NGO cites rise in illegal tradesTags: philippines corruption illegal operations impact social civil society
Butuan City, Philippines - Transparency Caraga, a non-government organization (NGO), said while legitimate businesses are failing or closing shop, gambling, illegal logging, and drugs have flourished in the Caraga region.
Transparency said most lending firms, one of the few profitable businesses in Caraga Region before, are suffering the brunt of delinquent collection particularly on micro-lending lending activities.
In Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon, lending firms suffer an average of 20 percent debt collection problem, while Caraga Region areas had a 50 percent debt collection delinquency, it said.
Some lending firms operating here in Caraga were complaining that five out of its 10 debtors are not paying and some are already considered bad debts.
Domingo Pan-as, executive director of Transparency Caraga said, but illegal gambling like suertres was earning one million pesos a day per operator in the Caraga Region.
Pan-as said like illegal loggers, suertres operators in the region are untouchables whose connections reach way up to top police and local government officials.
Two media men in the region mostly coming from the broadcast media, Pan-as said, directly operate illegal logging and illegal numbers game using their influence in media.
Pan-as added the church failed miserably in the fight against illegal gambling while law enforcement agencies neglected to pursue the criminals.
He said if not adequately addressed, the crime rates will rise, the exodus of workers and residents to other areas will increase and poverty rates would rise to its worst level.
Pan-as said their survey was not meant for negative purposes, but was intended to persuade government agencies in the region to do their work.
© Sun.Star (Philippines) -- 2008-01-05
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