In our first segment you saw Andre Perez defending his colleague and friend Oscar Mira. But today the Minister also had to defend his niece in San Pedro. Abby's Grocery is one of the stores operating under GOB's grocery bag program. But is it set up to profit from government pork?
We received multiple reports that this particular store on the island is one of the preferred outlets where constituents can redeem government coupons for grocery bag support. But Perez bristled when we brought this to him today - and stressed that Abby's isn't the only store redeeming government coupons:
Reporter
"As area rep, how do you look at the comparison that is being made? People are trying to draw parallel with the Mira controversy saying that grocery bags—that grocery bags in your division are being channeled to come out of one store which is linked to a relative of yours?"
Andre Perez - Minister of the Blue Economy
"You know, and let me respond to you in this way here. First of all, I understand that as an elected official you will be subjected to public scrutiny, that is something that I have no problem with, right? And at all times, as the area rep I will always engage in what is accountable. Transparency is the name of the game, and I can be criticized, I can be attacked—no problem. But when you engage in malicious accusations, allegations, and you involve family members who are really innocent, it is really unfair. And I call out for this type of malicious allegations coming out from the UDP is uncalled for, but I will answer you this way here. Let us make clarifications because these are allegations, but it is okay, and it is important for me to give off the information and clarify it, but there has to be clarifications."
"First of all, it is more than a store. We have several stores where we provide the pantry program, and that is a store that gets the smaller part of it. And that has been done for the past 5 months. There are times when a month passes and no payment has been given and that store continues to provide, they don't deny it, and it provides—that grocery bag program provides to the needy, to the single mother, to somebody that is medically in need, someone who is unemployed, have children. These are the people we cater to, so to say that it is a... big figure or something, it is never enough so I just want to clarify that. And it is unfair, but that is a store that is at the heart of the town and provides the basics and strict rules and regulations—that is all just food. The coupons do not give any soft drinks, no cigarettes, no liquor; it is all basics. You can't get that in big supermarkets, the prices are higher, and that is why we go to these small stores and one in the south, and it is strategic. So it is unfair and I want to clarify that."
