OWWA not a GOCC, says administrator

OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon. Photo from owwa.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Thursday that the agency is not a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) and that it had not given illegal bonuses and allowances to its officers.

“OWWA officials and employees did not receive any bonus or allowance not authorized by the government for National Government Agencies (NGA),” OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon said in a statement released Thursday.

“The OWWA, as an NGA, is governed by Department of Budget and Management (DBM) guidelines on bonuses, allowances and other benefits,” she said.

The Commission on Audit (COA) had ordered 31 GOCCs to refund to the government P2.313 billion worth of “bonus(es), allowances, and benefits [paid] to the board of directors and employees without or in excess of legal basis or proper authority.”

The top GOCC that had the biggest amount to refund was the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) with P1,651,084,000.

OWWA was included in the list based on the 2012 annual financial report on GOCCs posted on the COA website.

Dimzon said in the statement that she has already written to the COA explaining it was not a GOCC last July 16, 2013.

According to the OWWA website, it “is the lead government agency tasked to protect and promote the welfare and well-being of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their dependents.”

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