According to a report by the digital newspaper El Faro, at least 1,500 boxes of food with the insignia of the Salvadoran government were distributed in northern Mexico by a candidate for mayor.
An aspiring mayor in Tlahualilo, in the northern Mexican state of Durango, distributed 1,500 food packages to potential voters in December.
This was normal, but the boxes he handed out had Salvadoran government logos, the Health Emergency Program (PES) printed on them, and were labeled “Social Work,” according to a publication in the digital newspaper El Faro.
The packages were distributed by Juan Carlos Cazares Sandoval, who appears as a candidate for mayor of Tlahualilo by the official party, Morena.
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According to the publication El Faro, the distribution was made on December 24, 2020 and subsequently published on the official Facebook page close to the candidate in question.
“In support of the houses of the various ejides that make up the irrigation module, it delivered today, December 24, 2020, the amount of 1,500 well-stocked pantries, which are equivalent to 30 tons of food,” was highlighted in the Cazares Page, according to digital media salvadoriene.
In October 2020, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador forced the government of President Nayib Bukele to label all food aid packages with the caption “This food package was paid for with your taxes.”
Legislators have approved the measure to prevent civil servants from obtaining electoral benefits from food distribution. This legend is visible on packages paid for by Salvadorans and received by Mexican citizens.
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The delivery of El Salvadoran government logo packages was denounced by Cazares’ political opponents, who demanded an explanation for the distribution of food packages, which appear to come from Salvadoran public funds.
Nayib Bukele’s government has sent aid quotas paid by Salvadorans to Honduras and Guatemala, but there is no evidence of approval or sending of packages to Tlahualilo or anywhere in Mexico.
Possible irregularities in the execution of the government’s food program have led the Court of Auditors to have more examinations in progress, as previously confirmed by the comptroller’s magistrates, which was confirmed by El Faro, as mentioned in the report.
In its note, El Faro reports that it contacted candidate Cazares Sandoval, who delivered the packages, to obtain an explanation, but received no response.
Cazares Sandoval’s opponents point out that the delivery of aid with Salvadoran badges “is an incongruity”, because in Mexico, on cruise ships, Salvadorans remain to ask for food. I don’t know who allowed this, “said Carlos Ávalos Sandoval, president of the National Action Party (PAN) in Tlahualilo.
For Pedro Sánchez Pérez, from the Campana ejido in Tlahualilo, it is unfortunate that these resources are used in this way.
“We know that in El Salvador they are poorer than us, so we want them to investigate thoroughly, because we also know that module 6 is a step for the municipal presidency,” he said.