Don't borrow Yolanda aid money from loan sharks, OFWs in Dubai warned

ags: Yolanda aid

Overseas Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates have been advised against borrowing money from loan sharks to get money for family members affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

 

Dubai-based website 7Days reported on Sunday that some Filipinos have been resorting to illegal channels to provide aid for their family members.

 

This, despite aid operations supposedly moving faster three weeks after the storm struck.

 

“Since relief is now coming, the pace is speeding up and victims are sheltered in temporary bunk houses. People should wait and not resort to loan sharks because it’s not worth it," Frank Cimafranca, Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates said in the 7Days report.

 

Both government and non-government organizations, such as Gawad Kalinga, are already planning housing programs for victims, Cimafranca said.

 

His declaration echoes government reassurances that relief efforts are more efficient than they were after the storm hit.

 

One concrete move by the government is a relief goods delivery hotline set up by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for those who have yet to receive aid.

 

Residents in affected areas may text details of their location to the hotline and log their complaintsor ask for supplies that they still lack.

 

Malacañang has also announced the creation ofa  task group for rehabilitation efforts on Friday.

 

Restoration of power, shelter, livelihood and employment, and other concerns will be handled by various government agencies, which will "present a comprehensive rehabilitation program that will be tackled by the Cabinet not later than Wednesday, November 27", the Palace said.

 

However, for Filipinas like Jovelyn, a 30-year-old office administrator in Dubai, desperate conditions are forcing her to borrow from loan sharks, despite the risk it entails.

 

“I always feel restless because I know my family is not yet safe. I feel sad especially that Christmas is coming, and I feel bad for my young nephews and nieces,” she said on 7Days.

 

With 13 of her relatives living in a makeshift tent, instant relief provided by these creditors is worth it.

 

Cimafranca hopes UAE banks will make special concessions for cases like Jovelyn's, to prevent Filipinos from being scammed.

 

Jovelyn's relatives are part of the 10,013,467 people in 10,724 villages affected by the November 8 disaster. Around 241,365 evacuees are  currently staying in 1,095 evacuation centers.  

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have promised around $1 billion in financial aid package to support relief and reconstruction for an estimated 4 million people displaced by the typhoon. — Rie Takumi/JDS, GMA News