Government and COB establish 3% wage increase for the basic salary and 4% for the national minimum wage

 The national government and the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) established on Wednesday night a wage increase of 3% for the basic salary and 4% for the national minimum, in order to maintain the security and economic stability of the country.

This decision was taken at a meeting between President Luis Arce, ministers of State and the main representatives of the COB, headed by Juan Carlos Huarachi, at the Casa Grande del Pueblo.

"It has been agreed that the increase of the basic salary for 2022 will be 3% and the increase of the national minimum wage will be 4%", informed the President in a press conference.

Arce ratified his commitment to continue working for the welfare of Bolivians and acknowledged the maturity of the COB leaders to assume this decision for the good of the economy and stability of the country.

Arce said that in that meeting, which lasted about 4 hours, the COB workers were explained "in detail" the technical data handled by the government on the current economic situation, after overcoming the effects of COVID-19 and the mismanagement left by the de facto government.

"We are absolutely aware that this first achievement will give us the basis to continue advancing in all the pending issues with the COB," he said.

For his part, the executive secretary of the COB, Juan Carlos Huarachi, welcomed the willingness and commitment of the head of state to meet the demands of the workers and ratified that this organization will continue working to improve the productive apparatus.

"We are once again ratifying a commitment that we workers are going to guarantee the political stability of our Government", he endorsed.

Cochabamba: Chilean citizen gunned down in broad daylight

  A 46-year-old Chilean citizen was attacked by a man, presumably also a foreigner, who shot him four times in different parts of his body. The police presumes that there are other people involved in this case.

The departmental commander of the Police, Rubén Lobatón, informed that a man of Chilean nationality who used crutches to move around with his partner was getting into his vehicle after leaving a micro-market on América Avenue between Héctor Cossio and Washington Streets. When the victim entered her vehicle and while the woman was surrounding the van, a man appeared to directly fire five shots: four in the man's body and one in the vehicle.

In the images of the security cameras of the businesses, it is observed -before the shots were fired- two subjects walking seconds after the victim, together with her partner, was leaving the micro-market. One had a helmet and a backpack, while the other only had a backpack.

Lobaton said that plan "Z" was activated to find this or other subjects who participated in this attack against the Chilean. The investigations have already begun and with the support of the security cameras of the neighboring properties it will be possible to catch the alleged perpetrators of the bloodshed. According to witnesses who were there when the bloodshed occurred, everything was quiet as usual, until they heard a scream and gunshots; they did not leave out of fear, but they did see the woman (wife of the Chilean), trembling and nervous.

"It was all normal, until I heard gunshots. I got scared, I was afraid. It was gunshots and I did not go out or help, I stayed and hid", was the account of one of the witnesses. 

Unofficially it is known that the health of the Chilean is delicate due to the fact that the bullet impacts compromised organs that complicate his recovery. The wounded man was taken to the María de los Ángeles clinic, where he underwent surgeries to save his life; however, he lost his left eye due to the bullet impact. The police authority indicated that the case is under investigation. There are several hypotheses, among them, a settling of scores.

From Pumari to Costas, Camacho turned his back on five allies

 Vladimir Peña indicated that the Governor of Santa Cruz "has become the Judas of the opposition". Creemos, the political front he leads, defends him.

Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of Santa Cruz, turned his back on five of his allies. Santa Cruz politicians qualify him as a disloyal person who now seeks to "take out of the game" regional figures that could overshadow him.

The people with whom he had this behavior are: Marco Pumari, Jeanine Añez, Angélica Sosa, Jhonny Fernández and Rubén Costas.

In December 2021, former civic leader Marco Pumari, who was his candidate for Vice-President in 2020, was arrested due to the 2019 post-electoral conflicts. Camacho could not make it to Potosí to follow up on the case. "Camacho did not defend neither Pumari who was his running mate, nor his bench", argued Nadia Beller, jurist and former legislator candidate.

On December 8, 2019, an audio was broadcast in which a voice attributed to Pumari asks Camacho for Customs and 250 thousand dollars. In an interview on CNN, the Santa Cruz native was in evidence as the one who leaked that material to the media.

In March, Camacho pointed against the "corruption" of the transitional government. However, according to sources of that administration, when Jeanine Añez assumed the Presidency, the then civic "went with a list to appoint ministers". They indicate that he placed people he trusted at the head of at least eight ministries.

Congressman Omar Rueda, from Creemos, detailed that for the general elections of 2020 Jhonny Fernández lent Camacho the acronym of Unión Cívica Solidaridad (UCS) so that he could run.

"UCS lent Camacho the acronym for a national project and used it for a departmental project only for him to benefit. He made an agreement with Angélica Sosa (...). When it was the subnational elections he asked us for support for Sosa, and we could not betray Jhonny, as deputies of the UCS faction", he indicated.

In December 2021, Camacho argued that there was an alleged conspiracy between the Movimiento Al Socialismo and former mayors Percy Fernández and Sosa, for the case of phantom items. "The height of cynicism. The scandal of the 800 items occurred when MAS was an ally of that administration", he emphasized.

Desirée Bravo, former councilwoman of Santa Cruz Para Todos (SPT), detailed that Sosa supported Camacho for both national and subnational elections. "Architect Sosa announced that SPT made alliance with Camacho for the national issue and then for the Governorship. It shows that he is a politician like those of the past, that when the ship sinks, he jumps," he complemented.

In the last month of last year, the Santa Cruz Government denounced Rubén Costas for allegedly using resources from the fight against covid for the propaganda of his mayoral candidates. Days ago, the Governor branded his predecessor as a traitor of the autonomy.

Vladimir Peña, former member of Demócratas, indicated that Costas was warned that an alliance with Camacho was risky because he would be disloyal to him.

"Camacho handed Costas and the Democrats on a silver platter to MAS. He made use of the Democrats to get to the governorship, so that they would not put up a candidate and so that he would give them his structure for the campaign and electoral control. Camacho has become the Judas of the opposition", said Peña.

Beller expressed that the Governor of Santa Cruz does not want to have competition in Santa Cruz, as he did when he was candidate for Governor. He added that with these actions he wants to divert the attention on "his bad management".

"To Angélica Sosa he denied her, after she supported him in his campaign. With Jhonny Fernandez he fought and that he lent him the acronym to be a candidate. He had quotas in the transition and denied Jeanine Añez. It is the disloyal character that Camacho has, he is disloyal with himself and with his principles. Many people supported him and now he received Camacho's stab", he added.

Página Siete called and sent a message to Camacho to have his counterpart. The Communication Unit of the Governor's Office referred as spokesman to Congressman Andres Romero, who said that there is a commission in charge of the follow-up of the Pumari process. At the same time he maintained that the ministries in the transition were a request of the civic movement.

"The Civic Committee made a call not to divide the vote, so not only one alliance, all the political tents gave their support to Luis Fernando Camacho", said the opponent. 

Wage increase was not discussed: after the meeting with the minister, businessmen say that the negative effects will be the government's responsibility

 In the words of the president of the private businessmen, Luis Barbery, there was no opportunity to talk about the salary increase in the first meeting held this Monday with the Ministry of Economy. "Absolutely nothing, there was no need to touch that subject because the positions are already clear, the Government has its own position, and so do the businessmen. The concerns we have regarding the effects of the salary increase have not changed, it is the Government's responsibility", he said at the end of the meeting that lasted two hours.

"We are going to abide by the law, and the Government will have to bear the consequences (of the increase)", Barbery stressed, warning that the businessmen cannot sustain the increase "because the conditions of the country do not allow for it".

He also said that they have agreed to meet periodically to discuss all issues related to economic reactivation and employment generation.

The expected meeting of the businessmen with the Government was a disappointment for the workers because the wage increase was not addressed in this meeting, this was also confirmed by the Minister of Economy, Marcelo Montenegro.

"No, the issue was not raised by the businessmen, only the ones we have mentioned", said the minister when he was consulted about the wage negotiation that should have been part of this meeting.

Meanwhile, the businessmen stated that it is no longer possible to talk about the wage increase because the positions are clear and that they will abide by the Government's decree on this issue.  

The president of the Confederation of Private Businessmen of Bolivia (CEPB), Luis Barbery left the meeting in a little less than two hours. The businessmen refused to explain how much a significant salary increase would affect the sector and only said that the Government is responsible for the management of the country's economy and that the private sector will abide by the provisions.

The Executive is expected to issue the wage increase decree on May 1 in honor of Workers' Day and is now holding meetings with workers to set the percentage increase to the national minimum wage and the workers' basic wage.

According to Minister Montenegro, the businessmen addressed issues such as agribusiness, ethanol supply, the supply chain, foreign trade and the regulation of export procedures.

After President Arce's son denounces YPFB case, Ethics Tribunal issues ruling against Amalia Pando

 After the son of President Luis Arce, Luis Marcelo Arce Mosqueira, filed a complaint before the National Tribunal of Journalistic Ethics (TNEP) of the Association of Journalists of La Paz (APLP) about a case related to YPFB, that body issued a resolution against journalist Amalia Pando.

"That journalist Amalia Pando Vega must observe in her journalistic work the ethical requirement of truthfulness and contextualization of the facts she reports", states point 1 of Resolution 005/2022, which was signed by the members of the Journalistic Ethics Tribunal, issued last April 20.

It also states that journalist Pando must consider the ethical requirement of informative balance, which obliges her to present different facets of the information, consulting both parties and counterparts.

Furthermore, in the spirit of respect for the differentiation between information and opinion, she is recommended to apply this requirement in her journalistic work.

You can also read: President Arce's son is reported to have worked in YPFB with a salary of Bs 35,000.

"Within the non-punitive, but ethical scope of the (TNEP), journalist Amalia Pando, and under Article 25, numeral 1, of its Operating Regulations, must ratify through the right to reply the published journalistic note with the pertinent clarifications or formulating the apologies of the case", resolved the Court.

On January 30, journalist Pando, through her program Cabildeó Digital, published the article entitled: "The secret negotiation of Arce's son with Venezuela", in which she pointed out that the eldest son of President Luis Arce traveled in April 2021 to Caracas to negotiate the possibility that the state-owned Petroquímica de Venezuela would take over the Urea Plant operated by YPFB.

The TNEP mentions that Arce Mosqueira's complaint was admitted last March 24, after which both parties were notified. 

The 800 kilos of drugs that "disappeared" in Beni have a value of US$ 1.6 million

  El ministro de Gobierno, Eduardo del Castillo, afirmó este viernes que los 800 kilos de cocaína que desaparecieron tras un operativo en Beni están valuados en 1,6 millones de dóalres. Ocho efectivos antidroga están implicados y serán cautelados por la Justicia.

"Si calculamos, estamos hablando de aproximadamente 800 kilos, se puede hablar de 1,6 millones de dólares, en atención de que cada ladrillo de cocaína costaría mínimamente 2.000 dólares", dijo Del Castillo a los medios.

La autoridad indicó que los 800 kilos de cocaína están "desaparecidos" y que ocho efectivos de la Grupo de Inteligencia y Operaciones Especiales (GIOE) Amazonía están aprehendidos y fueron puestos a disposición del Ministerio Público para su procesamiento.

"Estamos hablando de ocho personas, efectivos de GIOE Amazonia, de distintos grados. Han utilizado tanto vehículos de la Felcn como un vehículo particular esconder esta sustancia controlada", explicó.

Según los datos, el cargamento de droga fue secuestrado el 17 de abril y los registros de la fuerza antidroga dan cuenta del ingreso de sólo 431 kilos de droga, cuando el dato real de decomiso ascendía a 1.200 kilos.

"El pasado 17 de abril, a las tres de la tarde, personal del GIOE Amazonía se dirige hacia el municipio de San Borja porque se contaba con información del personal de Inteligencia, de la existencia de pistas clandestinas en este lugar. Los efectivos observan una estancia denominada Los Nicos, donde se encuentra armas de fuego de diverso calibre, una pista clandestina y tierra removida, donde se procede a la excavación y se encuentra una carpa azul con paquetes de sustancias controladas", relató.

Inteligencia de la Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (Felcn) encontró audios en los que se escucha a los "dueños" de la droga presionar a los efectivs para que devuelvan los 800 kilos "desaparecidos".

“Ante distintas denuncias y la información que se logra recabar por la misma Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico se determina que no era toda la sustancia controlada la que había sido secuestrada. La Dirección General de la Felcn logra interceptar unas conversaciones donde se empiezan a realizar amenazas al personal de la Felcn que había operado en este lugar en atención de que ya se tenía conocimiento que la carga tenía un peso aproximado de 431 kilogramos de clorhidrato de cocaína”, detalló Del Castillo ante la prensa.

Sobre la situación de los efectivos que participaron en el desvío de la droga, el Ministro señaló que esta tarde se llevará a cabo su audiencia de medidas cautelares.

"Esos efectivos que posiblemente estén protegiendo a organizaciones criminales, que han desviado una carga de aproximadamente 800 kilos ya han sido debidamente aprehendidos por el Ministerio Público y se va a llevar a cabo su audiencia de medidas cautelares", dijo.

Asimismo agregó que para el desvío de la cocaína se usaron motorizados de la Felcn y un motorizado particular que fue identificado.

"Han utilizado vehículos de la Felcn, de la dirección de prevención de consumo de sustancias controladas y un vehículo particular para esconder la sustancia controlada, son los vehículos que están siendo buscados en este momento", explicó.

Deputies approve amendment to the Penal Code and increase from 5 to 20 years sentence for judges who free femicides

 It was proposed that the sanctions should also apply to magistrates, judges, lawyers and others. The bill was sent to the Senate.

The plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved yesterday Bill 179/2021-2022, which establishes modifications to the Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Code of Penal Execution and Supervision, and determines to increase the penalties from 5 and 10 years to 20 years in prison for judges who benefit those accused of the crimes of femicide, infanticide and rape.

"We cannot remain indifferent to these facts that have caused mourning and pain in Bolivian families. In attention to the victims and their families we proposed this project to give them back their dignity. The purpose is not only to toughen the penalties so that other judges or prosecutors do not dare to commit these crimes. We are also going to avoid that feminicides, infanticides and rapists are free in the streets", emphasized the president of the Commission of Plural Justice, Public Ministry, and drafter of the norm, the congresswoman Lidia Tupa.

The bill was sent to the Senate for review and approval.

Among the modifications made to the Penal Code are the adjustment of article 173 on Prevaricato, to extend the penalty of imprisonment up to 20 years for judges or prosecutors who issue resolutions contrary to the Political Constitution of the State and other norms, in cases of femicide, rape and infanticide. The penalty for this crime is currently 5 to 10 years.

In the case of article 174 referred to Consortiums, the sanctions of 5 to 10 years only reached judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other assistants of the justice service who seek economic benefits in an illegal manner.

Now, with the proposed regulation, this penalty will also apply to magistrates, judges, conciliators, lawyers, police officers, experts, doctors and social workers. 

In addition, it establishes modifications to article 231, so that those accused of feminicide, infanticide and rape, cannot enjoy other precautionary measures other than preventive detention.

It also projects changes in article 239 so that the person deprived of liberty for acts of feminicide, rape or infanticide, who is seriously ill or terminally ill, may request the cessation of the precautionary measures as long as he/she can prove it through a medical certificate issued by the Institute of Forensic Investigation (IDIF).

It also modifies Article 174, which establishes that parole will not proceed in the three crimes of femicide, infanticide and rape.