Paging the Philippine Red Cross

Two intriguing events took place in our barangay Kasambagan the other day. One was absolutely private featuring complete strangers while the other appeared to be impressed with public character.

The first. Someone (or were there more persons involved?) spread along F. Cabahug Street a kind of poison letter. Actually, it contained libel. A set of pictures with various names of a lady and her purported addresses, including one in our subdivision not very far from our home, was published. It was distributed “mora’g election leaflets” in the words of Mr. Arthur Calinawan, my friend. But, really, I did not recognize her face. She was described as having illicit relations but her partner was not named. Believe me, it was a despicable, albeit original, way of maligning a person. 

The second. An envelope was tied, using a piece of string, to our gate. It was hung about a meter from the ground where the pictures of the lady I mentioned above were placed. So, I thought they were somehow connected with each other. 

When I opened the envelope, I found a photocopy of a public document in it. It was a Deed of Donation where the donor is one of the largest telecommunications company in our country and the donee is a Cebu City based non-government organization. The donor gave to the donee an amount that would not dent its announced annual profit, but it certainly was a fairly large sum to me. 

I was about to throw the document into the garbage can nearby because it did not concern me at all. It was none of my business. The civil law doctrine of privity of contracts did not apply to me being not a party to the donation. But, I paused for a while and thought that whoever put it at my gate might have wanted me to examine the document for whatever worth it had.

Heeding the implied request, I went over the document. I started with trying to figure out who the parties were. This time, I internalized what I read. A gentleman, whom I had the chance to talk to personally at a Toastmasters International occasion here in Cebu City, some years ago, represented the donor. On the other hand, the person signing the deed for the donee used to occupy a very high position in the city government.

What caught my initial attention was the way the donee was described in the instrument. The donee was identified as “duly organized and existing in accordance with the Republic Act No. 10072”. Quite frankly, I had not come across that law and so I did not know what the statute was all about.

But, if the purpose was to understand the document, I should know the legal personalities of the parties. So, I researched RA 10072.

I found out that Republic Act No. 10072 was approved not very long ago. It was signed into a law by the then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on April 20, 2010. The complete title of the law is “An Act Recognizing the Philippine National Red Cross As An Independent, Autonomous, Non-Governmental Organization Auxiliary To The Authorities Of The Republic Of The Philippines In the Humanitarian Field To Be Known As The Philippine Red Cross”. And I was terrified with that finding.

Difficult questions confronted me. Was the instrument so written as to project that the donee was a creation of RA 10072 such that this Cebu City based organization de deemed an extension of the Philippine Red Cross? Why would the donee be described in that very manner? Did the Philippine Red Cross authorities know of the donation of Two Million Pesos to this Cebu City based non-government organization?

My reading of the document suggested that this Cebu City based non-government organization might have solicited, collected and received money from the donor telecommunications company by representing itself to be a member, agent or representative of the Philippine Red Cross. It this reading is correct, Section 8 of RA 10072 is violated by the donee. This is criminal act with a corresponding imprisonment and fine as penalty.

So, let me call upon the officials of the Philippine Red Cross to investigate. Your move, Sen. Richard Gordon.