Ramon Cruz testifies on resolutions

Okay, good afternoon.

My name is Ramon Cruz, and I'm the External Affairs Coordinator for the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, a movement committed to a progressive and anti-colonial vision for Puerto Rico and to building a more transparent, equitable, and socially responsible government.

Today I want to address you in favor of your four resolutions, the Fiscal Control Board, Act 22, and Essencia Project.

These are all connected by one fundamental question.

Who decides how Puerto Rico's resources are used?

Who benefits from those decisions?

And who ultimately bears the costs?

Ten years after Promesa, Victoria Ciudadana believes the Fiscal Control Board must go.

Puerto Rico cannot speak of true democracy while fundamental decisions over our public resources remain subject to an entity imposed upon rather than elected by the Puerto Rican people.

For years, Puerto Ricans have been told that fiscal responsibility requires sacrifice.

But fiscal responsibility cannot mean austerity for workers and communities while tax incentives, government contracts, and benefits to powerful economic interests escape the same scrutiny.

That principle applies to Act 22.

We support investment and we welcome people who want to make Puerto Rico their home.

But when government provides extraordinary tax advantage,

It must demonstrate the public benefits with data on jobs, wages, revenues, and economic returns.

And we must examine also the effects of housing and displacement when families earning local wages compete in an increasingly unaffordable market.

So this is not what Act 22 has left us.

And Act 22 doesn't help Puerto Ricans.

The same principles applies to Essencia.

We're not against development, but recent Puerto Rican Senate hearings have raised serious questions about water, infrastructure, environmental impacts, and costs to surrounding community.

And development must demonstrate a genuine public benefit.

But this is not what Essencia does.

Time expired.

So far, what these three issues point out is that Puerto Rico is for the wealthy that have no interest in the development of our people.

That is why we condemn all of this and support your resolution.

Ultimately, our standards should be simple.

Does our economic model allow the people who work in Puerto Rico to afford a home, raise their families, and build their future there?

So Puerto Rico's resources must serve Puerto Rico's people.

Thank you.