P165-M ‘Yolanda’ aid still unutilized

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday said approximately P165 million in foreign and local donations for victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” remains unused because they came from anonymous donors.

The DSWD explained in a press conference on Friday that guidelines governing the use of donations disallow the use of such funds if the donors are unidentified.

“I hope we will not be faulted for this. There are specific guidelines on the procedure in using such funds,” Assistant Secretary Javier Jimenez said.

The DSWD received P1,151,738,189 in foreign and local donations for victims of the killer typhoon that hit Tacloban City in 2013.

Donations from local entities reached P1.146 billion, while foreign donors, P6.18 million or $138,837.

Jimenez admitted that the unused P165 million in cash donations, which should have been distributed to Yolanda victims, are sitting in bank accounts.

Of the total P1.15 billion in donations, P986 million or more than 85 percent has been released to the typhoon victims on top of the government’s financial assistance.

“We are appealing to those who donated funds for Yolanda victims and did not identify themselves to come forward and be accounted, so that these may be finally utilized,” Jimenez said.

Donors who have not yet been identified may send an e-mail or fax a copy of the deposit slip to the DSWD so that their donation may be audited.

The official said the funds from anonymous sources will be remitted to the Bureau of Treasury after two to three years, since these are unused bank funds. These will then become part of the government’s general funds.

The DSWD also reminded donors overseas to comply with the government’s requirements for foreign donations which may be processed as duty-free and value-added tax-free.

“While foreign donated goods are free from import duties and taxes, there are policies and processes governing the exemption, and failure to abide may result in nonentitlement,” Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said in a statement.

Prospective consignees or those responsible for receiving foreign shipments should inform their donors of the requirements that they should comply with to avoid problems in the donation process, she said.

DSWD-registered social welfare and development agencies are qualified to be recipients of duty-free donations. Private organizations wanting to avail of the duty-free entry should register with the DSWD.

Organizations that are not registered can still receive foreign donations but will not be processed for duty-free entry.

Jimenez reminded consignees that they have six days to process the release papers for donations that arrive at the pier, after which P5,000 will be collected per day as storage fee.