At the top of the news, we told you about the launch of the food package program to put groceries and supplies directly into the hands of the most needy. Initially as many as three thousand persons are expected to qualify for the 150 dollar support package.
They are invited to call a hotline and screened for the program based on need and qualification; basically they cannot be receiving any other type of government assistance, either in unemployment payments our pantry program, our have a job.
Like we said, it is for the most needy, but at 10 million dollars or more spending in hyper-speed, questions about transparency arise - and we put those to the Minister today:
Jules Vasquez
"How much is the global figure being spent? How much do you all have for this food package program, is it as much as 10 million?"
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"We have 10 million in hand, but for a 3 months period. We average it like 35,000 families countrywide. That will run us like 18.2 million dollars for the next 3 months."
Jules Vasquez
"My experience tells me whenever you see money spending in a disaster time, be careful because money could spend wild and the usual oversights or the usual controls that are built into the system could be overlook in the interest of facilitating the delivery of goods and services. So maybe in that process extra people are hustling. Real talk."
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Extra people are hustling how?"
Jules Vasquez
"Somebody has to be the source of the goods. Somebody has to be filling up those boxes."
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Let me tell you how it works, because obviously we only look about hustle and what people are looking to steal or get away with. How the process work: When you are approved you get a referral number and the ministry say to you what store to go. The list is forwarded to the store and you have o take your ID and you sign for your goods. So I don't know what better system than that you want and that is why you are having a problem, because people are clamoring that oh people need food, people this and people that and then in other words to waive the process. The process cannot be waived. If we are ask to be accountable to the IFI in terms of the money. So at the end of the day no approval cannot come from no minister, no church leader, only from the public officers after they are interview."
Jules Vasquez
"But it's going to certain stores."
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"The thing is that we have open as much as we could and we continue to do to ask the neighborhood stores."
Jules Vasquez
"You get concerned about the controls. Because everything is being spent in a rush, because the people need it in a rush."
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Hold up. It looks like you don't understand the processes that I am saying to you. Everything is not spending in a rush, like for example, if you don't get approval from the ministry of human development you can't get no package. Package is not out there to give away like that where people are going about in trucks and say you need help. You need to make sure."
Jules Vasquez
"But are the decisions on who receiving the money, the stores, are those decisions being made by technical people or is it being made by friend and friend?"
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"It's not by friend and friend, I just explained to you again sir and I'm sure that you are a wise - we say that we are opening up to stores that have the capabilities countrywide to help us. That's all we are saying."
Those wanting to get into the program can call the Ministry of Human Development at 636-5743, 627-3634, 0r 629-8100 for information or access to either the food package or food pantry programs.
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