Bus companies suspend service July 16, 17; ‘Fito’ is placed on Interpol’s most wanted list; Tax scofflaws not paying up; Army objects to ‘provocative’ dance

Ecuador’s interprovincial buses will suspend service July 16 and 17 to protest a lack of police protection on its routes. Federation of Public Passenger Transport (Fenacotip) President Abel Gómez says the protest will be non-violent and not result in road closures.

“We are demanding the government review its security plans regarding public transportation, and that it strengthen measures to protect those traveling on interprovincial buses,” Gómez said. He added that the protest follows a growing number of crimes committed against bus drivers and passengers.

The armed forces command said that those responsible for allowing a model to dance on top of a military vehicle will face disciplinary action.

Gómez says Fenacotip’s talks with the government have, so far, been “productive” but he awaits “follow-up results.” In two-weeks of talks, the government has agreed to a number of actions including increasing police patrols in Azuay, Guayas, Manabí, El Oro, Los Ríos and Santo Domingo Provinces, areas where buses have been stopped and passengers robbed on at least 17 occasions in 2024.

“Most of the crimes have been committed in locations where gang violence is most prevalent and the carriers and their passengers are suffering with the rest of the population,” Gómez said. “To reestablish confidence with our passengers, we depend on the government to increase police protection.”

Gómez said that Fenacotip is also concerned about the impact fuel subsidy elimination will have on bus companies but said he believed the issue will be resolved in talks with the government.

Deputy Government Minister Esteban Torres said he was surprised by the strike given “progress of the discussions” but said talks will continue.

Tax scofflaws not paying up
The government’s tax amnesty program is not producing the income that was forecast. With only 22 days to go in a program that suspends late payment fines and penalties, only $300 million of the expected $900 million has been collected, according to the Internal Revenue Service (SRI).

Although SRI Director Damián Larco says payments are slower than expected, he expects a “last minute rush” to produce much more. “Let’s remember that historically taxpayers wait until the last days to take advantage of amnesty programs,” he said. He declined to say how much of the $900 million he expects to collect.

Of the 10 largest tax debtors, the SRI says only liquor distributor Licores Nacionales has paid all its arrears. Three of the debtors, Movistar, Claro and Baker Hughes Services, have made partial payments.

Among large tax debtors not making payment is Noboa Trading Company, the banana exporting firm owned by President Daniel Noboa’s father, Alvaro Noboa. The company owes almost $90 million but claims it cannot pay until two court cases are resolved.

‘Fito’ placed on Interpol’s most wanted list
The international police agency Interpol has added former drug kingpin Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito, to its “most wanted” list. The designation orders his arrest in the 196 countries in its jurisdiction.

Wanted for more than a dozen murders and various other crimes, Macías walked out of Guayaquil’s high security La Roca prison January 7. His escape initiated a series of state of emergency declarations by President Daniel Noboa based on the threat posed by drug gangs and cartels in Ecuador.

At the time of his escape, Macías headed Los Choneros gang which is allied with Mexican drug cartels.

Army objects to ‘provocative’ dance
Ecuador’s military command said it will take disciplinary actions against soldiers who allowed a bikini-clad model to dance on top of a military vehicle in Manta last week. In a video posted on social media, the model known as ‘Katherin Queen’ is pictured dancing on an armored truck, at times caressing its guns.

“Such actions are prohibited by military protocol and will not be tolerated,” the armed forces command office said in a statement. “Those responsible for allowing this inappropriate and provocative demonstration will face sanctions.”