Who’s who in prices?
Iván Escalante, head of the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO), reported that the price of regular gasoline ranges between 22.39 and 26.80 pesos (US$1.10 and US$1.32) per liter. The average price of a kilogram of tortilla is 23.32 pesos (US$1.32), while a package of 18 eggs costs, on average, 54.05 pesos (US$2.66).
Advances in well-being programs
Minister of Well-Being Ariadna Montiel presented a progress report on the government’s social programs. She announced that, from February 17 to 28, registration will be open for pensions and well-being programs aimed at senior citizens, women, and people with disabilities. Currently, the number of beneficiaries of the programs tops 15.21 million, with a social investment of over 85.89 billion pesos (US$4.23 billion) .
Montiel emphasized that the Senior Citizens’ Pension is provided starting at age 65. In the case of the Women’s Well-Being Pension, it is provided as of age 63, while the Program for People with Disabilities, ranges in age from 0 to 63 years of age for women and 65 for men, with the exception of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nuevo León and Querétaro, where it is only provided up to 29 years of age, since there is no agreement on its universal application.
It was also reported that on Saturday, February 15, some 562 assemblies were held throughout the country as part of the Clinic is Ours program. The assembles were held in ISSSTE clinics, with the participation of 47,500 institution affiliates.
Addiction education and prevention
Minister of Public Education Mario Delgado reported on the “Stay away from drugs, fentanyl kills you” classroom strategy, implemented in secondary and high schools. To date, one million guides for teachers and 10 million copies of guidelines for parents have been distributed.
It was also noted that the Rita Cetina Scholarship program has benefited 88,576 students.
The National My Right to a Place high secondary education strategy was also presented, the goal of which is to guarantee a space in higher secondary education in the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico. All higher secondary school institutions will participate in a single platform to register and assign spaces free of charge. The only requirement will be to have a secondary school certificate.
The President clarified that there will no longer be an entrance exam for higher secondary school education and that work is being done to strengthen schools at this educational level.
In addition, it was explained that The School is Ours program prioritizes the attention to schools in poor and marginalized communities. By 2025, 25 billion pesos (US$1.23 billion) will be allocated to the program, benefiting over 8.22 million students.
Progress and upcoming international meetings
The President reported that, in her visits to the country’s states, she has perceived great enthusiasm and reiterated that all well-being programs will continue, highlighting the importance of the current moment for the Fourth Transformation.
Sheinbaum reported that this week, Minister of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard will meet in Washington with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. In addition, a security meeting will be held between the two countries.
It was reported that, to date, 14,470 migrants have been deported, of which 11,439 are Mexicans and 3,091 are foreign nationals.
Google’s response on Mexico’s geographical representation
Claudia Sheinbaum displayed the letter that Google sent to the Mexican government, in which the company admits that it has no intention of regulating private maps showing disputed geographic situations. In addition, Google affirmed that Google Maps users in Mexico will continue to see the Gulf of Mexico with its correct name.
Also presented was the letter from Minister of Foreign Relations Juan Ramon de la Fuente to Google, which states that under no circumstances will Mexico accept the change of name of any geographic area within its national territory and under its jurisdiction.