Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, the head of Visayan Forum Foundation, has defended her organization against accusations it defrauded the United States for International Development Aid of US$5 million.

Flores-Oebanda, acclaimed by bodies such as  the US State Department and Caritas for her work to free Filipino girls from traffickers, called the accusations a “malicious attack on our reputation” on Friday.

USAID cited “falsified documents” seized by government officials claiming that the NGO meant to “defraud” the agency, a government organization funded by tax payer’s money.

The Philippines National Bureau of Investigation said P210 million ($5 million) out of a total P300 million of USAID funding given to Visayan Forum Foundation remained unaccounted for and receipts for P41 million were falsified.

It recommended the prosecution of Flores-Oebanda and warned more serious charges could follow.

“This is part of a demolition job that undermines our credibility and integrity as the leading NGO fighting human-trafficking in the Philippines,” she said in a statement.

Visayan Forum Foundation had not been offered the chance to explain its side but the organization would “defend our integrity in court,” said Flores-Oebanda.

This year the US Trafficking in Persons Report listed the Philippines as a tier-2 country. This denotes that although the problem remains serious, significant progress has been made.

USAID suspended funding three weeks ago as it worked to build a case against Flores-Oebanda and her organization, which she founded in 1991.

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