The suspension of the provision of the School Feeding Program service, PAE, in Algeciras could occur in other municipalities of Huila due to the threats to which the operators have been subjected. The authorities are looking for definitive solutions to protect the program and ensure that children do not see their rights to food and education violated. Governor Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera requested the intervention of the UN.
Hernan Galindo
The announcement made by the Secretary of Education of Huila, Orlando Parga, about the suspension of the PAE in Algeciras once again raised alarm bells about the dominance of the FARC dissidents under the command of ‘Iván Mordisco’ in several regions of the department.
What had initially been considered simple threats became a reality in the agricultural pantry of Huila, where the suspension of the social program will affect the six educational institutions that have 56 locations and 3,208 students, of which 2,121 are in the rural area and 1,087 are in the urban area.
Furthermore, as a collateral effect of the provisional suspension until the guarantees are given to provide the service again, 77 people in charge of food handling, the vast majority of whom are mothers of students in the region, will lose their jobs.
Although the other municipalities are not known, it is known that there are other areas in Huila where the operators have already stated that they have been receiving extortion pressure, basically from the FARC dissidents.
Asked about the matter, the department’s Secretary of Education, Orlando Parga Rivas, limited himself to indicating that he stands by what he announced through a statement about the suspension of service in Algeciras. He added that the rest is up to the Police authorities who carry out the corresponding investigations.
Although he acknowledged that there are other municipalities in which a situation similar to that of Algeciras exists, they are summoning the operators and demanding high amounts of money from them to allow them to comply with their contracts, he did not dare to say which ones, also with the argument that could interfere with investigations.
“This is very serious”
“There are several municipalities, without an exact figure being known; It had been proven that Algeciras and La Argentina are two of those municipalities,” said Governor Rodrigo Villalba last week at the end of a Security Council in which the issue was addressed.
“There is a complaint in some municipalities of the department, which deals with irregular forces and illegal actors who would be interfering in the normal development of the School Feeding Program; In Huila there are reports from Algeciras and La Argentina. This is very serious,” said the regional leader.
Villalba considered these pressures as a violation of Human Rights, the fundamental right to education, to food. This is a program protected by the National Constitution, by International Law, and must be exempt from any interference by illegal actors,” stated the sectional leader.
He specified that “there is no more beautiful, more supportive, kind, sensitive program than school feeding. “This program has nutritional elements, but, above all, it is a strategy for our students to remain in their classrooms.”
Today, as a week ago, Villalba Mosquera indicated that “a call has already been made to the peace negotiation table carried out by the National Government, to examine a complaint that exists about illegal armed actors interfering in the School Feeding Program in the Huilense territory.”
The last thing that was known is that yesterday, Friday, progress was made in contacts with the Peace Commissioner, to get a UN commission to verify these acts that violate international humanitarian law and take action on the matter, condemning these irregular groups. for interfering in the fundamental rights of minor students in the department.
In search of food solutions
The alert is growing in Huila because the number of students who are left without the School Feeding Program, PAE, in this region could increase because the operators of the feeding plan in educational institutions are being extorted.
The Secretary of Government of the department, Martín Lara, indicated that what happened in Algeciras confirms the complaints that groups outside the law and common crime are behind the economic intimidation of those who provide this service in different municipalities of Huila.
“We, first, are calling for a call from the citizens of Huila in defense of the right to education of children, especially from distant regions where children cannot come to school, go to their homes for lunch and return to school, because they come from very distant places and guaranteeing education to these children is only possible with the execution of the PAE program,” said Lara.
He insisted that “all of us as citizens must defend the program, the presidents of the Community Action Boards, the citizen, the parents of these children have to tell these actors not to get involved, not to place civil society in these difficulties. For this reason, the call is widespread from the inhabitants, from the people of Huila, in defense of this School Feeding Program.”
Insisting on other affected municipalities, he stated that for now the program in Algeciras is suspended, where more than 3,000 children are directly affected. “We are aware of other municipalities in which events have occurred that affect the provision of the service, there is interference with the operators, in the matter of transportation and food handling,” he added.
Regarding the measures that are being taken, he recalled that he has insisted before the High Commissioner for Peace, so that the issue is brought to the negotiating table with the dissidents.
“Yesterday, the Governor contacted the UN, so that they, being verification agents of the peace process, could come to Huila; “They are summoned to come to our territory to verify and bear testimony of what is happening,” he said.
Also, he stated that yesterday they contacted an advisor from the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and what is happening in the department of Huila will be brought to the peace process table. “We have given you all the information so that from there a call can be made to these forces outside of order, who are causing these problems in our department,” he concluded.
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What does the Mayor of Algeciras say?
As it is the first municipality where the provision of the School Feeding Program is provisionally suspended, LA NACIÓN consulted the mayor of Algeciras, Alexander Martínez, to find out the impact on students in his municipality due to this suspension.
“Unfortunately, there are more than 3,000 children between the rural and urban sectors who, as of Monday, according to what the Ministry of Education notified us, will be left without school meals.”
He added that they have yet to meet on Monday to look and look for some alternatives “since these are situations that arise and that are not under our control and to find some way to ensure that this feeding is not going to be suspended, which is of vital importance to avoid dropping out, to prevent children from being left without receiving these supplements and, above all, without studying,” he commented.
Regarding the concern about whether they could temporarily take over this program at a certain point, he made it clear that it is practically impossible. “The truth is that it would be difficult for the Mayor’s Office to take charge of this food because it does not have the resources. For this reason, we call on the National Government and of course the Departmental Government, to look and together find some type of solutions,” he added.
Martínez regretted what is happening in Algeciras for being a municipality hit by violence.
In another issue that is known to be affected, which is school transportation, Mayor Alexander Martínez said that at the moment they do not have this service, they had been working with a contract that had already expired and could not continue because it was liquidated. .
Additionally, he commented that in Algeciras they are experiencing a situation that other municipalities in Colombia face that has to do with conditions that are quite complex; “The Government, as always, demands that we have to comply with requirements that a municipality with a topography like ours is difficult to have, having modern cars that meet a series of specifications that in reality, there are very few municipalities that can carry out These policies demanded by the National Government, which are made with the cities in mind, are never focused on the countryside,” he complained.
For Mayor Martínez, this is what makes the situation worse and that is why resources are never enough. But it always has the drawback that, in the case of the rectors, they are the ones who have to see and certify that the service can be guaranteed, so as not to have difficulties later with any eventuality, an accident or something that may arise.
Regarding the transfer of the case of pressure on PAE operators in Huila to the UN, the president of Algeciras agreed with the initiative and offered his full support for it.
“Of course I completely agree that there are guarantees to be able to govern and to be able to comply with these policies and achieve benefits with school transportation and food, to provide stability, especially to minors,” he concluded.
