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UN funds misuse shocks soldiers who went to East Timor
Philippines Inquirer - February 8, 2011
Fe Zamora, Manila, Philippines – Allegations in a Philippine congressional inquiry that UN funds have been used as "pabaon," or send-off gift, to retiring generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines have shocked soldiers who had served as UN peacekeepers in East Timor, their former commander said Monday.
Retired Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos, the Filipino head of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), told Radyo Inquirer that he was surprised by claims that a UN check was even picked up personally in New York by a general.
"How did that happen? The release of funds was a government-to-government transaction as prescribed in UN protocol. This is really shocking," he said.
De los Santos said that revelations by former AFP budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa and former Commission on Audit auditor Heidi Mendoza about UN funds being diverted for personal use of generals had also confused soldiers who served in East Timor from 1999 to 2001.
He said the soldiers were worried about how the allegations would affect the deployment of AFP peacekeepers in the future. "We have to redeem our image. The Filipino peacekeeper has a very good reputation. They are among the best," he said.
De los Santos said the United Nations had rigid standards in peacekeeping.
"As the head of the multinational force, it was my duty to inspect and certify the number of soldiers from each country. You cannot cheat. If there were 1,000 troops, it was 1,000. You cannot add or subtract. The protocol was followed," he said.
"The UN has its own representative to review the troops, if the equipment is suited for them. And the Filipino troops showed they were very capable. Peacekeeping is one area where we in the AFP can excel," De los Santos said.
He said he was surprised by Mendoza's revelation that a check from the UN headquarters in New York was picked up personally by a still unnamed general.
"We did not have a liaison officer in New York. The other countries have. Maybe that's why it happened that way," De los Santos said.
He said that in East Timor, each soldier was entitled to $998 per month plus a $5 meal allowance per day. But the soldiers' equipment and other needs were supplied by the AFP, subject to reimbursement by the United Nations. "There was a process that was strictly followed," De los Santos said.
The peacekeepers were tasked to secure the area by conducting patrols and holding civil-military operations.
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