CAPITOL LISTS ACCREDITED NGOS
THE Cebu provincial government yesterday released the list of accredited non-government organizations (NGO).
The list was posted on the walls of the Capitol building, said Melita Labarejos, acting chief of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO).
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said she will review all 406 accredited NGOs starting from 2007 in the wake of the P10 billion pork barrel controversy involving lawmakers and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. The scam allegedly involved the disbursement of congressional pork barrel funds to bogus NGOs that were affiliated with Napoles
Labarejos said they practice a number of “safety nets” to ensure that the NGOs are legitimate.
She said an NGO or people’s group that applies for accreditation before the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) should be registered with the Securities and Exhange Commission (SEC).
It also needs to submit its articles and by-laws, names of its board of trustees, objectives and projects done in the past, Labarejos added.
She said the provincial government also monitors its partner NGOs regularly. Partner NGOs are required to submit an accomplishment report and the liquidation of funds.
Asked about the existence of fake NGOs in the province, Labarejos said it could easily be detected.
“There is word of mouth among their circles, who are real NGOs and these people are talking. It was probably top secret but here in Cebu they are partners, they have very good relationships, there is competition but it’s productive,” she added. /Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos
UP-CEBU STUDENTS PROTEST BUDGET CUT
GYRATING to the hit dance tune “Gimme, Gimme” a hundred students of the University of the Philippines-Cebu (UP-Cebu) staged a protest to denounce the governnment’s P1.43 billion budget cut on state schools.
Donned in crop tops and shorts, the student groups also staged a fashion walk to protest the P8.1 billion budget for UP, down from the existing P9.5 billion budget this school year.
“Budget cuts force state schools to be self-sufficient and we have to rely in income generating mechanisms such as Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance Program (STFAP) and tuition hikes,” said Student Council vice chairperson Dyan Gumanao. /UP Cebu Intern Christine Estrella
GIVE FUNDS FOR POLLS, BARANGAYS URGED
CEBU’S barangays were urged to allocate funds for next month’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial officer Ferdinand Gujilde said only 16 out of more than a thousand barangays in the province committed more than P200,000 for the polls. These are barangays Danglag, Sacsac, Tilhaong and Tolotolo in Consolacion town and barangays in San Remigio town and Bogo City, he said. “We appeal for their higher sense of duty to the country because we are all stakeholders in this election. We also pity the teachers who don’t get to sleep during the elections. The success of the elections depends on us,” Gujilde said.
Gujilde said the barangays who fail to contribute can be charged with violating Section 50 of the Omnibus Election Code. “If the money is spent for something else, they can be liable for technical malversation,” he said.
Comelec earlier approved a resolution that required all the barangays in the country to commit P10,000 from their general funds to be added to the election budget for October 28.
The funds will pay for the training of the Board of Election Tellers (BETs) and their allowances worth P2,500 each. /Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos