Mario Aguilera: “The PGE 2025 is based on capital that does not exist, it means putting the country in more debt”

Seven of the country’s nine governors expressed their rejection of the 2025 General State Budget (PGE) bill prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance, arguing non-compliance with previous agreements by the national government. Mario Aguilera, acting governor of Santa Cruz, agreed to an interview with EL DEBER to talk about the PGE 2025, the economic situation in Bolivia and the beginning of social protests.

_Did you have the opportunity to review the PGE 2025 figures? Were the data from the last Population and Housing Census taken into account?
The truth is, that is an analysis that we are going to have today (yesterday), precisely, with the governors of the country. We are aware of the new proposal, with some modifications and above all some things that draw our attention very powerfully.

To highlight, the PGE establishes a 12% growth in investment or public spending that is based, precisely, on an amount, a volume of capital that does not exist within the country. That means still working on the idea of ​​putting the country in even more debt. However, we have very interesting proposals regarding, precisely, that condition that now has the country in emergency, due to the lack of foreign currency.

And another of the issues that we will discuss with the governors will be the entry of foreign currency into the country through a concessionary model, obviously building legal security that allows or seduces private investment in the country.

_Is that one of the proposals that Santa Cruz has to resolve the economic crisis?
Yes, that’s one of them. A crisis that is not temporary, that has been developing for a long time and that we are now forced to correct course. Find a north that allows us to continue developing as a region, as a department and as a country. Because this is a regulation that applies on a national scale.

Another of the important topics that we are going to touch on today, which the national government has already made an announcement, is the possibility of foreign exchange income from collecting carbon bonds. This is also an initiative that we have presented in the National Council of Autonomy, in meetings with the governors and the national government, a few months ago.

This initiative is now taking shape and would allow the country to generate foreign exchange income, but above all for the subnational, municipal, departmental governments, indigenous autonomies and the national government, which finance the resources necessary or demanded for the protection of these forests, which we They give a quality of life, the sustainability of that system, that biosystem, but which is also necessary for the productive sector of our department.

So, this other possibility of foreign currency income comes through these bonds. And then, additional topics that we are touching on, which are already transversal in history, demanded from Santa Cruz, free export, the use of biotechnology to have greater productivity, and above all specifying topics or public investment projects that have a direct impact in the productivity of our departments.

_Then, the State would have to be there to facilitate the work of the private sector…
Unquestionably. I believe that this process of conversation and understanding is the quality of Santa Cruz people to find opportunities.

_Governor, on Tuesday the 26th was the ‘Anillazo’ (a protest against the economic crisis) and a town hall also came from there. Is there fear that a wave of protests will begin precisely because of the critical situation of the economy?
The protests have been going on for a long time. It is the right of the population to demonstrate. Yesterday was, I believe, one of the first actions or events where the people have raised their voice in protest against a crisis that is overwhelming, that is worrying, that has to do with economic sustainability, the model we have now, but above all that threatens, one, the family basket, which is the food of each Bolivian, with an increase in prices, and second, it is a direct impact on investment, which generates employment, industry, and planting.