Militant group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap fears that the fund supposedly for the legal assistance of the Filipino migrant workers was corrupted with the government’s Disbursement Acceleration Program.
Carlito Badion, secretary general of Kadamay said in a statement on Wednesday that “it is not far-fetched that the fund that is supposedly for the legal aid of Overseas Filipino Workers under the Department of Foreign Affairs was corrupted by the Aquino administration through its implementation of the DAP.”
Badion said, since the administration implemented DAP in 2011 to 2013, not less than P6 billion was saved by the government.
“Every year, P100 million is supposedly allotted for the Legal Assistance Fund of the DFA to give legal services for the OFWs, but in the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the government did not provide for her legal counsel when she was arrested in 2010. It is only this year that the government provided for Veloso’s legal aid,” Badion said.
Veloso is the Filipino OFW who is awaiting a death sentence by firing squad in Indonesia after she was caught in possession of 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
Badion said President Aquino “even cut the legal fund for OFWs and in 2011, the year when Pres. Aquino started implementing DAP, the DFA was not able to use P52 million worth of legal fund.”
