PH wants EU to cut funding to NGOs serving as Reds’ fronts

March 13, 2019

The European Union and other funding agencies have been awaiting the Philippine government's report that would prompt them to cut financial assistance to some non-government organizations, which are only allegedly fronts of the communist groups in the country, government officials said on Wednesday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff for civil military operations, said that about 100 NGOs in the Philippines, 30 of them in Mindanao alone, have been benefiting from the funding assistance being given by the EU without knowing that the money went to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front.

The Duterte administration has declared the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations.

Asked what the government would do to compel EU that some of the organizations that it has been funding were actually NPA fronts, Parlade said, "We have to show them proof that legal organizations are actually committing or contributing to these, all these revolutionary."

He said they have to immediately provide proofs to the EU, including the Belgian government so that it would no longer release another tranche of 2 million euros to an NGO, which was said to be connected with the Maoist group.

He noted that in the case of the Belgian government, it has been supporting seven NGOs in the Philippines with 3 million euros a year for a period of five years.

Parlade and some members of the Presidential Communications Operations Office recently embarked on a caravan in Europe to explain to the foreign governments to ask them to "stop funding terrorism" in the Philippines, said PCOO Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy said.

Among the NGOs, which were allegedly being used as the fronts of the CPP-NPA, were Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Kaparatan and the IBON Foundation, government officials said. Celerina Monte/DMS