The secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), Rafael Machargo Maldonadopresented his letter of resignation last night “for personal reasons”, La Fortaleza confirmed this morning.
“I appreciate the work that since 2020 has been carried out by Lcdo. Machargo Maldonado in the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. His knowledge, expertise and commitment to public service has been unquestionable. Machargo has vast experience in matters related to the environment and in the practice of law specialized in these issues, and I know that he will be able to continue collaborating for Puerto Rico,” said the governor. Peter Pierluisi in written statements.
Last night, El Nuevo Día announced that La Fortaleza was evaluating the permanence of Machargo, whose management has been highly questioned, more recently due to reports of alleged violations in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, in Salinas.
Hours following Machargo failed to meet the deadline for delivery to the House of Representatives of a certified copy of the file on possible environmental violations in the nature reserve, Two separate sources told El Nuevo Día that the official’s permanence was being discussed in La Fortaleza.
The now former secretary last night sent a letter to the House Natural Resources Committee requesting to be excused from a public hearing to be held this Monday.
In the brief letter, Machargo Maldonado indicated that he should not appear since “there are adjudicative administrative procedures” underway in the agency he directed and in others.
The former official accompanied the letter with a letter from prosecutor Yolanda Morales in which the official simply told Machargo that she had received some documents requested from the DNER, but that a “detailed inventory” of the content of each file had not been included.
At no time did the prosecutor warn Machargo Maldonado that he might not cooperate with the legislative investigation.
This morning, in response to questions from the media, representative Edgardo Feliciano, of the House Natural Resources Committee, He stated that they would go to court to summon Machargo to deliver the requested information.
“We are going to go to court today, we are going to ask you to give us the information that was not provided to us. I don’t know why, when the Department of Justice is quick to supply it to us. What does Natural Resources hide in that file, that is what we want to know”, he maintained.
the chamber president Rafael “Tatito” Hernández had advanced the same thing last nightindicating that they already anticipated a breach by Machargo.
For the past year, various sectors have requested Machargo’s departure from the DNER. Last week the representative of the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC), Mariana Nogales, launched an online petition demanding her resignation. The legislator described the official as “an accomplice of environmental criminals.” Nogales was the one who brought the situation in Salinas to public discussion.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Panel of the Special Independent Prosecutor accepted a recommendation from the Department of Justice and referred Machargo Maldonado to the Office of Government Ethics as part of an investigation that was carried out on the former mayor of Santa Isabel, Enrique Questell. In short, the referral came regarding because Machargo Maldonado met privately with Questell regarding a dispute under the jurisdiction of the DNER in which the former mayor is one of the parties.
caution and celebration
In an interview today with The new dayNogales Molinelli said he was like “a dog with two tails” following learning regarding the departure of Machargo Maldonado.
“I think it was time. We have asked for his resignation for a long time following encountering his incompetence, which has been consistent since we entered the Legislature and has been a disaster directing a department as important as the DNER,” said Nogales Molinelli, who two weeks ago summoned Machargo Maldonado to act on the Salinas issue.
The first-term legislator recalled other controversies surrounding Machargo Maldonado, such as the illegal construction of a swimming pool in front of the Sol y Playa condominium in Rincón, the mountains of accumulated rubber in the country’s rubber plantations, the alleged lack of diligence in starting an academy of new Rangers, among other issues.
While, according to Nogales Molinelli, DNER employees are demoralized.
“He never presented the regulations that were pending in the DNER and consistently failed to provide information to all the committees that I belong to in the Chamber. It was the same story in all of them and he did not deliver the draft of the Fisheries Law either. Everything related to their legal division was behind schedule due to lack of staff,” he said.
The legislator argued that whoever eventually replaces Machargo Maldonado in property must have a commitment to the environment and must also have the ability to listen to employees.
“And it has to be a person who enjoys the recognition of the people, of the scientific community and who has a good reputation,” he said.
The president of the Chamber, Hernández Montañez, insisted that the investigation of the Chamber will continue.
“Since last year, we have demanded the departure of this official for his incompetence and negligence in protecting the country’s natural resources. To that effect, the investigation initiated by this legislative body regarding the illegal constructions in Jobos Bay in Salinas will continue its course, given that there is a request for information that has not been answered by the agency. The Natural Resources Commission, chaired by fellow Feliciano Sánchez, will continue with the itinerary of public and ocular hearings with the collaboration of district representatives Estrella Martínez Soto and Luis Ortiz Lugo. The House of Representatives will remain firm in enforcing all laws and regulations for the preservation of the environment in Puerto Rico,” he said in written statements.
Representative Feliciano, president of the Natural Resources Committee of the Chamber, maintained in written statements that Machargo Maldonado did the country a favor by submitting his resignation.
“This resignation is given 18 months late and in the midst of a legislative investigation that will not stop,” said Feliciano, stating that the commission he directs will be summoning the new interim head of the DNER to appear before the Chamber this Monday.
“And we do not rule out citing Machargo so that the country can pass judgment on his execution of the Jobos Bay Estuarine Reserve in Salinas,” he said. “Today is a day of celebration, but this will not be a distraction from continuing the course of our investigation. I hope that Governor Pierluisi nominates a person who is trained and committed to the environment.”
The popular senator Elizabeth Rosa Vélez affirmed that the resignation of Machargo Maldonado is the “most sensible and correct decision that she might assume.”
Since I came to the Senate, I have repeatedly asked Governor Pierluisi to remove him. The country was and is a witness that Mr. Machargo gave up his duties as head of the department. His poor performance resulted in department facilities in terrible conditions and uncomfortable work environments with a lack of resources for the performance of employee duties. Added to this are the environmental massacres that have occurred under his control, unanswered claims by mayors and multiple issues, especially in the District of Arecibo, which I represent, without solutions, ”he said.
In August, Rosa Vélez summoned the press to present images that, according to her, evidenced the deterioration experienced both in the facilities of the Arecibo Vigilantes Corps, and in two places of ecological interest: the Tortuguero Lagoon and the Cabo Caribe channel, in Low Vega.
The senator showed photos of vehicles stranded and ready to be confiscated since April of last year, in addition to vehicles without a label in the facilities of the Vigilante Corps and green areas without mowing. She also showed images of a boat with a damaged engine and of a tanker and an electric generator that are not in operation. She also pointed out that the guards also do not have air conditioning in the place.
The pro-independence senator María de Lourdes Santiago maintained that although the departure of Machargo Maldonado may be good news, it remains up in the air who will replace him in the position.
“If a person who does not have the guts to do the things that have to be done, including confronting the Governor, who has been an accomplice, reaches that position, then we are left with an incomplete remedy,” Santiago told El Nuevo Día.
The independence leader believed that Pierluisi might think that, to the extent that Machargo Maldonado, a figure linked to “so many irregularities”, is removed from the public eye, it can somehow become a relief for the government administration.
“But there are some pending issues,” Santiago said while recalling Machargo Maldonado’s opposition to a series of recommendations made by the Climate Change Advisory Committee and his opposition to a new Coastal Law, which is a project of Senator Santiago.
“Likewise the issue of debris in Rincón, which is a problem that comes from Hurricane María and he said in the Senate that it was an issue that he was not aware of,” Santiago said while also accusing him of being “permissible” while the company AES allegedly violated the law by depositing ashes in Guayama.
“And all this thanks to the knowledge and patience of the Governor, who wants to save face,” he said.
Johnny Mendez defends Machargo
The spokesman for the New Progressive Party delegation in the House of Representatives, Carlos ‘Johnny’ Méndez Núñez, recognized the work of Machargo Maldonado.
“The men and women who hold the positions of chief of staff serve at the discretion of the Governor. Machargo’s resignation doesn’t mean the job didn’t get done. Machargo was always available to address the concerns and needs of our constituents. During the past two years, the DNER has had important achievements and this must be recognized. The former secretary was instrumental in achieving what many thought was impossible, the closure of the Sanitary Landfill System (SRS) in Toa Alta. He also developed the plan for the closure of other landfills, including the Culebra one, as well as the compliance program for the Vieques landfill, among others,” Méndez Núñez said in written statements.
“These projects, like the network of breakwaters to mitigate the effects of coastal erosion and the rehabilitation of fishing villages, are part of their work. Machargo was a person of integrity who, I reiterate, was always available. We wish him the best in his future and I hope that he continues to assist the town in some function, ”he said.
