Cuenca is Ecuador’s most expensive city; Benigno Malo High School celebrates 160 years; Azuay governor addresses security concerns

Sábado, 8/6/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Artesanías y cultura (Crafts and culture) – There will be a Feria Artesanal y Cultural in the Galería Vitrina (Pres. Córdova 7-23 y Luis Cordero) at the Casa de la Cultura on el 15 & 16/6. Organized by the Asociación de Artesanos y Emprendedores AYNI, the fair will include textile fashions, crafts and gastronomy. Free.

De El Mercurio del viernes, 7/6 (2 articles):

An estimated 3,000 students, alumni and staff paraded through El Centro Saturday celebrating Benigno Malo High School’s 160th anniversary. (El Mercurio)

Danza folclórica (Folk dance) – The Museo Pumapungo will hold free workshops for children from 5 to 11 years old on ancestral knowledge and children’s folk dancing. Classes start el 11/6 with hours from 15:00-16:00. Spaces are limited and those interested <or their parents> can register on the social networks of the museum.

Curso de toquilla (Toquilla class) – The Museo Municipal de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero will hold a free workshop in the Chiquintad Parish to teach weaving toquilla straw. The workshop is not only an oportunity to learn this craft, but an intergenerational space where children, youth, and adults can actively participate in the transmission and revitalization of this tradition that has lasted for centuries. <I guess if you live in Chiquintad, you would know where to go to sign up.>

Titular –

Honores al ‘papá Benigno (Honors to ‘Papa’ Benigno) – Current students, alumni, teachers and ex-teachers commemorated Benigno Malo High School’s 160 years of existence with a parade today. The school was built between 1923 and 1937 and is now considered a cultural heritage with an E rating which has the highest importance. The building was remodeled in 2021 and there are plans to add 2 new blocks and a 300-seat auditorium as well as other major improvements. In agosto of 2023, the Municipio de Cuenca and the Ministerio de Educación signed an agreement to fund the $9 million project, 50/50. <The kids you see in the white with black uniforms are Benignistas.>

Cuenca –

En jornada ambiental recogen 693.18 kilogramos de residuos (693.18 kilograms of waste collected during environmental day) – 470 students, 30 administrative employees, and 22 professors from the U. of Cuenca along with 19 recyclers, 10 representatives from the Empresa Municipal de Aseo de Cuenca (EMAC – the garbage company), and 6 employees from ETAPA collected garbage and litter to mark the Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente el 5/6. They collected trash from around the different campuses and along the banks of the closest rivers, and in protected areas of the Parque Nacional Cajas. After 3 hours of hard work, the trash was weighed at the main campus. 693.18 kilos of recyclable material was collected along with 1.5 tons of non-recyclable material. <I wonder how much of that was fast and junk food wrappers.> The recyclable material was given to the Cooperativa de Servicios de Reciclaje y Amigas del Medioambiente (COAMA). <Now all those volunteers know what stoop labor feels like.>

De El Mercurio del viernes, 7/6 (2 articles):
Canasta familiar básica más cara vuelve a tener Cuenca (Cuenca has the most expensive basic family basket again) – Cuenca is again the city with the most expensive Canasta Familar Básica (CFB – basic basket of goods and services) at $832/mo. Manta follows with $831.77, then Quito with $826.82, and Guayaquil with $814.52. The CFB is a set of 75 essential goods and services to satisfy the basic needs of a household with an average of 4 members. Cuenca has the 3d most expensive Canasta Familiar Vital at $566.04. Manta’s is most expensive at $623.02, and Quito 2nd at $577.65. This basket comprises 73 products which are the minimum a family needs for food. <Subtracting $566.04 from $832 leaves about $266 for housing, transportation, etc. There must be a whole different market for rentals to locals that gringos don’t know about.>

Sucesos –

Gobernación analyza situación de la inseguridad en Azuay (Government analyzes insecurity situation in Azuay) – Santiago Malo, Governor of Azuay <The Governor of a province is an appointed position. The Prefect is elected and is the working administrator for the province.>, spoke at a press conference about the use of the increase in the IVA to 15% which was planned to strengthen security. He explained that the MInistro de Finanzas has taken actions to stabilize the economy. <OK, now there’s an example of a political non-answer.> The Governor referred to the murder of the Mayor of Ponce Enríquez Canton on the 17/4, and said it was being investigated.

Pablo Guachimín, the police chief in Azuay, said that since the declaration of the state of emergency in which Ponce Enríquez was included, 84 permanent police officers remain in charge of surveillance and another 400 uniformed personnel are brought in for controls in mining sectors. He said that Ponce Enríquez has the particularity of being between El Oro and Guayas which are two high crime provinces. He said that transportistas and occupants of vehicles are assaulted in those two provinces, but the complaints are filed in Azuay. There are citizens who avoid talking about what is happening in the canton for fear of being attacked by the gangs.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.