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Members of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution (ACRC) in Bayamo discussed the main tasks of the participatory popular movement Barrio por la Patria, an initiative of the Cuban regime that involves mobilizing its members to help the population "understand the causes" of the power outages.
According to a report this Friday from the station Radio Bayamo, the plan is aligned with the guidance of the ruling Miguel Díaz-Canel and aims to "strengthen the Territorial Defensive System and promote active participation by all in the protection of the nation."
Among the discussed tasks, the official source emphasizes that "fighters will be mobilized in the battle for a more efficient electrical system, promoting communication so that everyone understands the causes of the disruptions and the actions being taken to improve the system."
The plan also includes identifying homes and entities with backup electrical systems to create charging points, information centers, and medication conservation facilities, a measure that reflects the magnitude of the energy crisis affecting the province.
Granma is one of the areas most affected by blackouts, with outages lasting over 24 continuous hours. On May 14, the entire province lost power due to a failure in the Contramaestre-Bayamo line.
This Friday, the Electric Union reported an availability of only 1,120 MW against a demand of 2,570 MW, forecasting a deficit of 1,945 MW for the peak nighttime hours.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, publicly acknowledged in May that the situation was "acute, critical" and "extremely tense," due to the fact that "we have no fuel, no diesel, only associated gas."
Beyond the energy crisis, the debate in Bayamo encompasses a wide range of tasks related to community militarization, such as clarifying the location of fighters in each neighborhood, completing the Defense Zones and the Popular Defense Councils, organizing discussions on protection against "airstrikes and enemy actions," and promoting areas for Recreational Popular Shooting in each popular council.
The program was officially presented on May 8 at the National Capitol of Havana and is structured around three fronts—Productive Neighborhood, Safe Neighborhood, and Participatory Neighborhood—projected across more than 12,000 constituencies nationwide.
Critics and analysts describe the movement as a strengthened version of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, aimed at revitalizing worn social control structures and managing discontent in the face of a crisis without a short-term solution.
In Campechuela, another municipality in Granma, the authorities have already called for training families and the president of the Municipal Defense Council ordered an increase in "risk awareness" in response to what he described as Washington's "growing aggression."
The mobilization is part of the Year of Preparation for Defense, as Cuba has experienced at least seven total collapses of its electrical system in 18 months, and its economy has contracted by 23% since 2019.
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