“Concordia will be a city of production, development, and work,” the provincial leader affirmed from our city.
From Concordia, the governor of Entre Ríos reviewed the effort made by his government to support the productive sector in the quest to generate private employment and link education with work. "I have no doubt that tomorrow will be better than today," he emphasized while recalling his inauguration.
At the plant of the Compañía Central Pampeana (CCP), located in the former Yuquerí meatpacking plant, in the Benito Legerén neighborhood of Concordia, the governor recalled the beginning of his administration as "the moment we had the honor of assuming the greatest responsibility of our lives, for me and for my entire team present here, including the mayor of Concordia (Francisco Azcué)."
"We took charge of our province after 20 long years of the same political party governing it. In the case of my friend Gringo Azcué, 40 very long years," he added.
He highlighted that this year was the beginning of a "change of course, the beginning of a cultural change, fundamentally for the role of the State in our province." "And also the beginning of a path of development and progress that, unfortunately, we had abandoned for a very long time," he reflected.
PROVINCE IN CRITICAL SITUATION
Rogelio Frigerio recalled that he took office on December 11 of last year "without benefit of inventory and without excuses, immediately setting to work to fix and organize everything we had found. At that moment, the situation was dramatic." He added that "the accounts were completely in the red; we did not have the resources to pay the December salaries." He immediately detailed that, at that time, "the national government began to cut all budgetary transfers. Our provincial Pension Fund was about to burst. A few days after taking office, we had to face a millionaire debt in dollars that had been generated by the previous government."
He said that "we also had to face very significant structural problems. 50 percent of the economically active population of our province is linked to the State, whereas in other provinces like Santa Fe and Córdoba, it is approximately 30 percent."
He referred to the destroyed routes and roads, the lack of incentives to invest, the poor results in education, and the "totally unbalanced and unfair" health system.
PRIORITIES
He insisted: "we received a ticking time bomb and we were able to defuse it, especially regarding the most urgent issues: being able to pay salaries and pensions on time; saving the provincial Pension Fund; being able to pay the debt and not fall into default; taking charge of the debt regarding public works and, more recently, the intervention of our province's Social Work Institute (Iosper), which had also been generating a growing deficit and a dramatic drop in the quality of health services for its members."
He explained that "the biggest challenge we faced was seeking the balance of our public accounts without neglecting the most essential things that the people of Entre Ríos need to live and develop: food, work, education, health, security, energy, and transport."
The leader highlighted that the administration under his charge carried out, "without a doubt, the most important adjustment of politics and unproductive spending in the history of our province, but without neglecting the quality of life of our people. We also took charge of areas where the Nation stopped taking charge. The Fonid (National Teacher Incentive Fund) and Connectivity in our educational system, we increased subsidies for public passenger transport and the electricity tariff, where we put increasing subsidies to compensate for the increases in electricity generation on the electricity bill, in addition to freezing the VAD and eliminating provincial taxes from the bill."
"THE ADJUSTMENT STARTED WITH THE PRIVILEGES OF POLITICS"
In this sense, he said that "it is an effort, not only of our government, but of each and every one of the people of Entre Ríos, but the big difference is that today it is worth it and that, furthermore, the adjustment started where it had to start, with the privileges of politics and the unproductive expenses of the State."
In this regard, he described: "We cut political positions in half, eliminated secret funds, redirected cars -which were often used for the personal use of some officials- to the Police and many local governments. We dramatically cut secondments and that allowed us to save nearly 7 billion pesos this year."
In addition, he ended "the disorder we found in rentals, which forced us to pay much more resources than necessary. We also reorganized the entire subsidy policy and reformed the purchasing system so that no one ever again takes what belongs to everyone."
Regarding social security, Frigerio recalled: "We also promoted, in this restructuring and reform of our provincial Pension Fund, life pensions. We started there, by eliminating the life pensions of the governor and the vice-governor."
NEW STATE PROFILE
Having said this, he marked his determination: "We are changing the State and putting it at the service of the people and the productive sector, not the politicians, as it was in the past. The protagonist of our development plan is, without a doubt, the productive sector, our north. The only thing that will move us forward as a province is to substantially increase employment in the private sector."
In a new enumeration of actions, he expanded: "For that, we know what we have to do: provide passability to our roads, to the provincial routes, and to the production roads. On Tuesday, precisely, we started with the patching plan on (provincial) route No. 20, which will be transferred to one hundred percent of the province's routes and, of course, also to the provincial roads."
In tune with this, he spoke about another scenario of action: "We fought to obtain funds from the national government to assist producers. Funds that often and for a long time remained somewhere in the State and did not reach the producers."
Regarding the activation of credit, the leader pondered: "We are the province that managed the most loans before the Federal Investment Council (CFI) for our producers. Quickly, at Agroactiva, we placed all the loans we had proposed and also one of our promises: we started with the loans for dairy farmers from the BICE (Investment and Foreign Trade Bank)."
And to encourage investment, he commented on more initiatives. "Not without difficulty, it must be recognized, we promoted the adherence to the RIGI (Incentive Regime for Large Investments) and also the adherence to our Incentive Regime for New Investments (RINI). We have a new private initiative regime on the way and a new purchasing law that will also favor and encourage investment and employment."
Frigerio also celebrated the successful implementation of the Single Transit Document (DUT). "And we do not neglect the most important thing: educational quality, the training of the future workers of this productive sector that we want to defend," he noted.
In the continuity, Frigerio praised the potential of Entre Ríos by saying: "The productive force of our province is more alive than ever and the fact of holding this event today, here, in Concordia and in Yuquerí, has to do with that. This meatpacking plant, in some way, is synonymous with that productive force."
We have to take our foot off those who produce and those who invest; we have the obligation as a State to help unleash the enormous potential we have as a productive force," he continued.
"This strength that we see in you, we see every day in every part of our province and in every person from Entre Ríos. If the countryside and the industry of Entre Ríos never gave up, it is because the people of Entre Ríos never gave up," he added.
Concordia
In the final stretch, Rogelio Frigerio referred to the repair that is being attempted of the social brand that the second most populous city of Entre Ríos has. "Making this presentation, this recount of achievements, this year here in Concordia, also has the purpose -as I was just telling the mayor (Francisco Azcué)- of fulfilling another of our objectives: to leave behind forever the stigmatization of Concordia as a city of poverty and corruption."
"Concordia will be a city of production, development, and work," he proclaimed.
Upon saying goodbye, he expressed: "Thanks to the people of Entre Ríos, from the heart, for giving us the opportunity a year ago to start this change of course, for allowing us to put order where there was disorder; to put efficiency in management where there was neglect, and for also allowing us to put light where there was darkness."
"We will continue tirelessly on this path that we started and I have no doubt that tomorrow will be better than today," he concluded.
From Concordia, the governor of Entre Ríos reviewed the effort made by his government to support the productive sector in the quest to generate private employment and link education with work. "I have no doubt that tomorrow will be better than today," he emphasized while recalling his inauguration.
At the plant of the Compañía Central Pampeana (CCP), located in the former Yuquerí meatpacking plant, in the Benito Legerén neighborhood of Concordia, the governor recalled the beginning of his administration as "the moment we had the honor of assuming the greatest responsibility of our lives, for me and for my entire team present here, including the mayor of Concordia (Francisco Azcué)."
"We took charge of our province after 20 long years of the same political party governing it. In the case of my friend Gringo Azcué, 40 very long years," he added.
He highlighted that this year was the beginning of a "change of course, the beginning of a cultural change, fundamentally for the role of the State in our province." "And also the beginning of a path of development and progress that, unfortunately, we had abandoned for a very long time," he reflected.
PROVINCE IN CRITICAL SITUATION
Rogelio Frigerio recalled that he took office on December 11 of last year "without benefit of inventory and without excuses, immediately setting to work to fix and organize everything we had found. At that moment, the situation was dramatic." He added that "the accounts were completely in the red; we did not have the resources to pay the December salaries." He immediately detailed that, at that time, "the national government began to cut all budgetary transfers. Our provincial Pension Fund was about to burst. A few days after taking office, we had to face a millionaire debt in dollars that had been generated by the previous government."
He said that "we also had to face very significant structural problems. 50 percent of the economically active population of our province is linked to the State, whereas in other provinces like Santa Fe and Córdoba, it is approximately 30 percent."
He referred to the destroyed routes and roads, the lack of incentives to invest, the poor results in education, and the "totally unbalanced and unfair" health system.
PRIORITIES
He insisted: "we received a ticking time bomb and we were able to defuse it, especially regarding the most urgent issues: being able to pay salaries and pensions on time; saving the provincial Pension Fund; being able to pay the debt and not fall into default; taking charge of the debt regarding public works and, more recently, the intervention of our province's Social Work Institute (Iosper), which had also been generating a growing deficit and a dramatic drop in the quality of health services for its members."
He explained that "the biggest challenge we faced was seeking the balance of our public accounts without neglecting the most essential things that the people of Entre Ríos need to live and develop: food, work, education, health, security, energy, and transport."
The leader highlighted that the administration under his charge carried out, "without a doubt, the most important adjustment of politics and unproductive spending in the history of our province, but without neglecting the quality of life of our people. We also took charge of areas where the Nation stopped taking charge. The Fonid (National Teacher Incentive Fund) and Connectivity in our educational system, we increased subsidies for public passenger transport and the electricity tariff, where we put increasing subsidies to compensate for the increases in electricity generation on the electricity bill, in addition to freezing the VAD and eliminating provincial taxes from the bill."
"THE ADJUSTMENT STARTED WITH THE PRIVILEGES OF POLITICS"
In this sense, he said that "it is an effort, not only of our government, but of each and every one of the people of Entre Ríos, but the big difference is that today it is worth it and that, furthermore, the adjustment started where it had to start, with the privileges of politics and the unproductive expenses of the State."
In this regard, he described: "We cut political positions in half, eliminated secret funds, redirected cars -which were often used for the personal use of some officials- to the Police and many local governments. We dramatically cut secondments and that allowed us to save nearly 7 billion pesos this year."
In addition, he ended "the disorder we found in rentals, which forced us to pay much more resources than necessary. We also reorganized the entire subsidy policy and reformed the purchasing system so that no one ever again takes what belongs to everyone."
Regarding social security, Frigerio recalled: "We also promoted, in this restructuring and reform of our provincial Pension Fund, life pensions. We started there, by eliminating the life pensions of the governor and the vice-governor."
NEW STATE PROFILE
Having said this, he marked his determination: "We are changing the State and putting it at the service of the people and the productive sector, not the politicians, as it was in the past. The protagonist of our development plan is, without a doubt, the productive sector, our north. The only thing that will move us forward as a province is to substantially increase employment in the private sector."
In a new enumeration of actions, he expanded: "For that, we know what we have to do: provide passability to our roads, to the provincial routes, and to the production roads. On Tuesday, precisely, we started with the patching plan on (provincial) route No. 20, which will be transferred to one hundred percent of the province's routes and, of course, also to the provincial roads."
In tune with this, he spoke about another scenario of action: "We fought to obtain funds from the national government to assist producers. Funds that often and for a long time remained somewhere in the State and did not reach the producers."
Regarding the activation of credit, the leader pondered: "We are the province that managed the most loans before the Federal Investment Council (CFI) for our producers. Quickly, at Agroactiva, we placed all the loans we had proposed and also one of our promises: we started with the loans for dairy farmers from the BICE (Investment and Foreign Trade Bank)."
And to encourage investment, he commented on more initiatives. "Not without difficulty, it must be recognized, we promoted the adherence to the RIGI (Incentive Regime for Large Investments) and also the adherence to our Incentive Regime for New Investments (RINI). We have a new private initiative regime on the way and a new purchasing law that will also favor and encourage investment and employment."
Frigerio also celebrated the successful implementation of the Single Transit Document (DUT). "And we do not neglect the most important thing: educational quality, the training of the future workers of this productive sector that we want to defend," he noted.
In the continuity, Frigerio praised the potential of Entre Ríos by saying: "The productive force of our province is more alive than ever and the fact of holding this event today, here, in Concordia and in Yuquerí, has to do with that. This meatpacking plant, in some way, is synonymous with that productive force."
We have to take our foot off those who produce and those who invest; we have the obligation as a State to help unleash the enormous potential we have as a productive force," he continued.
"This strength that we see in you, we see every day in every part of our province and in every person from Entre Ríos. If the countryside and the industry of Entre Ríos never gave up, it is because the people of Entre Ríos never gave up," he added.
Concordia
In the final stretch, Rogelio Frigerio referred to the repair that is being attempted of the social brand that the second most populous city of Entre Ríos has. "Making this presentation, this recount of achievements, this year here in Concordia, also has the purpose -as I was just telling the mayor (Francisco Azcué)- of fulfilling another of our objectives: to leave behind forever the stigmatization of Concordia as a city of poverty and corruption."
"Concordia will be a city of production, development, and work," he proclaimed.
Upon saying goodbye, he expressed: "Thanks to the people of Entre Ríos, from the heart, for giving us the opportunity a year ago to start this change of course, for allowing us to put order where there was disorder; to put efficiency in management where there was neglect, and for also allowing us to put light where there was darkness."
"We will continue tirelessly on this path that we started and I have no doubt that tomorrow will be better than today," he concluded.