2024-09-03 21:44:29
In the face of tension between truck drivers and the national government over the increase in the price of diesel fuel, President Petro pointed out that the debt was left “irresponsibly by Duque.”
President Gustavo Petro spoke out about the recent increase in the price of diesel, explaining the reasons behind this measure and pointing to the administration of former President Iván Duque as responsible for the accumulated debt. which has led to the need to adjust fuel prices.
«Since 2019, the country has not raised diesel prices because prices were frozen without taking into account that they rise and that Ecopetrol, by law, uses the international price of oil to produce diesel and gasoline.“Petro said. “Internationally, these rose, aggravated by the fall of the peso against the dollar. The debt reached almost 80 billion pesos and the country’s external and internal debt payments reach 110 billion pesos per year.”
The president stressed that if the budget is used to pay these debts, there will be no resources for public investments.If it is not paid, Ecopetrol, which is a company of all the people, will go bankrupt.“Petro warned, emphasizing the seriousness of the inherited financial situation.
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Petro also directly blamed the previous administration for the current crisis: «The debt was left very irresponsibly with Colombia by former President Duque«He also explained that during his administration, he had been prudent enough to only increase the price of gasoline initially, to avoid an impact on food prices, which depend on truck transport.
Now that inflation has been brought under control, Petro believes that it is the right time to reduce public debtwhich will allow financing crucial sectors such as health and education.The big trucking companies, owners of thousands of tractor-trailers, believed that the subsidy was a right that the Colombian people should pay them“These companies shift the cost of diesel onto freight, something that the small truckers they exploit cannot do,” he said.
The president made it clear that the government had to pay the debt to Ecopetrol, but stated that “It will not be done with the money that goes to hungry and unhealthy children«. With these statements, Petro defended the need to adjust the price of diesel as a measure to ensure the country’s financial stability and protect the resources allocated to the most vulnerable sectors.
For his part, the Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla González, explained, in radio statements, that the new price of ACPM is due to the fact that this fuel has been frozen for more than 56 months, even before the pandemic.
“This freeze means that Ecopetrol is charging us one billion pesos a month because it is being sold at service stations at a price below the price Ecopetrol charges for this fuel,” said the head of the Treasury portfolio.
He added that, due to this diesel subsidy, the Government of Change has paid Ecopetrol $56 billion, and this year the state oil company must be paid another $12 billion for the same concept.
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