Transfer of mining royalties for more than S / 600 million to Arequipa

Since yesterday, the regional government, in addition to the provincial and district municipalities of Arequipa and the National University of San Agustín, have had the money from the mining royalties that the Cerro Verde and Buenaventura companies paid between July and August. The resources, which exceed 600 million soles, were transferred to them by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

Delivery was made after a series of protests by the Arequipa authorities. Even a group of these, last week traveled to Lima to try to meet with Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez, but they were not received. They were only attended by the Secretary of Decentralization.

According to the provincial mayor of Arequipa, Omar Candia Aguilar, the distribution was made according to law. In the case of the commune that he directs, the allocated budget does not reach 5 million soles.

Candia said that the municipalities that benefit the most from the transfers are those that are closest to the area of ​​influence of the projects. This is the case of the district commune of Yarabamba, which received more than 135 million soles. Even this amount exceeds what was disbursed to the regional government of Arequipa, which, according to the MEF report, reaches 126 million 536 thousand 15 soles.

The money transferred, according to law, must be used for the execution of projects and works that benefit the population.

On the subject, Candia Aguilar said that in her commune they already knew that the amount that was going to be transferred to them was symbolic. He affirmed that now it must be the district municipalities, which have benefited the most, those that use their resources appropriately for the execution of projects. “We hope that these resources meet the demand of the population of the provinces, districts and the Region ”.