THE recent freezing of the Saudi-based International Islamic Relief OrganizationÂ’s bank account in the Philippines by the order of a court on the request of the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council will do much harm to the thousands of Filipinos in Mindanao who benefit from the IIROÂ’s charitable work. The organization operates an orphanage in Mindanao, gives educational scholarships to hundreds of Filipino Muslims, has helped young Filipinos get married and has paid for the construction of scores of mosques there. Why doesn't that thought comfort me?
Every year the IIRO provides at least 300 scholarships to local students, paying for them to study in Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. Not only does it pay their tuition but it also pays for their transportation from their hometowns to their points of study and in addition gives them a monthly stipend to pay for food and accommodation. “Many students are going to howl if their scholarships are stopped,” said a former Filipino scholarship holder to Arab News in an interview.
Bet they're gonna seethe, too...
The IIROÂ’s secretary-general, Adnan Khalil Basha, has vigorously denied allegations that any of its funds have gone to help terrorist groups in the Philippines. He claims the freezing of the account is part of a concerted effort by some in the West to stop all Islamic relief efforts. And he may be right. In the aftermath of the Al-Qaeda Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, the United States has insisted that nations around the globe implement strict monitoring of all international money transfers.
In order to dispel any suspicions about how it uses its funds, the IIRO has strict internal policies that allow it to deposit money abroad only into accredited bank accounts that it maintains in countries where it operates. Not only that, but it employs a strict accounting procedure in which monthly financial reports document and track how the money was spent and who received it.
It is surely unfair for the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze the IIRO account merely because of American suspicions. It is perhaps telling that the freeze order issued is for 28 days only — which perhaps indicates that Manila is not convinced of the US accusation that the IIRO is using its funds to support the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah.
The Philippine government should present any hard evidence that it has against the IIRO, or else unfreeze their account. The Philippines is not a banana republic and, as such, should show the world that it is not at the beck and call of the United States. Manila has many strategic interests in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, not least of all nearly one million OFWs working in the Kingdom. They make real contributions to the countryÂ’s economy and this could be damaged if the IIRO is continually accused of something it is not guilty of. The account should be unfrozen immediately as a show of good will. The millions of riyals that the IIRO has spent in the Philippines have benefited Filipinos and no one else. It would be a shame to see that aid squandered just because of some misplaced and probably groundless suspicion originating in Washington.