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Official Publication of the Philippine Information Agency Bicol Regional Office, in cooperation with the RIAC-REDIRAS - RDC Bicol



Friday, November 22, 2013

Albay guv recommends cash transfer, rather than in-kind assistance for 'Yolanda' victims

LEGAZPI CITY, Nov. 22 (PIA) -- Albay Governor Joey S. Salceda, acclaimed UNited Nation's senior global champion for disaster risk reduction, has proposed cash assitance be given to families in Visayas displaced by the calamity in areas hardest hit by the typhoon two weeks ago.

Salceda said cash assistance will now be more effective that providing relief food and non-food items to the survivors of the calamity as markets will do a better job to satisfy the need of the affected communities, households and individual victims.

"Consumers’ choice is intrinsic to maintain dignity of climate change or disaster victims as persons. Even renaming them as beneficiaries does very little to restore dignity, citing these 595,000 families that have since two weeks now been deprived of a roof upon their head," he explained.

He pointed out that the measure is to avoid the dysfunctional but natural practice of bartering since one person probably has too much of sardines or would prefer "Ligo" sardines rather than "555”.

"While the overwhelming flow of relief goods from the government and donors across the nation and the globe will make some of these current type of donations less attractive and may lead to significant wastage," he added.

Salceda has further proposed that donors can auction their enormous donations in kind and donate the proceeds to specific local government unit, civil society organization or non-government organizations to support their operations providing other essential services and interventions.

He suggested that another viable option for those residing in the city or town proper to give a community or a cluster of beneficiaries vouchers with an indicated amount, say P2,000, adding that they can put up a PX commissary, hold an auction or bazaar where the people can use the vouchers to purchase certain goods.

“Say, they can buy sardines up to 10 cans of Ligo priced at cost, NFA rice up to 25 kilos at P30. If they find it costly, then they can buy another brand with lower price and that allows them to exercise their consumer preference reaffirming their repute as productive members of a local economy,” the governor said.

Salceda furthered that akin to the relief efforts to survivors of typhoon Reming in Albay, these 595,000 families who already took the brunt of the devastating typhoon, on the other hand, should not be deprived of the chance to celebrate Christmas.

With more than a month to prepare right now, the governor suggested that cash vouchers or  Noche Buena gift checks for Christmas Day be given to all of the displaced families and another Media Noche gift check for New Year.

"That's the least we can do for our brothers and sisters in this nation of 92-percent Christian and in this most meaningful period in our faith - the period of Hope," the Salceda concluded.  (MAL/MDRama-PGAlbay/PIA5)

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