Citizens march for Los Americas Expressway against LUMA demanding better energy service for the country

Thousands of protesters gathered nearby on Friday afternoon Hiram Pithorn Stadium Participate in the demonstration and march for Express Los America against the crowd LUMA energy After a power outage in Puerto Rico in recent weeks.

The call for the event came through social networks, at the aforementioned time today, Friday, to reach the Hato Ray area to meet direct calls and protests from the public.

The Luma Energy Federation took over on June 1 the transfer and distribution of energy in Puerto Rico. Electricity Authority (AEE) continues to be responsible for power generation.

Several weeks ago, thousands of customers were affected by load changes due to power outages caused by faults in units at various plants. This situation provoked resentment from the public and, among other things, led to the exit Ralph Grail As leader PREPA Executive Board And Efron Paradise As Managing Director of the Public Corporation. They were replaced Fernando Gill-Encesat And Joshua Columbus, Respectively.

Jesus Ambert He came from Mandalay wearing his old uniform and PREPA worker’s equipment, having been a line guard for 22 years, three of whom were a battalion leader, “they mobilized me to public buildings to clean schools, trimmers and cross machines”, while “the Luma people caused themselves They are experiencing disaster “.

Thousands of people marched this afternoon, Friday, October 15, 2021, in Puerto Rico to deny entry to the LUMA Energy Federation as the regulator of the power transmission and distribution network. (Canceled by Alex Figueroa)
The frustration of the people spread during the demonstration which started in the parking lot of Hiram Pithorn Stadium in Haddo Rail. (David Villafe Ramos)
People protested against the energy crisis that had closed the island for more than a month, during which time there were massive power outages and subsequent breakdowns at power generation plants controlled by the Energy Authority. (David Villafe Ramos)
Many took the opportunity to testify against other circumstances affecting the island, such as the bankruptcy process of the Puerto Rico government. (David Villafe Ramos)
Since Luma Energy took control of the power transmission and distribution network on June 1, 2021, selective resistance and load changes have been stable and have affected 78 municipalities in practice. (David Villafe Ramos)
These circumstances caused a stir on the PREPA board of directors, which led to the departure of Ralph Grail as its chairman and Efron Paradis as managing director of the public company. (David Villafe Ramos)
He was replaced by former Secretary of the Department of Housing, Fernando Gill, who took over as chairman of the Ensemble Board, and was replaced by Jose Colen, former executive director of Prepa. (David Villafe Ramos)
The call for the event came through social networks, at the aforementioned time today, Friday, to reach the Hato Ray area to meet direct calls and protests from the public. (David Villafe Ramos)
The rally was attended by Angel Fikirova Jaramillo, president of the Electricity and Irrigation Workers Union (Utier), and active and retired PREPA staff. (David Villafe Ramos)
News against the entry of Luma energy was presented in various forms. (David Villafe Ramos)
In addition to the problems caused by continuous power outages, many were seen replacing electrical appliances damaged by power outages, coming and going in service and singing. (David Villafe Ramos)
The legislature is currently waiting for LUMA energy officials to comply with the court order and provide the requested information that the federation refuses to provide, for which Puerto Rico has already appealed twice to the Supreme Court. (David Villafe Ramos)
Government, Priba and Luma energy officials say Puerto Rico’s energy restructuring and transformation could take up to a decade. (David Villafe Ramos)
When night came, the protesters turned on the flash modes of their cell phones. (Canceled by Alex Figueroa)
The parade, which departed from Hiram Pithorn Stadium, then took the Los Americas Expressway in the direction of Cagus and peaked at the baseball field. (Canceled by Alex Figueroa)
The number of participants in the march is currently unknown. (Canceled by Alex Figueroa)

“Easy crime. Crime here, crime there. They haven’t been since June 1, they were a year ago. Said the worker.

Meanwhile, the mayor Camerio, Jason SantiagoHe promised to join the march because my people are also experiencing the consequences of a contract with a company that does not provide an efficient service.

“I have come here to demand that the governor and government of Puerto Rico accept their responsibility. It is a company owned by the people, a company that must provide services to the state. That fact must be taken into account. “

For its part, Lydia Esther Rivera Sanchez, A resident of Losa Aldia, came to the area of Hiram Pithorn Stadium and protested due to continuous problems in the electrical service faced by the residents.

“I’ve retired, and I’m here with my family from Rio Beatrice, in support of removing Luma, because since it started, I have paid $ 71, now I have a bill of $ 159, I’m living alone. Earning, we exploit. Governor (Pedro) Pierluisi says everything is fine, but this is not good … Go to the neighborhoods, go to urbanization, you can find many patients who need electricity. I now support Luma to leave”, Stressed Rivera Sanchez.

“We go to the offices and they say ‘yes, we’m going to fix it’. We’ll see if that’s true, but where are we going to get the money from? “Let these scoundrels think who raised those people without counting the people,” Rivera Sanchez stressed.

However, Sheila Sanabriya And Jose Hernandez They traveled from Vieques to demonstrate and reject LUMA Energy’s hiring to manage the energy transfer and distribution system.

“We are against the Luma and the HMS (Ferris) deal, and the rest of this deal will only lean against them and the people. They brought us some boats with matchboxes and it feels like you are on a roller coaster when the weather is bad,” Janapriya highlighted.

Yesterday (Thursday) there was a power outage in Vieques for a while, and from time to time it goes out, but it does not change as it does on the (big) island. But the problem of boats is constant, ”he added.

Angel Figueroa Jaramillo, Chairman Union of Electrical and Irrigation Workers (Utier), indicates that current problems in the power system of Puerto Rico fall on the shoulders of LUMA energy.

“People have realized the bad deal and the consequences of that bad deal. What we said will not happen anymore, but it is already happening. It is not just the lack of service that we are all suffering from everyday. The situation has led to increased damage to electrical equipment and increased power consumption, and no one can explain why.” , Featured by Fikurova Jaramillo.

Figueroa Jaramillo added that Luma is in charge of the energy control center, which he describes as the brain of the energy system. “As a result, LUMA determines where it is disabled, how much time is spent and how it is disabled and they are responsible for everything that happens in the country.”