Money for OFW e-link project wisely spent—Cacdac
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief Hans Leo J. Cacdac yesterday
debunked media reports that the POEA has wasted taxpayer’s money for its OFW e-Link
Project, saying that on the contrary, the agency spent the money for the project prudently
and wisely.
“The POEA was constrained to terminate the OFW e-Link in 2008 as it was overtaken by
developments in the participating agencies’ ICT programs. The money and other resources
allocated for it did not go to waste,” Cacdac said in a media release.
“We at the POEA have already submitted our comments on the Commission on Audit’s
Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) No. 2013-23 dated May 2013. We have already
justified the audit issues raised by the COA,” he added.
Cacdac said the OFW E-Link project, which aimed to connect government agencies
involved in the documentation of departing overseas Filipino workers, was designed for
implementation in three stages: (1) OFW Deployment System; (2) Passport and SIRB
Application; and (3) OFW Credential Application.
He explained that the OFW Deployment System had been completed on 31 August 2007,
but the POEA had to iron out some procedural and data concerns in consultation with the
Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID).
“The POEA cancelled implementation of Phases 2 and 3 because new developments in the
computerization projects of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Statistics
Office (NSO), Commission on Higher Education, (CHED) and Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) had overtaken the project,” he further said.
The acquisition and procurement of the needed hardware, software, equipment, and related
supplies were done through public bidding by the Procurement Service of the Department of
Budget and Management.
Cacdac said the POEA just did not purchase IT equipment per se, but purchased IT
equipment toward the development and strengthening of a system which benefits OFWs
and serves the salient objectives of the e- Link Project, which include strengthened OFW
documentation process and future connectivity with other government agencies.
Cacdac cited as examples the e-registration facility which is useful for the active labor
market interventions of the Department of Labor and Employment, and the interconnectivity
of POEA regional offices which will pave the way for interconnectivity with government
agencies such as the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.@poeaNews /myPOEA
“Aside from the e- Registration System for jobseekers; the POEA developed and operated
other online systems such e-Submit or online submission and processing of documents of
workers by recruitment agencies; e-Receipt system, which involved the issuance of a single
receipt involving POEA, OWWA, PhilHealth, and Pag-ibig; data sharing with OWWA,
PhilHealth, and Pag-ibig; verification systems for OFWs, licensed recruiters, and approved
job orders; and the Balik-manggagawa Appointment System” Cacdac added.
The POEA has also implemented other critical information systems including Principal
Accreditation System, Agency Licensing System, Balik Manggagawa and Name-hire
Processing Systems, Illegal Recruitment Monitoring System, Adjudication Case Monitoring
System, Watchlisting System, LAC Validation System.
“All these systems are being used by the functional units of the POEA to effectively serve
our clients. The critical databases that were created from these systems support the POEA,
the OFWs and other stakeholders with information on overseas employment necessary for
decision making as well as ensuring the proper documentation of workers for overseas
employment for their protection,” he finally said.
debunked media reports that the POEA has wasted taxpayer’s money for its OFW e-Link
Project, saying that on the contrary, the agency spent the money for the project prudently
and wisely.
“The POEA was constrained to terminate the OFW e-Link in 2008 as it was overtaken by
developments in the participating agencies’ ICT programs. The money and other resources
allocated for it did not go to waste,” Cacdac said in a media release.
“We at the POEA have already submitted our comments on the Commission on Audit’s
Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) No. 2013-23 dated May 2013. We have already
justified the audit issues raised by the COA,” he added.
Cacdac said the OFW E-Link project, which aimed to connect government agencies
involved in the documentation of departing overseas Filipino workers, was designed for
implementation in three stages: (1) OFW Deployment System; (2) Passport and SIRB
Application; and (3) OFW Credential Application.
He explained that the OFW Deployment System had been completed on 31 August 2007,
but the POEA had to iron out some procedural and data concerns in consultation with the
Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID).
“The POEA cancelled implementation of Phases 2 and 3 because new developments in the
computerization projects of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Statistics
Office (NSO), Commission on Higher Education, (CHED) and Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) had overtaken the project,” he further said.
The acquisition and procurement of the needed hardware, software, equipment, and related
supplies were done through public bidding by the Procurement Service of the Department of
Budget and Management.
Cacdac said the POEA just did not purchase IT equipment per se, but purchased IT
equipment toward the development and strengthening of a system which benefits OFWs
and serves the salient objectives of the e- Link Project, which include strengthened OFW
documentation process and future connectivity with other government agencies.
Cacdac cited as examples the e-registration facility which is useful for the active labor
market interventions of the Department of Labor and Employment, and the interconnectivity
of POEA regional offices which will pave the way for interconnectivity with government
agencies such as the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.@poeaNews /myPOEA
“Aside from the e- Registration System for jobseekers; the POEA developed and operated
other online systems such e-Submit or online submission and processing of documents of
workers by recruitment agencies; e-Receipt system, which involved the issuance of a single
receipt involving POEA, OWWA, PhilHealth, and Pag-ibig; data sharing with OWWA,
PhilHealth, and Pag-ibig; verification systems for OFWs, licensed recruiters, and approved
job orders; and the Balik-manggagawa Appointment System” Cacdac added.
The POEA has also implemented other critical information systems including Principal
Accreditation System, Agency Licensing System, Balik Manggagawa and Name-hire
Processing Systems, Illegal Recruitment Monitoring System, Adjudication Case Monitoring
System, Watchlisting System, LAC Validation System.
“All these systems are being used by the functional units of the POEA to effectively serve
our clients. The critical databases that were created from these systems support the POEA,
the OFWs and other stakeholders with information on overseas employment necessary for
decision making as well as ensuring the proper documentation of workers for overseas
employment for their protection,” he finally said.
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