DFA managed donation to OFW in death row — Del Rosario

MANILA, Philippines — Giving a donation to the 22 fishermen abandoned by a Chinese ship near Recto Bank a few weeks ago through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was not the first time, as the government agency had managed the fund donated to the children of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso.

Former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario donated P500,000 to the fishermen of F/B Gem-Vir 1 (Gemver), but Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. returned the donation.

“I gave because I feel for what has happened to these 22 fishermen. I donated some money. I wanted to demonstrate that we care and that we are very sympathetic in terms of what has happened to them,” Del Rosario said in an interview on “The Chiefs” aired on Cignal TV’s One News on Monday night.

Del Rosario brought his donation to the DFA Office of the Secretary last Wednesday, hoping that the DFA would manage it for him.

“I was told then by the acting secretary that they’ll be happy to do this for me. Actually, they’ve been doing something like this for me already. It relates back to Mary Jane Veloso,” he said.

Indonesia stopped the execution of Veloso in 2015 after the Philippine government said her testimony would be vital in the human trafficking charges against her alleged illegal recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.

The Filipina was sentenced to death in October 2010 after she was caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin at a Jakarta airport.

“I went to visit her and, of course, very emotional, you know, and she said who is going take care of my children, who is going to send them to school and she asked me if the DFA could do that. I said no. I said the DFA does not have a budget for that,” Del Rosario said.

Veloso asked his assistance for her children’s education.

“So, I’ve been doing that and I’ve had the DFA manage it for me. So it works. But if Secretary Locsin thinks that the DFA should not be doing that and that’s his call, so I just have to look for somebody else who will do it,” Del Rosario added.

The former DFA chief received a text from Locsin that he had returned his donation as the DFA is not in the business of dispensing donation.

“I have to return the P500,000 check donation or I shall be compelled to turn it over to Treasury… I certainly won’t turn it over to another department; that’s malversation. So with florid expressions of gratitude I had it returned to Del Rosario,” Locsin said on Twitter last Monday.