DSWD willing to handle NGO accreditation

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ready to assume the task of accrediting non-government organizations (NGOs) that can undertake government-funded projects or programs.

The DSWD said it has already taken note of the guidelines set in the accreditation of NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) by the Government Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2014.

“The GAA provision will be complied with by that time by the agencies which involve NGOs/CSOs,” Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman told The STAR in a text message.

Soliman also said she is committed to DSWD’s assumption of the role as the accrediting agency for all NGOs and CSOs being tapped to undertake government-funded programs and projects.

The DSWD’s Standards Bureau will take charge of the accrediting function.

Earlier, the DSWD credited its Standards Bureau’s tedious and thorough accreditation process. The bureau is found effective in identifying NGOs that engage in honest-to-goodness social development work in poor communities in urban and rural areas.

NGOs applying for DSWD accreditation are subjected to “social investigation” during which communities they claim to work with are questioned on their past activities and projects.

The Standards Bureau also checks if the applying NGOs or CSOs have existing offices. Their officers are also interviewed on past community involvements.