The President of the Council, Rosa Dávila, affirmed that Teide “is the jewel in the crown of Tenerife and that is why we have doubled the investment in the national park for this year.” Dávila explained that the PSOE allocated 3,505,721 euros for investments in the previous year, a figure that the current island government (CC-PP) will increase to 6,594,682 euros. During the extraordinary plenary session held yesterday regarding David Cánovas’s ascent of Teide, the YouTuber TheGrefg, she explained that “we are in the process of reopening the Altavista Refuge this year, a facility that the PSOE closed.”
Dávila accused the Socialists of “intending to curtail the rights of the people of Tenerife with the Plan for the Use and Management (PRUG)”, while this island government “has established an SOS button and a logistics point to guarantee safety”.
Rosa Dávila assured the Plenary that “there is no irregularity in David Cánovas’s ascent of Teide, and this is attested by various reports from the director of the Teide National Park, the environmental agent who accompanied the island director, and the reports from the cable car”.
In her opinion, the aim of the PSOE in requesting the convening of the plenary session was “to read out the reports that have already been presented in the various sessions and plenary committees.” The president made it clear that “there is no investment of public money in David Cánovas’s visit; however, there is a public expenditure in the holding of this extraordinary plenary session.”
“You have left Teide unprotected for four years,” asserted Rosa Dávila, who listed events that occurred during the previous term, such as a barbecue (June 28, 2019), the painting of a huge graffiti (October 26, 2021), playing football (January 1, 2022), the incident with the company Asics promoting running in a protected area, and what happened with Carlos Checa, who cycled on a path intended only for hikers.
People’s Party
José Carlos Acha, spokesperson for the PP, emphasized that “it has already been proven that there were no irregularities and this has been reiterated in the committees. The cable car was operational, Teide was not closed, nothing had been decreed from the Special Protection Plan, the operating and evacuation plans were complied with.” He argued that “we are here to talk about the language and the video of a YouTuber with millions of followers.”
PSOE
The Socialist spokesperson, Aarón Afonso, warned the president that “the Council is not her personal fiefdom, nor is Teide the private estate of the Coalition Canaria.” The PSOE councilor recalled that the extraordinary plenary session was automatically convened and that Dávila had to appear in accordance with the organic regulations, not voluntarily, to explain the “irregular” ascent of the YouTuber and influencer TheGrefg to Teide.
He insisted that it happened without permission, using the cable car on the descent route, despite it being closed that day as a safety measure due to adverse weather conditions, and in the company of the island’s director of natural resources from the council, who subsequently claimed to have received those instructions.
Afonso expressed concern that TheGrefg’s video encourages “irregular, irresponsible behavior that violates the regulations for the use and management of the Teide National Park”, such as those who entered the crater on Monday. He stated that there are no available spaces to access Teide by cable car until May 5, said that “there should not be preferential treatment (…) based on whether one knows the president of the Council or not,” and questioned Dávila whether she will dismiss the implicated island director, Pedro Millán. He concluded by casting doubt on whether TheGrefg’s promotion is what the Island needs, whether bypassing administrative procedures, or whether the influencer’s description of a public figure as a “boss” benefits the image of the Council.
