Fake gynecologist and rapist gets 29 years, City starts tram loan payments, Bicentennial planning begins, Tax deduction limits, Low-cost housing

Martes, 14/1/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

Bicentennial program – The city will present the program of events and projects to celebrate the bicentennial of the independence of Cuenca el viernes, 24/1 a las 20:00 in the Plaza San Francisco. The intent is to determine not only a list of 200 activities, but to seek proposals that will influence future development of the city.

Retreat – There will be a retreat el sábado y domingo, 18& 19/1 to “explore relational habits, transform reactions and limiting patterns, live with greater peace and according to what you aspire to live and know how to ask for it; listen without taking things personally and create deep ties with each other.” <That was straight out of Google translate. I don’t translate touchy/feely well.> Call 09 83 54 24 76 for more information.

Del cuerpo del periodico –

The Rumba Kinds play Bulán.

Colors, aromas and flavors of Bulán – The Parish of Bulán, which produces various types of fruit, is celebrating its 80 anniversary as a parish. El sábado, 18/1, it will elect a Cholita Bulanense in Padrehurco with a gala fiesta a las 20:00 with the Rumba King orchestra. On el sábado 25/1, it will elect the queen of the parish in the La Pirámide community with the Los Hispanos orchestra. El sábado 1/2 there will be the “Colores, Aromas y Sabores, Bulán 2020 festival with local fruits and fruit products as well as comida típica. That same sábado there will be a parade, solemn session, and dancing that night with the Medardo orchestra. The fruits that are currently ripening and ready are plums like santa rosas and reinaclaudias, peaches, pears and early golden apples.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Cuenca ya paga por el tranvía (Cuenca already paying for tram) – The first installment of $2,635,000 was debited from the accounts of the City of Cuenca by the Ministerio de Finanzas. This money paid for the first of the local portion of the semi-annual payments on the $51 million French loan for the tranvía. The loan was made in 2013 for a term of 15 years with a 5.5 year grace period which was the time estimated to get the system finished and running. <Hah!> The grace period ended in noviembre de 2018, but was extended by a year. The municipal Finance Director asked the national government to pay the first two installments and see if France would extend the grace period for another two years. This deduction from city accounts was intended to pay money owed to 2,000 small contractors to the city and will affect the city’s ability to finance new projects.

Difficulties for low cost housing – Building housing “de interés social” (social interest housing – analogous to subsidized or public housing?) in Cuenca is difficult for a couple of reasons. First is the high cost of land (see Tuesday’s CHL article) and second, the municipal requirements in rural areas that houses be build on minimum 1,000 sq. meter lots. In other parts of the country the minimum lot size is 112 s.m. Currently, the Ministerio de Desarrrollo Urbano y Vivienda (MIDUVI – Ministry of Urban Development and Housing) has built 28 units of type 1A housing which is 100% subsidized in Cuenca.

29 years for fake gynecologist – A man who passed himself off as a gynecologist in the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital and sexually assaulted and raped patients last marzo was sentenced to 29 years and 4 months.

Capture of alleged criminal – Yesterday, officers of the Guardia Ciudadana (Policía Municipal) captured an alleged criminal who was threatening passersby with a knife on Paseo Tres de Noviembre in the El Barranco sector. This is similar to an incident on el 3/1 when the Municipal Police caught another alleged criminal who was threatening to assault passers by with a fork. <Is the next story going to be about a criminal with a spoon?>

Suspension of air service – Aeroregional cancelled its itineraries to and from Cuenca from 11/1 to 20/1 and will resume service on 21/1. The reason given was for aircraft maintenance. The head of the Aeroregional office in Cuenca said that they have not had the “welcome” they expected nor support from the authorities. <So if we gringos want to help, we need to take more trips by air.> The terminal had a total of 366,972 passengers in 2018 and 376,959 in 2019. <So if we each do our part and take two vacations this year, that should boost those numbers by 10,000?)>

Dialogue – Starting today, a permanent commission made up of city officials and directors of the Cámara de Transporte de Cuenca (CTC) will start meeting from M-F for an indefinite period of time. They will work out the integration of the buses with other modes of transportation such as the tram and public bicycles, use of a common account for services, elimination of the 100 line from Baños to Ricaurte, use of the same card to pay bus and tram fares and how to distribute the fares collected. These meetings will also analyze if the conditions to raise bus fares to 34 cents have been met.

Tax deductions – The limits for deductions for personal expenses on the mainland are as follows, and almost double if you live in the Galapagos.
Food $3,677.38
Education, art & culture $3,677.38
Health $14,709.50
Clothing $3,677.38
Housing $3,677.38
Total personal expenses $14,709.50
Rare, catastrophic or orphan (?) diseases $22,630

Alternative medicine – You can receive alternative medical care in the Medicina Andina wing at the Hospital Andino Alternativo de Chimborazo. The 3 yachacs cover diagnosis and treatments of muscle and bone lesions, natural childbirth, community health, and herbal treatments with medicinal plants. The hospital is large and also has western medical treatments with doctors working in conjunction with the yachacs.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne