Mortal Strike to the self For weeks, residents of the so-called G8 group of communities that make up the Escrow Tierra del Caño de Martín Peña - has raised its voice against the government's intention to roll back a novel initiative in empowering communities.
me explain. The Trust's project came about 8 years ago and with it public agencies or any governmental entity transfer the ownership of the land to the communities that comprise the G8 . Just Trust Board determined the community would use the land, contrary to the traditional model in which politicians get to decide (sometimes aided by a good slice of green little notes.)
All this began to change Thursday when the Senate passed, as a thief in the night and abused by the mechanism of "download" a draft authored by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and Senator Kimmey Rasckey that reverses the achievements of the Trust and would leave the agency or government agencies decide whether or not the land transferred to the residents of the G8. And, of course, that decision certainly will have much to do with the G8's privileged location, just steps from the Golden Mile . The Senate bill has a counterpart in the House and if both are approved will go to the Governor's signature.
The measure seems like a huge setback in the process of social empowerment and self-management, and poses a boost to the government agenda that sometimes seems to rule communities when making decisions about their land. That, not to mention the movement that was the norm before the approval of the Trust. You know, we get the poor to build for the rich. Worst of all is that the approval was discharged without even notifying the affected communities.
The approval was a vote of the majority of the PNP and voting against the minority people, with the exception of Senator Juan Eugenio Hernandez Mayoral, who abstained. PNP Sen. Roberto Arango also declined.
