Protest update: Moreno stands firm, decries vandalism and looting, Road closures, Airlift of essential goods, Food deliveries get through

Martes, 8/10/2019

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

Fan Toy Fest – This national convention will be in Cuenca in noviembre and feature action figures, dolls and other toys on exhibit or for sale or for exchange.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Cunde el caos; Moreno, firme (Chaos spreads; Moreno, firm) – Caos includes violent protests, looting factories and agricultural plantations, burning military vehicles, blocking roads, speculation on food prices, shortages of alimenticios (food – your word for the day <If you can remember it since it has more than 2 syllables. If you know the word comida, you now know two ways to say food. Congratulations.>), taking over public entities, minimal commercial activity, and damage to both public and private property.

LP gas home delivery has been temporarily suspended. (El Mercurio)

The Ministry of Energy suspended operations in 3 oil fields in Orellana y Sucumbíos which had been taken over by protesters. Indigenous and campesinos reached Quito, many on foot, but others in buses and trucks. They are protesting the raise in fuel prices and the proposals <requirements of the IMF> for economic and labor reforms. They made a joke of the military fence. <I think these campesinos know exactly what the IMF is planning to do to Ecuador, and that they will be the first victims.> The government later took back the facilities and resumed production.

Tránsito – Roads in and out of Cuenca were blocked by protestors yesterday. In the south, the Panamericana y la Circunvalación were closed at Control Sur; in the north, av. España was blocked at av. Hurtado de Mendoza in Milchichig; to the west, the blockage was at the Y in Sayausí which is where the vía Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme starts; and to the east the roadblocks were at Zhullín on the vía Cuenca-Azogues-Biblián. The vía Cuenca-Loja was blocked in Nabon. <I wonder if these protestors are the same people who will eventually need to get their agricultural products to market before they go bad.>

An air force plane landed Monday and Tuesday with products of primary needs. The regional manager for Favorita which owns Supermaxi said the chain was able to get trucks through on the weekend to restock. Stocks in some marcados are diminishing with attendant price increases but sellers say food deliveries are getting through.

There was a long line to get household gas at the supplier on Loja y Don Bosco which had 150 tanks, and 300 customers. <All of you who have electric showers <the suicide showers> can be thankful you’ve got them.> Household deliveries have been temporarily suspended.

Bus price increases – The Governor of Cañar Province announced price increases on non-urban buses. The fare for Azogues to Cuenca will rise from $.75 to $1.00  but buses are not running yet because of roadblocks.

IESS response – The José Carrasco Areaga hospital sees 1,500 people a day. 600 come from outside the city and another 300 from other provinces. The hospital plans to use ambulances to take some patients to the hospital during the protests, and is asking protestors to allow ambulances to pass. Patients who cannot make it to their appointments will have them rescheduled to sometime in the next 2 weeks. In a few days there will be phone lines for information and new appointments. The hospital is completely staffed, and hopes to be resupplied with medicines via the air bridge this week.

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. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.