Labor attaché faces dismissal over irregular procurement

MANILA, Philippines — A ranking labor official faces possible dismissal for irregularities.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said former Hong Kong labor attache Jalilo dela Torre is now under investigation and could be slapped with administrative and criminal charges.

“It depends on the results of the investigation, but if evidence will warrant, he (Dela Torre) could be dismissed from the service as well as charged criminally,” Bello told The STAR.

Bello earlier ordered the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE’s) Administrative Complaint Committee to look into the possible culpability of Dela Torre in the irregular procurement of database system for the processing of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.

Based on initial investigation, Dela Torre entered into a new contract for the use of a new database system without the required public bidding and approval of the Labor Secretary.

“A fact-finding committee found irregularity in the awarding of the contract, so we cancelled it,” Bello said.

Last December 2018, Dela Torre terminated a service agreement with Employ Easy Ltd, which has been providing an online system service to OFWs and recruitment agencies for 11 years.

Some OFWs and recruitment agencies claimed Dela Torre forged a new contract with a new service provider, Polaris Tools Ltd., in haste.

By entering into a contract without public bidding,  Dela Torre gravely disregarded the procedures of the Philippine procurement law, Bello said.