The Commission on Audit asked the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration why a deputy administrator bought sanitary napkins, hygiene kits, and thermal scanners worth almost P1 million from a construction store in 2020.
On August 17, administrator Hans Leo Cacdac called the incident "isolated", saying it accounted for 0.001% of the P9 billion that state auditors checked. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) received an unqualified opinion from Commission on Audit (COA) in 2020.
"Rest assured, we are taking this matter seriously and an explanation is forthcoming, in the context of COA proceedings," he said on Twitter on August 17. He also denied that the deputy administrator mentioned in the report was Asssistant Secretary Mocha Uson.
This is still subject to liquidation and explanation to COA by the concerned official. The findings in this isolated transaction (.001% of the P9B audited in the COA Unqualified Opinion) have not yet attained finality. And Deputy Administrator Uson is not involved.
— hans leo j. cacdac (@HansLeoCacdac) August 17, 2021
Another clarification is that the OWWA Trust Fund is not involved.
— hans leo j. cacdac (@HansLeoCacdac) August 17, 2021
State auditors questioned the procurement of hygiene kits, sanitary napkins, thermal scanners worth P969,920 from a construction and trading store in Pasay City in May 2020, pointing out that there's a Mercury Drug branch near OWWA's central office. It also said the establishment cannot be found on the address stated in the receipt.
TINGNAN: Ito ang address kung saan umano binili ng OWWA ang mga hygiene kit, sanitary napkin at thermal scanners na aabot sa halos P1-M. Walang nakitang ganoong shop sa address sa Pasay. pic.twitter.com/NAxTcPed9V
— Jekki Pascual (@jekkipascual) August 18, 2021
COA also noted the "costly" sanitary pads, which cost from P10 to P30 each, when it can be bought at sari-sari stores at P5 to P8 per pad. The deputy administrator also failed to itemize the hygiene kits worth P160 each.
It also bought 50 thermal scanners at P2,950 each, four times more expensive compared to prices online, ranging from P400 to P800, COA said.
State auditors also asked why OWWA purchased P300,000 worth of snacks and bottled water from a caterer in Quezon City, when these could be bought in several supermarkets and hypermarkets in Pasay City. It also failed to provide the unit prices of the procured items.
COA told the said deputy administrator to justify purchasing items from a construction and trading store in Pasay and a caterer in Quezon City, submit an itemized list of flagged items, show proof that the prices of procured items are reasonable, and submit report for all items.
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