Saint Dominic.- For the retired major general Juan Manuel Mendez Garciadirector of the Emergency Operations Center (COE) and the Directorate of Out-of-hospital Emergency Care Services (DAEH), The year that ends is not measured in calendars or statistics, but in faces, absences and long nights.
With the serenity that characterizes him, Mendez Garcia recognizes that this has been a difficult year for the authorities, but infinitely harder for those who lost a loved one in the Jet Set tragedy last April.
“We are used to working, but nothing compares to the pain of a mother who loses a child, of a family that loses its breadwinner,” he said.
He recalled that in the case of Jet Setnot only the State’s response capacity was tested, but also the emotional strength of those who were in charge.
Unlike a cyclonic season, he explains, where events tend to be progressive and allow for some anticipation, that tragedy arrived without warning, concentrating a high number of fatalities in a single space.
“When you arrive at the place and see the impact, the magnitude, the number of people affected… that marks you,” he confessed.
They are images that are not easily erased and that, as he admits, accompany him even outside of the uniform. For this reason, he insists that only God can heal the wounds that still remain open in Dominican society after events like that.
Beyond the operational challenges, Méndez has had to navigate a year full of social and political sensitivity.
Regarding his future and the versions that place him on the political stage, he responds with caution. He doesn’t evade the question, but he makes it clear that this is not the time.
“The country is very sorryeither. Talking about aspirations now would not be prudent,” he says.
He clarifies that his priority remains one, taking care of lives, without distinction of colors or flags.
“The population expects protection, dedication and responsibility from us. And that is what we are going to continue doing,” he emphasizes.
Although he admits that he has made personal decisions about his future, he prefers that this chapter be written later, away from the noise and with due reflection.
