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Civil society organizations (CSOs) can now be recipients, beneficiaries, or implementing entities of government funds, provided they are qualified under newly-released guidelines for accreditation.
Given the important role of CSOs in national development, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and Commission on Audit (COA) issued Joint Resolution 2014-001
The resolution was based on Section 66 of the 2014 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and Section 68 of the 2015 GAA, which direct the DSWD, DBM, and COA, in consultation with other concerned agencies, to jointly issue guidelines for the accreditation of CSOs to be recipients, beneficiaries, or implementing entities of government or public funds.
The resolution enumerated the principles, criteria, and application for accreditation of CSOs; coverage and validity;and reporting mechanism.
According to DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, DSWD shall only accredit legitimate CSOs, that is, those that are reputable, qualified, and capable to implement programs or projects using government funds
The government recognizes that CSOs, which work closely with communities, have a better knowledge of the local situation and are often in a better position to implement projects.
CSOs play a critical role in preparing the communities not only to receive government funds, but also for them to eventually manage and implement government projects by themselves.
To be accredited, a CSO must meet the following criteria:
- must have operated for at least three years
- no derogatory record with any government agencies
- must not be in default or delay in liquidating any funds received from any GAs, and
- must not be related within the fourth civil degree of affinity to any DSWD official involved in the processing of its application or any official of the funding government agency.
The accreditation of CSOs shall be valid only for a period of one year from the date of issuance, unless revoked sooner.
Sec. Soliman clarified that the guidelines cover only the accreditation of CSOs. The selection of CSOs by GAs, the actual transfer of funds from GAs to CSOs, or the liquidation or audit of transferred funds shall be the subject of separate guidelines to be issued by COA.
“With the help of the CSOs, we in government are able to reach and engage more people, and to connect to communities and involve them in national development plans. The CSOs, government, and citizens are all agents of change. By working together, we can reap positive results,” Sec. Soliman stated.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the circular was signed by Secretary Soliman on April 7, 2015.
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