Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Office in Intramuros, Manila
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has so far spent some $7.7 million for relief efforts for victims of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), one of its officials said Friday.
CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace executive secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez disclosed this in an interview with the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN).
“All donations to Caritas Philippines and Internationalis have strict and efficient accounting mechanisms and processes … We have our monitoring system,” Gariguez said.
He added the funds the Church receives are audited by external accounting firms using international standards.
Yolanda devastated the Visayas and parts of Southern Luzon last November, leaving more than 6,000 dead.
Gariguez assured the public of transparency in the use of donations coursed through Catholic Church organizations.
“We even publish reports for full transparency,” he said.
UCAN noted Gariguez made the assurance after the Philippine Senate directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development to submit a list of organizations that gathered donations for victims.
It said Philippine laws decree that organizations that want to raise funds for victims of disasters must secure a permit from the DSWD, and submit a report on how the donations are used.
Meanwhile, Gariguez said the Church is planning for the rehabilitation of nine affected dioceses. — LBG, GMA News
Source: GMA NEWS ONLINE