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<div align="center"><big><b><font face="Times New Roman">Funes
Administration Kicks Off Free Uniform and Free Meal Programs for
Students</font></b></big><br>
<font face="Times New Roman">CISPES update</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman">September 11, 2009<br>
<img alt="escuelas" src="cid:part1.05060107.03070202@cispes.org"
height="166" width="250"><br>
</font></div>
<font face="Times New Roman"> <br>
<br>
<i><b>Also in this update:</b></i><br>
</font>
<ul>
<li><font face="Times New Roman"><a
href="#ARENA_destabilization_tactics:">ARENA destabilization tactics:
conditional votes and fake popular actions</a></font></li>
<li><font face="Times New Roman"></font><a
href="#Popular_mobilizations_protest_El">Popular mobilizations protest
El Chaparral dam </a></li>
<li><font face="Times New Roman"></font><a
href="#FMLN_Creates_Commission_for_the">FMLN Creates Commission for
the Disappeared</a><br>
</li>
</ul>
<font face="Times New Roman"><br>
On August 24, Vice-President and Minister of Education Salvador Sanchez
Cerén officially opened the bidding process for some 7 million yards of
fabric for the production of school uniforms, as the first step towards
implementation of President Mauricio Funes’ plan to distribute two
school uniforms, one pair of shoes, and a set of school supplies to
every public school student in the country. The program will not only
benefit 1,360,000 students, but will also create jobs for small- and
medium-sized Salvadoran businesses. Fabric will be purchased from
Salvadoran businesses and production will be carried out at a local
level, with each municipality contracting local businesses and
collectives to make the uniforms for their students.<br>
<br>
Sanchez Cerén also inaugurated the amplification of the school meal
program at a public school in the town of Soyapango this past August.
The previous school meal program was limited to rural areas with high
incidences of poverty, whereas the newly extended program includes
students in impoverished urban areas as well. An additional 452,856
students in kindergarten through ninth grade in 764 schools will
benefit from the expansion, raising the total students participating on
a national level to 1,310,286 at 4,931 schools. The school meal
program provides a daily serving of rice, beans, oil, sugar, milk, and
a fortified drink to students.<br>
<br>
Meanwhile, on July 31, Funes distributed property titles for small
farming lots to over 900 families living throughout the department of
La Paz at a ceremony in the Zacatecoluca municipality. Funes attended
second ceremony in Izalco, Sonsonate on August 14 and presented titles
to 489 additional families. The families have been living on and
cultivating State-owned lands, many for decades, without official
property titles to their lots. One of Funes’ campaign promises was the
presentation of these titles, which then allows these families to be
eligible for loans, technical assistance, and government projects and
programs. These ceremonial presentations represent the first steps in
Funes’ promise to deliver 3,500 property titles in his first 100 days
as president.<br>
<br>
</font>
<h3><a name="ARENA_destabilization_tactics:"></a><font
face="Times New Roman">ARENA destabilization tactics: conditional
votes and fake popular actions</font></h3>
<font face="Times New Roman">In the coming months, the Legislative
Assembly will begin to discuss and vote on $1.5 billion in
international loans negotiated by the Funes administration, designed to
fund a variety of projects. The votes of both primary parties—ARENA
and the FMLN—are necessary for the 56 votes required to approve the
loans and next year’s national budget. However, ARENA’s legislative
fraction announced on August 20 that it will not vote in favor of the
loans unless the FMLN agrees to provide State financial support for San
Salvador Mayor Norman Quijano’s Metrobus project, turnover three
national movie theaters to ARENA mayors, and end the firing of federal
employees. In response, FMLN legislative deputy Norma Guevara told the
Salvadoran press that her party is not “susceptible to extortion,”
reminding ARENA of its promise to be a constructive opposition.<br>
<br>
The Metrobus project was one of the primary campaign promises of
Quijano, the recently elected mayor from the ARENA party, despite the
fact that municipal mayors do not have authority over public
transportation, which is regulated by the Vice-Ministry of Transport.
Funes has stated that he will not outright dismiss Quijano’s proposed
project, but that comprehensive improvements to the national public
transport system are necessary and there is no reason to limit a
transport overhaul to San Salvador. The government of Brazil has
offered to provide credit and technical assistance to modernize the
public transport fleet and revamp the entire system. Regarding the
demand to stop the firings of federal employees, Funes responded that
it is simply false and there is no policy of mass firings in place.<br>
<br>
ARENA has also been accused of orchestrating demonstrations, cloaked as
community actions, resulting in blocked highways across the country
during the last week of August. The protesters claim Funes’
administration is not fulfilling its promise to distribute seeds and
fertilizer and demand that these items be distributed immediately. The
Ministry of Agriculture is currently in the process of delivering
177,000 packets that contain 25 pounds of bean seeds and 100 pounds of
fertilizer to farmers throughout the country. There have been some
delays in distribution, generally due to the condition of the Ministry
of Agriculture when Funes took office on June 1. Farming equipment,
seeds, fertilizer, and other supplies had been stolen from the
Ministry—presumably by members of the previous administration—and the
Ministry was therefore burdened with $15 million in debt.<br>
<br>
The organizations participating in the road blocks include the General
Agriculture Center (CEGAS) and the National Rural Agro-industrial
Association (ANCA), both of which are recently created organizations.
Equipo Maiz, a popular education collective, pointed out the manner
that the media has covered these demonstrations in a recent educational
flyer. “These protests were widely covered and praised by the major
communication media, but this time without the typical qualifiers of
‘vandalism’ [used in most coverage of popular demonstrations],” read
the flyer. Salvadoran social movement leaders have expressed concern
that the right-wing is organizing groups disguised as popular movements
to destabilize the Funes administration. <br>
<br>
</font>
<h3><a name="Popular_mobilizations_protest_El"></a><font
face="Times New Roman">Popular mobilizations protest El Chaparral dam </font></h3>
<font face="Times New Roman">Since the beginning of the construction of
the El Chaparral dam in October of 2008, local community members have
mobilized against the dam. Recently, the communities have camped out
in front of the Presidential Home, shut down portions of the
Panamerican Highway, and demonstrated at the dam construction site,
demanding that President Mauricio Funes halt the dam’s construction.
The Executive Lempa River Commission (CEL) is the autonomous government
institution in charge of the execution of the hydro-electric dam.<br>
<br>
The project was begun during the administration of President Tony Saca
and is being financed by a $163 million loan from the Central American
Economic Integration Bank (BCIE) as well as a $56 million contribution
from the State. It is located in the north of the department of San
Miguel near the municipalities of San Antonio del Mosco, San Luis de la
Reina, and Sesori. Members of these communities oppose the dam project
and say it will flood and destroy valuable farmland, thereby displacing
many families that reside near the site. They also criticize the
project’s bidding process and the manner in which construction was
conceded to the Italian-based Astaldi Construction Corporation.<br>
<br>
On July 22, over 200 citizens of nearby municipalities protested
outside the construction site and met with El Salvador’s Human Rights
Ombudsman Oscar Luna. Luna has called on the government to thoroughly
review the project and offered to mediate between the communities and
government officials. He cited a report released by the Electricity
and Telecommunications General Superintendence (SIGET) that concluded
that the dam’s construction should be suspended due to the
controversial nature of the dam and the likelihood for conflict if
construction continues at this time. The report cites many
irregularities including: anomalies in the bidding and concession
process, failure to conduct a thorough consultation with the
surrounding communities, and deficiencies within the environmental
impact report presented by the CEL.<br>
<br>
</font>
<h3><a name="FMLN_Creates_Commission_for_the"></a><font
face="Times New Roman">FMLN Creates Commission for the Disappeared</font></h3>
<font face="Times New Roman">On Monday, August 31, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hugo Martinez announced that the government of El Salvador will
create a Commission for the Disappeared to investigate cases of
children forcibly disappeared and separated from their families during
the Civil War. Martinez will ask President Mauricio Funes to decree an
executive order for the creation of the Commission during the 15th
anniversary celebration of the non-governmental organization
Pro-Búsqueda. Since 1994, Pro-Búsqueda has investigated cases of
disappeared children and reunited 214 people with their families. Reyna
Portillo of Pro-Búsqueda notes that this will mark the first time that
their organization has had a relationship with the government. <br>
<br>
During the Civil War in El Salvador, the Armed Forces and other State
security forces were responsible for the separation of many children
from their families. According to Pro-Búsqueda, some of these children
were literally torn from the arms of their parents, although the
majority became orphans after State-sponsored massacres and armed
confrontations. Such children, found amongst the cadavers following
military massacres, were given away, sent abroad for adoption, or
eventually put to work in the Armed Forces. Martinez said that he
believes that the government should recognize its responsibility to the
separated families. He explained that previous administrations refused
to acknowledge the disappearances and he emphasized the importance of
these investigations for the historical memory of the country.
“Forgetting is setting the foundation for other boys and girls in our
country to continue being [forcibly] disappeared,” said Martinez.<br>
</font>
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