs for returned OFWs (i.e, increase in marketing capabilities of the POEA
and very minimal increase in DOLEs reintegration and emergency employment programs what to make of this
in light of Saudization, MENA crisis, etc?)
5. Items unclear:
a. funds from OP for LAF, ATN and P2B Reintegration Program
b. programs for funds allocated in the OP for overseas preparedness
c. P90.5B debt incurred by the DFA in 2011 from OWWA where were these used?
6. Re: OWWA funds:
a. No accounting of utilization of OWWA funds in the DFA, DOLE, and other agencies
b. No accounting of OWWA investments (under DOLE)
c. No accounting of OWWA welfare programs (under DOLE)
7. Profits and revenue incurred by agencies that were authorized to impose fees from OFWs (DFA, DOLE, POEA)
and where were they used?