Cash donations empower typhoon victims - guv

MANILA, Philippines - Cash donations would help more than in-kind goods as disaster victims can choose to buy what their families really need, a provincial official said.

"The exercise of consumer choice is intrinsic to the dignity of climate or disaster victims as persons; even renaming them as beneficiaries does very little to restore dignity, especially to the 595,000 families deprived of a roof upon their head," Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said.

Salceda said that while relief goods and other items are welcome, cash transfer would prevent barter trading of food items between typhoon victims.

"While the grand avalanche of relief goods across the nation and across the globe will make some of these donations less attractive and may lead to significant wastage," Salceda added.

Salceda, whose province was battered by super-typhoon Yolanda following an intense earthquake that damaged homes and reduced tourist destinations to rubble, explained that donors can come up with various schemes to transfer money instead of sending goods.

For one, donors can auction collected relief items and instead send the proceeds to local government units, organizations or other bodies involved in the recovery and relief operations.

Cash vouchers or gift cheque with fixed amounts can also be given to communities of clusters of beneficiaries.

"Then put up a PX commissary or hold an auction or bazaar where victims can use such vouchers to purchase certain goods, say sardines up to 10 cans of Ligo priced at cost, NFA rice up to 25 kilos at P30," he explained.

Salceda added that monetary donations similarly allows beneficiaries to buy lower-priced goods and empowers them to reaffirm their standing as contributors to the local economy.

"That's the least we can do for our brothers and sisters in this nation of 92-percent Christians and in this most meaningful period in our faith - the period of Hope," governor said, referring to the incoming Christmas season.

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, among the key players in Indonesia's recovery from the devastating 2004 tsunami, advised that giving cash to disaster survivors, either in a grant or in exchange for projects such as cleaning debris, is effective and popular.

Related: Tips for Philippines from '04 Indonesia tsunami recovery

He said studies by aid agencies and academics have shown that money transfers, despite donors' hesitation, are not "squandered" by beneficiaries