The Puerto Rican president, seeking re-election, must now face off in the primary on the first Sunday of June this year against González Colón, who has decided to also seek the governorship of this Caribbean island of 3.2 million people under colonial rule of the United States.
As part of her election campaign, the vice president of the ruling PNP also sharply criticized Pierluisi's government for being negligent in enforcing electricity price increases.
In this sense, he demanded from Pierluisi that the financial supervisory and administrative body that Washington had imposed on the government of Puerto Rico clearly explained what the change meant for the payment of the debts that would increase the electricity bill for the population and traders.
The US Congress delegate questioned the alternatives being considered to mitigate the increase, including using more natural gas to reduce fuel costs, apart from how this increase was determined and where the plans to reduce energy costs are due to the instability and low quality of the electrical system.
In his fourth Debt Adjustment Plan (PAD) for the Electric Power Authority (PREPA), the CFO proposes a higher debt settlement fee than previously announced, which would mean a significant increase in the country's energy service bill.
“The people, the merchants and the industrial sector are all stunned by the many economic constraints added to the high cost of living. “That is why we should focus on how we can become more competitive, attract investments and encourage the population not to move,” said González Colón. by expressing their opposition to an increase in electricity bills.
People need to plan, he explained, but they can do so clearly with real data, not a “change” in energy costs.
He maintained that the use of more than $17 billion in federal funds to rebuild the electric system continues to be monitored and that it needs to be clarified what to really expect if there are further increases in how the additional fee will be determined and where The plans are to reduce energy costs and improve the system.
The state-run PREPA receives federal appropriations that go to the private companies LUMA Energy and GeneraPR, which are in control of the electric system and provide a terrible service to citizens while the cost of making a profit is too high.
Regarding the pensions of PREPA pensioners, González Colón explained that he is also committed to the realization of viable alternatives that do not disadvantage the rest of the population, for example by expressing his support for the transfer of 300 million dollars from the central government for the payment expressed the pensions.
He explained that the board is responsible for planning the settlement of the adjusted debts and that the component, which includes the central government, PREPA, LUMA Energy, GeneraPR and the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau, proposes strategies to make the system work and reduce the cost of alternatives to protect consumers.
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