RIYADH, 3 February 2004 — A labor official here has said that 2 million pesos (SR139,000) sent by Sen. Panfilo Lacson for the “Barya Mo, Buhay Ko” (Your Loose Change, My Life) is available.
Labor Attaché Manuel Roldan said the amount was turned over to him by Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul, Jr. before he left for the Philippines last Dec. 27.
He added that the group has to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before the funds could be made available.
The amount is part of the 5 million peso amount earlier pledged by Lacson for Barya Mo, Buhay Ko, which started initially as a program but which has become an association for purposes of registration with the SEC.
Roldan said that while he has instructed his staff to get in touch with Barya Mo, Buhay Ko officials, will personally get in touch with Barya Mo, Buhay Ko chairwoman Gina Abitona after the Haj holidays and propose that the money be released under the name of a group or association already registered with the SEC.
“In that case, the funds which are ready for release could be readily availed of for the benefit of stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for whom the money was originally intended,” Roldan said.
He said he is ready to release the funds but there are certain procedures and formalities that have to be followed regarding funds donated for humanitarian causes.
Roldan made the announcement in the wake of a story published in Arab News last Sunday (Barya Mo, Buhay Ko Funds Delayed by SEC Registration Kinks, Feb. 1), saying that the funds could not yet be released because Barya Mo, Buhay Ko is not registered with the SEC.
Abitona had earlier said that the group’s application for registration with the SEC in Manila was turned down because the application forms by their representative was not issued by the commission.
If the money is released, it could also be availed of by the some 87 stranded female workers now housed at the Bahay Kalinga Center of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“Currently the number of stranded workers at the Bahay Kalinga is rather high. Normally, the number is only about 50 or 60 at any given time,” Roldan said.
He added that his office is working hard to send back to Philippines stranded female workers as fast as possible.
“Since I took over from Rasul on Jan. 1, a total of 111 stranded female workers have been repatriated,” Roldan said.
