Assembly reveals millionaire expenses during the presidency of Rivadeneira

Ecuadornews:

In the 2013-2017 period, more than $ 9 million were allocated for dissemination and information; the benefits of the approved laws were publicized. A campaign was also held in favor of the constitutional amendments.

The National Assembly has spent millions of dollars to disseminate and report on their tasks. The administration that occupies the first place for costs in these areas is Gabriela Rivadeneira, ex-Alianza PAIS (AP), today Citizen Revolution, with a total of $ 9’879.915, 08. She was at the head of the Parliament for two periods between 2013 and 2017.

While from May 14, 2017 to March 8, 2018, during the presidency of José Serrano, of AP, the cost was $ 468,303, 33. In the administration of Elizabeth Cabezas, of AP, who is in office since March 15, 2018, the figure is $ 299,040, according to the information on the web portal of the Assembly.

In the presidency of Gabriela Rivadeneira a total of eight contracts were made for amounts ranging between $ 249,393.31 and $ 933,840.41. None of them was placed on the Public Purchases System portal, but instead were by special regime. That is to say, there was direct contracting with the companies.

The dissemination and information was made in television, radio, print and alternative media. The topics that were publicized were the benefits of the laws approved by the National Assembly in the period 2013-2017; or the campaigns of the parliaments of the Americas, which promote citizen participation to advance equity, or the dialogues for social justice.

The production of documentaries and visual memory was also contracted to show the creation of laws that benefit the citizenship and the Legislative management. The campaign on the constitutional amendments approved by the Rafael Correa government in 2015 is striking. Why? It is the most expensive of all, almost a million dollars, to spread the “benefits” of those amendments to the Political Charter.

These changes included communication as a public service, currently repealed with the approval of the amendments to the Organic Law of Communication (LOC). The agencies to which these contracts were awarded are repeated. For example, Publiaxion has three and PGV Advertising two.

For Assemblyman Raúl Tello, of the Movement United for Pastaza and member of the National Integration Block (BIN), the majority of Ecuadorians “is paying for the waste of the decade of the Correísta”. “The former president not only spent on works but also built a state of propaganda to support the lies of his populist government. In this context Rivadeneira took the Assembly to a similar situation, “he told this newspaper.

In addition, he added that it is necessary to investigate “where the resources went, because a large part of the government campaigns were done by the Alvarado brothers.”

Presidency of Serrano

In the short administration of Serrano, which lasted 11 months because he was dismissed, nine communication contracts were signed, with amounts between $ 11,564.23 and $ 167,000. The issues disseminated were the impeachment and the audit, for example.

In addition, studies were included to establish a baseline for monitoring indicators for the Assembly that determine communication strategies to generate communication, information and institutional image criteria. But, perhaps, the strangest contract is that of a service for the creation of a ludic and didactic communication product for children’s content, about the legislative work, for a total cost of $ 21,734, 70.

Physical spaces were also rented in booths and infrastructure, to install transmission systems of the Radio Assembly in the hills, which serve the cities of Cuenca, Azogues, Machala and Puerto Ayora, for a value of $ 13,702.50. During the management of Serrano, six contracts with special regime and one with electronic reverse auction were made. In that presidency the contracts with the agencies are also repeated: there are two with Publymark, for example.

For the legislator of Pachakutik, Encarnación Duchi, spending on advertising in Serrano’s presidency is “worrisome and requires analysis because he was only 11 months in office. There is a need to publicize the work of the Assembly but only in supervision and legislation, not in the image of the presidents of this function, “he told this media.

Current administration

In the current presidency of the Assembly with Elizabeth Cabezas, who has been in office since March 14, 2018, these expenses have been $ 299,040. The Mediterranean Communication company was awarded the contract to develop materials and communication supplies, spread the campaign and place billboards in the cities of Quito, Guayaquil, Loja, Cuenca and Portoviejo, according to information from the Legislative.

Héctor Yépez, from the CREO movement, said that in this period less has been spent on those items because today there is austerity. But he explained that it is necessary to improve the quality of information of the Assembly, without favoritism. “We have passed very important laws but the citizens do not know it. In the Law of Productive Development we eliminated the induction cookers and nobody found out, “he told EL TÉLEGRAFO. (I)

Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/politica/3/asamblea-gasto-9-millones-en-difusion-2013-2017