Massive public works projects designed to boost city economy; Hotels, artisans report poor holiday sales; Gringolandia cartoon; Bank debt forgiveness ends

Miércoles, 4/11/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
Nada, nada, nada.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Alcalde ofrece alta inversión (Mayor offers large investment) – At the Sesión Solemne yesterday, Mayor Pedro Palacios announced an investment of $200,000,000 in public works to reactivate the city’s economy. He also received the responsibility for the Panamericana Norte highway along with $2 million for maintenance from the Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MTOP).

Public works projects include the remodeling of the estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar and the construction of 3 food distribution centers. There would be a $13 million wholesale market in Llacao on a 7 hectare site with an administrative area, a sales area divided into warehouses based on the products, and new connecting roads. The new Mercado Mutualista Azuay <What? Breaking with tradition and not naming it with the date of an historic event?> will be on a 1,777.46 sq. m. site in the urban parish of San Sebastián and cost $3 million. The mercado El Arenal is the most crowded and in conflict with the urban zone. There is currently an approved plan to rehabilitate the market. There would also be a project for an urban and architectural analysis of the stadium, which was inaugurated in 1945, to increase the capacity and add commercial areas.

Other MTOP projects would include the roadways Cumbe-Cuenca-Acceso Sur-Azogues-Biblián which would be done by the private sector for about $508 million. It is in the phase of calling for proposals. Projects supported by the Government via the BDE (Banco del Estado) are the Isauro Rodríguez bridge over the Yanuncay, an interchange at the Sindicato de Choferes gas station near the Parque Industrial, a water and sanitation program for the Saymirín-Tixán pipeline, a type C health center at El Batán, remodeling the Mirador de Turi, and construction of the Ríos de Cuenca bicycle paths. <Think all of these projects will be done by the Tricentennial?>

Mayor Pedro Palacios announces a $200 public works campaign involving a new stadium, new highways and markets. (El Mercurio)

Political cartoon of the day – The drawing is titled “Gringolandia” and is of Biden and Trump climbing the Statue of Liberty whose head is a covid virus.

Termina el plazo para deudores de la banca (The deadline for bank debtors ends) – The Ley Humanitaria had various benefits including for people couldn’t meet the terms of their debts to private banks. Debtors had until 60 days after the termination of the state of emergency to comply with the terms of their loans, so as of 12/11, fees and interest will start to accumulate again. Debtors who did not request loan deferrals, pay their debt, or comply with a renegotiated agreements with their bank, will be considered in arrears and their credit rating with the Registro de Datos Crediticios will be lowered. According to the Superintendencia de Bancos, in septiembre, the tasa de morosidad (delinuency rate – our word for the day) at all private banks was 4.07% which was 1.1% more than last month as well as septiembre 2019. By segment, delinquency rates were 1.25% for the commercial sector, 6.74% for consumers, 5.26% for mortgages, and 5.97% in microcredit loans.

Fue baja ocupación de hoteles (Low hotel occupancy) – the Asociación Hotelera del Azuay announced that there was less than 50% occupancy in hotels during the past holiday. This is a drastic difference from the holiday in 2019 when hotels had 95% occupancy. Hotels are worried since the Christmas and New Year holidays are family holidays with visitors to the city usually staying with family and friends. In addition, the new outbreak in Europe has reduced the possibility of an upturn in foreign tourists.
There were a good number of domestic tourists with visitors going to rural attractions such as the Parque Nacional Cajas which had 1,378 visitors el sábado y domingo, the El Plateado hill, and the waterfall route in Racar. Other attractions for tourists were the double decker bus, cafeterías, museums, churches, and the streets and monuments of the Centro Histórico.

Craftspeople also experienced low sales. One craftsman said he saw a good number of visitors, but not all went to the ferias and shows to buy locally made goods. The crafts guild is hoping that the Christmas sales season will be better.

El MSP reporta 94 casos en el feriado (The MSP reports 94 cases during the holiday) – The last report from the Ministerio de Salud Pública (MSP) showed Covid cases in Cuenca since the beginning of the health emergency rising from 8,368 to 8,462. Of these, about 67% have recovered. Covid patients in the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital rose from 43 to 50, but patients in ICU beds fell from 26 to 22. At the José Carrasco Arteaco IESS hospital, the numbers went from 58 to 60 and from 32 to 33. Deaths rose from 356 to 359. These figures could rise by the end of the week when the results of the 2,000 Covid tests taken during the holidays are received.

Agenda –

Sábado – 7 de noviembre:

8:00 – Rutas de la sabiduria: Caminata al cerro Francés Urco (Routes of wisdom: Hike to the Francés Urco hill) – register at dascaribay@cuenca.gob.ec – Aforo: Limitado (Limited capacity).
8:00 – IX Reforestación Yaku Verde: Protegiendo nuestros páramos (IX Reforestation Yaku Verde: Protecting our páramos) – Facebook Live @AsoYakuVerde.
10:00-16:00 – Visitas guiadas al Museo de las Conceptas (Guided visits to the Museo de las Conceptas) – Hermano Miguel 6-33 – Aforo: Limitado.
11:00 – Mediación lectora. Obra: Oficios, vocación y tradición (Reading mediation. Work: Trades, vocation and tradition) – by Jaime Lara – register at nambrosi@cuenca.gov.ec.
19:00 – Presentación de danza contemporánea: Crónicas de un mundo desconido (Contemporary dance presentation: Chronicles of an unknown world) – Teatro Sucre – Aforo: Limitado.

Sábados – 7, 14, 21, y 28 de noviembre:

9:00 – Cicleada urban y rural: descrubre Cuenca en bici (Urban and rural cycling: discover Cuenca by bike) – Punto de encuentro: Parque de la Madre (Meeting point: Parque de la Madre).

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne