Government doesn’t meet Conaie demands; Avianca service begins; Rules for resumption of festivals are pending; 170 historic buildings need repairs

Oct 6, 2021 | 4 comments

Martes, 5/10/2021

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Exposiciones en la Casa de la Lira (Exhibitions at the Casa de la Lira) – A photo exhibit, “La presencia del bandoneĆ³n en Cuenca” (The presence of the bandoneon in Cuenca), will open tomorrow in the Casa Tienda at Casa de la Lira (La Condomine y Juan Montalvo 12-134). The images are of this wind instrument. <I never thought of a bandoneĆ³n (like a little accordion) as a wind instrument, but I guess it is because it uses a bellows to produce sound.> The Aires de BandoneĆ³n group will play.

Also at the Casa de la Lira is the exhibit, “Dunamis, testimonios de esperanza,” a show that seeks to raise awareness about the realities that violate peoples’ rights. It will run through viernes.

Titular –

DiĆ”golo sin resultados (Dialogue without results) – The meeting between Pres. Lasso and representatives of Conaie (ConfederaciĆ³n de Nacionalidades IndĆ­genas) was viewed differently be each party. Lasso characterized it as productive with areas of agreement. He talked about credit with 1% interest, respect for bilingual education, the fight against infant malnutrition, and the establishment of meetings on the items of disagreement. Conaie regarded the meeting as a failure since the Government did not accept any of the 6 points on its platform. These were repeal of the decrees allowing monthly increases in fuel prices and freezing prices, agricultural policy, a minimum of a one year moratorium on bank loans, collective rights, and repeal of decrees on mineral mining and oil exploitation. Conaie also wanted changes in the CreaciĆ³n de Oportunidades, especially to more flexible labor contracts as proposed by Lasso.

Cuenca –

Members of the indigenous delegation leave Monday’s meeting with President Guillermo Lasso saying that none of their demands was met.

Traslados a la cĆ”rcel de Turi (Transfers to the Turi prison) – 3 prisoners were transferred to the prison in Turi to safeguard their lives. MatĆ­as Abad, governor of Azuay, signaled that originally, the Turi prison was supposed to house only prisoners from Azuay, CaƱar, y Morona Santiago, but for various reasons, there are prisoners from outside this region. He explained that due to the prison crisis, there have been specific, temporary transfers to safeguard lives. Citizens expressed worry that transfers of inmates from different provinces could increase insecurity in Cuenca.

As part of actions of prevention, the Government is coordinating with Arcotel (Agencia de RegulaciĆ³n y Control de TelecomunicaciĆ³nes. <Those 4 words are an example of how web sites promise that you can learn hundreds of Spanish words in a day. If you can’t translate those words, English is probably not your first language.> Arcotel will design a plan to inhibit cellphone signals inside the jail that will not affect reception in surrounding areas or cell service for neighbors of the jail. <Hire that guy who got internet service into the Guayaquil prison.>

There is a national state of emergency for prisons after the killings in the PenitenciarĆ­a Litoral in Guayaquil which were attributed to criminal gangs and power struggles. The commander of the Subzona de PolicĆ­a del Azuay said it is also necessary for the Government to provide infrastructure, physical and electronic security, and more guards at Turi. <How about larges doses of drugs? Institutionalized geriatric patients get that treatment and they’re a lot less dangerous than gang members.>

Urge cuidar casas patrimoniales (Care for patrimonial houses urged) – The City of Cuenca has notified owners of 170 patrimonial houses to maintain the houses to avoid further damage. Of those 170, 145 are in bad shape, 21 are in ruins, and 4 have been classified as inconclusive. The notification says that lack of care and not reconstructing the houses to their previous characteristics can be sanctioned with 1-3 years in jail. CristĆ³bal Sempertegui, an architect and restoration researcher, said that the 2010 property cadastre identified 3,400 patrimonial buildings in the Centro HistĆ³rico. He said that the City should help support the owners given the high costs of maintenance and reconstruction. Ownership of an historic house is not an attraction, but a burden since the owner needs to have a lot of money for maintenance or risk going to jail.

Avianca comenzĆ³ a operar (Avianca started operating) – Mayor Palacios and Minister of Transportes y Obras PĆŗblicas (MTOP), Marcelo Cabrera, presided over the event that initiated Avianca’s air service between Quito and Cuenca. The airplane was greeted with a water arch <Not giant sprays of Carnaval foam.> The airline will have 6 flights per week on lunes, miĆ©rcoles, viernes, & domingos on Airbus A-320 planes. You can buy tickets at Avianca offices, Avianca.com, MyAppAvianca and travel agencies.

Festivales buscan norma como un “paraguas legal” (Festivals seek rules as a “legal umbrella”) – Organizers of some of the largest artistic festivals in Cuenca have joined to form a network to safeguard these cultural activities through public policies. Some of the festivals represented include the Escenarios del Mundo, TitiriCuenca and Rotofest. They have drafted a proposal which they hope the cantonal council will accept for debate. The network said that you can find a festival practically every month, and with the festivals come tourists with hotels and restaurants also benefiting.

Adultos ya puede completar estudios en plan Todos ABC (Adults can now complete studies in the Todos ABC plan) – The Ministerio de EducaciĆ³n has opened enrollment for people who have not completed their schooling. Intensive semi-presencial instruction is available at 4 different levels from alfabetizaciĆ³n which covers 2nd & 3d levels of primary school (10 months) through bacherillerato intensivo which covers 1st to 3d levels of high school and lasts 15 months. Students need to provide their diploma from the last year of school they attended, or take a placement test. The Zone 6 coordinator for the Ministerio de EducaciĆ³n expects about 3,000 people to enroll in these free classes. <I wonder if they would work for gringos who are illiterate when it comes to Spanish to learn the language?>

Lineamientos para vacunar menores entre 6 y 11 aƱos (Guidelines for vaccinating minors between 6 and 11 years old) – Zone 6 health coordinator, Andrea Bersosa, said that it is analyzing the guidelines for innoculating kids aged 6 -11 with vaccinations starting el 15/10. According to scientific evidence, the Sinovac and/or Pfizer vaccines will be used. She said that adolescents have been vaccinated, but those that have not been can go to the vaccine center at the coliseo mayor (Jefferson PĆ©rez?). Laggards over 18 need to go to the various health centers. The Ministerio de Salud PĆŗblica has started a vaccination campaign for kids under 5 whose regular vaccinations were interrupted by the pandemic. These would include sarampiĆ³n, neumococo, rotavirus, fiebre amarillo, polio, difteria, varicela (measles, pneumococcus, rotavirus, yellow fever, polio, diphtheria, chickenpox – your words for the day|) and more.

CampaƱa “Cuenca No Discrimina” se basa en tres ejes (Campaign “Cuenca does not discriminate” is based on three axes) – Two groups, La Red Sex and the FundaciĆ³n Verde Equilibrante are launching a campaign, “Cuenca No Discriminate” to raise awareness and promote respect and inclusion for LGBTIQ+ rights. The campaign centers on 3 issues: the family situation, social-economic reality, and access to housing. On the issue of family situation, 8 of 10 LGBTIQ+ suffer discrimination in the home and in public and private spaces. In the social-eonomic area, only 41% of LGBTIQ+ people have fixed employment and of those barely 51% earn the basic salary. Access to housing relates to the 2nd issue since many do not have money to access housing.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne
____________________

Editorā€™s note: Jeanneā€™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 donā€™t ask her for them). The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< ā€¦ >), is Jeanneā€™s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.

CuencaHighLife

Dani News

Google ad

Fund Grace News

Property 3br News

Hogar Esperanza News

The Cuenca Dispatch

Week of March 24

ā€œThey are pressuring me to resign so they can remove me from office,ā€ denounced VerĆ³nica Abad, Vice President of the Republic.

Read more

Ecuador Navigates Economic Challenges with IMF Agreement Looming.

Read more

ā€œSince when does thinking differently mean being a traitor?ā€ Pierina Correa questions in reference to the Tourism Law.

Read more

Google ad

Amazon Eco lodge News