Cupet qualifies as "fake" a statement announcing the suspension of the sale of fuel to the public

Havana/Matanzas/“They are all false, the capital is about to come to a standstill.” With this type of comments, users respond, in the groups dedicated to the sale of gasoline in Havana, to the alert issued by Cupet this Thursday about a false official statement.

The spurious text, reproduced by the state company itself, bears Cupet’s letterhead and colors. “Given the serious situation of fuel shortages that affects the country, aggravated by the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States and the external pressures exerted on our traditional suppliers,” says the note with the usual government prose, “the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) and the Ministry of Tourism inform the population and the tourism sector of the following: It has been decided to temporarily stop the general supply of fuel at gas stations and state points of sale as of today. of issuance of this statement and until further notice.”

The measure, the document allegedly continued fakewas “inevitable due to the interruption of imported supplies, caused by hostile actions and foreign pressures that limit access to essential energy resources,” something that matches the growing hostility on the part of the United States, especially after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, to prevent the arrival of fuel to the Island.

The statement, which insisted on taking action against the “unilateral coercive measures imposed by foreign powers,” was not implausible.

The statement was not implausible, which insisted on taking the lead against the “unilateral coercive measures imposed by foreign powers” ​​and asked to “avoid non-essential travel and coordinate any priority needs with local authorities.” A “controlled and limited supply” would be destined for “essential” sectors such as health, public transportation, electricity generation or tourism, the text also said, which ended by calling for “the unity, discipline and solidarity of all Cubans in these difficult times.”

In a short tweet, Cupet rejected all this information and asserted: “This note circulating in some digital media is false. The supply of fuel to the country’s service center network has not been stopped.”

However, the reports published in the last few days by 14ymedio and the comments from customers at the capital’s gas stations show the extent to which the situation is similar to what Cupet’s false statement painted. “There is almost no gasoline anywhere, I went through the ones in El Vedado and nothing, the one on 5th and 120th they came out and said there was little left, it’s not enough for everyone,” said one of them, referring to the service centers that ship in pesos.

“On Línea and E people slept, so the queue is intact, no one will leave there until they supply supplies,” complained another. “Only with regular ones have Zapata and 4 served today,” reported a third. And a fourth tried to apologize, mentioning gas stations that have been sold in dollars: “This story does not change, the same service centers continue to serve in CUP every day, already today they have served Coyula, Corral Falso, Infanta, El Mar, Guanabo, Camilo Cienfuegos, Santa María del Rosario and Hatuey.”

Questions follow one another in the chats. “Does anyone know what is happening with the G and 25 ticket, that the Ticket is not advancing?” asks a young man, alluding to the app which serves as a “virtual queue” to buy fuel. The response is forceful: “None is moving forward, only the service centers that operate in DÓ-LA-RES are dispensing, so we must get used to paying for gasoline in the currency that they wanted to eliminate with the economic restructuring and that now has more strength than before.” The commentator did not stop there, and with emoticons and capital letters he said, not without irony: “Before 1 dollar was equivalent to 25 CUP and currently 1 dollar is equivalent to… So down with the blockade or down whoever has to go down.”

The situation in Havana has worsened with the arrival of the cold front from the north. Due to the possible penetration of the sea, they have removed the pumps from both the El Tángana gas station, located on Malecón and Avenida 13, and Riviera, also on the coast.

Meanwhile, in the provinces, gasoline shortages are also one of the biggest sources of tension. Added to this, clients denounce, is the poor communication from Cimex, the marketing company in charge of the service centers that is part of the military conglomerate Gaesa.

In recent weeks, in Matanzas, the state company briefly announced the sale of fuel through the Ticket application, establishing a limit of 100 spaces for power plants and 50 for motor vehicles. The information, disseminated with hardly any details and replicated even by company workers on social networks, generated a wave of indignation among citizens.

“It is shameful that an entity that forces its workers to publish these notes is not able to explain where, how and when fuel can be purchased”

“It is shameful that an entity that forces its workers to publish these notes is not able to explain where, how and when fuel can be purchased,” complained Jean Michel, a resident of the Versalles neighborhood. “I lost hours of my time because they did not specify that at the San Luis service center they were only serving power plant users.”

He wasn’t the only one confused. Neighbors of Peñas Altas assure that the new sales method leaves more questions than answers. “Who exactly is it aimed at: individuals, the state, public transportation?” asks Ania, who lives in this neighborhood. “What currency is it sold in, CUP or MLC? What amount does it correspond to us?” According to this woman, not even the workers at the Oro Negro or Bellamar service centers have been able to clarify their doubts. “These people believe that you, the average person, have time to find out everything,” laments another neighbor, Marlene.

The confusion, however, reaches Cimex’s own employees. A company worker, who asked not to be identified, acknowledges to this newspaper that they often spread information that they themselves are unaware of.

“I am not a communicator, I never studied that career, but they force me to publish things on my personal profile that I don’t even know where they come from,” she denounces. In his opinion, in the management of the company “either there is a lot of inexperience or it simply does not matter how decisions are communicated.” The priority, he assures, is to announce that a service center is open, without explaining under what rules or conditions.

This information vacuum has eroded the population’s trust and has multiplied the loss of time and citizen discontent, especially when it comes to a vital resource. Although quotas have been distributed for registered power plants and for private vehicles, the fear of fuel running out persists. The shift numbers move extremely slowly and satisfy no one.

Raudel, a resident of the Iglesias neighborhood, has been waiting since last November for his 613th turn to buy oil at the Bellamar service center. “When they give fuel it’s 50 at a time, hopefully once a month. If everything goes well, maybe in December I can buy what I have… and then wait again,” he says with resignation.

Among motorists dedicated to informal transportation, the situation is even more critical. Darío, who works boating, explains that the gasoline allocated does not even remotely cover his needs. “In USD we get it for 1.10 or 1.20, but when there is none, which is the most normal, we have to buy it from hoarders at 650 or 700 pesos per liter. Take account of a trip spending half a liter and tell me if that is profitable.”

Although the 50 liters sold through the Ticket application somewhat alleviate the financial burden, the process is full of technical and organizational obstacles. “Everything is a problem: the registration, the mail, the shift… and when the time comes to distribute, nobody knows anything. Not Cimex, not Cupet, not the workers,” says Darío, who adds a recurring complaint among the population: “Meanwhile, the government cars, the Minint [Ministerio del Interior] and the FAR [Fuerzas Armadas] They fill up without queuing, they have their own service center. There is never a lack of fuel there.”

The profound energy crisis transcends borders and threatens to deepen the tourism debacle. In one of the gas station Telegram groups, a man who introduced himself as Gustavo from Argentina asked for help this Thursday to find out if they could give him information about gas stations in Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Ciego de Ávila for the car he had rented through Transtur for an upcoming trip to the Island. The responses from some of the users, telling him that there are service centers where he can pay with international cards, did not leave him alone.

In another message, he says that they do not give him a guarantee that the vehicle will be delivered with a full tank or that he will be able to recharge in the provinces, and he complains that Transtur has not responded to his emails or WhatsApp for three days. “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to manage the refund of the car rental money, it’s 700 USD,” he laments, and concludes: “Unfortunately I’m going to have to cancel my trip to see Cuba.” Another commenter responds: “Cancel your trip! It’s a wise decision.”