PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer
By Niña Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6:50 am | Monday, September 3rd, 2012
MANILA, Philippines—An organization of the Catholic laity in the cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa have called on their diocesan bishop to account for more than P3 million in church funds intended to aid calamity victims and present them documentation of how the funds were distributed.
Representatives of the lay people in 51 different parishes of the Diocese of Parañaque alleged in a recent forum that almost half of the donations did not reach its intended beneficiaries — the victims of tropical storm “Ondoy,” Haiti earthquake, typhoon “Sendong,” and a fire in Muntinlupa City.
In their quest for answers, the outspoken lay people formed an organization, which they called Lay Initiative for Transparency and Accountability (Laity).
Dr. Erwin Carabeo, a parishioner in Parañaque City and one of group’s convenors, said Bishop Jesse Mercado has not responded to their June 20 letter asking for a fund accounting.
In the letter, the group said it has received reports that Bishop Mercado diverted a portion of the aid money to time and dollar deposits and Central Bank-issued special deposit accounts at the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI).
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