Gas stations returned to the Plaza Grande with protest and say they will not leave there until they find a solution

After several months of conversations and meetings, and having sent at least ten letters to the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, the Chamber of Distributors of Petroleum Derivatives (Camddepe) returned this Thursday, February 9, to the Plaza Grande with a sit-in to insist in three specific orders.

Representatives of this sector said that this time they will not move from there until there is a positive solution to their demands. They wanted a defining meeting attended by both the Minister of Economy and Finance, Pablo Arosemena, and the Minister of Energy, Fernando Santos, since they would have -in their opinion- decision-making power on the issue.

Delegates from various provinces, such as Cotopaxi, Pastaza, Napo, Guayas and others, arrived before 10:00 a.m. with posters and even stiltwalkers to express their discontent, at the foot of the Plaza de la Independencia.

Once again, also, delegates from the Ministry of the Interior came out to talk with them and ask them for some time to manage a meeting. Ivo Rosero, president of the Chamber, explained to Mayra Villamar, an official of the Ministry of Government, that there are three requests from him:

1. The increase in the marketing margin, that is, that the 5 cents that had already been granted in October 2019 be restored.
2. That the State assume the cost of transporting the fuel, especially since in remote areas that cost becomes unpayable.
3. That there is no double VAT withholding, because on the one hand VAT is withheld in advance at the time of fuel purchase, and when they sell to the public sector it is withheld a second time.

According to the gas stations, at the moment there are at least 600 gas stations that are working at a loss. Nancy Vega, a representative of the gas stations in the Amazon, urged the government official to help them, since she said that they can’t take it anymore.

He explained that, for example, in terms of transportation, it costs gas stations between 6 and 8 cents per gallon to travel to these provinces that are far from the distribution centers. In this case, the request is for the State to assume this transport, as is already the case in the province of Morona Santiago. He said he did not understand why a province has privileges and they are not attended to.

For his part, Villamar asked them for some time to manage a meeting and, after indicating that they have every right to protest, they agreed not to use vuvuzelas, but to remain with their signs and shouting slogans at the foot of Carondelet.

Rosero also complained that a few days ago they had been summoned to a meeting with some government officials and thinking that it was an appointment to find a possible solution, the gas stations came. However, Rosero said that they came across the unfortunate surprise that one of the Internal Revenue Service officials had threatened them with starting to review the processes of each one of them regarding the solidarity contributions that they had to deliver in 2016 on purpose. of the Manabí earthquake. Rosero wondered: Is this the way to seek agreements in the Government of the Meeting?

Until 1:00 p.m., the sit-in continued in the Plaza Grande, and according to what the members of Camddepe reported, the state officials had asked them for more time to give an answer. (YO)