Re: Meeting...

Posted by Randy on January 13, 2012, 6:29 pm, in reply to "Meeting..."
187.146.115.247

I'm not at all qualified to give an accurate report, but I'll give it a whack. Please, if somebody has better information, correct me. The president of La Huerta was there (Carlos...?) and another official of La Huerta. (?) They welcomed everybody and opened the meeting up to the crowd. Victor gave a valient effort to translate both ways for those attending. The first speakers expressed frustration that when something occurs, such as a robbery, it is not easy to report. The delegacion doesn't have a phone. If you can report it, nothing happens. Then German (don't know his last name, from La Manzanilla Real Estate) brought forward a well-organized list of petitions for the La Huerta contingent to address. I got the impression he was representing the ejido. He asked for a permanent patrol, a cessation of building near the mangroves, better access to the beach, (especially at Boca de Iguanas, where a fence has been erected, and people are charged 60 pesos to access the beach), an ambulance for the town (see ambulance post), improvements to the sewage system (which isn't working right), and also asked for the foreign community use local labor when building (The robberies are performed by these outsiders.) and to be sure to pay their local taxes. The president said a permanent patrol was not practical. They recently bought a new patrol car and blew it up within a week. I don't think he mentioned development near the mangroves, or the sewage, except in a general way. Maybe there was something about an ecology beaurocrat? He also said the delegacion would get a telephone right away. He intended to speak with the person at Boca, who he said was difficult. The other reresentative from La Huerta said the security issues could be addressed if the town could find housing for a group of about 15 investigators to stay for up to two months. He also suggested the foreign community organize a petition to state, federal, and local governments asking for help. Resources are limited (a recurring theme) and funding might be loosened up. Stephanie suggested that we could improve our situation much more simply, if we could expand the current delegacion so that about four more local people could be housed there. Then there would be enough personnel to patrol on bicycle, moto, or horseback. We don't need 15 investigators or a giant 4-wheel drive vehicle. An inexpensive, local solution would work better and be more sustainable. The president offered materials (didn't he?) and Stephanie said local volunteers were ready to begin construction immediately. Another person had a question about the local taxes, and somebody promised to make it clear to everyone how to comply. The tone of the whole meeting was almost entirely positive. Democracia en accion. So, that's what I took away. At least the delegacion should get a phone. Randy

242

Be sure to visit www.lamanzanilla.info