Aquino: Govt may seek more funds for legal aid for OFWs

President Benigno Aquino III said the administration may seek a supplemental budget from Congress for legal assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFW), which has been reduced to just P27 million for next years instead of P100 million as required by law. Aquino revealed this during his “100 Days Report kay Boss," after an OFW in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia raised questions expressing fears that some Filipinos in jail in the Middle East may end up on death row if the government fails to provide them sufficient legal aid. “Sa laki ng tulong ng mga OFWs, may mas mararanasan dapat sa darating na taon na savings dahil gagawin nating mas efficient ang gobyerno. So meron tayong pwedeng pagkunan at kung kakapusin, pwedeng bumalik sa Kongreso at humingi ng supplemental budget," he said during the townhall-meeting-style event at the La Consolacion College in Manila on Thursday. (With the great help given by OFWs, we should be able to enjoy more savings next year as we make the government more efficient. So we have a possible source for additional funds, and if this falls short, we can ask Congress for a supplemental budget.) The Department of Budget and Management earlier allocated only P10.9 billion for the Department of Foreign Affairs for 2011, which is P1.7 billion lower than the current year’s budget of P12.6 billion. The DFA originally requested a budget of P19 billion for its 2011 operations. (See: P2-B cut in DFA budget scored by OFW groups) Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo also told the House appropriations committee during its budget deliberations that the Aquino administration approved only P27 million in Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) for OFWs. This is despite Section 18 of the amended Migrant Workers' Act, which provides for an allotment of P100 million in LAF, of which P50 million is supposed to be taken from the President’s contingency fund, P30 million from the President’s social fund, and P20 million from the Overseas Workers Welfare Fund. The LAF is used to provide legal services to migrant workers and overseas Filipinos in distress, such as hiring foreign lawyers, paying for bail bonds for the temporary release of detained workers, and shouldering court fees and charges and other litigation expenses. During his “100 Days" report, Aquino explained that cuts for the 2011 budget, including the slashed LAF, are due to the administration’s budget rationalization. “Bakit ho ba kailangan i-streamline iyong budget? Itong taon na ito, P325 billion ang tinatayang deficit. ‘Pag hindi natin nahinto iyan, again sa long run mas makakasama sa buong Pilipinas kung hindi natin mina-manage iyung ating fiscal condition properly," he said. (Why do we need to streamline the budget? This year, the estimated deficit is P325 billion. If we don’t stop that trend and manage our fiscal condition properly, it will negatively impact the entire Philippines in the long run.) He assured OFWs, however, that programs in place will still be implemented even in light of the reduced budget. “May pondong nakalaan para i-hire nga ‘yung tamang lawyers, para matugunan hindi lang sa Saudi kundi pati sa ibang bahagi ng mundo. Ngayon, maski mas mababa ‘yung pera pero kung tama ang paggastos mo, mas maraming mararating," Aquino explained. (We have funds allotted to hire the right lawyers to help our OFWs not just in Saudi but in other parts of the world. Now, even with smaller funds but if spent properly, the money can still go a long way.) Several lawmakers have earlier reminded the administration that the LAF should not be less than P100 million, especially as it is for the benefits of OFWs who remit some $17 billion every year. But the government countered that the cut will be offset by what will remain of the LAF this year, which can still be used for next year.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV