“When we took over the Government there was not a single element in the social development deposits”. The phrase in question was said by the current Chief of Staff, Guillermo Francos. It was January 10, and the then Minister of the Interior appeared in Congress and, with cameras recording, lied without blinking to the deputies who were looking at him in the committee chairs. That he was untrue is something that became known in recent weeks, when The scandal over withheld food came to light and generated a tsunami of complaints and cross operations in the Ministry of Human Capital. What was not known, until now, was that the Government took note of the stocks in the warehouses from the beginning of the administration and that, from that date, the Executive did nothing other than retain, not only groceries, but also clothing, appliances and mattresses both for emergencies (the Bahía Blanca flood) and for the needs of the vulnerable population.
The date on which the Government knew what was in the storage sites of Villa Martelli, Tucumán, Palermo and El Palomar (and at the La Boca Customs) was December 19. This is how it appears in the internal audit that Sandra Pettovello’s portfolio carried out and to which Page/12 had access. The document details the list of employees and contracts – under any modality -, the amount of funds and the complete list of stock that the previous management said to leave stored and the check that the audit team itself did of the deposits in question after the December 10. All with the signature of those responsible for the audit.
Specifically, as of December 12 – as stipulated by the national government – there were in Villa Martelli, 462,539 liters of powdered milk, 406,868 kilos of sweet bread, 452,097 liters of oil, 559,780 kilos of peanut paste, more than one and a half million kilos of yerba mate (1,770,618, to be exact) to name just a few figures from a list that is completed with rice with meat and vegetables, peas, pudding, noodles, lentil stew, flour – corn and wheat – , locro, egg powder, lentils and tomato puree.
But in the warehouse there was not only food: there were also from blankets, mattresses, cleaning supplies and toys to stoves, toilets, refrigerators and even pizza and pastry ovens. Everything is detailed in annex 9.1 of the audit.
In Tafí Viejo (Tucumán), meanwhile, a large part of the remaining stock remained. In the food section there were, for example, 94,006 liters of oil, 152,965 kilos of yerba mate, 228,100 kilos of chickpeas and 817,849 liters of powdered milk.
Dozens of washing machines, water tanks, thousands of school kits, mattresses and blankets were also saved to distribute, just to clarify some of the items that appear on this list.
Updates from December to May
When the withheld food scandal broke out, the Government had to give explanations in court. Hence, from December 12 to May 29, the stock underwent changes. For example, in the Villa Martelli Operational Center, a part of the merchandise entered into the warehouse So far in 2024 it corresponds to purchase orders issued in 2023, as recorded in the public records of Human Capital.
Regarding delivery, only one million liters of food were distributed by non-governmental organizations, the Most of it was destined for religious organizations, parishes, churches and bishoprics. One of the most benefited was Conin, chaired by the ocurantist doctor Abel Albino, received 43 thousand kilos of food. Now it is the same organization that is responsible for distributing much of the remaining stock.
Outside of these religious institutions, The organization that benefited the most was the Work Cooperative of the Independent Movement of Justice and Dignity (MIJD), led by leader Raúl Castells. This cooperative received 213 thousand kilos of food since Milei took over. To the provinces and municipalities, meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Capital delivered 198 thousand kilos: The province of Salta was the most benefited. It is followed by the municipality of Pinamar and the province of Corrientes.
Regarding the expiration of food, the Government came out to clarify that 40 kilos of rice and vegetables have passed their date and can no longer be consumed. Meanwhile, for products with a near expiration date, the biggest problem is in Villa Martelli. There are more than 30 thousand kilos of powdered milk that expire next July 7, That is, in just over a month, and more than 300 thousand kilos, also of powdered milk, in this case “Vidalac” brand, which expire at the end of July. In Tafí Viejo there are 466 kilos of powdered milk that also expire at the end of July.
The rest of the food expires between September 2024 and May 2026.
The truth lies
What the internal audit shows is that the accumulation of lies that the Government used not only does not constitute a half-truth, but could have legal consequences. Below is a review of the times the government wanted to ignore the existing stock in warehouses:
- On December 16, a storm devastated part of the Province of Buenos Aires. Especially Bahía Blanca. It was a tragedy that left 13 dead and hundreds of damages to houses and streets. Milei toured the city just after giving her vote in the Bombonera on a fleeting visit. At the request of the Nation, Mayor Federico Susbielles created a list with the most urgent requests, focused on food and housing. According to local chronicles, the aid was reduced to 110 federal forces and several emergency vehicles. Food, drinks, mattresses or appliances, nothing.
- On January 10, Francos appeared in the National Congress. Those were times when the first draft of the Base Law was being debated. He was one of the few officials to show his face before the deputies and when detailing the heavy inheritance, he said that “from the previous government there was not a single peso or an element in the deposits of the Ministry of Social Development.” The internal audit had already been done and the Government knew that more than five tons of food were ready to be distributed.
- On the night of March 19 and the early morning of the 20th of the same month, a storm hit, again, the Province of Buenos Aires. Around 68 districts suffered damage. The Minister of the Buenos Aires Community, Andrés Larroque, signed a letter requesting assistance from the Nation after almost one hundred thousand people were left without electricity. “We had no response,” the official explained, attaching the documents that gathered dust in the Ministry of Human Capital.
- Two hundred families were evacuated in mid-May in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes, as a result of flooding upstream in Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Mayor Martín Ascúa asked directly for help from the ministry led by Sandra Pettovello via this note. According to the testimony of the communal chief, not only did the Nation not send food, blankets or clothing, but they did not even acknowledge receipt of the notification.
- On May 23, when it was revealed that there were five thousand tons of food stored undistributed and about to expire, presidential spokesperson Adorni accused social organizations and held them responsible for the lack. “Regarding food, it is not as mentioned. Indeed, these foods exist, they have different expiration dates. They are not about to expire”
- · Only the day after the first statement, Adorni’s argument was different: food is only used in emergencies. “Indeed, there was a large part of food purchased in the previous administration, which effectively has the destiny of assisting crises or catastrophes”, he noted in his usual press conference. He strangely omitted that when help was requested in both Bahía Blanca and Corrientes, the Government did not issue a single food item.
- On May 27, the Legal Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Capital, Leila Gianni, added one more curious argument to the cataract of justifications: she said that most of the undistributed food was packages of yerba mate. The curious thing is that the ministry itself carried out the audit on December 19, which this newspaper publishes today, and in which it clarifies that there was more than a ton of powdered milk, 546,103 liters of oil, 797,847 kilos of corn pasta, 228,100 kilos of chickpeas, 44,162 kilos of noodles, among other things. And that an important part of that stock is about to expire.
