Mayors propose humanitarian corridors; Government and strikers are still far apart; Where to buy veggies and meats; Public space ordinances developed

Jueves, 23/6/2022

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Titular –

Diálogo, entrampado; la gente clama paz (Dialogue, stuck; people clamor for peace) – See today’s (Thursday) article in CHL for story. <If you know where and when to shop you can still get veggies and meat. SuperMaxi is not your only option for groceries. The Thursday outside market at the 27 de Febrero had lettuce, carrots, Swiss chard, onions, nabo, herbs, and much more with a complete selection of fruits. Drivers were unloading sides of beef for the inside vendors – no chicken or eggs, though. You early risers could try the El Tiempo Saturday and Wednesday organic market on Rodrigo de Triana y La Pinta with hours from 5:00 to 12:00. Get there by 6:00 or so for the best selection.>

Informe –

Cuencanos marched for dialog and peace yesterday, one of a growing number of protests against violence and road blockages. (El Mercurio)

Se enfrentan dos modelos políitcos (Two political models face off) – The disagreements between CONAIE which has support from various social sectors and the Government arise from the confrontation of two opposing political models. Professionals in sociology, mediation, and politics analyzed this social conflict from different areas. To Patricio Carpio, sociologist and U. of Cuenca professor, there is the Government on one hand with a clearly established agenda dictated or supported by the IMF. On the other hand is rhe CONAIE which represents the fight for the most unprotected sectors of the population under the banner of achieving equality and social justice.

The Government’s dilemma is that it either submits to the IMF’s or the social groups’ conditions. To Pablo Moreno, a lawyer and consultant, CONAIE and Lasso need to find points of agreement since the round table needs to start there given that the political and economic positions are so far apart. One of Moreno’s criteria is that there should be a neutral 3d party to mediate. Adrián Solano, a political scientist thinks the disagreement between CONAIE and the President can be translated as a dispute between power relationships. In theory you could say it is a dispute between the oppressors and he oppressed, but in practice it is nothing so radical. For Solano, CONAIE needs to understand that some of the 10 demands can’t be met immediately since they are structural problems of the State.

Corredores humanitarios (Humanitarian corridors) – Franklin Galarza, mayor of Morona and president of the Asociación de Municipalidades del Ecuador (AME), announced a resolution from that organization to which all the municipalities in the country belong. He said that the AME is willing to participate in setting up and running humanitarian corridors to guarantee the normal supply of foods, fuels, and medical supplies. The corridor would also allow free circulation of emergency vehicles and health personnel. The organization also asked that organizations such as the UN and Conferencia Episcopal Ecuatoriana be brought in as mediators.

Llegó nuevo cargamento de alimentos (New food shipment arrived) – Yesterday afternoon, LATAM flight 1409 arrived in Cuenca with a shipment of non-perishable foods and medical supplies. The first plane arrived el 15/6 and to date, over 4,000 km. of food and medical supplies have arrived. 7 planes have been sent to Cuenca, Loja and Quito and a humanitarian flight to Latacunga has been set up to transport people with medical problems. <Might one of those be the ailing ex-VP Jorge Glas, if he’s still in the prison at Latacunga?> Luis Mario Barsallo, subscretary of MTOP for Zone 6, said that besides flights, foods and supplies are being moved in terrestrial operations.

Cuenca –

Hay 2 ordenanzas para normar el uso de espacio público (There are 2 ordinances to regulate the use of public space) – The Dirección Municipal de Cultura is preparing one proposed ordinance to free public space for the arts, and activating another ordinance that regulates use of public space for art, grafitti, and murals. The first ordinance is to create a tool so artists in Cuenca can use public places to develop their activities, and the Department of Culture is asking for input from artists. There is an open table in the Casa de la Lira to collect specific needs of the arts sector. You can get more info at https://cultura.cuenca.gob.ec/.

Distribuidor de tráfico, a buen ritmo (Traffic distributor, at a good pace) – The contract to build an interchange on av. De Las Américas in the Choferes gas station sector was signed el 17/3/2022, and the project is progressing at a good pace. Mauricio Ochoa, the coordinator of Infraestructura y Obras Públicas for the City of Cuenca said the 8 month contract is 24.35% complete in spite of unforeseen events such as the severe weather, national strike, and delay in delivery of various materials such as concrete. 700 mm of steel tubing will be arriving from China to replace a current water main that supplies a large part of Cuenca. For that, the redondel will be closed tentatively starting el 2/7 until the project is completed. Water service will also be suspended for between 24 & 48 hours while the main is being replaced. Crews will be working 24/7. While the redondel is closed, there will be mitigation measures taken so that the bomba (gas station, gasolinera – your word for the day) can remain open. <Assuming the strike isn’t still going on and there’s any gas to sell.>

Statistics <for you numbers junkies>:
There will be 8 lanes in the interchange – 4 in the underpass and 4 at grade.
The interchange will be 28 m. wide and 400 m. long.
75,000 vehicles circulate around the redondel del Sindicato de Choferes every day, and 3,000 buses, representing 320,000 trips.
170,000 people in different barrios, ciudadelas, and parishes will benefit directly from this interchange.
The cost of the project is $7,471,494.

Nacional –

Nuevas exigencias hace la Conaie (New demands from Conaie) – Wednesday afternoon, Conaie sent 4 new conditions to Pres. Lasso for conducting a dialogue. The government was blunt: it will not cede to any of them. The conditions were to immediately cease actions of repression and criminalization; repeal of the state of emergency and guarantees that new decrees will not be imposed; cessation of attacks and respect for humanitarian refuge zones; and that the whole agenda be placed on the table with no “unfeasible” points for the Government.

Conaie also rejected offers for mediation from 300 civil organizations and the Asamblea Nacional saying that the negotiations should be directly between the parties involved, but it would like an ombudsman or oversight of the process. Francisco Jiménez, minister of the Government, responded that they are reviewing the demands to start a process for effective dialogue. He said that he did not anticipate a revocation of the state of emergency which would leave the citizenry defenseless. <Seems like everything either side says leaves the two farther apart with ordinary citizens stuck in the middle.>

And that´s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne