Press Interpreter

11/09/05 -- The Secretary of Social Development*, Josefina Vázquez Mota, said that 2 billion pesos will need to be added to the 8.5 billion approved by the National Disaster Fund (Fonden) for reconstruction in Chiapas**. She said that so far the Secretary of the Treasury has already authorized the 380 million [pesos] requested last week as a budget surplus.

She noted that President Vicente Fox called on the Congress of the Union to authorize additional expenditures, because the National Disaster Fund does not account for all the necessary reconstruction funding for Chiapas.

After opening the annual meeting of the Mexican Center for Philanthropy 2005, she flatly denied that figures on the devastation caused by Hurricane Stan in Chiapas were being hidden from investigators. "The information is there. In this case, the assessment records were promptly delivered, in accordance with the rules of the National Disaster Fund."

She insisted that "[we have the strongest desire to inform,] as is our duty." She pointed out a telling example of that: last Monday, Carlos Abascal, the Secretary of Governance, met with deputies to discuss the issues, just as she planned to do that day. "I can tell you that at this stage we're looking at the total reconstruction of 31,000 homes and the improvement of another 15,000."

"Moreover, we're aware of the damages in the agricultural sector [and] the work to be done on 547 roads affected by the storm, most immediately in the rural and mountain areas of the state. Fortunately, we've been able to do detailed evaluations."

Vazquez Mota also said that even though 8.5 billion pesos had been budgeted for the reconstruction, "we're estimating that we'll need another two billion dollars that the Fund doesn't include." And since the Treasury approved the additional requested resources, today she will visit to assess the tasks undertaken so far.

On the other hand, she said that for the moment she will continue to work from the social agenda, because "right now this is my only commitment."

Nevertheless, she neither confirmed nor denied being invited to join the political campaign of Felipe Calderón, the PAN*** candidate for President of the Republic.

"My desire" — she insisted — "is to accompany the President until he makes a decision. I have talked about a lot of different things with Felipe [Calderón]. We have always been friends, but for the moment I am totally committed to the agenda of the Sedeso [her title; abbreviation for Secretaria de Desarrollo Social]."

Moreover, at the ninth annual meeting of the Cemefi [Centro Mexicano para la Filantropía], Vázquez Mota called for a strengthening of the liberty of expression and explained that in Mexico "there's still no place for censorship."

[Full Article]

* SeDeSo is short for the Secretaria de Desarrollo Social, or Secretary of Social Development

** Chiapas is a state in southeastern Mexico

*** PAN is the conservative Mexican political party "Partido Acción Nacional," or "National Action Party"

[This article appeared in the Mexican daily La Jornada, based in Mexico City]

By Alma E. Muñoz

--Translated By Chris Drake

Go to original article:

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2005/11/09/047n2soc.php