PHILIPPINES
Rappler
[Bishop accused of diverting millions]
MANILA, Philippines — Complaints against Parañaque Bishop Jesse Mercado reach the Vatican. He is being accused of allegedly diverting funds meant for calamity victims. We brought you that exclusive story Monday, June 19.
Now the bishop speaks up in his defense. Rappler’s Paterno Esmaquel reports.
Parañaque Bishop Jesse Mercado denies accusations he diverted millions in Church donations meant for calamity victims to a high yield account.
Mercado claims the funds are properly accounted for, and admits some funds were added to what he calls a “calamity fund.”
BISHOP JESSE MERCADO: All donations are properly receipted and promptly turned over to their intended beneficiaries. In urgent cases, for example, Ondoy and Sendong, the diocese even advanced the amounts even before the second collections were mandated.
In an exclusive report, Rappler shows records of millions of supposedly unremitted funds. These include an unremitted 1.3-million pesos from 1.6-million collected for victims of tropical storm Ondoy in 2009. For fire victims in 2010, records show 129,000 pesos in donations were entirely unremitted.
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