MK forum

It DOES sound awfully suspicious, Raz.
ntm has no financial accountability?
Surprise. Surprise.

A month ago, I posted that I was livid.

I was livid because I had learned that over $256,000 had been given by NTM to a small island in the province of Palawan, Philippines, for the purpose of building an airport. I did not learn this from any source within NTM. It was not publicized by the mission. I read it in a news article written by a Philippine source.

The reason I was so disturbed is that the article said that this money, 12 million Philippine pesos, was from the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund. The fund we were keeping an eye on back in 2013, after that terrible typhoon ripped through the Philippines. NTM set up a disaster relief fund, and money started pouring in, from generous people who wanted to help. On every update about the fund that was on the NTM website in those days was this assurance:

"Any funds collected in excess of the needs of NTM's direct involvement in relief efforts will be forwarded in their entirety to reputable relief organizations that NTM has verified are doing relief work in the wake of the typhoon."

In my research, I have verified that NTM did indeed jump in to provide relief to some of the parts of the province of Palawan which did suffer some damage from the storm. I know that the Philippine government did not give NTM planes and helicopters clearance to get involved directly in the hardest hit areas where there was the most devastation and loss of life. So they concentrated their work on the parts of Palawan that had been in the path of the storm. They did indeed fly in relief supplies of food, building materials, and later even new seaweed starts for the seaweed cultivators, and also provided some boats for the tribal fishermen. I think these efforts to help the people were wonderful. But these people live simply. There was almost no loss of life in that particular area, and within a few months, their modest homes were rebuilt, their boats were back out on the ocean, and life returned to normal. The typhoon hit in Nov. 2013, and by March 2014, "NTM's direct involvement in relief efforts" was done.

So what happened to the promise to forward in their entirety all excess funds collected? I know for a fact that relief efforts were still going on in cities like Tacloban, where even today, some people are still struggling. Why wasn't the excess money forwarded to groups who could have used it to help the neediest people?

Now, to add the new information I learned just today.

I knew a month ago about the 12 million pesos NTM gave to the mayor of Agutaya island for an airport to be built on that island.

Now look at this article, also a news piece written by a Filipino. It is dated Sept. 30, 2015:

http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2015/09 ... arly-2016/

Airport construction in 2 Palawan towns to be completed by early 2016
September 30, 2015

PUERTO PRINCESA City – Two airports that are currently being constructed in the towns of Agutaya and Cagayancillo will be finished by early 2016, according to the Infrastructure Program Office (IPO) of the Palawan government.

Engineer Saylito Purisima of the Provincial Engineering Office and head of the IPO said that once the airports in the two towns are completed, they will not only provide support for disaster risk reduction management activities but also increase economic opportunities for residents.

Purisima said airport construction in Agutaya is 20 percent complete. Costing around P12 million, the construction is funded by the provincial government, in “close cooperation with the religious organization, New Tribes Mission (NTM).”

The airport in Cagayancillo, on the other hand, received a funding of P5 million from the NTM also in partnership with the provincial government.

For the two airports, P50 million have been spent to ensure their completion by the first quarter of 2016.

The speed of construction, he explained, is because the provincial and municipal governments now have heavy equipment to use.

The article is accompanied by a photo of tourists, swimming, with this caption:

"Tourists take a dip in a lagoon in Palawan. With the surging tourist arrivals in the province, Palawan is now constructing two more airports."

OK. So I was livid about 12 million pesos going to one small island to build an airport. Now today I found that wasn't the whole of it. In addition, 5 million pesos was given to the island of Cagayancillo, also for an airport! All from the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund of New Tribes Mission!

12 million plus 5 million equals 17 million. That is over $370,000!!

Is "livider" a word?

I do not know how much NTM collected in total, from generous donors who were moved by the destruction they saw on TV and wanted to help the Filipinos who lost everything. But if they did in the end collect their entire $500,000 goal, spent some of it on rice and tarps and fishing boats, etc., and then still had over $370,000 left, which they then handed over to regional mayor of two small islands where NTM works, that would mean almost 3/4 of the total fund went to two airport projects?

I really can't adequately express my feelings about this. I don't know if anyone else cares about this, but I care so deeply, I can hardly stand it.

Is there any indication as to who approved and who knew of this development in NTM? i.e. was this a decision by the Philippine field committee, Sanford or both?

It appears to have been a decision of the Philippine field committee. Surely they cleared it with the Executive Committee in Sanford though.

I suspect that almost no one else in the mission knows about this.

The honesty and integrity issues here are HUGE to me.

And many of the people I know in the mission do hold to standards of honesty and integrity equal to my own.

I think they would be appalled about this as well.

I sent the first post on this thread (as a letter) to Larry and received a nice reply.

If Sanford has approved this, it lowers their credibility to new depths.

Perhaps I can offer a solution. NTM finds money from other sources, such as a compulsory levy on it's members, to fund this joint project, therefore leaving the designated relief money to be sent to where all were assured it would be.
That way NTM's credibility is restored, Tribers can feel relief that they are being well informed and able to contribute to a worthy cause and Bemused can smile at having again aided the good folk.

Alternately the person who gave the money, could ask for it back. Ummmmm, that ain't going to happen, so try the above option.

I understand your lividness, Raz.

Perhaps some feel my indignation over this issue is unwarranted.

Remember Tacloban? That is the flattened city you saw on the evening news. News footage from that area in late 2013 is the reason God's people opened their hearts and wallets and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to New Tribes Mission: because NTM promised that their money would go to help those in dire need.

If you wonder whether all needs were already met in the Tacloban area, and perhaps that was the reason NTM chose to redirect the relief fund and apply it instead toward two airports that would encourage regional tourism, take the time to read through the article linked below.

This article was written on Oct. 31, 2014. This lengthy piece reveals what conditions were like in the still-devastated Tacloban area in October, 2014.

October 2014 ... the very same month that NTM Philippine field leaders met with the Governor of Palawan, and offered him 12 million pesos from their typhoon relief fund, for the purpose of building an airport on Agutaya island.

I wonder what the suffering population of Tacloban, still living in makeshift shanties, would have thought about that.

This article is very good because it points out the pitfalls of well-meaning attempts to aid those most deserving after a natural disaster.

I am afraid NTM fell into one of those pits. Another disaster.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/o ... oon-haiyan

Thank you, Bemused.

Hoping it's not just you and me here ... I hope there are others hearing this!