Tuesday, April 3, The San Juan Daily Star

Transcription

1 2 Tuesday, April 3, 2018

2 GOOD MORNING, the only paper with 3 April 3, 2018 h News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edition, along with a Weekend Edition to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Governor Rejects Reform, Pension Cuts in Defiance of Oversight Board Local Mainland Business International Viewpoint Noticias en Español Entertainment INDEX Pets Legal Notices Sports Games Horoscope Cartoons By MARIA MIRANDA SIERRA mirandasanjuanstar@gmail.com Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares will hand over a new revised fiscal plan to the federal Financial Oversight and Management Board on Thursday that will exclude layoffs of public employees, labor reform and a reduction in pensions. In a letter addressed to the oversight Board late Sunday, Rosselló emphasized that, although the federal Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) gives the board the power to certify or not certify the island government s fiscal plan, the same law establishes that the board cannot usurp the legislative and operational powers of the government of Puerto Rico. The Government will not allow the takeover of these powers, and therefore cannot be compelled to implement many of the suggested revisions, the governor said in the letter. Rosselló added that his government is committed to increasing labor participation, but rejected the elimination of the Christmas bonuses, mandatory vacations and sick leave by law because the oversight board insists on eliminating them while giving little to no consideration to labor compensation, such as the increase in the minimum wage and proper workforce training. The governor said further that the revised fiscal plan that he will submit will not contain a labor reform Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares proposal and will only include the Earned Income Tax Credit and the work participation requirement to be eligible for the Nutritional Assistance Program. The Board continues to insist on an average reduction of 10 percent of pension benefits in all government retirement systems, Rosselló said. However, any change in pension benefits requires legislative action. The Government opposes these additional measures to reduce pensions because they impose a disproportionate burden on the workers and retirees of Puerto Rico. The governor also lists in the letter several of the board s proposals that do not have his backing and that would also require legislative action such as the revision of the so-called crudita petroleum tax, or crude oil tax, that was implemented by the previous administration of former Gov. Alejandro García Padilla and the change in fiscal policy to demand that all state income flows through the General Fund instead of special revenue funds. The Board can not compel the Legislative Assembly to make such a change in tax policy, the governor added. Under the Constitution of Puerto Rico, that policy is only within the power of the Legislature. In addition, the governor rejected proposals that interfere with the operational powers of the commonwealth government such as the limitation on the use of vehicles based on license numbers, because, he said, it would unduly restrict the mobility of citizens to and from their workplaces. He further insisted that he will develop regionalization, a county system and the voluntary mobilization of incarcerated prisoners to institutions in other jurisdictions of the United States, because those proposals will produce significant savings in the daily operations of the government. The Government of Puerto Rico firmly believes that the suggested revisions [by the oversight board] would significantly depress macro-economic growth, which is an important cornerstone of the Fiscal Plan, Rosselló added in the seven-page letter. While acknowledging many areas of agreement in discussions with the oversight board, Rosselló said that as governor, I will not allow the Board to again seek to exercise powers it does not have. Should the Board decide to certify a fiscal plan that exhibits an overreach of its powers, know that the elected Government will exercise its discretion when implementing those measures it considers proper and in the public well being, the governor said. We suggest the Board refrain from taking actions that will cause more detriment to the task the Board was mandated to execute.

3 4 Tuesday, April 3, 2018 PDP Mayors Urge Governor to Demand More Federal Funding for Island Towns By MARIA MIRANDA SIERRA Puerto Rico Mayors Association President Rolando Ortiz Velázquez and a group of island mayors, reacting Monday to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares announcement on the delivery of the new fiscal plan to the federal Financial Oversight and Management Board, applauded his stance on defending public workers but said he also needs to demand more resources be assigned to the 78 municipalities. The governor is doing well in trying to avoid layoffs of public employees and the cutting of pensions of retired public workers, but he should be equally demanding regarding the resources that municipalities need to provide services to all citizens alike, said Ortiz Velázquez, the mayor of Cayey and a leader of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP). In this fiscal year some $350 million has already been stripped from the municipalities and if they continue making cuts, by the next fiscal year we will have the tragedy of seeing municipalities going bankrupt and the central government will have to take over the municipalities tasks. Morovis Mayor Carmen González Maldonado argued that while the governor indicates that he will not implement many of the suggestions and revisions made by the oversight board, he should also demand that the funds that have been eliminated from the municipalities be returned. Everyone recognizes, commends and congratulates the municipalities for the titanic work we have done since the passage of two hurricanes last September, but other than the mayors of both political parties, very few are demanding that funds be returned to municipalities, González Maldonado said. On the other hand, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been extremely bureaucratic and slow as a federal agency in the repayment of funds and the fiscal situation of municipalities is very serious. If the governor has any doubts about this, he should consult with the mayors of his own political party. He will see that we are telling the truth: we must restore the municipalities funds. San Lorenzo Mayor José Joe Román, meanwhile, said it is estimated that in Puerto Rico there are 40 municipalities in which 40 percent of the income comes from the central government, while the other 60 percent is from funds the towns generate from the sales and use tax, for example. The figure comes from a study by the Certified Public Accountants Association that confirms the degree of vulnerability of some municipalities after a $350 million cut was imposed on the transfers they once received from the General Fund. It has been more than proven that municipalities are quicker to serve the community and at lower cost, Román said. If what you re looking for is administrative efficiency, both the governor and the Oversight Board should be fair with the municipalities. These funds, which are [used] to provide services to the people, should be restored. Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes said the situation of the municipalities has been further aggravated by the slowness of insurance companies in handling claims related to the damages incurred after the passages of hurricanes Irma and Maria. The town s fiscal situation has been damaged even further, so we at the [PDP] Mayors Association made a call in the middle of March to Insurance Commissioner Javier Rivera Ríos to exercise the supervision of these cases with more rigor, Fuentes said. The municipalities have always kept up these insurance payments in the hope that, in an emergency event, insurance companies would respond to us. We spent the money and many companies have not responded. That adds up to serious dislocation in municipal finances caused by the cut by the central government to municipalities from the General Fund. We want the governor, as the representative of the Puerto Rican people, to demand that the oversight board do right by the 78 municipalities. Governor Declares Day of Mourning for Sportsman/Journalist Santori By The STAR Staff Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares on Monday decreed a day of mourning for the death of José Fufi Santori Coll. The governor expressed sadness over the death of a prominent Puerto Rican who will go down in history for his valuable contribution to sports, especially basketball, where he shone as a player and manager. Fufi Santori stood out in many facets of the life of our people, the governor said. As a basketball player he leaves a record of important achievements, which extended to his role as a leader in that sport. He was a connoisseur of various sports disciplines, including tennis. In the field of letters, he also stood out as a columnist, just as he worked as an analyst of news events. Rosselló expressed his condolences to the family and friends of Santori on behalf of the people of the island. Effective today, April 3, flags will fly at half mast at all public dependencies. José Fufi Santori Coll

4 Tuesday, April 3, Paradores Association Reports High Occupancy in Holy Week By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com Members of the Puerto Rico Paradores and Tourism Property Owners Association on Monday reported high occupancy for Holy Week and said they were ready for all summer dates. Since Friday, March 23 and throughout the Holy Week we were at about 75 percent occupation, and 100 percent during the end of Holy Week, from Thursday to Sunday, said Jesús Ramos, president of the association, and owner/operator of the Parador Villas Sotomayor in Adjuntas. The results in the association s lodges, located on Puerto Rico s coasts and in the mountains, are a great indicator of local tourist mood. This year, we had several elements that caused an additional interest and a much higher occupancy in the hostels, Ramos said. In addition, foreign tourists and Puerto Ricans living outside the island have already begun to arrive, and we have observed a renewed interest in supporting domestic tourism and local capital companies. There is a lot of interest for the summer dates. Xavier A. Ramírez, general manager of Combate Beach Resort in Cabo Rojo, said the best news is that up to now, no serious incident has been reported. This year, we received many more visitors than in 2017, and many return guests, which is an indicator of the quality of our product, he said. Several grandparents arrived with their children and grandchildren, reinforcing the mission and culture of the paradores -- Puerto Rican families serving other families. For Tomas Ramírez, vice president of the association, much of the week s success was due to the work and coordination on the part of the paradores, along with the municipalities and some government agencies, to ensure safe access, and to maintain cleanliness and order in all tourist areas. I spoke with the Parador Boquemar and the Parador El Buen Café, and both reported a high level of satisfaction from their visitors, Ramírez said. Meanwhile, at Cabo Rojo s 18 beaches, we received thousands of local and foreign tourists, added Ángel Rodríguez, owner and operator of the Parador Boquemar in Cabo Rojo. Everyone enjoyed it to the fullest, since the coordination of all services was excellent and consistent every day. The state and municipal police handled the traffic properly and so many people could easily attend religious and non-religious activities in the region. The multiplying effect of tourism in our regional economy is very positive for the communities where the hostels are located, he added. Court Again Orders Church Bank Accounts Embargoed By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com The San Juan Superior Court on Monday ordered the embargo of the bank accounts of the Catholic Church after the 24-hour period to pay the pensions of retired teachers expired. The order, signed by Judge Anthony Cuevas, authorizes the authorities to proceed to seize assets and money from the Holy Apostolic and Roman Catholic Church in an amount of $4,700,000. The court order states that the money and assets seized will be to answer for the payment of the plaintiffs pensions, and includes bonds, securities, motor vehicles, works of art, equipment, furniture, accounts, real estate and any other property belonging to the Holy Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, and any of its dependencies located in Puerto Rico. The order establishes that to seize sums of money authorities will issue copies to the court, while real estate will be recorded in the Land Registry. From any place where the seizure necessitates it, the order authorizes taking necessary measures (such as opening doors, breaking locks or forcing entry to the aforementioned place or locale) so that the embargo is not made futile or inoperative. The order arose after the church had 24 hours to pay $4.7 million for the payment of pensions to current and former teachers in island Catholic schools, which they demanded after the pension program was eliminated in On Sunday, San Juan Archbishop Roberto González Nieves expressed doubt about where the sum would be obtained to prevent the court from proceeding to seize the bank accounts of the religious entity. Let the lawyers respond, he said. I have not been aware of that detail until now, he said. On whether the church will have the money demanded by the court, González Nieves said, I doubt that. In Puerto Rico, there are five dioceses and one archdiocese. I only have [economic] knowledge of the archdiocese. The archbishop maintained that he does not know how much money the island church s trust has, since it is a separate commission from the archdiocese, where the monsignor has one vote. He added that he was not there when the pension program was founded, and also was unaware of the work related to the pension system because he was never invited to meetings. According to the Associated Press, the archbishop has said that a board of trustees created the pension system in 1979 as a work of charity and that teachers were not asked to contribute. He said the system relied on 80 schools that were operating at the time, and nearly half have since closed. A previous order to embargo issued by Cuevas on March 27 was temporarily halted on appeal later the same day. San Juan Archbishop Roberto González Nieves

5 6 Tuesday, April 3, 2018 Environmental Group Denounces Alleged Attempt to Lift Tiburones Canal Protections By JOHN McPHAUL FOR RENT BEAUTIFUL RENTAL HOMES FOR DISASTER RECOVERY WORKERS SE Side of Island 3 & 4 Bdrm Homes Homes Sleep 5-7 People $260-$300/Night Beautiful Beach/Mountain Views casawurster@gmail.com Photos at casawurster.com The Puerto Rican Ornithological Society Inc. (SOPI by its Spanish acronym) charged Monday that with the approval of a new law, the island government seeks to interfere and stop a judicial process initiated three years ago that seeks to designate as a natural reserve all wetland areas with vegetation around the Tiburones canal. The SOPI, along with a group of citizens of Arecibo, sued the Puerto Rico Planning Board (JP by its Spanish initials) and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to comply with the Law on Public Policy of Wetlands in Puerto Rico (Law 314 of 1998), which orders the JP, among other provisions, to designate the entire area as a natural reserve. As we suspected, the approval of Law 72 of February 4, 2018 only seeks to obstruct the process we have in court, said Ela M. Cruz, a spokeswoman for SOPI. While on the one hand the governor claims autonomy from the governing board of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, on the other he intervenes in a judicial process with the approval of a law. Contrary to their statements regarding the Caño Tiburones and beyond the judicial case, this public policy of the government only promotes the destruction of this valuable wetland. Nathaniel González, president of the conservation organization, emphasized the considerable expert and scientific work that has been carried out to support the claim of total protection of the area. The data and the reports are there and are the result of responsible work that has been based on By The STAR Staff science, he said. It is not right that they now seek to stop this process. SOPI is available to work as a team and justice is finally done for the wetland, which is why in January we sent a proposal to the governor with what should be the correct limit of the nature reserve. The Tiburones Canal, located in the floodplain between the Río Grande de Arecibo and the Río Grande de Manatí, is home to the largest freshwater wetland in Puerto Rico. It is part of the Model National Forest and the northern karst region and receives the discharge of ground and surface water, helping to cushion the impact of flooding on the area. SOPI has launched a call campaign in which citizens are asked to contact La Fortaleza and let the governor know that they want the entire wetland to be protected as a nature reserve. Change of Command at USACE Recovery Field Office Maj. Manuel Orozco The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Recovery Field Office (RFO) held a change of command late last week, as Maj. Manuel Orozco assumed command of the RFO from Lt. Col. Roberto Solorzano. Orozco currently serves as the USACE Mobile District South America Region Officer in Charge. Our mission to assist the people of Puerto Rico in the recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria continues to be our only priority, and it s our pleasure to inform the people that the Recovery Field Office s mission is in its last phase, Orozco said in a written statement Monday. All our lines of efforts are near 100 percent complete and will begin to retrograde as we reach the overall goal. Orozco previously served as assistant professor of military science and military history at the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey. Solorzano returns to his assignment as USACE Mobile District Central America Officer in Charge. The RFO manages the five missions assigned to USACE by the Federal Emergency Management Agency: Debris, Temporary Roofing, Temporary Emergency Power, Non-Federal Generator Repair and Maintenance, and Critical Public Facilities. As of March 31: Debris Removed: 3,823,634 out of 3.9 million cubic yards tasked for removal in 55/78 municipals. Temporary Roofing: Mission is complete with 59,469 roofs installed. Temporary Emergency Power: 96 percent of generators requested installed, with 883 active in the field. Critical Public Facilities: Total mission of 119 assigned repairs, with six pending construction award, 17 contracts for repair awarded, 96 facilities temporarily repaired.

6 Tuesday, April 3,