The chancellor participated, on Monday, in the special commission of the Assembly that investigates the treatment of the pandemic. In the afternoon, they received the Minister of Tourism and the Director of ISSS, who were also called under pressure.
For Monday, January 18, the special commission of the Assembly investigating the management of the pandemic by the government he urgently summoned the following officials: Morena Valdez, Minister of Tourism; Chancellor Alexandra Hill Tinoco; and the director of social security, Mónica Ayala Guerrero.
This time, the three officials listened to the commission’s call and introduced themselves. Chancellor Hill Tinoco did it first, and then, in the afternoon, the heads of tourism and social security entered at the same time.
According to the chairman of that commission and ARENA deputy Emilio Corea, civil servants were called under pressure for their non-compliance with not participating in the multiple calls made by the special commission.
SEE: The Chancellor, the Minister of Tourism and the Director of the ISSS are called by pressure to the Assembly
During his appearance, Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco reported that between March and September last year, 7,289 Salvadorans who had been stranded in 47 countries due to the pandemic had already been returned with the help of the Foreign Ministry in El Salvador.
However, for the Korean MP, there is a contradiction between the number of people that Migration informed that they have returned to the country. According to Korea, Migration manages to have more than 46,000 compatriots.
Tinoco claimed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has different processes. “7,289 was the number of people whose return was facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Migration and foreigners facilitate another type of entry into the country, of which we have no legal competence “, the official justified.
He added that repatriations were made from 47 countries, through 68 flights, 17 trials were conducted on land, 85 took place between April and September.
The repatriations took place from countries in Central America, the United States, Mexico, Canada, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
“We faced a global crisis in which we had to talk to the leaders of the countries and the representatives of the airlines, it was a complex process that did not depend only on us,” said the chancellor.
On the other hand, Hill Tinoco reported that only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent $ 274,343 on the purchase of food, accommodation and medicines for people stranded abroad due to the pandemic.
As he said, he is not aware that there are several Salvadorans who have not been able to return, as Comalapa International Airport opened its borders in September.
Regarding the plan that the Constitutional Chamber ordered him to present for the return of the blocked ones, he assured that it was presented and approved by the Supreme Court of Justice, but the deputies reminded him that they did not have it. The official explained that he does not remember that he made a commitment to the deputies to give them to them.
Korea later read a letter from the police director saying it did not comply with the taking of emergency officers because they arrived of their own free will.
In the case of the Chancellor, the official had already missed the mandate of the special commission 4 times. According to the law, these types of legislative commissions are empowered to order ministers or other civil servants to appear before the Assembly.
The tourism official, in turn, had to answer for the expenses made with public funds for hiring the hotels where the people who tested positive for COVID and those who entered the country after the closure of the airport and borders due to the pandemic were taken.
The director of social security had to explain how the government will repay the funds it lent to the new El Salvador hospital, among other issues, such as the availability of COVID tests for ISSS staff and beneficiaries.
SEE: MEPs convene economy minister and Mario Durán to report on pandemic use of funds