MANILA — The Commission on Audit (COA) said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has received the notice of disallowance on its P1.272 million questionable procurement of COVID-19 items in 2020.

In the 2021 annual audit report on OWWA, state auditors noted that the OWWA Central Office received the ND dated June 29, 2021 compelling the accountable officer and concerned establishments to settle immediately the said disallowance.

“The management issued corresponding communication to parties concerned reiterating compliance to settle the said disallowance,” state auditors said.

The OWWA deputy administrator was given 6 months within which to file an appeal to explain his or her side.

In the audit report released last year, “doubtful charges” totaling P1.269 million were made in 2020 for hygiene kits, bottled water, and snacks.

The items were procured from a construction and trading store and other suppliers which were not “reputable drugstores and supermarkets”.

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State auditors noted that the recommendations in last year’s report such as requiring the OWWA deputy administrator to justify the transactions as well as show proof on the reasonability of the prices of the procured items were already fully implemented.

The recommendation to instruct the accountant of OWWA to prepare journal entry vouchers and attach them to the disbursement vouchers were likewise fully implemented.

“Moreover, the concerned AO (accountable officer) already submitted the explanation letter, itemized list of the procured items, and IAR (inspection and acceptance report),” the auditors noted.

Copies of the audit report were received by the offices of former Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III and OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac.

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