A bookkeeper of noted Philippine NGO Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) blew the whistle on its founder Cecilia Flores-Oebanda. Maria Analie Villacorte who, according to VFF attorney Laurence Arroyo, resigned from the VFF last July alleges she received instructions from Oebanda to “falsify” documents that would have been used to support the disbursement of up to P300 million donated to VFF by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reportedly acting on a complaint lodged by USAID special agent Daniel Altman and testimony from “two whistle-blowers” recommended charges to be slapped on “VFFI directors, finance officers, bookkeepers and other employees.”
[NBI antifraud chief Rachel Marfil-Angeles] said P210 million of the P300 million from the USAID remained unaccounted for. “However, what is clear at the moment, based on evidence, is that receipts for P41 million had been faked,†said the NBI antifraud chief.
Angeles said the NBI probe had established that the order to manufacture the fake receipts came from the VFFI president.
“In a meeting, the bookkeepers, including the whistle-blower, were allegedly ordered by its president to fake receipts to fill in the gap of unsubstantiated expenses,†she said.
Embattled VFF founder and head Cecilia Flores Oebanda
The VFF through its attorney Laurence Arroyo has denied all claims.
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Arroyo said it appears Villacorte, VF’s former bookkeeper, falsified receipts and admitted to doing it. “Now she wants to point fingers at others,†the lawyer said.
In particular, Arroyo said Villacorte claims she got instructions to falsify documents from her boss, Oebanda. “We categorically deny that,†he said.
“She thinks that a case will not be filed against her if she does it,†Arroyo said, referring to Villacorte’s possible motive. “She is trying to absolve herself of liability by pointing to others.â€
Arroyo said the bookkeeper resigned from VF last July 15. “We were not aware at the time that she falsified documents,†he explained.
The VFF along with several other NGOs are beneficiaries of generous funding from Uncle Sam for their work to stop human trafficking in the Philippines and prosecute its perpetrators. The VFF, for its part, operates “halfway houses” in various key Philippine ports, oversees awareness campaigns and organises multi-sectoral task forces as part of its overall effort to curb human trafficking originating in the Philippines. According to a State Department document a total USD 3.69 million had been granted to on-going anti-human-trafficking initiatives in the Philippines as of the 16th March 2010. According to the report, this amount was allocated across the following organisations based in or with offices in the Philippines:
(1) $2.1 million to the VFF;
(2) $540,000 to the International Justice Mission (IJM) described as, “An Initiative to Combat Child Trafficking in Metro Manila and Samar”;
(3) $71,429 to the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) which “Aims to educate young men on gender issues, sexuality, and the consequences of prostitution as methods to reduce the demand which fuels sex trafficking, as well as addressing young women’s vulnerability to sexual exploitation.”;
(4) $500,000 to the [Philippines’] Department of Justice, Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (DOJ/OPDAT), funds granted to “develop and implement training and mentoring for prosecutors who handle TIP cases throughout the country with the goals of increasing the number of increasing the number of successful prosecutions and convictions of persons engaged in human trafficking and facilitating enhanced voluntary prosecutor-police cooperation”.
(5) $480,000 to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support “work with a network of government agencies and NGOs and improve humanitarian response by strengthening prevention and response to trafficking of persons in conflict affected areas of North Cotabato and Maguindanao in Mindanao. Identified interventions include : community education sessions on anti-child trafficking in evacuation centers and host communities of internally-displaced persons (IDPs), setting-up of a surveillance, investigation and rescue mechanism in identified trafficking hotspots/routes and integration of guidelines for the protection of trafficked children into camp management protocols and procedures.”
[Photo courtesy Politekon.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
this is the money of US taxpayers.
subsidising incompetence in government, corruption in ngo’s, and tax evaders in philippines.
US should stop the aid and begging bowl politics.
nobody ever prosecuted whether for trafficking or human rights abuses. a sham.
publicise in US and see what tax payers think.
US foreign aid should stop altogether.
“No foreign aid should exist. Foreign aid is taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries.”
– Ron Paul
pustahan, fishball will say Persi-NoyNoyNoy will not allow graft and corruption to happen in Pill-pinas. His Evidence??? uSec Puno.
Pustahan din, sisisihin nanaman niya si gloria ng walang dahilan.
Systemic corruption rears its ugly head again! The US people directing and controlling USAID should put their foot down hard and step on those responsible.
dont worry, aquino is focused on clearing graft and corruption in the country that gloria allowed during her term.
fishball quit the bovine ordure. GMA is always your scapegoat. Your repeat black propaganda sucks!
sino ba ang unang nakakaalam sa natatanggap nating foreign aid mula sa ibang bansa? Db si gloria din? Dapat talaga ikulong na yan
@fishball:
Bakit siya lang ba? Much of a conspiracy theorist who doesn’t have the balls to back up his claims. 😛
Sus ginoo, palagi nalang si gloria ang sinisisi ng gunggong na fishball. Nakakalimutan mo fishball na sangkot din ang KKK ng boss mo sa corruption. Yung sinasabi mong mga kaso kay gloria, madidismiss na iyan dahil kulang kayo ng EBIDENSYA at puro HEARSAY lang ang meron kayo. Gunggong ka talaga
Fishball, you continue to have both the brains and the balls of a fish. No brains. No balls. You’re just another noytard. Are you one of BS’s boyfriends?
He might be one of Pnoy’s favorite c*ck s*ckers thats why he keeps defending Pnoy.
IT IS SAD THAT THE PEOPLE HOLDING THE PURSE STRINGS IN THE U.S.A.,I.E. THE CONGRESS,ARE JUST AS CROOKED.The war in Afghanistan/Iraq has billions of $$$ that can not be accounted for.The Philippine Gov’t. learned all their corrupt ways from the masters themselves….the U.S. congress.
At least America has a stable government that works in them. The Philippines has a similar form of government yet they copied it the wrong way. The very reason why there is rampant corruption because people treat the government as a spectator sport.
And America never play victims and they always care for their own people.
siguro kasabwat si gloria arroyo dyan sa corruption ng vff kasi naibigay ang donations bago sya magbitaw sa pwesto.
fishball your speculation about GMA is objectionable and still off-topic.
Troll post. :p
You’re actually sarcastic, man.
Riiight and im a monkey’s uncle. You always pin the blame on gloria yet you don’t have any evidence to backup your claim..as usual.
Well FishballKiller you won the bet and no one bet against it because the outcome was preordained.
Si dating usec Puno mas malala kay GMA pero payborit ni AbNoy kaya nakakalusot. Iba na talaga basta kabarilan ni Presidente AbNoy.
It’s very sad that Filipinos , do the same things, as their officials are doing in their country. We cannot learn to be honest; and to be truthful. I thinks , it is already ingrained in our culture, the dishonesty and corruption.
I feel sorry for these people…
FEEL SORRY FOR THIEVES AND LIARS AND SCAMM ARTISTS????? HOW BOUT FEELING OUTRAGED AND PUTTING SOME OF THEM IN JAIL FOR A CHANGE??? THEY ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO FEEL SORRY FOR THEM,DUH!
Not putting them in jail is not the issue. The SYSTEM is the problem, not necessarily the people in it.
Daido, my friend, making the system as escape goat is not a sound reasoning. Believe me, it doesn’t make sense.
The Philippines just reeks of corruption,it is everywhere in the Government,past and present,NGO’s,GOCC’s and it is a BLACK-EYE for the country.Ask anyone who has ever been in the country long-enough to apply for a simple Drivers License and they will tell you it is just sickening.THE WORST PART IS THAT NONE OF THE THIEVES EVER GETS PUT IN JAIL,EVER.
IF a HIGH-LEVEL POLITICIAN got put in JAIL for CORRUPTION,FOREIGN AID WOULD STOP.The curent administration is NO EXCEPTION,Puno has his hand in the till w/the purchasing of bullets or pistols or both and it is obvious that it is all a SCAMM.THE PHILIPPINES IS A DISGRACEFUL GOVERNMENT,A NATION OF CHEATS, AND IT IS GAINING RECOGNITION AS SUCH INTERNATIONALLY.
BUT not to worry,as soon as it is cut-off from WESTERN FUNDING the Philippines will run right into the arms and wallet of GOOD FRIEND CHINA….GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.