Soldiers driving public transportation in El Salvador

(PUBLICADO ORIGINALMENTE POR LA PRENSA GRÁFICA)

Military personnel drive units of routes 42 and 152 confiscated from Catalino Miranda, and the Government announces the hiring of drivers.

 

On Saturday, the Government announced the capture of  transport businessman Catalino Miranda and removal of permits to drive 42 and 152 routes managed by his company ACOSTES. The Ministry of Defense has ordered to prepare more drivers and announced job interviews for drivers in 12 military compounds of the country, including military detachments and infantry brigades.

Catalino Miranda’s arrest was reported Saturday night by the Government together with the removal of permits and the seizure of 293 units, among them 215 minibuses and 78 buses.

The Minister of Defense Francis Merino Monroy announced on Sunday that the military would drive the ACOSTES units. The employees of ACOSTES had the permit to grant that service until Saturday.

 

500 fines in three days

On March 13, in a press conference at the bus station of routes 42 and 152, the presidential commissioner, Carolina Recinos, said that the government “has worked intensely on the issue of transportation to ensure that the fare is respected, since all businessmen who are accredited are subject to compensation and commitments that are related to the law and that they cannot violate”.

The Minister of Public Works, Romeo Rodríguez Herrera, also informed that during the first day of these operations, fares were refunded to public transportation users and infractions were issued to some collective transportation units.

Meanwhile, the director of the National Civil Police (PNC), Mauricio Arriaza Chicas said that in these 72 hours “between 100 and 110 national traffic controls” have been activated and 500 fines have been imposed. Of these, 300 are related to rate increases. The fines range from $11.43 to $57.14. In addition, he reported that five motorists have been arrested and that “false license plates have been seized”.

 

The Legal Studies Center (CEJ, by its acronyms in Spanish) made a statement on Twitter that said “there is no article in the Constitution or in the laws that authorizes the Armed Forces, in circumstances such as the current ones, to take private property by force” and cited the fifth clause of Article 106 of the Constitution which states that “confiscation is prohibited either as a penalty or in any other concept. The authorities that contravene this precept will respond at all times with their persons and properties for the damage caused”.

 

No existe artículo en la Constitución o en las leyes que autorice a la @FUERZARMADASV, en circunstancias como las actuales, a tomarse por la fuerza la propiedad privada.

— CentroEstudiosJcos (@cej_sv) March 13, 2022

 

 

Momentos before the Defense Ministry’s announcement, President Nayib Bukele had cited the fourth clause of Article 110 of the Constitution. This states that “the State may take charge of public services when social interests so require” and indicates that this will be done “by providing them directly through official autonomous institutions or municipalities”.

Bukele asked the Minister of Defense to “prepare more drivers” and said that “if more public transportation drivers go on strike, we will have to intervene those units as well”.

The government reported that they will be interviewing people for driver positions with a heavy vehicle license requirement in 12 military detachments.

Minister of Public Works, Romeo Herrera, talked about “a process of change” and said that they will be conducting interviews for those interested in the job in all 14 departments of El Salvador.

The interview sites are the Second Infantry Brigade in Santa Ana, the Third Infantry Brigade in San Miguel, the Fifth Infantry Brigade in San Vicente, the Sixth Infantry Brigade in Usulután, Military Detachment 1 in Chalatenango, Military Detachment 2 in Cabañas, Military Detachment 3 in La Unión, Military Detachment 4 in Morazán, Military Detachment 5 in Cuscatlán, Military Detachment 6 in Sonsonate, Military Detachment 7 in Ahuachapán and Military Detachment 9 in Zacatecoluca.

 

 

“If transporters want to continue playing with fire, we are ready,” said Bukele after the announcement. “Keep escalating this and you will lose everything,” he warned on Twitter.

In the morning, the Ministry of Public Works (MOP by its acronyms in Spanish) had announced that buses of route 102 that normally travel from Santa Tecla to La Libertad will be part of those in charge of providing the service of route 152 between Santa Tecla and La Libertad, on a provisional basis.

Likewise, through a press release, the MOP explained that the route 42 between Santa Tecla and San Salvador will be covered by private and personnel transportation units, “properly identified”, as well as route 104 which normally runs between Santa Tecla and Comasagua. All these units, according to the authorities, have already begun to make the corresponding route and a charge of $0.25 has been established for users.

The National Civil Police (PNC) affirmed that Miranda was captured for illegally increasing the fare and for obstructing the public road with his units.

According to ACOSTES employees, present at the bus station, only 15 units of route 42 are providing normal service.

The businessman was captured during the night of March 12 and was taken to the Overland Transit Delegation of the National Civil Police (PNC), where a lawyer and Miranda’s wife were present and denounced that they were not allowed to enter.