The province of El Oro and especially the city of Machala are very connected to my life and my family.

My maternal grandfather, whom I remember every day with deep love, lived in the forties between Huaquillas and Machala. In addition to being a successful owner of the local drugstore, he was a respected merchant with close ties to the city’s civic guilds.

Former legislator Carlos Falquez Batallas dies at 81

It was in those days that Peru invaded Ecuadorian territory, El Oro, and especially Huaquillas, the gateway of an aggressor who had no respect for territory, private property, or human life.

My grandfather and his family had to leave Huaquillas and migrate to Guayaquil, after the angry and unstoppable advance of the Peruvian forces.

The oldest of my uncles took root in Machala and founded his family there.

That is why Machala is always in my memories. My uncles’ cozy mixed house, in the center; its streets and squares; Puerto Bolívar, Peruvian watermelons, “pata de mule” clams and crossing the border to buy innovative Peruvian products that were not available in the local market.

They declared three days of cantonal mourning for the death of former mayor Carlos Falquez

In the mid-1990s, I returned to Machala, on behalf of Diario EL UNIVERSO, to receive an award given by the then prefect of the province, Carlos Falquez Batallas.

Although at that time his name echoed in national politics, I only had the pleasure of meeting him on that occasion.

I was amazed by his simplicity, likability and excellent sense of humor, but above all by his passion for his country and his people, which overflowed when he exemplified the virtues of his beloved Machala, and lamented the unjust state of oblivion and prostration he suffered from headquarters power supply.

Years later, he became the mayor of Machala, where he served two terms, to lead the biggest transformation Machala has seen in its entire history.

I can testify to what Machala was like when Falquez arrived and how the city remained after his municipal administration.

From his mayoral mandate, not only extensive public work in infrastructure and basic services stands out, but above all, and perhaps most importantly, saving the self-respect of those who live in the banana capital of the world. .

Falquez became the voice of El Oro in a national concert; a leader who sought governments for his province, for his city, and also stood up to fight the totalitarianism that threatened to take over Ecuador.

Politics is thankless. Voters soon forget their benefactors. I don’t doubt this.

But as time passes, emotions subside, politicians and rulers come and go, and those who left a positive mark on society, those who made changes and those who excelled in public service are increasingly clear.

For this reason, I have no doubts about the relevant place that Carlos Falquez Batallas occupies in the history of Machala, El Oro and Ecuador. Rest in peace my dear friend. (OR)