San Juan de Macarapana is one of the two rural parishes that make up the Sucre municipality of the eastern state of the same name, and is a faithful reflection of the social, economic and public services crisis that the country is going through.
By La Patilla
Feb 15, 2023
This town, according to the census carried out in 2011 by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), is inhabited by some 20,000 people. It is important to mention that it is very close to Cumaná, the capital of Sucre State, about 20 minutes or 45 minutes by car, depending on the speed with which you travel.
It has a crystal clear river, which has a great tourist potential, but which is currently wasted, as a result of the absence of public policies in this sector.
An Ignored Town
There is a deep malaise among the inhabitants of this area due to the deterioration of public services, the lack of attention from government authorities and mainly the deterioration of roads.
The absence of conventional and agricultural roads in optimal conditions is one of the problems they have suffered for 25 years. Residents of several communities in San Juan de Macarapana demand the repair of the road, as it affects economic development, as well as restricts access to health and education.
Neighbors have organized “countless times” to request support from regional and municipal institutions, among others the Sucre Governor’s Office, the Cumaná Mayor’s office, the Sucre State Autonomous Road Service (Saves) and the Public Services Corporation of Sucre State (ServiSucre), but their efforts have been in vain.
They also criticized that the current mayor of the capital, Luis Sifontes, who was re-elected in the last elections, has not appeared in the parish since the campaign. The same happens with the Chavista governor Gilberto Pinto.
Nonexistent Roads
According to the testimony of the inhabitants of San Juan, they have already requested help from the different admistritions that came to office in the Regional Executive and the Cumaná Mayor’s office, which have been in the hands of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) for more than 15 years. years, but they have never been taken into account.
Luis Herrera, leader of the Hugo Chávez Battle Unit (UBCh) “Pechuga”, said that there is no road in the area. “We have gone to the governor’s office, to the mayor’s office, to ServiSucre, and they tell us that they are going to help us, but they do not give an answer. We want a “jumbo” (backhoe) to clean up the river, and the general director of the Cumaná mayor’s office said that they would assist us, but they have not done so.”
“We are tired of the “guachafita” (game playing, mocking) and we are thinking of protesting on the Antonio José de Sucre Highway if there is no response by February. It seems that what the government likes is that they do evil to it, that people go on strike to solve the problems. Crops are wasting here and we don’t want it to continue happening, we want any help from the government, whether from Chavismo or the opposition,” added Herrera, a man over 60 years old.
Back To The Donkeys
In this rural parish of the capital of Sucre State, cassava, yams, auyama (pumpkins), ocumo (taro), cashew, coconut, plantain, corn and mango are harvested, with agriculture being the main economic activity on which its inhabitants depend.
“We are tired of asking the mayor Luis Sifontes and the governor Gilberto Pinto to repair the highway, the rehabilitation of the rusty poles about to fall (…) we have been asking for the San Juan highway for approximately 25 years,” denounced the social leader Luis Hernandez.
“This situation has a negative impact when it comes to taking out the produce, we have to take it out on donkeys and prices no longer pay for the work that needs to be done,” he added.
The rainy season that took place in 2022 and that left a significant number of damages, also aggravated the situation.
Health, Education And Sport In Intensive Care
In terms of health and healthcare, the residents of San Juan have the Luis Daniel Beaperthuy type B outpatient clinic, which lacks supplies and does not have medical specialists to care for many patients.
In addition to this healthcare center, there is a structure called “mission base” to offer medical services to the most distant communities. However, for several years healthcare professionals have not attended the place due to the precarious conditions of the roads and the difficulties to travel.
“The clinic has nothing. If a child gets sick and we go there, there is nothing. The only thing they tell us is to cook “aguita de mata” (herbs brew) or manzanilla (camomile tea) (…) If there is an emergency, you have to go to the Cumaná Hospital and it is difficult to get there, we do not have an ambulance,” emphasized María Velásquez, a resident of the town.
“The women expecting a child have to leave up to a month before the baby is due to the relatives’ house in Cumaná in order to be close to the hospital,” she reported.
In the educational sphere, the lapatilla.com team in the eastern region was able to observe the advanced state of deterioration of the parish schools. In addition, the residents denounced that there is a structure that was built 17 years ago to be a “Simoncito” (government run pre-school) in the Guaranache community, but it is abandoned.
According to Estiben López, “the education of San Juan de Macarapana must be recovered.” Governments come and go, pass by and offer many things, but they never do anything for our benefit (…) The education that our children receive is little, they have to cross rivers, walk long distances and even ride motorcycles,” he said.
Sport is another aspect with little development in San Juan de Macarapana. This is a big concern of young people and adults, who consider that it is urgent to promote this area and create suitable sports spaces so that they can be used by people.
“We want the Mayor Luis Sifontes to recover the field, we have years without receiving a ball of any kind, or goal posts and the playing field has not been rehabilitated. We don’t even have lighting at night,” stressed Alí de la Rosa, a young man from San Juan, when describing the conditions of the Santa Marta soccer field, a place that has totally decayed enclosed in rusty fences, chipped paint, and abandoned bleachers.
Without Gas Or Gasoline
The people residing in the different sectors of San Juan de Macarapana agreed on how unusual it is to receive gas and food through the Local Supply and Production Committee (Clap). They explained that it takes from three to four months to be “benefited” with these services. They ask the authorities to reduce these lapses.
The lack of job opportunities and the cumbersome journey to get to Cumaná are other aspects that bother the inhabitants of San Juan.
According to Jesús Zapata, President of the Civil Association of “Cruise Mototaxis”, 50 motorbike taxis are affected by the shortage of gasoline, which makes it difficult to provide transport service. He pointed out that they do not have an assigned service station in Cumaná, despite being organized, which is why they are forced to buy fuel on the black market.
“We obtain gasoline on the black market at 10 bolivars per liter to be able to continue working. The minimum fare is 5 bolívares and the maximum 15 bolívares, although for a trip to Cumaná we charge 5 dollars. Cash is difficult for people in this area (there are no bank agencies), the roads have deteriorated and due to the same crisis, sometimes we barter products for a ride,” declared Zapata.
He stressed that they have addressed the state’s Chavista government and the Integral Defense Zone (Zodi) to demand that they be supplied with hydrocarbons at least twice a week.
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