P 1-B fund for distressed Pinoys abroad under audit

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he had ordered an audit of the P1-billion fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) meant to assist Filipinos who are in distress abroad.

Since he succeeded now Speaker Alan Cayetano in October 2018, Locsin has complained that the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Fund should not have been used for the travels of public officials and even for unnecessary trips by DFA officials.

“I am now auditing how ATN [fund] was spent before. It is Assistance to Nationals Abroad. Not Assistance to Nationals in Fucking Government. That would be ANFG,” Locsin tweeted late Saturday.

During Cayetano’s stint as foreign secretary, the ATN Fund was increased from P400,000 in 2017 to P1 billion in 2018.

The DFA’s legal assistance fund was also increased to P100 million in 2017 and to P200 million in 2018.

Cayetano appointee

Cayetano appointed his longtime staff, Sarah Arriola, as DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs whose office handles most ATN cases.

Arriola remains in the post.

In his budget presentation to the House of Representatives on Sept. 3 last year, Locsin reported that the P1-billion ATN Fund was almost fully spent in 2018.

Locsin replaced Cayetano in October 2018.

Locsin reported that out of the P1 billion ATN Fund, P999,495,697.40 was used to help 101,918 Filipinos in distress in 2018.

The DFA again received a P1 billion ATN Fund in 2019, of which P483 million had been utilized to help 100,522 as of September last year.