May 27, 2022

11:05

Fábio Leite – From Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The Provisional Measure (MP) that opens extraordinary credit of R$ 167.2 million for the Ministry of Citizenship to distribute food baskets for the quilombola population was unanimously approved by the Senate on Thursday, 26. The MP may benefit 202 thousand quilombola families in Brazil. In Manaus, the Barranco de São Benedito community is waiting to be included in the list of beneficiaries.

There are more than 202 thousand quilombola families in Brazil that can receive the basic food baskets to be distributed by the Ministry of Citizenship. Of this total, 170 live in Manaus, among families from the Barranco do Benedito Community and its ramifications, totaling 900 quilombolas in the Amazon capital alone.

The Provisional Measure aims to promote food security for the quilombola population in vulnerable situations. The MP was drafted by Senator Fabiano Contarato (PT-ES) and has already been approved in the House of Representatives and is now being sent for promulgation.

“This measure came at a good time, we have been waiting for this. So, we can only be grateful if everything goes well and we are granted these basic food baskets. The sooner the better, because hungry people are in a hurry”, said the representative of the Barranco de São Benedito Community Keilah Fonseca.

Uncertainty

The first quilombo in Amazonas and the second in urban areas in the country, the community located in Manaus may have up to 170 families benefited. “I already have a registry of families in the community that can benefit 145 families of the community and of other 25 branch communities distributed in other neighborhoods of Manaus, thus totaling 170 families,” explained Fonseca.

Despite the hope generated by the approval of the MP, the quilombo of Barranco de São Benedito still sees as uncertain the inclusion in the list of contemplated. “I can’t tell you if our list will be included”, affirms Keilah, who then adds: “This measure was more than time to be approved, because we live from self-employment and I also depend on these basic food baskets”.

Determination by the STF

The MP follows a decision of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in face of a lawsuit proposed by the Articulation of Rural Black Quilombola Communities (Conaq) and the PSB, PSOL, PCdoB, and PT parties. In the occasion, the STF determined that the federal government should elaborate, within 30 days, a national plan to face the Covid-19 pandemic aimed at the quilombola population.

After the plan was presented by the government, the plaintiffs in the action, a petition for breach of fundamental precept (ADPF), presented a petition in which they pointed out failures in complying with the decision. The conclusion was that some actions pointed out by the government as part of the plan were, in fact, prior to it.

In June, the minister of the STF Edson Fachin gave the Union a period of 15 days to adopt measures for the supply of drinking water and the adoption of food security measures for the quilombola population. Then, in September, the minister determined that the Union should present, also within 15 days, a proposal to expand the supply of drinking water and distribution of food (including school lunches) to all quilombola communities.