121 parasitic NGOs zapped from US$38.0M Govt. teat

Santo Domingo.- Some 121 non-governmental or non-profit organizations were eliminated from the 2019 budget, National Non-Profit Associations Promotion Center director Luz Celeste Silié revealed Mon.

In a press conference, Economy minister, Isidoro Santana sought to clarify some critiques regarding the allocations to NGOs.

“For the 2019 Budget, it was recommended to omit some 121 non-profit organizations that had a grant or State funds in 2018, because they did not meet the requirements established in the regulations and therefore did not achieve sufficient qualification to obtain these resources,” Silié said. “These organizations consumed an amount of RD$60 million from the budget.”

The official said that when “Nonprofit Associations Regulation and Promotion Law 122-05” took effect, only 30% of those institutions complied with the requirements of the regulations.

“This is the first time that account are being rendered since there was no culture of accountability,” said Silié, adding that RD$1.9 billion (US$38.0 million) is currently allocated to 1,197 NGOs.