The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila (CC), made it clear this Wednesday that the island authority will not allocate 1.2 million euros to finance the Esland awards, which are an “entirely private” event hosted by TheGrefg, and noted to be the “largest event in the Spanish-speaking video games and Esports sector.”
When questioned about the matter, and after the PSOE had raised concerns regarding a credit amendment of 1.2 million euros in favour of these awards, Rosa Dávila explained that “it is an amendment of 300,000 euros,” which will be allocated for a potential Island Forum featuring content creators who speak Spanish.
“It appears that the PSOE is unable to comprehend the documents,” stated the island president with a hint of irony, further commenting that it remains uncertain whether Tenerife will host the Esland awards, as she has merely submitted her candidacy alongside those of other Spanish and Latin American cities.
In this regard, she specified that the budget modification for the upcoming plenary session would total 300,000 euros, rather than the 1.2 million euros claimed by the Socialist party, and that “in any case” these funds will be used to finance a forum aimed at training the island’s youth.
“(This situation) highlights the PSOE’s limited perspective, attempting to undermine every initiative in Tenerife,” added the island president, lamenting that the previous administration, led by Pedro Martín, had stalled significant events in Tenerife.
The controversial ascent of Teide by the YouTuber
The well-known influencer was involved in a controversial ascent of Teide last year, which was facilitated by the president of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, “bypassing the protocols that the rest of the island’s residents must adhere to.”
The controversy surrounding this YouTuber deepened due to his ascent of Teide on a day when the cable car was not operational for safety reasons (suspended due to adverse weather conditions). Nevertheless, the staff had to aid him so that he could ascend alongside the island’s environmental director. On November 25, he released a video documenting his climb, which prompted 14 environmental organisations to react, urging clarity on the responsibilities for the alleged illegal access.
The content creator himself admitted in his video that he had “collaborated with a high-ranking official from Tenerife’s environment department to ascend together, which is generally not permitted, as you need authorisation. It’s all about being courteous to the people of Tenerife, and they reciprocate. This gentleman is such an influential figure that the cable car was deactivated; it was closed, yet he reactivated it just to allow me to ascend and grant me permission. His name is Pedro, and we’re going to send him our regards.”
