DSWD wants to clear doubts on NGOs expenses

MANILA - Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman on Wednesday said she will be calling the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to request a meeting with international non-government organizations in Tacloban and other areas in the Eastern Visayas affected by supertyphoon Yolanda. She said she wants international NGOs to talk to local media and residents to clarify their expenses in these areas amid doubts that some of these groups are spending a lot of money on vehicles and accommodations. "There should be an accounting in order to remove those doubts. It's true, they have much better vehicles than what government has. It's something you cannot avoid and I understand the feelings of the people. They see that there are more vehicles around that are brand new, most are 4-wheel drive. And then people get food and shelter kits, they start counting the cost," she said in a radio DZMM interview. Citing her own experience in an NGO, Soliman said administrative costs should only reach up to 15 percent of a total project's cost. She, however, pointed out that international NGOs are independent and cannot be subjected to the scrutiny of the Philippine government. She said the government does not know how donor funds being funneled to these NGOs are used. RADIO DZMM, May 21, 2014