Philippines Aid Scandal: Food Flown In From Britain Ends Up In Shops Hundreds Of Miles From Typhoon

[Markham]

From the Mail on Sunday (UK newspaper):

 

 

Crucial aid sent from Britain to help the victims of typhoon-ravaged areas of the Philippines is being siphoned off and sold for profit by corrupt local officials.

 

Emergency supplies delivered  by military helicopters have turned up on the shelves of shops in affluent districts of the capital Manila  – hundreds of miles from the disaster zone.

 

And shelter equipment purchased using British donations has been locked up in government warehouses and stockpiled alongside rice and other food intended for victims of last month’s catastrophe, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

 

Last night, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – an umbrella group representing 14 UK charities – expressed concern about evidence that suggests not all the £60 million of aid given by Britain is reaching those most in need.

 

Alarming evidence of the thefts has been provided by expat Keb Darge, 56, who says he faces death threats for stopping local officials stealing aid in Eastern Samar, one of the worst-hit areas.

 

Mr Darge, a disc jockey originally from Scotland, said: ‘The aid isn’t getting through to where it’s needed. I’ve seen the deliveries arrive and I’ve seen them disappear.

 

‘Only a tiny percentage of the aid is getting through. The situation isn’t going to improve unless there’s an investigation. Someone needs to go and find out exactly what is happening. It is British aid coming in. Why give it to untrustworthy officials to steal? It is ludicrous.’

 

Mr Darge photographed supplies being locked up rather than distributed in Eastern Samar, where he used to live with his Filipino wife and their nine-year-old daughter. Now he has gone into hiding in Manila, fearing reprisals after receiving threats from the corrupt officials he has been trying to expose.

 

He said: ‘People have warned me to take these threats seriously. They’ve said, ‘‘Be careful, they will shoot you if you carry on.” I’m under threat. There’s a price on my head.’

 

Mr Darge’s wife, Edith, 33, lost 15 members of her family when the storm struck their village of Hernani. Since then the couple have offered shelter and fed families in their home, which is solidly built and powered by a generator. Mr Darge has also searched for missing friends and cleared bodies from flooded areas.

 

Television stations in the Philippines have supported Mr Darge’s claims, reporting that supplies have been diverted  to Manila. Aid packages have also apparently been auctioned online.

 

And Mr Darge’s allegations of corruption were backed up by a Japanese aid worker, Shiratori Koti, who said local administrators were diverting goods to their homes.

 

Mr Koti said: ‘There isn’t enough food getting through to people. We don’t have evidence but we believe it is being taken by officials.’

 

There are also concerns that supplies are simply being wasted. Mr Darge described finding 800 beef-burgers – apparently flown in from the US aircraft carrier George Washington – dumped by the roadside.

 

In Hernani, some residents have criticised the local mayor, Edgar Boco, in the wake of the crisis. One online contributor accused him of withholding aid and ‘distributing it to his preferred party-mafia circle’.

 

In a newspaper interview, Mr Boco admitted his officials were controlling distribution but said: ‘You can’t constantly give relief goods to the people. People will abuse the system. They will gorge themselves.’

 

A DEC spokesman said last night:  ‘I would be interested to find out what items are being sold and where.

 

‘There is always a risk of diversion and theft, but our member agencies have measures in place to stop this happening very early on. Our aid is carefully targeted and monitored.’

 

More than 5,000 people were killed and up to four million people displaced when Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines on November 8.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Markham

[Classic Dry]

Only to be expected really ............Heartless Bastards !

[Jake]

Thank you Markham for the news article.  I have also heard rumors about this and now it is confirmed.  Perhaps that is

another business enterprise where the profit margin is nearly 100%.  Steal from the poor and sell imported relief aid to

the rich and infamous in Manila.  By now, the items have been already repackaged.

 

Is my blood boiling?  Nah, because it's really, really fun in the Philippines.  Welcome tourists, but be careful not to expose

corrupt government officials -- you life and property may be in jeopardy.

 

Enough said......

[Americano]

Only the lowest form of human would steal emergency relief supplies and then sell them and it seems like there are many of those people in the Philippines. Stories like this is why I don't donate to relief agencies. Most of the supplies and money goes to corrupt people while very little gets to the people who need it.

[Call me bubba]

Only the lowest form of human would steal emergency relief supplies and then sell them and it seems like there are many of those people in the Philippines.

Stories like this is why I don't donate to relief agencies

. Most of the supplies and money goes to corrupt people while very little gets to the people who need it.

 after reading your post. I fully concur,

(had i made my own, it would been borderline,if not offensive to some)

 

Living here and knowing how things are i TOO would never donate to any"relief" organization

unless it was an expat type

( american womans club,American association philippines as an example. thou there are a few others but i dont know the exact name)

that would help "expats"or their families  due to circumstances beyond their control,

Edited December 8, 2013 by Pittman apartments Sgn

[brock]

People want to remember this the next time the government ask for help

[Medic Mike]

So sad that this is still going on. :(

[JJReyes]

Bruce and I plan to personalize relief by our distributing seeds to farmers for next year's planting. Several friends are donating money through Philippine Basic Needs to help pay for the seeds purchase. No government officials nor local relief agencies are involved. In fact, Bruce will use his motorcycle to ride around and distribute seeds stored in his saddlebags. 

[paulus]

It is sad but true of (nearly) every nation to which aid is donated.

 

It is sadder that every aid organisation and government knows this occurs, but still some just send a cheque or send the goods and believe they have done enough. Irresponsible, but 'duty done'.

 

The foreign aid industry is huge (particularly in USA) and yet still much more lateral thinking is needed, before the 'look at me, look at me' syndrome consumes their importance.

 

The one to one methods described by JJR and Bruce is cumbersome, slow and perhaps costly, but is the only way to ensure the right people receive the aid. They should be congratulated for their commitment. And if Bruce can use an extra hand, he only needs to contact me in Calbayog.

[FlyAway]

Bruce and I plan to personalize relief by our distributing seeds to farmers for next year's planting. Several friends are donating money through Philippine Basic Needs to help pay for the seeds purchase. No government officials nor local relief agencies are involved. In fact, Bruce will use his motorcycle to ride around and distribute seeds stored in his saddlebags. 

If you two want to blend in with the local officials be sure you have your photos on the seed packets and the words "Provided by" or "brought to you by". People need to know who it all comes from of course!

 

Seriously, I'm sure you guys are going to be careful about all this. There have been lots of horror stories of what happens to people when they bypass the local so called authorities. Would hate to read about Bruce ending up in a ditch somewhere.