TG seeks law on accreditation of NGOs, POs

MANILA, Philippines - Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III wants to have a law requiring accreditation and validation of non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) dealing with the government.

He has filed Senate Bill 2375 seeking to designate the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the government’s accreditation body for NGOs and POs intending to participate in government contracts.

The DSWD would screen and monitor the NGOs and POs to determine if they are legitimate, committed and competent enough to participate in the implementation of government programs using public funds.

The bill is a product of the Blue Ribbon committee’s investigation of the pork barrel scam involving   supposedly fake NGOs and several lawmakers.

Guingona said: “Owing to the serious allegations of massive misappropriation of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which was accomplished purportedly through certain NGOs, it is imperative that a law should be passed that would immediately require all government agencies releasing funds to NGOs and POs to authenticate these entities.”

During the  Blue Ribbon hearings, it was revealed that millions of the PDAF of lawmakers went to bogus NGOs linked to Janet Lim-Napoles.

Some lawmakers, their staff and Napoles allegedly pocketed the money instead of implementing the projects that the PDAF was supposed to fund.

Guingona said the DSWD would be in the best position to evaluate the NGOs seeking accreditation and to give them a seal of good housekeeping to be able to transact with the government.

“The passage of this bill will enhance transparency and accountability in the allocation and utilization of public funds by ensuring that only legitimate entities that have good reputations for integrity, established track records and proven contributions to the betterment of society, would be able to participate in government projects,” he said.

The bill aims to require NGOs and POs to submit a complete organizational profile listing all their officials to be able to secure accreditation.

Applicant organizations must have been in existence for at least three years prior to their application. 

These NGOs and POs would have to be in stable financial condition, their source of funds must not be limited to releases coming from potential government partners.

They should have a successful track record of providing assistance to  members or beneficiaries.

All of the NGOs and POs would be subjected to an audit by the Commission on Audit (COA).

The accreditation would be valid for three years, after which this would have to be renewed.