Visayan Forum and NGO 'corruption'


MANILA, Philippines – The fraud case involving a top Filipino non-government organization (NGO) should serve as a wake-up call for other NGOs, Filipino netizens said after the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sued the top anti-trafficking group Visayan Forum.
Visayan Forum is accused of producing fake receipts and documents to justify some P200-M in spending. The NGO has asserted its conscience is clear.
Its case, however, has reminded netizens of the need for NGOs to be transparent.
“Corruption does not only pervade [the] government or the private sector. Hard to accept and unbelievable as it may seem, even high-profile NGOs can be corrupt,” said a Rappler reader, who goes by the username mulct, in the news site's comments section.
Another reader, Scorpio_1969, said the case highlights “the unscrupulous practices of some NGOs.” “If we demand transparency and accountability from government, the same should be applied to NGOs especially if they are using government funds,” the reader said.
“I admire the intentions of the organization,” noted Rappler reader Batomi Lodeston. “But as they all say, intentions [are] different from transparency.”
Reader Lala Jimenez, for her part, called for transparency as well as a checks and balance mechanism for NGOs.
Meanwhile, in a radio interview on Saturday, September 15, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace would rather not comment on Visayan Forum's case to allow it to proceed in the “proper legal forum.”
“Baka sabihin pong meron tayong kinikilingan at an early stage,” Valte explained. (We might be accused of taking sides at an early stage.)
The Palace, however, expressed hope that the case against Visayan Forum would not affect international aid.
“Sana naman po 'yung mga ganyang alegasyon ay hindi makaapekto doon sa pagbibigay ng tulong... ng mga ibang institusyon o grupo kapag meron pong nangyayaring kalamidad,” Valte said. (We hope that this allegation wouldn't affect potential donations... from other institutions or groups in times of calamity.)
Visayan Forum, a long-time partner of USAID, has also worked with several other international organizations in fighting human trafficking in the Philippines. The NGO has helped the Philippines improve in its crusade against the illegal trade that victimizes 2.4-M people annually. – Rappler.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more