I am relaying this issue to all my readers. If we are in the business of bring work to our people outside the country, then you might find this amusing:
THE Commission on Audit (COA) has rebuked the
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for "illegally" granting
about P40 million in incentives and allowances to its officials and
employees for the past three years.
COA also took the POEA to task for allowing its executives and employees
who were issued mobile phones to download about P796,000 worth of games,
tones, picture messages and other unauthorized items.
In its latest report, prepared by Director IV Roberto Marquez, COA said
the POEA drew P24.048 million from the funds of the Overseas Workers'
Welfare Administration to grant an "incentive allowance" to its personnel.
Such use of OWWA funds is unauthorized, COA said.
It said that even if the OWWA Board of Trustees had justified the giving of
the incentive allowance by citing the increase in OWWA collections from
overseas Filipino workers, the move was "without legal basis."
Section 15 (e) of the General Appropriations Act, FY 2003 (as reenacted in
2004), "as well as previous general appropriation acts, provides that
no government funds shall be [used] to pay honoraria, allowances or other
compensations to any government official or employee, except
those specifically authorized by law," the report stated.
Section 3 of Administrative Order 103 also bans national government
agencies from granting new or additional benefits to their officials and
employees "except for Collective Negotiation
Agreement (CNA) Incentives and those expressly provided by presidential
issuance," the COA said.
Although it recommended that the POEA management stop granting the
incentive allowance, COA acknowledged that the issue is awaiting final
disposition before the Legal Adjudication Office.
COA noted that the POEA granted P15.448 million for the CNA signing bonus
and rice allowance to its employees, a violation of rules laid down by
the Public Sector Labor Management Council.
COA said the POEA management and the employees' union agreed on a quarterly
rice subsidy to its employees, including casuals, contractual and
temporary workers, and a P15,000 signing bonus "to be given on a staggered
basis within three years subject to the availability of savings."
On the strength of the agreement signed on December 10, 2001, the POEA
granted P15.448 million from 2002 to 2004. But! the COA reviewed the
payments and found they could have violated the rules on CNA signing bonus
and allowances. Rice and other subsidies require "appropriation of funds,"
or approval from Congress and subsequent enactment of the President, COA
said.
COA also cited a May 16, 2002, circular from the Department of the Budget
and Management that said the President has issued a "moratorium on the
grant of CNA signing bonus due to some problems raised on the payment and
fund source."
COA added that the moratorium has been in effect until these problems are
resolved and a policy is issued on the matter.
It also cited the July 11, 2002, decision of the Supreme Court in the case
of Social Security System v. COA, in which it ruled against the signing
bonus as a form of additional compensationunder the Constitution.
COA said that despite the Court's earlier pronouncement against the
grantingof incentives and allowances, the POEA in 2004 still gave P7.2105
million to its employees and officials as signing bonus and rice subsidies.
The POEA justified its move by saying that the budget department had
approved the release of incentives and allowances, COA said.
COA also questioned why the POEA failed to follow the guidelines in its
memorandum on October 26, 2001, covering the use of cell phones after the
POEA paid for the nonessential downloads made by its officials and
employees.
The POEA is supposed to put a limit on the use of cell phones, but the
audit on its telephone bills showed that P487,283.59 of the P1.3-million
total
from 2003 to 2004 consisted of charges in excess of the authorizedlimit.
Even POEA's bookkeeper in charge admitted that she could not impose
limitson the use of ! the cell phones to some officials, COA said.
"We also noted that the POEA had incurred other charges amounting to
P308,747.58 in the use of the mobile phones, in addition to the
fixedcharges of P400,002.80 due to subscription to Globe lines or plans.
These additional charges are value-added taxes and currency adjustment
fees. Other charges which are personal and which are easily incurred and
billeddue to the nature of line subscription, include share-a-load and its
processing fee, GPRS such as Globe games, photo messages, polyphonic
ring tones,digital postcards, photo album, cinema and magazine covers,
premium java download, instant messaging and catxtcism, etc.," COA said.
To avoid further overpayments, COA recommended that the POEA coordinate
with Globe to shift to prepaid cards and end the subscription of postpaid
lines.
..I want to pay for my domain name in www.anaffordableoption.com using my paypal account but I have not verified by account yet. I got stalled by some issues with 9 digit bank code.
I called my bank, although the callcenter agent was polite they do not have what I need. They cannot give me the 9 digit bank code that paypal was asking for my registration. I decided to look it up in the internet instead. This is what I got.
BANK NAME 9 digit bank code
ALLIED BANKING CORP 010320013
BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS 010030015
BANCO DE ORO (& EPCIB) 010530667
BANK OF COMMERCE 010440016
BANK OF THE PHIL ISLANDS 010040018
CHINA BANKING CORP 010100013
CHINA TRUST COMML BANK 010690015
CITIBANK N.A. 010070017
DEVT BANK OF THE PHILS 010590018
DEUTSCHE BANK 010650013
EAST WEST BANK 010620014
INTL EXCHANGE BANK 010680012
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK 010720011
LAND BANK OF THE PHILS 010350025
MAYBANK OF THE PHILS 010220016
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST CO 010269996
PHIL BANK OF COMMUNICATION 010110016
PHIL TRUST COMPANY 010090039
PHIL NATIONAL BANK 010080010
PRUDENTIAL BANK 010150018
PHIL VETERANS BANK 010330016
RIZAL COMML BANKING CORP 010280014
SECURITY BANK & TRUST CO 010140015
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK 010050011
UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK 010299995
UNION BANK OF THE PHILS 010419995
UNITED OVERSEAS BANK 010270189
So, seek and you shall find. Ask and you shall receive....