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-LinkProject, 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 asit 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.

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