After learning so many lessons from our Ondoy, Pablo, and two previous habagat volunteering and donating experiences, I have become cautious where to course through our personal donations.
And upon witnessing personally how local government units and government officials handle (and personally used the people’s donations), I have only handed my donations through the Philippine Red Cross and a few other groups recognized as non-government organizations such Gawad Kalinga and Rock Ed Philippines since I have been a volunteer of these groups since several years back.
Aside from these reasons, I have also considered the tax implication of being a donor. If you are not aware, giving a gift to anyone isn’t totally free in the Philippines unless you know how and who to course it through.
Otherwise, you have to pay the Donor’s Tax if you’re giving gifts to the wrong organizations or individuals. Continue reading Are Donations To Yolanda Victims Taxable?