OWWA to probe claims of fake receipts

, GMA News

 The Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA) on Wednesday said it will conduct an investigation to find the source of recently discovered fake OWWA receipts being issued to members.

OWWA head Carmelita Dimzon said their legal division is looking into the matter and probing even their own cashiers assigned at the Philipine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

“I have asked the OWWA investigators to question even the processors of overseas employment certificates or OECs,” Dimzon said in a statement.

The receipts involved are those issued to overseas Filipino workers (OFW) for OWWA fees, a requirement for obtaining an exit clearance or an overseas employment certificate.

The OWWA probe was announced after initial investigations showed that the signatures on the fake receipts did not match those of OWWA collecting officers.

The numbers on the fake receipts were also found to be non-existent on the database of OWWA's official receipts numbers.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz instructed Dimzon to put up an information campaign to warn OFWs of the proliferation of fake OWWA receipts, which may undermine their membership status.

“The public should be well-advised on the matter for the safety of overseas Filipino workers,” Baldoz said, adding that “benefits may be compromised if the OFWs’ names are not registered as OWWA members.”

OWWA has already sent advisories to recruitment and manning agencies to prevent any further illegal practice of producing fake receipts.

“OWWA is now coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation to help investigate all possible sources of these fake documents and bring to court those responsible,” Dimzon said. - VVP, GMA News

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