Bantay Kurapsyon (Corruption Watch)E-News

ECOLINK Executive Director and CEO Mr. Paul Pastrano Gangoso receiving the 2nd Special Award handed over by Mayor Edward Hagedorn, DILG Usec. Austere Panadero and World Bank Country Director Bert Hofman.

The “SK-Watch”, ECOLINK’s entry to the prestigious contest, garnered the Peer’s Choice Award and the Puerto Princesa Special Award.

ECOLINK’s Executive Director and CEO Mr. Paul Pastrano Gangoso together with Program Coordinator Mr. Albert Mana received the trophy and cash prize during the extravagant awarding ceremony at the SM Megatrade Hall on April 11, 2008.

The said competition was participated by more than 600 N.G.O.’s all over the Philippines and ninety-nine of which were chosen as finalists, including ECOLINK.

During the grand awarding ceremony on April 10, 2008 at SM Megatrade Hall, thirty N.G.O’s received awards. Two special awards were received by ECOLINK. The entry that made ECOLINK won was SK WATCH – a transparency and anti-corruption project which aims to monitor the funds and all the activities of the 47 SK Councils of Oroquieta City.  The project includes developing and capacitating hundreds of volunteer monitors to check the functionality and document and report corruption cases in the Sangguniang Kabataan.

The honor that ECOLINK brings, together with its objective to fight the anomalies of SK in Oroquieta, is something that the people of Oroquieta can be proud of. “Our project will be able to address the rampant diversion of SK funds by barangay officials, misuse of SK properties, and the waiting-shed syndrome where millions of pesos are pocketed to greedy public officials”, Paul Pastrano Gangoso, ECOLINK’s Executive Director said. “After all, these Junior Graft Watches in schools are youth and the Sangguiniang Kabataan is theirs. It is therefore the responsibility of every young citizen prevent corruption in the SK.”, he added.