Rules tightened for social media campaign ads; Hogar Cristo Rey hosts benefit for elderly residents; City adds ‘smart bus stops’; Holiday boosts tourism
Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del martes, 11/8) Invitan a almuerzo solidario (Invitation to a charity lunch) – The Hogar Cristo Rey
will have a benefit lunch el 23/8 starting a las 10:00 to raise funds for the seniors who live in the institution. The lunch will be at calles Vega Muñoz y Juan Montalvo. The lunch will be fritada that includes a drink and dessert for $5. There will also be live music, dance, and bingo. You can get tickets by calling 099 033 8354, 099 813 0693, or 282 2893 <If you’re one of those rare people with a land line.> <Not as posh as your usual gringo benefit, but it’s a good cause.>
Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 10/8) Control a campaña en redes (Social media campaign monitoring) – <This is a garbled translation for your civics lesson on one aspect of the upcoming Ecuadorian elections.> As the 29/11 interim election for local offices and the Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social (CPCCS – Council for Citizen Participation and Social Oversight) nears, so does disinformation on social networks. Organizations dedicated to verifying contents are warning about the risks of this phenomenon to the electoral process. Meanwhile the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) is preparing mechanisms to control election advertising on digital platforms.
Cuenca is contracting to install 20 new smart bus stops in various sectors of the city which will bring the total to more than 30. These structures provide more comfort and security to riders as well as electronic schedule boards. (El Mercurio)
The same disinformation occurred during previous elections. In the 2025 presidential election, data from Lupa Media found that one out of every 5 ads it analyzed on social media contained false information. Similarly, in the Consulta Popular (Referendum) on 16/11/2025, Ecuador Chequea found that out of 82 contents verified between 1/11 and 13/11, 57% were false claims. It said that there were manipulated contents, invented phrases, and unsubstantiated publications mainly through TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp. This challenge will move to this year’s campaign period, from el 12-26/11.
However, campaign messages on digital platforms will start much earlier than the official campaign period. <I don’t know if any of you noticed that ex-President Lasso was running ads on-line way before the official campaign period started.>
In 2024, the Tribunal Contenciosos Electoral (TCE) established that legal precedent defined what is considered electoral advertising and would therefore be subject to control by Election organizations. This ruling also said that advertising on social media may be subject to oversight both in terms of its content and its funding.
MarÃa Josà Alvear, in a study on control of campaign advertising on social media, warned that lack of adequate monitoring can affect the conditions for a fair, transparent, and balanced contest. Her analysis showed that social media can become spaces conducive to spreading disinformation, manipulated content, and messages that deepen divisions between voters. <So do we apply the same rule to social media that is applied to politicians? If their lips are moving they’re lying. If they’re posting anything, they’re also lying?> Researcher Anid DÃaz Buck raised the dilemma of regulating social media and freedom of speech. The global reach of social media and absence of territorial borders makes it difficult to apply national control mechanisms. Political organizations and candidates should report campaign expenses including ads on social media. In this situation, one of the main areas of regulation is related to the financing of social media ads with the objective of guaranteeing financial transparency without affecting the right to freedom of speech.
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 10/8) PolicÃa decomisa 1.2t de cocaÃna ocultas en cajas (Police seize 1.2 metric tons of cocaine hidden in boxes) – The National Police announced it seized 1,252.8 kilograms (1.2 tons) of cocaine that was hidden in boxes of fruit inside a banana container at the Port of Guayaquil that was destined for Spain. The value of the drugs was estimated at $37.58 million.
De El Mercurio del martes, 11/8) Fuego consume 23 hectáreas (Fire consumes 23 hectares) – The Cuenca Fire Department responded to 15 forest fires over the weekend. The largest area was in El Salado de Sinincay, with 7 hectares burned, followed by Corralpamba and Victoria del Portete with 5 ha., and Patapamba de Turi-El Verde with 4 ha. There were also fires in Cocharsà Alto, around the church in Victoria del Portete, and Zhiquir de Llacao. There were also forest fires in Paute and Girón. <Seems like fire season arrived abruptly. A few days ago the stories were about landslides.>
De El Mercurio del martes, 11/8) Cuenca superará 30 paradas inteligentes (Cuenca will have more than 30 smart bus stops) – Cuenca is executing a contract to install 20 new smart bus stops in various sectors of the city which will bring the total up to more than 30. These structures provide more comfort and security to riders. They will have covers, information screens with details about the bus lines in the sector, and security cameras connected to the municipal monitoring system. You can see them at the Colegio Manuela Garaicoa Calderón, the parish center of El Valle, near the Educativa Ciudad de Cuenca, Parque de la Madre, av. Huayna Cápac, and the area near the Mall del RÃo. The city is prioritizing locations with the largest number of people.
De El Mercurio del martes, 11/8) En el Cajas se verifica el plan de acción ambiental (Environmental action plan being reviewed in the Cajas) – The Comisión de Gestión Ambiental (CGA – Environmental Management Committee) of the City is reviewing the environmental action plan as part of a mutual agreement to conserve the watershed of the RÃo Tomebamba. Technicians from CGA with ETAPA personnel are inspecting the management of wastewater, septic tanks and biogas digesters as well as the sustainable technologies implemented by lodging and dining facilities in the park. These actions seek to strengthen the environmental management, promote adequate wastewater treatment, and boost best practices that contribute to the conservation and protection of the natural resources.
De El Mercurio del martes, 11/8) El feriado deja balance alentador para turismo (The holiday brings encouraging results for tourism) – During the recent holiday there was a rebound in tourism across the country with hotel occupancies reaching 100% in some cases. People went to the beaches and the mountains. About $65 million was generated with about 1,150,000 trips during the holiday exceeding the previous year <That’s about 6.25% of the population jaunting around the country over the long weekend.> In Azuay, hotels were at 80% occupancy even with the problems with the roads, and the majority of visitors coming from Guayaquil.
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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.
