Fraudsters have raided the church
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
There are reports that some fraudsters even pose as pastors. Most of these so-called pastors are collecting large sums of money from the congregation. If the fake pastor is a foreigner, most of the cash is sent to his or her country, while the remainder is used for the exclusive benefit of the pretender and his or her family. In some instances, we have heard that churches and other places of worship across denominations have been used to commit crimes such as money laundering. This is diabolical.
The tragedy is that much of the money that is collected during church services or as tithe is hardly ever used for the church's spiritual or physical development. Most of these churches shirk the responsibility to invest on members. In many cases, the buildings that they use for worship are rented from friends and relatives. Most of these churches rake in a lot of money from gullible congregants and they can afford to build places of worship easily but they do not want to do that. Such pseudo-pastors surround themselves with religious quislings and zealots who worship individuals and protect them from any scrutiny. They are often presented as God's chosen messengers. The other accompanying trait is that financial accountability is non-existent in these churches, making it easy for the pastor and his surrogates to misappropriate funds and grab property.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...