By The Star Staff
With more than half the population living under the poverty line and many island residents making considerable sacrifices in order to make ends meet, Puerto Rico has actively recognized the need for financial aid when it comes to its citizens.
While federal funds have most certainly served the island in terms of welfare and fixing up the infrastructure, citizens still must manage everyday spending, which is why, just before school starts, many municipalities are handing out school kits to low-income families in order to provide a degree of financial aid with the back-to-school shopping season.
This past weekend it was Guaynabo’s turn, when Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia participated in an event alongside Mayor Edward O’ Neill Rosa. During the event, which was held in Mario Quijote Morales Coliseum, the governor, the mayor and the designated secretary of education, Yanira Raíces Vega, interacted with children and teens as well as with their parents and those who joined them from various service agencies, including barbers and stylists from the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.
“For my administration it is a priority that our students have everything they need to go back to school,” the governor said. “At the same time, we are working on maintenance, painting and cleaning tasks, in addition to the reconstruction work that continues to be carried out in the schools, so that there are spaces that promote learning and foster the integration of our students. I thank the mayor of Guaynabo, Edward O’Neill, for inviting me to be part of this initiative, which directly impacts the most vulnerable families.”
The governor and mayor were also accompanied by island Reps. Georgie Navarro, Ángel Morey and Gabriel Rodríguez Aguiló, as well as Sens. Juan Oscar Morales, Nitza Morán and Migdalia Padilla, as well as Housing Secretary William Rodríguez Rodríguez and public housing administrator Alejandro Salgo Colón.