The rich Castilian saying makes it clear that the analysis of reality always depends on the glass through which it is viewed. The perspective of the PSOE in Tenerife leads its leader, spokesperson, and former president of the Council (2019-2023), Pedro Martín, to assess the first year of the mandate (2023-2027) of the CC and PP government group as “the one of announcements and photos,” as he explained today at the island headquarters on Bravo Murillo avenue in Santa Cruz. Martín asks the nationalist Rosa Dávila, who replaced him in the position on July 3, 2023, to “wake up from the dream and start solving the problems of the inhabitants of Tenerife”. He also accused her of “taking credit for achievements that are not actually hers” because they come from the previous mandate and “are the result of our work.” The also insular general secretary of the socialists, as well as a senator, also asked Rosa Dávila in the assessment of her management to act on housing, solve the dependency data, “the worst in all of the Canary Islands,” and to “stop making announcements about mobility and roads that do not translate into results.” He emphasized: “Rosa Dávila says she dreams of putting Tenerife in vogue. We ask her to wake up and start solving the problems of the people of Tenerife”.
Promises and Declarations
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“Are the roads better today than before Rosa Dávila took office?” Pedro Martín wondered, recalling the unfulfilled promises of the island president to solve the traffic jams in 90 days; the complete renovation of the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium by 2025 when “to this day, the renovation of the bathrooms that ‘we had awarded’ has not even started,” offering to “save La Tejita,” announcing “for this summer the new Aquatic Sports Centre, the large swimming pool of Tenerife in Puerto de la Cruz,” or creating 2,800 new socio-healthcare places in four years of which “so far, we haven’t seen a single one.” He pointed out, for example, that “the La Victoria de Acentejo residence has been finished for a year and is closed.” Martín also added to Dávila’s shortcomings “the loss of 13 million Euros in European funds to create bus lanes and HOV lanes (High Occupancy Vehicles) on the highways,” in addition to mentioning the closure of access to the TF-5 from Guamasa “based on a report from the Directorate General of Traffic that said the opposite,” and “the latest announcement to open an international ideas competition for the construction of an aerial train like in Japan to solve the traffic jams on the North Highway.” Martín described his group, the socialists, as “the only real opposition in the Council.”.
Challenges and Housing
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Pedro Martín appreciates that “the president’s greatest challenge cannot be limited to making Tenerife fashionable, as stated at the start of her speech, but must address problems in terms of housing, mobility and roads, social care, or the primary sector.” Martín regrets that the island president “has barely mentioned the problem that the people of Tenerife face in accessing housing.” Also, “that she has ignored the socialist proposal to create an Insular Housing Office.” He emphasizes that “transferring funds to municipalities for this competency, which the Council acquired in April through a decree law from the Government of the Canary Islands, does not solve the serious problem they have in promoting and carrying out urban projects, especially the smaller ones.”.
Drought
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The general secretary of the socialists emphasizes that “the first announcement regarding the declaration of a water emergency on the island due to drought was made in February and was not effective until four months later.” He hopes that “the objectives can be met because summer is already here, and there are some data that concern us.” He mentions in this regard that “the Insular Water Council (CIATF) as of the end of May, beginning of June, the last data they have given us, had only spent 10% of its budget. He questions: “I ask the president if she truly believes that the primary sector is better off today than a year ago”.”.
Mobility
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Pedro Martín underscores that “the essential projects to improve the situation of traffic jams in the North and South that were left prepared by the PSOE government for tender, including environmental impact assessments.” He adds that “they have been stalled for a year by the Council.” He adds, “It is a tragedy, the lack of interest, both from the Government of the Canary Islands and the president herself.” He points out that “the only work being carried out by the island government is the Padre Anchieta roundabout, the most publicized by the Council and in which Mrs. Dávila had no involvement, as it was already underway when she arrived, and even the first phase of the La Esperanza road was already inaugurated.” He reproaches the president for her “countless visits to the roundabout with pictures, press releases, and even the reception of a metal piece at the dock.”.
Management and Competencies
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The president of the Socialist Group laments that Rosa Dávila “takes credit for initiatives from the previous government” such as the purchase of new buses, the decarbonization plan of Tenerife reservoirs, the new access roads to the industrial estate of Valle de Güímar, the Tenerife Mobility Plan, or, “and this is astonishing,” the agreement with Aena “that we closed before leaving the Council for the improvement of the two airports.” He adds: “The only thing the new government group has done is dissolve the team of advisors working on the airports, appointed in their day by Carlos Alonso, which I kept because I am not sectarian.” He considers the most recent example “is the Comprehensive Elderly Plan they are now announcing and was conceived during the previous mandate.” Finally, he emphasizes, “he highlights as her own matters such as the construction of educational centres or the improvement of healthcare facilities, which are the responsibility of the Government of the Canary Islands. He also presents as her merit the successes in employment data and Social Security affiliation, matters in which the role of the Government of Spain is evident.”.
Employment
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Pedro Martín asks, “why did the Council not approve at the beginning of the year, as we proposed from the Socialist Group, the economic resources for employment agreements with municipalities so that they could use the resources from April, when the previous plans ended? By not doing so, there is an eight-month gap.” The socialist believes that “due to the government’s delay, it will not be possible to resume them until the last quarter of the year.” Martín summarizes his criticism in that “it took seven months to approve the ten million Euros – yesterday in the Government Council – for this purpose.” He concludes: “They will not be available for the municipalities to use until at least the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, which will result in a lost year in this matter.”.
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To Pedro Martín, by way of conclusion, “there are no criteria in key issues such as roads, only constant announcements. We ask the president to implement the projects that were completed and thus defend the interests of Tenerife”.
