Bayan Central Visayas denounces the Dasig Sugbo assistance program of the Cebu Provincial Government headed by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for furthering the difficulty of the Cebuano people in accessing the financial aid that had been promised to them.
With the Dasig Sugbo assistance, Cebuanos who suffered partial or total damage to their houses during Typhoon Odette (Rai) would receive P3,000 and P8,000, respectively.
But beneficiaries of the assistance program are given only a QR code-equipped Dasig Sugbo Card in order to use their financial aid to buy necessities. Moreover, beneficiaries are required to buy their necessities at big stores, usually in the Cebu City proper as some supermarkets and stores in smaller cities and municipalities do not accept the Dasig Sugbo Card due to lack of accreditation. This program had even led beneficiaries to line up long before the supermarkets open and even then, long lines can still be seen outside establishments throughout the day.
Bayan Central Visayas believes that the Provincial Government has failed to streamline the provision of financial assistance and may even be using the Dasig Sugbo program to politicize the financial aid distribution. It is adding difficulty to the Cebuano people who are still struggling to recover from the typhoon, and now they have to travel kilometers upon kilometers just to buy food and other basic goods, and then when they arrive at the supermarket, they have to endure long lines as well. When their Dasig Sugbo Cards are not accepted for the day, they have to come back the next day.
We disagree with former environment secretary Roy Cimatu’s praise for Governor Garcia’s recovery efforts for Cebu, as even with the financial aid distribution, there are already delays and added hardship due to the use of the Dasig Sugbo Cards. We challenge Cimatu and even Governor Garcia to come visit the Cebuano people on the ground to see our true statuses.
Moreover, we assert that the Cebu Provincial Government must instead provide cash aid to the Cebuano people so that they can immediately buy their needs to recover from the typhoon. It is not helping the people to be put through tedious processes for financial aid when the need is urgent. The Cebu Provincial Government should have crafted the financial assistance program with urgency in mind, as many families are still going hungry and have no means to rebuild their homes following the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
It is clear to us that the Cebu Provincial Government is not acting with urgency regarding the financial aid of the Cebuano people as it is hindering the people’s access to the financial aid that was promised to them. Thus, we strongly demand for the Cebu Provincial Government to immediately provide cash aid to the beneficiaries of the Dasig Sugbo assistance program.