The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said that all transactions pertaining to the machine readable passport (MRP) and electronic passport (ePassport) projects are legal and transparent.

In a statement, the DFA answered allegations of an overseas workers group that the e-passport projects were tainted with irregularities.

Earlier, Migrante International pushed for the recall of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo’s appointment for his role in alleged irregularities that resulted in the high cost of ePassports.

They also accused Romulo of scrapping a previous contract for the manufacture of machine-readable passports with BCA International Corp. under alleged dubious circumstances on December 9. 2005.

However, the DFA, in a statement, pointed out that it terminated the contract with BCA in 2005 “for its inability to implement the project due to its financial incapacity,” among other reasons.

BCA Corporation was the original proponent of the ePassport project.

“The cancelled BCA project proposes a now outmoded passport technology, and for the Philippines to go back to the BCA’s proposal would be a retrogressive move, to the prejudice of overseas Filipino workers and travelling Filipinos, instead of a positive one towards a world-class passport,” the DFA said.

According to the DFA, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has declared the cancellation of the BCA contracts as having “basis in law and in fact.”

The DFA also claimed that the Department of Finance (DoF), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and other concerned government agencies fully shared this view.

The DFA said the Supreme Court issued a Resolution dated June 4, 2008, denying for lack of merit, BCA Corporation’s second urgent motion to restrain the DFA on the MRP project.

“The Supreme Court on two occasions in said case (G.R. No. 176657) sustained the DFA actions, which are likewise transparent and in the best interest of overseas Filipino workers and traveling Filipinos,” the DFA said.

The DFA also dismissed claims made that the contract for the supply of laminates for the ePassports was awarded to Hologram Industries, a French company, without bidding.

“Contrary to claims, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the original supplier for passports, conducted an open, competitive and public bidding on the DFA’s ePassport requirements, in strict compliance with procurement laws and regulations,” the DFA said.

The ePassport was launched in August, 2009 and is in full compliance with international requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

It is more secure, tamper-proof and highly credible, the DFA said.

Meanwhile, despite some groups questioning his continued stay as DFA chief, Romulo was able to garner a 67 percent public approval ranking him third among 11 Cabinet appointees of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

In the survey, Romulo only came after Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman who received 72 percent and Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who garnered 69 percent.

Romulo tied with Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jesus A. Versoza who also garnered 67 percent approval rating.

According to the survey which was conducted from July 1 to 11, 2010 using face to face interviews, the appointments made by President Aquino in key government positions, including that of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary, are generally well-received by the public.