Gawad Kalinga to part ways with CFC faction

MANILA, Philippines — A faction of the Couples for Christ and housing advocacy group Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc. will soon part ways, with GK getting its own corporate identity. CFC International Council (CFC-IC) executive director Joe Tale announced the decision to “let go" of the governance of GK so it can focus on its work as a non-religious organization. “While CFC is pursuing the fullness of the mission, GK is focused on nation-building and poverty alleviation, which necessitate that it mainstreams and partners with all sectors of society. It is even poised to enter non-Christian countries (such as India, Indonesia and the Middle East) as a non-religious organization," Tale said in an article on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Web site (www.cbcpnews.com). He added that as GK grew in recent years, its mission and that of the CFC-IC “evolved" distinctly. “There has been honest divergence of opinions [from] these fundamental differences. We have tried to resolve these differences in various ways especially in the last two years, including the attempt to strengthen oneness of leadership through the changes in the organizational structure. However, despite our common best efforts and intentions, unity continues to be elusive under the present structure," he added. But Tale said the decision of CFC to let go of GK as one of its ministries is not tantamount to the group’s neglect of its pro-poor ministry. “CFC members who are currently involved in GK are enjoined to continue their presence and work in the GK communities. CFC and GK, while with distinct governance and corporate structure, will continue to collaborate in the GK villages. This is because of CFC’s solidarity with and commitment to the poor," he said. He added that CFC will focus on their work in the Prison Ministry, Feed My Sheep and the Migrant Workers Program. But he said that with CFC ceasing to have institutional authority over GK, he will no longer be GK Board chairman. Melo Villaroman Jr. will step down as GK President as the CFC-IC members will transition out of the 12-man GK Board, he added. “The vacancies will be filled by new board members, some of whom may possibly be CFC members. Of the five remaining GK board members, four are CFC members; Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Ben Nebres, S.J. is the fifth member," Tale said. GK executive director Antonio Meloto said the consequences of the decision and “the spirit of the proposal was for greater empowerment of both CFC and GK, to remove confusion and to restore relationships." “We believe that the work with the poor should not suffer because of our differences. We believe that allowing GK to operate independently of the authority of the IC is the right step to take for CFC, GK and the poor," he added. - GMANews.TV