On Tuesday afternoon, The Republic was able to learn that among the staff of the Popular Renewal bench They shared an invitation about a fellowship dinner that was going to take place this Wednesday at 8 pm that shows that the workers of this parliamentary group who were interested in participating were asked for a payment in exchange.
“Dear congressmen and collaborators: you are cordially invited to the fellowship dinner where we will share a moment of unity and peace alongside our beloved president Rafael López Aliaga,” says the invitation that circulated on WhatsApp.
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The invitation mentioned that the bank’s workers – advisors, technicians and assistants – could participate voluntarily through a Yape deposit to a cell phone number.
“They even put the cell phone number to calculate the amount, as appropriate. It says voluntary participation, but they are calling or sending to confirm attendance upon payment,” said a worker from this parliamentary group.
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This newspaper contacted the press advisor of this group Carol Villavicencio. “All (the congressmen) are in legislative activity. I don’t understand the news interest. I couldn’t tell you anything,” he responded.
On Tuesday night, a chat in the WhatsApp group of workers from this group allows us to see a new invitation with confirmation of the restaurant where the meeting was going to be. The image had changed and there was no mention of the payments that the attending workers had to make.
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Response from the Renovación Popular spokesperson
This Wednesday it emerged that the dinner was cancelled. This newspaper addressed to the spokesperson for Renovación Popular, Alejandro Muñanteto consult about the invitation to the workers and the payments that those who decided to participate had to make.
“It was a proposal, but in the end it is not going to be carried out with any worker. Besides, you know that in restaurants they do not give away food and when you go to a restaurant you pay for what you consume and for those types of circumstances like you see, neither is that we have congressmen present. In such a way that even the camaraderie of the organization of this dinner is simply not going to happen,” said the spokesperson for Popular Renewal.
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He was also asked if he knew the amount that was requested from the workers who were encouraged to attend the dinner.
“Specifically no, but it was an appropriate amount for what was going to be done at that time. I don’t see any type of problem (…). If it was requested at the time, it was completely voluntary. Nobody is obliged to attend,” he responded.
“What is the controversy? If you don’t see it viable, you don’t participate. Public resources are not being used, no one is being forced,” he added.
“A fellowship dinner, one has to contribute. There is no way one can go and get free food,” concluded the congressman.
Congresswoman Norma Yarrow: “I don’t see it as an irregularity”
The congresswoman from Renovación Popular, Norma Yarrow, also spoke out on this issue. “I found out that there was a dinner, of which we were paying to go to the dinner. When there is a dinner, I understand that I also had to pay for my dinner. I imagine that everything is agreed upon. I don’t know who has done it but the spokesperson for the bench will respond,” he commented.
“I don’t see it as an irregularity, when everyone agrees that it has been a bit clumsy to put it so visibly, we agree that we are going to have lunch and we set a quota to go to lunch all together,” added the congresswoman.
