EU envoy believes many LGUs, NGOs not corrupt

NAGA CITY, Philippines – “What’s important is not to put everybody in the same basket.”

This was the reaction of European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux over the pork barrel scam that has implicated several lawmakers and government officials over bogus non-government organizations (NGOs).

Ledoux believed there are still local government units (LGUs) and officials and NGOs who have been performing well outside of the corruption web.

“You have many local government units and many Filipino NGOs who are doing a fantastic job. These people are really committed to what they’re doing. The case that considers all government agencies and all NGOs are corrupt – this is a bit of an exaggeration I think,” Ledoux said.

“You have organizations both public and private who are doing fantastic job to address the issue of poverty alleviation, disaster preparedness and disaster response,” he added.

Ledoux visited Camarines Sur from Oct. 1-2 to observe and assess the evacuation drill of residents of barangay Palo, an island village in Canaman, as part of a disaster preparedness program financed by the EU and implemented by international NGO CARE Netherlands.

Canaman is among the most vulnerable and disaster prone barangays in Bicol.

A regional forum on “Replicating Effective Disaster Risk Reduction Practices in Camarines Sur” was also held here Wednesday that gathered some 100 practitioners from high-risk communities from the Bicol region.

The EU has been providing assistance to the Philippines to support the campaign against corruption, including projects with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“So that the reporting with Manila and the accounting they send is more understandable and clear and to increase also transparency that people living in one municipality can check if the money is used according to what has been decided by the council,” Ledoux said.

The EU is the fourth biggest aid donor to the Philippines. The EU was one of the first to send its sympathies and assistance worth P160 million after Typhoon Pablo.

The EU leads the Rehabilitation and Development component of the Mindanao Peace Process International Monitoring Team and supports the Philippines’ call for a peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea issue.

For 2012-2013, the EU provided P90 million in grants for disaster preparedness programs to the consortium of NGOs, including Care Nederlands, Action Contre la Faim, Plan International, Oxfam, Christian Aid and Handicap International, working with regional Office of Civil Defense in Bicol.

The EU disaster preparedness program aims at improving the capacities of at-risk communities to prepare for and protect themselves from natural disasters.