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Corrupt Peru officials help relatives & friends with earthquake money

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In an effort to help homeless Peruvians rebuild their homes after a magnitude-8 earthquake in August 2007, the government began issuing 6,000-sol bonds to be used by victims to purchase material and pay for the reconstruction of their homes.

However, according to a recent report broadcast on a local television station, the funds have once again been misused.

Over sixty families in Chilca, a district in the Limean province of Cañete, received these bonds when only five families' homes were affected by the quake.

After the earthquake, Chilca Mayor Pablo Nalda announced that the country's Civil Defense Institute had registered that five homes had been destroyed during the earthquake.

Despite this information, several weeks after the disaster, an extensive list of people that needed funds was put together, the majority of which had minor cracks in their walls.

It was reported that dozens of families that received the bonds used them to build a second floor for their home or in some cases to build a second home.

The majority of these people were relatives or friends of the mayor and district authorities, reported El Comercio newspaper.

Reporters for El Comercio traveled to Chilca to speak to the mayor, district authorities and to José Luis Rodríguez, the person responsible for choosing the families that would receive bonds, but were unable to find them.

Digna Caycho Camacho, a woman that lost her home during the earthquake has not been provided any help to rebuild her house.

On the other hand, her neighbor, Alfredo Ramos - a municipal worker - is building a third floor for his home.

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# martin says :
9 September, 2008 [ 14:26 ]

thank God i believe in karma.

# Rev says :
14 September, 2008 [ 03:32 ]

Its never  ceases to amaze me , when we read about this kind of thing happening, but as we have been well aware of what we suspected what was happening all along, again i like to ask where all the money is that world gave to help those in need,some of us in the world gave everything we had, throu generosity,to help those in need

# Jet says :
14 September, 2008 [ 08:12 ]

We see this happening everywhere.  I have friends in the U.S. state of Louisiana that tell me the same about how many officials of the city of New Orleans are building lavash homes for themselves, with very little to show how they can pay for these things, and millions of dollars of hurracain aid are now un-accounted for.

The one thing we CAN be happy about is that there are reporters who look in to and investigate these things and then report them.  That is the only way we would know, other wise the corrupt people would just get away with it.  We need to thank and encourage this type of investigative reporting and also, once these things are found out, we need to demand that the people that have benefited from this type of corruption are made to pay for it.

Then publicize the peoples names in all local newspapers, and make sure everyone hears about what happens when you do stuff like this.

# CapitanDan says :
14 September, 2008 [ 14:42 ]

Jet, You are right about Katrina. The EEUU threw billions of dollars at people that filed 3 and 4 claims.One woman filed and recieved 24 checks and other benefits. For this reason I donate to Known charities in the EEUU and Peru.They have volunteers that work for the simple reason of just to help people. I have lost all faith in any government. No matter what the flag the results are usually to take care of there own people and friends and Damn the others. Chau Friends