What “a horror” and “a violation of the norm” defines Jaime Ruizpresident of the Pichincha Sports Concentration (CDP), to the retention of amounts allocated in the 2021 budget by the Ministry of Sportthis through a ministerial agreement with which the unused items are transferred to this year’s budget.
the leader points to “bureaucratic deficiencies” as the top of this impasse between the ministry and CDP, that has stopped several processes of an entity that “seeks benefit” from Pichincha athletes, “with a majority in the High Performance Plan”, governed by the ministry itself.
How is CDP left with this cut that has been described as “harmful”?
Beaten, because a high budget is reduced, it is a cut that comes from the ministry and we do not know advised by whombased on what execution, but we must consider that the execution is theirs, not ours. They owe us $600,000 from last year that they have not authorized its use for its tangled administrative processes.
What are those processes?
Are Items that are in the Concentration account in the Central Bank and that the ministry should have authorized since July, for acquisitions of a new bus, purchases of equipment for athletes that are already awarded and you don’t want to payand the payment of workers’ retirement pensions, because we reserve that money for the ministry to authorize.
What response have you had from the ministry?
We spoke personally with Minister Sebastián Palacios, in various meetings offered to transfer those monies, but it was never fulfilled. We insist, but on December 30 they draw up an agreement in which they decide that they withdraw that money from us for not using it, when we depended on authorizations from the same ministry to have that money.
What is a viable solution for this?
The minister has to modify the internal agreement, because it is a perverse agreement. In this they say that the money that has not been spent and is in the accounts we withdraw, ignoring their own obligation to transfer that money to executed processes.
What consequences could this have for CDP?
We can be sued by suppliers, because they are purchases that are already awarded as they are money destined for those implements. The money is in our account, but the ministry has to open the account and does not want to do it, that is a horror, a violation of the norm, That is why we ask President Guillermo Lasso and the minister to rectify himself because this type of arbitrariness cannot be taken.
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In a communication addressed to Minister Palacios, the budget cut to CDP is also pointed out. How is that issue?
Is one more blow to Ecuadorian sports and the sports of Pichincha, Let’s not forget that five years ago the budget was double, that is, Ecuadorian sport has been reduced by half. The State removed 5% of the telephone calls, but in exchange for that they offered to fulfill our obligations, but they do not do so, which is harming Ecuadorian sports. The current government must be aware that it is making a very serious mistake.
How is the ministry with these actions?
It’s a lack of seriousnessfrom the minister’s advisers who tell him to remove that money to distribute to others, but the problem is deep because sport is cut 5 million in the general budget of the State, From 66 million they are lowered to 61 from the Ministry of Finance, but it is one of the few activities that reduce money because they have increased health, education, security, but sport is lowered.
Is there a lack of ministerial management?
Clear. They reduce the budget to sport and The minister does not have the courage to go out and say to President Lasso ‘don’t put me down, help me’, that is a lack of management. The minister (Palacios) is demonstrating his lack of support for Ecuadorian sports and Pichincha, that is evident.
With the claim, did you receive a response from the ministry?
Only by WhatsApp. (Palacios) He told me “let’s look for optimization”, but there has been no formal response, That is why we are going to take de facto measures with the athletes in search of defending our rights, having their equipment, having a new bus because ours dates back 35 years. There is fear in sending our delegations in an old bus, because they could have accidents there.
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Would these actions break relationships?
We are not to break relationships, We are a sports entity that works for our athletes, each one has their own field and the ministry is the one that has to guarantee the Constitution, which says that the State will guarantee the financing of sport and the needs of athletes, but it happens that the State is not complying.
Have other instances been reached?
Yes, We have sent a letter to President Lasso to call his minister and ask for explanations of what is happening with that, with sports, with the youth of Quito and Pichincha, which is the one that has had great results, with the greatest growth and sports development despite the pandemic. We contributed with 14 athletes in the delegation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, there, for example, the gold medal of Neisi Dajomes, who although she is not from here, but works on our stages and we assume her training costs. Now we have 100 athletes for the High Performance Plan of Paris 2024, games for which at least 20 will be part of the country’s Olympic teams.
Do you see that he impasse is it only with CDP, or is it a general level management?
There are complaints from neighborhood and university sports, there are complaints from the Ecuadorian cycling woman, I think it is a bureaucratic deficiency in modern times, because another serious thing is that the ministry has to wait 60 or 70 days at the beginning of the year to begin with the expenses, that means that in January and February of every year the workers and athletes have to stop eating and mobilize because they don’t know receive the items, because they are not able to put into operation the budget and activate resources.
How is the CDP budget for 2022?
In a meeting, Palacios told me that they would lower our budget by 3% (it will be $4,830,077)that he understood why there is a reduction in the budget from the State.
Have you sought to compensate for this reduction?
Yes, because since the ministry has about 6 million for investments, we ask you to help us to carry out our own events, with that we compensate in some way, because in exchange for the cut we will have support for the organization of the Cycling Tour of Ecuador and the Quito Marathonfor which we will receive 300,000 dollars, with that we help ourselves a little.
Are those items already assigned?
The documentation to carry out these events has been entered, so that they are included in the budget of the ministry, we hope that the opposite does not happen. Nothing is insured yet, at the moment they are only offers. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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