President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared that there is no split in the transformation movement. “Our adversaries would like for there to be a split, but there is none, nor will there be, because our people are in favor of the transformation,” he said.
The head of the Executive Branch emphasized that, according to the National Survey of Victimization and Perception on Public Insecurity, there is a downward trend in the number of crime victims, with 20.1% fewer cases than in 2018. In addition, he highlighted that the perception of public insecurity has decreased 10.2% at the neighborhood or municipal level.
In response to the fake news of a supposed budget cut to the health-care sector, President López Obrador countered that in 2024 there will not only be more resources earmarked for public health, but that they will be invested in better medical services for the poorest strata of the population. He recalled that during the neoliberal governments, health was a business and proof of this is that the brothers-in-law of former President Carlos Salinas obtained contracts for hospitals that they built for 1 billion pesos (US$58 million), but subleased them for 16 billion pesos (US$930 million) to the federal government. Ceasing payment on these cost overruns is being considered.
The head of the Executive Branch reported that the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) is investigating the murder of Fernando García, who was its representative in Guerrero. The President said progress is being made in efforts to arrest those responsible and he guaranteed the safety of officials working in the state. The FGR will provide more details in the next few days.
In the section Who’s Who in Lies it was reported that
– It is not true that the Mexican government has purchased or intends to build a nuclear submarine.
– There are no job vacancies at the Banco del Bienestar. The bank urges people not to be fooled by false reports in this regard.
– Sergio Sarmiento was exposed for misrepresenting a text by former Chilean President Salvador Allende trying to paint him as an anti-Semite and for attacking President López Obrador.
– It is false that the proposed federal spending budget (PEF) for 2024 contemplates a 50% reduction in the health-care budget. In real terms, the budget for this sector will increase 5.9% with respect to 2023.
