Author Topic: Financial Mismanagement at the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape? (Read 849 times)

pioneer · « **on:** August 09, 2007, 01:05:28 PM »

Written By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

The provincial government is creating a task force that will look into reported financial mismanagement at the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape (RSPL).

Allegations made by the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation (SCWF) that some P7-million worth of funding assistance from the New Zealand Aid were cut-off due to anomalous use of funds.

During their regular session yesterday, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) created a task force composed of the Provincial Legal Office, the SP committee on environment and natural resources headed by Board Member Alfonso Damalerio II and the committee on government properties.

In a privilege speech, Damalerio asked his fellow lawmakers to initiate a full-scale investigation on the RSPL management board which is composed of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), SCWF and the local government units of the protected area composed of 29 barangay captains in seven towns.

Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera and the other members of the SP supported Damalerio's proposal to create an investigating team.

The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is jointly administered by virtue of a tripartite agreement to manage the improvement, protection, conservation and development of the park as an eco-tourism destination.

Different stakeholders of the project were among the signatories of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to constitute the park's management board.

According to Damalerio, allegations of questionable use of funds and implementation methods by the SWCF against the DENR "adversely affects the credibility of the project implementers and the province of Bohol itself."

"It would be a shame if [the] trust and confidence of the New Zealand government would be eroded because of the dispute," Damalerio stressed, referring to the strengthened bilateral ties between New Zealand and the Philippines.

It maybe recalled that the visit Prime Minister Helen Clark visited the project March last year.

Damalerio said, "to accuse the DENR of fund mismanagement strongly reflects on the credibility of the government."

"Inaction on our part may spell more stringent measures or outright denial of future grants," Damalerio added.

The SP assured that the investigation will be fair and to be conducted immediately.






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miko · « **Reply #1 on:** September 04, 2007, 06:05:03 AM »

I do not know how the board hearings went (if they were already done) or will go (if they are to be done still) but how the article was written based on the quoted remarks of BM AE Damalerio seem to imply a "cleansing ritual" that the provincial board wants to do in their hearings, all in the name of DENR.

Second, the issue shouldn't have been all about the government's losing face in the international donor community, but on how the project was implemented.

Third, if indeed SWCF had something to do with the stoppage of the release of grant funds, a more proactive measure is to conduct an independent program evaluation, rather than an inquiry by a provincial board who might not be in the best position to gauge program success.

It is amazing how 'development' and 'development projects' can get so politicized these days. I hear somebody shouting...."But everything is political!"....

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Author Topic: Financial Mismanagement at the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape? (Read 849 times)

pioneer

Financial Mismanagement at the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape?

miko

Re: Financial Mismanagement at the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape?