Noboa denies he’s a ‘dictator’; Former Azuay mayor arrested for corruption; Mazar maintenance work is complete; Long-distance bus fares increase 25%
Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) Se abre taller gratuito de bisutería en agosto (Free jewelry-making workshop begins in August) – The Museo Municipal de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero will hold a free jewelry-making workshop from el
3-7/8 from 14:30-16:30 at the museum (Rafael María Arizaga y Luis Cordero). There are limited spaces. Sign up with an internal message on the official channels of the museum through its social networks.
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) Ricaurte, ‘sede’ del sabor del sancocho (Ricaurte, the “home” of sancocho’s flavor) -The 11th edition of the Festival del Sancocho will be held in the Buena Esperanza barrio in the Ricaurte Parish this weekend as part of their religious festivities. The agenda will start on el sábado, 1/8 with sports, traditional games, burning castillos (towers), the vaca loca, el “Indio Lorenzo,” a mariachi festival, performances by invited orchestras and the Sahiro group. On el domingo, 2/8 from 10:00, the Festival del Sancocho will start. Organizers plan to sell 4,000 plates which include the sancocho accompanied by mote, potatoes and salad. Attendees can also try other typical foods such as cuy with potatoes, hornado (chancho – roast pig), grilled chicken, and empanadas. The day will also have artistic performances, dance groups, games and family activities. There will be mega bingo in the afternoon. <A way to sharpen your recognition of numbers in Spanish. I think money motivates the typical gringo more than the joy of learning a new language.>
Inter- and intra-provincial bus fares increase 25% on August 1. (El Mercurio)
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) Landívar fotografía rostros de la cultura (Landívar photographed faces of culture) – The photo-exhibit ‘Cuenca revelada: Rostros de la Cultura (1980-2005) by Gustavo Landívar Heredia will open el 5/8 a las 19:00 in the Salón del Pueblo ‘Efraín Jara Idrovo’ in the Casa de la Cultura (Sucre y Benigno Malo). In addition to the analogue photographs of Landívar, the exhibit will bring together portraits of 47 leading figures from that generation.
Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del martes, 28/7) Culminan mantenimiento de central hidroeléctrica Mazar (Maintenance on the Mazar Hydroelectric Plant is complete) – The Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador (CELEC EP) announced the completion of scheduled preventive maintenance on the #2 Generating Unit of the Mazar Hydroelectric plant. The work included inspections, technical cleaning, calibrations, testing and adjustments in the turbine generator, transformers, electrical systems, electronics and mechanics and replacement of strategic components. This was the plant’s 8000 hour maintenance. <I hope that means this plant will be operating at 100% capacity when the power outages start this year.>
(De El Mercurio del martes, 28/7) Avistaron 20 cóndores andinos en Llanganates (20 Andean condors spotted in Llanganates) – Park guards at the Parque Nacional Llanganates saw 20 andean condors during a patrol and control in the Verde Filo sector, Pantzarumi zone, Salcedo sector. The patrol was part of permanent monitoring activities in the protected area to verify the state of the ecosystems and follow up on the wildlife.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 28/7) Noboa deja abierta la puerta a la reelección (Noboa leaves the door open for re-election) – In an interview on el lunes, Pres. Noboa left the door open for a presidential run in 2029. He said there is a possibility, but at this moment he is thinking about resolving the problems of Ecuadorians. If they are resolved earlier, there would be no need to re-elect him, but if the problems need more time to solve, he will think about running. For him, these democratic processes of transformation and political and economic transition take more than one term, between 8 and 10 years. His comments on a possible re-election were after a question from a journalist related to opposition groups who said that he is a dictator. He answered, if I were a dictator, they wouldn’t be able say that I’m a dictator. He said he has no interest in being a dictator but would like to go back to his professional life after his time as president. He added that he has small children who would like to spend more time with their father. <So yes, he will probably be running unless his polling shows support of 1% or 2% and no political party will touch him in 2029. In the latest poll by Ciees, by the way, his numbers are not looking too good, with a positive management rating of 21%>
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) ‘Golpe’ en Ponce Enríquez (‘Strike’ in Ponce Enríquez) – The ex-mayor and pre-candidate of Camilo Ponce Enríquez cantón, Baldor Bermeo Cabrera, was arrested early Tuesday morning for alleged money laundering and ties to ‘Los Lobos´. The investigation was related to an alleged structure dedicated to illegal mining and traffic in explosives that involved Bermeo and his partner, another 4 people and 2 legal entities. Bermeo was mayor from 2019 to 2023 and recently confirmed his pre-candidacy for the interim elections in noviembre. Ponce Enríquez is in western Azuay Province, bordering on Guayas Province.
The judicial situation has generated uncertainty about his ability to run. Sociologist Patricio Carpio believes this case raises 3 questions. The first is that high impact judicial cases usually coincide with electoral periods. <Just like gas prices in the US go down just before elections.> 2nd, organized crime groups have successfully infiltrated local governments. And 3d, Camilo Ponce Enríquez has historically been a territory marked by illegal mining and limited Federal presence. Carpio noted that Bermeo has been a subject of investigations for several years for his suspected ties to illegal mining. During his administration, violence associated with territorial disputes between gangs tied to illegal mining increased. <Is this like when the mafia was embedded in municipal governments. How did cities and governments in the US solve this problem?>
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) Seis alcaldes procesados (Six mayors are facing charges) – Various current and ex-mayors in Ecuador are in judicial proceedings for alleged corruption, money laundering, embezzlement, and organized crime. In addition to Baldor Bermeo, these include Aquiles Álvarez (Guayaquil), investigated in the Goleada and Triple A cases; Vicko Villacís (Esmeraldas) arrested in the Blindaje case; Darío Macas (Machala) tied to alleged illicit enrichment; Ángela Plúa (Jipijapa); and José Arroyo (Pujilí).
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) Campañas de esterilización (Sterilization campaigns) – The City is continuing its free campaigns to sterilize cats and dogs in order to responsibly control the animal population. <Much better than putting litters of puppies and kittens into bags and throwing them into the rivers.> Until el 22/7, there were 2,198 spay and neuter surgeries with the Hospital del la Mascota, community brigades of the UGA (Animal Management Unit), the Mobile Vet Unit, and an agreement with the ARCA Foundation. In the communities, the UDA arranges sterilization campaigns in coordination with the local parish governments and organizations.
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) Amaru bautiza a pichona de cóndor como “Sisay” (Amaru names young cóndor “Sisay”) The second condór who hatched on 12/5 at the Bioparque Amaru has been named Sisay after 10,838 people voted. The name means “to bloom” in kichwa.
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 29/7) ANT aprueba ajustar las tarifas interprovinciales (ANT approves interprovincial fare adjustments) – ANT approved fare adjustments for both intra and inter-provincial bus fares in a resolution signed el 25/7. The fares will increase by 25% from current fares set in 2021 and take effect el 1/8. These fares are temporary and will apply only until ANT reviews, validates, and implements the definitive methodology to fix fares.
Here are some of the new fares:
Zamora (Gualaquiza) – $18.98
Quito – 17.25
Zamora (Loja province) – 16.17
Macas – 15.74
Sucúa – 13.80
Latacunga – 13.30
Gualaquiza – 12.43
Ambato – 11.86
Guayaquil – 11.50
Méndez – 11.50
Loja – 10.78
Riobamba – 9.63
Machala – 8.63
La Troncal – 6.25
Those over 65, children and the disabled pay half fare.
_________________
Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.
