Source: PDI
MANILA, Philippines—In response to allegations that United Nations funds were diverted to the pockets of military chiefs, the world agency will henceforth remit all peacekeeping funds directly to the national treasury instead of to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
The DFA said instructions had been sent to the Philippine Mission to the UN and the Philippine Consulate General in New York to “ensure the remittance to the National Treasury of all peacekeeping payments.”
Starting with the next payment cycle, the UN will remit all peacekeeping payments to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which will then be credited to the Treasurer of the Philippines, said DFA Assistant Secretary Leslie Gatan.
A congressional inquiry into charges of plunder against former military comptroller Carlos Garcia elicited testimony from auditors that part of the peacekeeping funds was diverted to a slush fund for retired AFP chiefs.
“The actions taken by the DFA in connection with UN peacekeeping payments are consistent with its desire to ensure that proper safeguards are in place to allow the Philippines to derive maximum benefit from its participation in UN peacekeeping operations,” the DFA said in a statement.
The Philippine Consulate General in New York was also instructed to transfer to the national treasury $3.3 million in accumulated payments and interest for equipment used by Philippine peacekeepers in Haiti.
Between 2000 and 2010, the UN remitted a total of $66.6 million to the Philippines to cover peacekeeping operations of Filipino troops in East Timor, Liberia and Haiti, the DFA said.
All the proceeds were remitted by the UN to the trust accounts of the AFP except for the $3.3 million that was temporarily deposited in a government account in New York, the DFA said.
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MANILA, Philippines—In response to allegations that United Nations funds were diverted to the pockets of military chiefs, the world agency will henceforth remit all peacekeeping funds directly to the national treasury instead of to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
The DFA said instructions had been sent to the Philippine Mission to the UN and the Philippine Consulate General in New York to “ensure the remittance to the National Treasury of all peacekeeping payments.”
Starting with the next payment cycle, the UN will remit all peacekeeping payments to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which will then be credited to the Treasurer of the Philippines, said DFA Assistant Secretary Leslie Gatan.
A congressional inquiry into charges of plunder against former military comptroller Carlos Garcia elicited testimony from auditors that part of the peacekeeping funds was diverted to a slush fund for retired AFP chiefs.
“The actions taken by the DFA in connection with UN peacekeeping payments are consistent with its desire to ensure that proper safeguards are in place to allow the Philippines to derive maximum benefit from its participation in UN peacekeeping operations,” the DFA said in a statement.
The Philippine Consulate General in New York was also instructed to transfer to the national treasury $3.3 million in accumulated payments and interest for equipment used by Philippine peacekeepers in Haiti.
Between 2000 and 2010, the UN remitted a total of $66.6 million to the Philippines to cover peacekeeping operations of Filipino troops in East Timor, Liberia and Haiti, the DFA said.
All the proceeds were remitted by the UN to the trust accounts of the AFP except for the $3.3 million that was temporarily deposited in a government account in New York, the DFA said.
