A national Commission to regulate NGOs proposed Writer: Dionisio P. Tubianosa, Media Relations Service-PRIB [send your feedback on this press release] Send Feedback To prevent fly-by-night nongovernment organizations (NGOs), a lawmaker proposed the creation of a regulatory body called the National Commission on Nongovernmental Organizations (NCNO). This will also give recognition of the role and contributions of the NGO sector as a partner in Philippine development and encourage a more effective NGO participation in the nations governance processes, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd Dist., Cagayan de Oro City) and Abante Mindanao Party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez explained. The two lawmaker-brothers are authors of HB 3938 which would regulate NGOs through the proposed NCNO to be composed of five full-time members from nominees of various NGOs. The NGOs may submit their nominees to the Office of the President of the Philippines within 60 days after effectivity of the proposed law, and the President shall appoint the Chairman of the Commission and its four member-Commissioners. The Chairman of the Commission and the Commissioners must be citizens of the country who shall have knowledge or experience in people’s organization for at least 10 years and must not have been candidates for elective positions in the immediately preceding election prior to appointment. The full-time Chairman shall hold office for a term of four years, the two Commissioners for three years and another two Commissioners for two years. The Chairman and the Commissioners shall have the rank of a Department Secretary and Undersecretary, respectively. Rodriguez noted that NGOs play significant roles in the national development process because of their accessibility and accountability to grassroots groups. They represent the organized and voluntary effort of the people to assist the less fortunate sectors of society by direct delivery of basic services. This bill also seeks to promote professionalism, accountability and transparency among NGOs and prevent the fly-by-night NGOs or other organizations established solely for the benefit and self-interest of individuals or groups under the guise of social development, the authors explained. HB 3938 seeks to create a body that will exclusively regulate all NGOs in the country and provide a system for greater collaboration and complementation between the government and the NGOs, they added. HB 3938 is now under consideration jointly by the House Committees on Government Reorganization and Peoples Participation. The rapid increase in the number of NGOs has prompted the need for government to regulate these organizations and ensure that the resources they received are actually used for the goals and objectives of their organizations, Rodriguez stressed. The amount of P50-million sourced out of funds in the National Treasury, is proposed to fund the initial operations of the Commission and, thereafter, the necessary appropriations shall be included in the national budget. Foremost, we dont want NGOs, as what appears to be happening now, to be convenient conduits for corruption and plunder of the peoples resources, the authors concluded. SOURCE: Media Relations Service, Public Relations and Information Bureau
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 05:49:37 +0000
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