Special Report (Part 2): Transparency issue hounds Couples For Christ

Monday, December 10, 2007

SPECIAL REPORT: COUPLES FOR CHRIST CRISIS

Transparency issue hounds Couples
By Sherryl Anne G. Quito, Senior Reporter

Editor’s note: The first part traced the causes of the split within the Couples for Christ—a difference in mission and a declining membership.

Last of two parts

A Couples of Christ (CFC) member Dr. Vic Cabuquit wrote an article saying that the lack of transparency in handling GK finances was one of the factors that led to the split.

The unexplained CFC debts, which, for a time, ballooned to millions of pesos, further worsened the situation. Overall, there was lack of transparency in how money was being handled. There were instances when money was being spent in advance, that the council was spending beyond its means. This cavalier attitude on finances was reflected in the absence of year-end financial reports and an aversion to so-called corporate auditing procedures. Members were asking amongst themselves, “How is our money being spent?”

However, money was not the principal cause of the rift that wracked Couples for Christ according to a member of the CFC International Council. Joe Tale, who now also chairs Gawad Kalinga, in a previous statement, admitted, however, that the allegations of mismanaged funds had been made by Padilla’s group. But the allegations were “all said in general,” Tale said. “Maybe if there was something specific mentioned, we can properly respond.”

Tale pointed out that the management of funds donated to GK had been and continued to be transparent.

Mike Go-co, GK finance head said the ac-counting firm Isla Li-pana & Co., a member of the accounting giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers International Limited, had been auditing Gawad Kalinga since day one. On top of this and as part of the process of transparency, Gawad Kalinga recently sought the assistance of another top auditing firm, Sycip Gorres & Velayo (SGV), to conduct another audit of the housing program’s processes and identify possible areas for improvement. Goco said the SGV findings, which included a few suggestions for improvement, were generally positive.

In an earlier interview, Nonong Contreras, one of the four members of the CFC interim committee and a former member of the Board of Elders of the International Council of the CFC Foundation for Family and Life, said they had not accused GK of mishandling fund donations.

“Never did we say that there’s an anomaly,” he said. “We only said there should be proper governance and accountability. When the money you are handling is not yours, there should be greater governance and accountability. The disbursements should jibe with the number of houses promised to partners.”