One in Ten Residents in Holguín Faces Vulnerability, Authorities Admit

In Holguín, a staggering 90,148 individuals are currently experiencing vulnerability, equating to roughly one in every ten residents in the province, as revealed during a recent meeting involving officials from the 14 municipalities and leaders of three permanent commissions of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP).

According to figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), the eastern region concluded 2025 with a population of 888,187. The 90,148 individuals facing vulnerability thus represent about 10.1% of the total populace.

Government's Economic Measures Under Scrutiny

This meeting was part of a nationwide tour designed to monitor the implementation of a package of 176 economic measures approved by the ANPP in June, which highlighted the challenge of vulnerability as a major issue to be tackled by local governments, as reported by the official newspaper ¡Ahora! on Friday.

Félix Martínez Suárez, the head of the Economic Affairs Commission of the legislative body, urged local governments to "learn to conduct business but within the logic and principles of socialism, keeping social responsibility in mind." He also linked the revival of state enterprises to addressing the country's social challenges.

Redefining Social Protection

In July, the government unveiled plans to revamp its social protection model to focus assistance on those deemed "vulnerable," moving away from the universal subsidies that once characterized its social system.

Ariel Fonseca Quezada, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security, reiterated on state television in late July that social protection "must reach those who truly need it," emphasizing that in a context of limited resources, the state should prioritize those with the greatest needs.

Economic Challenges Amplifying Vulnerability

This announcement coincides with a time when economic vulnerability is no longer confined to specific sectors. The accumulated inflation since the failed Tarea Ordenamiento, the erosion of real wages and pensions, partial dollarization of commerce, shortages of food and medicine, and frequent blackouts have all worsened the living conditions for millions of Cubans.

The critical question remains: how will the government determine who qualifies for assistance and who does not?

In a July 2025 address to the ANPP, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz acknowledged that 182,000 families and over 310,000 individuals were living in poverty or social vulnerability across the nation, though he admitted this did not encompass all those truly in need.

Experts Warn of Unfeasible Financial Demands

Economist Pedro Monreal cautioned in August that providing coverage to all officially recognized vulnerable populations would require increasing current spending by 4.5 times, amounting to approximately 24.3 billion pesos—a sum he argues the government cannot afford.

Meanwhile, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights estimated that extreme poverty affects 94% of Cubans, with eight out of ten having skipped breakfast, lunch, or dinner at least once in the past six months due to a lack of money or food.

Real-Life Struggles in Holguín

Among the documented cases of impoverished individuals in Holguín is a mother who, as of July, was living with her three children in a cardboard shelter behind the Loma de la Cruz, without electricity or state aid.

Historian Ivette García González warned weeks ago that the vulnerable in Cuba "are no longer just segments," but in her view, now constitute the majority of the population, encompassing the average citizen.