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- EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech & Digital News
QUEZON CITY, April 18, 2024 (SDN) — “Transparency and accountability.”
National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Secretary Sabuddin N. Abdurahim today, Thursday, made transparency and accountability pillars of his leadership at the Commission.
The native of Tawi-Tawi province promised this at the NCMF’s 49th National Qur’an Reading Competition (NQRC), one of the agency’s annual major programs.
A total of 36 Qur’an readers vied for the honor to represent the Philippines in similar international events. This year’s edition was held here at the Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD).
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” C. Abalos, Jr. attended the event as the guest speaker. The DILG has oversight functions over the NCMF.
An official of the Commission heaped high praises on the DILG chief.
SDN Video of exclusive interview with DILG chief: https://youtu.be/aJXzjTEWpk0?si=gjQxTUozl5Vk8_Kz
Secretary Abalos, said NCMF Executive Director Tahir S. Lidasan, Jr. “is the savior of the 2024 Hajj.”
He made the statement during the event, following the action of the Commission on Audit (COA) relieving the NCMF from a roundabout and complicated handling of Mutawiff fees paid by intending Filipino pilgrims for this year’s five to six days pilgrimage rituals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, sometime in June.
NCMF Commissioner Michael M. Mamukid, then the officer-in-charge of the NCMF, asked the national government to exempt the agency from a complicated handling of Mutawiff fees, saying lack of time would affect the pilgrimage and that forwarding the fees which are in dollars to the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) would result in losses because of fluctuations of dollar to peso exchange rate.
Abalos supported the position of the NCMF.
As a result, the COA Chairpeson Gamaliel A. Cordoba replied to Abalos and Mamukid.
“Here, NCMF has the authority to manage the fees so collected in accordance with the guidelines for the management of said funds. The (COA) notes the urgency of the requirement for this year and to require remittance to the BTr for the same to be requested for the purpose within a very short period of time would prove circuitous and may have negated the reason the purpose of the fund as represented by the NCMF,” Cordoba pointed out in his letter.
On the other hand, while COA relieved the NCMF of a potential failure to send Filipino pilgrims to Makkah, Cordoba underscored the “disbursements shall be subject to post audit (of Mutawiff payments) by the Audit Team to ascertain compliance with auditing laws, rules and regulations.”
The COA chairperson added: “We also agree that whatever remaining cash balance of the fund at year-end is after all the obligations related to the hajj pilgrimage shall have been fulfilled shall be remitted to the BTr. Further, NCMF is strongly urged to seek from the Permanent Committee of COA-DOF-DBM, which promulgated JC No. 1-97 exemption from the requirement/coverage thereof to expressly institutionalize its authority to disburse the fund to avoid being confronted with a different interpretation in the future.”
After receiving COA’s response, Mamukid said in Pilipino: “COA already agreed that Mutawiff will no longer be remitted to Bureau of Treasury. It is now OK to remit the (pilgrims’) payments to a foreign bank in Saudi (Arabia).
“Because if you have it passed through Bureau of Treasury, the funds will be reduced when it gets to Saudi Arabia because of exchange rate.”
Incidentally, COA’s advice to the NCMF on the handling of pilgrims’ funds jibes with the NCMF secretary/CEO’s avowed policy.
“Transparency and accountability will be paramount and the core tenet of…institutional policy. We undertake this responsibility with the trust of (Muslim) Filipinos, and we will honor that trust by delivering what is expected… integrity and accountability,” Abdurahim promised.
He assured that his role as head of the Commission he will be firmly committed to “our institution’s mission and sincere interest in Muslim Filipinos’ well-being.” (♤)
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Update, April 20, 6:37 a.m. to add more details on the case of Mutawiff fees re: BTr.