In this June 2008 photo, Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Chavez, a native of San Bernardino, Calif., works with a soldier from the Armed forces of the Philippines to move relief supplies to a school in Balasan on Panay Island. US Navy/Spike Call/Released
The United States will soon implement a program designed to screen employees and beneficiaries of federally funded aid organizations and activities in the Philippines.
Along with Guetamala, Kenya, Lebanon and Ukraine, the country is part of the pilot program of the Partner Vetting System of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to start on July 27.
The program is a "higher level safeguard" to screen potential grant recipients, sub-recipients, contractors and other individuals involved in non-profit activities, according to a document in the Federal Register.
The Department of State and USAID said the Philippines and the four other countries in the pilot program were chosen because they represent a "range of risks and are located where both agencies have comparable programs. "
Under the vetting system, analysts will collect information provided by grant applicants and search for possible matches in key US government terror databases.
When a match is found, USAID staff will further analyze all existing data and make recommendations on the eligibility of the individual or group to receive funding.
"Vetting conducted under the Partner Vetting System complements the stringent due diligence procedures undertaken by USAID and its implementing partners," officials stated in the document.
The program, however, was approved by the US Congress despite no evidence that USAID funds are being diverted to terrorist organizations.
Concerned organizations have expressed opposition to the new vetting process, which may cause aid organizations to be perceived as intelligence arms of Washington.
Officials denied the accusations, saying the PVS is "not a US intelligence collection program" as it collects the "least amount of information possible" from grant applicants.
The US government also said that the program is needed to protect US taxpayer resources in high risk environments.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/13/1476521/us-checks-possible-terror-funding-aid-groups-philippines
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