A listener from Santiago de Cuba reported the rise of poverty in the country. He provided his testimony in the second broadcast of the radio program "Criterio Compartido", aired on Wednesday by Radio Rebelde nationwide.
The listener identified himself as L. H. Despaigne and described to Miguel Díaz-Canel a sad reality that is repeated throughout the island: “We see vulnerable people in the streets, in the trash, begging for alms, money, and food,” he said.
The Cuban believes that addressing extreme poverty in Cuba is "the most important task the party has from a political standpoint at this moment," and warned that this segment of the population "is increasing more and more each day."
The space, which serves as a channel for citizen participation where the public can call in live, received 56 calls in this second episode, double the amount from its debut on September 23. The comments go through a preliminary filter before being aired.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged the problem and attributed the crisis to the tightening of U.S. sanctions, the Special Period, and demographic aging, without addressing in his response the responsibilities of the current internal economic management.
He admitted the existence of "regrettable inequalities that have accumulated, causing some individuals, families, and communities to be at a disadvantage." He then stated that "this is not the humanist vocation of the revolution."
The leader reported that a recent assessment identified "more than 800,000 people" in vulnerable situations in Cuba.
Díaz-Canel insisted that the government maintains "more than 32 social programs that address the diverse issues of families" and proposed that members of the Party, the CDR, the Federation of Cuban Women, and social workers collaborate in the popular councils to identify and assist the most vulnerable.
In April, images of a man searching for food in the trash bins of Santiago de Cuba circulated widely on social media. In May, there were reports of people begging at the Matanzas terminal.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz had already specified at the end of July that there are 876,522 vulnerable cases in the country, and on October 4, that number had risen to 883,000. This will be the number of beneficiaries of a new monthly food assistance program that the government will provide, which includes five pounds of rice, one pound of sugar, and one pound of grains.
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