New AFP withdrawal: a demand that has been stagnant for a year

The pandemic accelerated the needs of Peruvians, and in the face of a market that brutally increased costs, the voluntary release of funds from the AFPs was an alternative to survive. In total, six withdrawals were authorized.

And, despite controlling the threat of Covid-19from the middle of last year to date, a total of eight bills have been presented that require the free disposal of savings to contain high inflation —promoted by parliamentarians of different political overtones, read Fuerza Popular, Podemos Peru and Peru Libre , mostly-.

The aforementioned texts seek to release from 2 UIT up to 70% of the funds.

awkward silence

Despite the claim of millions of compatriots and legislators, the Economic Commission of Congress, chaired by Rosangella Barbarán (Popular Force) does not have in mind to schedule it. Congressional sources explained to La República that an opinion is debated regularly when a special date approaches or the context warrants it, and it depends on the will of the head of the commission to schedule it prior consensus with its members and advisers.

Barbarán does not consider it despite the popular clamor since several projects on the subject have been piled up and even letters have been sent to prioritize it.

They demand to schedule a debate

“We have to set a date to discuss the request (withdrawal) of the 4 UIT (…) We are going to have to take a date so as not to enter into a confrontation in Congress and in the street”, recriminated yesterday Jose Luna Galvez (Can).

For its part, Digna Calle (Podemos), on more than one occasion, has shown its rejection of the inaction of the Fujimori parliamentarian, alleging that “the withdrawal of 4 UIT can provide financial relief” to those who do not have enough savings or have lost their employment in recent months. “That the AFPs do not impose their interests with the machinery deployed using the funds of the contributors,” she tweeted.

Barbarán acknowledges that it is not a priority

The congresswoman recently told Andina that the most responsible thing to do is to discuss the seventh withdrawal of the AFPs after the approval of the opinion on the reform of the pension system, and, therefore, “she will not allow such a sensitive issue to be politicized” —in reference to the release of pension savings.

Faced with the claim of his colleagues, he argued that “none of the withdrawals have been for the ONP, which are, in many cases, people with lower incomes”Therefore, the priority is comprehensive reform for “a decent pension.”

Paradoxically, despite “the failures of the system and the oligopoly of the AFPs” that Barbarán acknowledges, he insisted on the approval of the update of the ONP Recognition Bond, which tilts the balance towards the AFPs and which has been questioned by the Central Bank de Reserva (BCRP) because it decompensates the ONP ad portas of the reform. From the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), they warn that 4.6 million citizens would leave the ONP.

The Republic wanted to interview Barbarán to collect his defenses, but for the moment he did not want to declare.

Reform will be debated the other week

Barbarán Reyes assured yesterday that next week the opinion on the reform of the pension system will be debated in the Economy Commission, where “many of the things said here will also be collected”. One of the main slogans of this proposal is to diversify the pension market and universalize pensions.

This proposal is cooking in parallel to others such as the MEF, a special commission led by Jorge Montoya (Popular Renewal) and the one rejected in the Work Commission. Besides, The AFPs also presented a proposal in which they seek the contribution of the State for seed capital.

figures

19% of the 17.7 million workers in Peru belong to the AFP.

-14.4% fell the real average return of the AFP funds during the past year.