The government of the Cabildo de Tenerife (CC-PP) has proposed a budget amendment, among several others already sanctioned for next week’s plenary meeting, totalling 1.2 million euros to fund two initiatives: Esland and Hub Intech. The former pertains to the awards of the same title, which have been endorsed for three years by the well-known and contentious influencer David Cánovas Martínez, known as TheGrefg. In November 2023, he became the centre of a significant controversy after being denounced by fourteen environmental organisations for climbing Teide “without permission”, as he acknowledged in a video, despite receiving support from the Environment department and being accompanied by the island’s director of this sector, Pedro Millán.
What was initially perceived by various collectives and political factions as blatant and improper favouritism by the nationalist and conservative government towards this youtuber has now been verified as a commitment to his ventures and influence, particularly among younger audiences. Although the credit allocation does not disclose how much will be dedicated to the Esland awards versus Hub Intech, it appears that a substantial portion of the 1.2 million euros will be directed towards the awards for the 2025 edition. Indeed, according to sources consulted by this publication, Cánovas Martínez has already dispatched part of his team to assess potential venues for the awards presentation, such as the Magma congress palace in Adeje or the Auditorium of Tenerife.
In July, multiple media outlets, including AS’s eSports section, reported that Cánovas Martínez was contemplating halting these awards for live internet streaming, due to their unprofitability; he was recovering only a fifth or sixth of his investment, which led to a loss of one million euros. Allegedly, the island government, which has yet to provide its perspective to this publication, remains unfazed by this revelation and is willing to allocate significant funds for the “Esland project”, as several media outlets are beginning to cautiously announce, although without full confirmation.
While the awards are immensely popular among enthusiasts of this online realm, Cánovas does not seem to have garnered adequate backing from sponsors, who are crucial for such events. The budget adjustment is defended under the premise of “the chance to undertake actions within the Innovation Master Plan, associated with promoting technological events (…), aimed at attracting companies in the technology sector and their internationalisation, while also fostering the creation of highly skilled employment.” Consequently, the amendment falls within the Research, Innovation and Development domain and specifically relates to the budgets of the Tenerife Science and Technology Park.
The opposition within the Cabildo, spearheaded by the Socialist Group, deems it serious that funds are allocated towards this “Esland project” and is apprehensive that the Island’s Administration is subsidising this initiative for Cánovas with public money, particularly given the past events surrounding Tenerife, such as his ascent of Teide nearly a year ago.
Precedents Linked to Controversy
So far, this influencer has been the focus of multiple controversies, including his move to Andorra to evade taxes in Spain and his attempts to evict an elderly resident from the Principality, although in that instance he claimed that only a contorted version of events was presented.
In the Canary Islands, the uproar he caused in November of last year during his ascent of Teide, a day when the cable car was not operational for safety reasons, was significant. Staff had to assist him in order for him to ascend alongside the island’s director of Environment. On November 25, he shared a video of his climb, complete with footage and remarks that compelled those 14 environmental organisations to call for clarifications regarding the alleged unlawful access.
He admits in the video, “I arranged to meet a superior, a major authority from Tenerife’s environment sector, to ascend together, which is normally not permissible as you need permission. That’s the perk of getting on well with the people of Tenerife; they return the favour. This man is such an authority that the cable car was switched off, closed, and he reactivated it just to let me on and grant me permission. His name is Pedro, and we are going to greet him.”
For environmental activists, Pedro Millán’s actions were not only egregious, but they also conveyed the message that “knowing the right people” could allow for free use of the cable car and even climbing to the peak without the necessary permits, thus endangering workers’ lives. They also lamented that he was not dressed appropriately and traversed paths or quasi-paths unsuitable for such use.
