The Weekly Journal - September 18, 2019

Wednesday,September 18-24, 2019 - // no. 021

Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

www.theweeklyjournal.com

PRIVATE SECTOR SEEKS TO STREAMLINE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE P8 FEDERAL TAX CREDIT STILL AN ISSUE FOR PUERTO RICO P6

PUERTO RICO FACING SLOW PACE OF

FEDERAL AID

>Courtesy Nono Maldonado

Although the island has made progress since Hurricane Maria made landfall two years ago, residences and infrastructure are still recovering from the worst atmospheric event to have occurred on a U.S. territory

T Yennifer Álvarez Jaimes

PUERTO RICO FASHION THROUGH NONO MALDONADO’S LENS P20

yalvarez@wjournalpr.com

@yalvarezjaimes

wo years after Hurricane Maria changed Puerto Rico’s history, killing thousands, destroying houses and knocking out power in some areas for almost a year, the island is facing another test as strong as Maria’s wind and rain: the slow pace of private insurance payments and the disbursement of federal aid.

Although the island has made progress since Hurricane Maria’s passage on Sept. 20, 2017, and all the tourist

areas are eager and able to receive visitors, many residential areas are still recovering from the worst atmospheric event to have occurred on a U.S. territory.

Last week, Gov. Wanda Vázquez led a delegation of political and private sector leaders to Washington D.C. with the hopes of opening the lines of communication with the White House and other congressional leaders. Nevertheless, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Ben Carson, reiterated the necessity of appointing a federal financial GO TO PAGE 4

>Carlos Rivera Giusti

INVEST PUERTO RICO EXPANDS ITS GLOBAL REACH P12

The Weekly Journal > Wednesday, September 18, 2019 > 2

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A WEEK IN REVIEW POSSIBLE BANKING MERGER UNDERWAY

GAS PRICES EXPECTED TO NUDGE HIGHER AFTER ATTACKS ON SAUDI OIL INSTALLATIONS The interim secretary of the Consumer Affairs Department (DACO, by its Spanish acronym), Carmen Salgado, warned consumers about the increase in the cost of a barrel of fuel as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

Drone attacks on two major oil installations in Saudi Arabia damaged the processing facilities responsible for the majority of the United States’ crude output, an event which will have a wide impact on the global energy industry. The loss is so severe, oil and gas prices had already started to rise Sunday in global markets. Salgado will monitor fuel prices to prevent the local industry from taking advantage of the instability to generate exorbitant profits. Last week the price ranged from $54.85 to $54.61 a barrel. The forecast is for that price to go up to $61.24 per barrel, which represents an increase of about $7.00 dollars. The recommended pump price is between 71 to 76 cents per liter.

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PUERTO RICO MAY EXPERIENCE TROPICAL DEPRESSION EFFECTS ON SATURDAY

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has reported that the latest tropical depression has formed over the Atlantic and may soon be a hurricane. Assuming the tropical depression stays on its current trajectory, Puerto Rico may begin to experience its effects on Saturday, according to the NHC. As of press time, maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected and “the system is forecast become a hurricane by the time it approaches the northern Leeward Islands,” the NHC added.

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>NHC

>Archive

>Josian Bruno

According to several sources in the financial industry, an upcoming transaction could be the purchase of Santander’s local operation, which would practically eliminate the presence of international banks on the island. THE WEEKLY JOURNAL consulted three separate sources within the banking industry who all stated that there is a negotiation underway with Santander, a bank that has been pondering a sale for five years. “Here at Santander we don’t comment on rumors. We continue to address the financial needs of all of our clients,” a bank’s representative said when asked about the sale. FirstBank, the second largest bank on the island, seems to be the most interested company in acquiring Santander. However, Ginoris López-lay, executive vice president of FirstBank’s Strategic Management and Personal and Business Banking, stated that “FirstBank does not react to rumors within the industry.”

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 monitor to oversee the disbursement of disaster recovery funds to Puerto Rico.

The current federal public policy complicates the recovery of the island because according to Puerto Rico’s Housing Department secretary, Fernando Gil, between 20,000 to 25,000 houses still don’t have permanent roofs after Hurricane Maria.

These figures are estimates coming from the mayors and other nonprofit organizations.

In the meantime, U.S. Rep. David Price (DN.C), the chairman of the subcommittee on Transportation Housing and Urban Development said to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL that HUD is violating the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disasters Relief Act of 2019 by not providing Puerto Rico with access to the funding authorized by Congress. Price will hold a hearing in the coming weeks to probe HUD’s decision not to publish the allocations and administrative requirements for disaster funding.

The law requires HUD to publish the allocations and administrative requirements for mitigation activities within 90 days, and Puerto Rico is the only jurisdiction for which it has yet to do so.

THE WEEKLY JOURNAL talked with Gov. Vázquez just before the second anniversary of Hurricane María’s landfall in Puerto Rico.

THE WEEKLY JOURNAL: Almost two years after Hurricane Maria, do you think the federal government treats Puerto Rico fairly? Ben Carson said, for instance, that he understands the political unrest and yet, he did not change his policy regarding a monitor for HUD funds on the island. Puerto Rico was also left out of the notice for the CDBG-MIT (Mitigation) funds.

GOV. VÁZQUEZ: “Just this past week, I visited Washington D.C. for the first time as Governor of Puerto Rico. The relationship with FEMA is

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Last week, Gov. Wanda Vázquez led a delegation of political and private sector leaders to Washington D.C. with the hopes of opening the lines of communication with the White House and other congressional leaders. >AP

one that we continue to develop and strengthen so that the recovery work is carried out in a transparent and fair manner for all parties involved. The outcomes I was striving for on this trip were to reestablish the channels of communication and to introduce myself to our stakeholders in the nation’s capital. Most importantly, I wanted to guarantee to all that, as a former prosecutor and attorney general, I despise corruption and strongly believe in transparency and responsibility in every single step of the

Last week, Gov. Wanda Vázquez met for the first time with U.S. HUD Secretary Ben Carson. >Courtesy La Fortaleza

process. I also understand that right now we must regain their trust, and I am confident that this trip was the first step toward reaching that goal. However, I also understand that one trip is not enough, we must follow-through with our promises and follow-up on our requests in order to obtain all necessary funding for Puerto Rico to recover in an effective and resilient manner.”

THE WEEKLY JOURNAL: We know that you want to collaborate with the federal administration, but

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President Trump made negative statements about the disbursement of funds by alleging that Puerto Rico is a corrupt jurisdiction. Nevertheless, the local government has operated without any corruption allegations in relation to the already received recovery funds, while the past week two FEMA employees were indicted for fraud. What would you say to the White House and the federal administration?

GOV. VÁZQUEZ: “We want to be able to demonstrate that Puerto Rico is not corrupt and that in our case one bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole barrel.

Unfortunately, there are rotten apples everywhere and it is our job to identify and remove them immediately. As fate would have it, FEMA was shocked last week to experience the indictments of one of -Gov. Wanda Vázquez its top leaders and a former employee. I greatly appreciated that in our meeting, FEMA’s Acting Administrator, Peter Gaynor, apologized to me and the people of Puerto Rico for these unfortunate events and was adamant that these two do not represent the 20,000 FEMA employees. To which I immediately expressed that the same should be considered of us. To punish the people of Puerto Rico for the repudiated actions of a few is unfair. We want to show that Puerto Rico can work in partnership with the federal government and comply with all the laws, rules and regulations in order to receive all appropriated funds.”

to service the whole island. We also had the huge support of FEMA resources and personnel stationed on the island. Nevertheless, to me, the individual and family preparedness and safety is key and should be a priority. We all learned we should have enough food and water to last at least 10 days, all proper medications and established meeting points for all family members in the case communications fail, among others.

Moreover, Puerto Rico demonstrated we are compassionate people and that despite all our suffering, we offered a helping hand to everyone in need and we worked, and continue working together for the benefit of our beloved island.”

On the other hand, Secretary Gil pointed out, in an interview with this paper, that although U.S. Secretary Carson recognized the political unrest ended after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation, the federal public policy for the island is still the same. HUD is looking for a federal monitor, but Carson doesn’t want to reveal the candidate’s name to the Puerto Rican officials or when the search will end.

“I don’t think it’s fair to keep withholding the money just because they don’t have the monitor”, said Gil to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL after informing that he expressed his opinion to Carson during his last meeting in Washington D.C., to no avail.

“Actually, he [Carson] was not aware that federal officials were indicted and we explained

We want to be able to demonstrate that Puerto Rico is not corrupt and that in our case one bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole barrel.

THE WEEKLY JOURNAL: You were Secretary of Justice during Hurricane Maria and now you are the Governor of Puerto Rico. Which lessons have you learned after the worst atmospheric event on a U.S. territory?

GOV. VÁZQUEZ: “Hurricane Maria was a tragedy, nonetheless, we have learned immensely from it. It taught us many lessons which we have already begun to put into practice, especially now that we are in the midst of hurricane season. Almost immediately after the passing of Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico government began working on a comprehensive plan covering all state government instrumentalities. The plan’s main purpose is making all government leaders aware of all the necessary steps they need to take before, during and after any atmospheric phenomenon. It basically serves as a guide so every agency knows what to do and when.

This helps us avoid duplicate efforts and hold responsible parties accountable. Recently, during Hurricane Dorian’s threat to the island, our government exhibited a level of preparedness not seen in the past. We had a vast inventory of all necessary materials in the event we suffered damages to our electrical grid; we had enough supplies of water and food to last for a few days; and plenty of stored diesel and gasoline

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that to him,” pointed out Gil regarding the two former officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the former president of Cobra Acquisitions LLC, arrested for bribery and fraud related to the efforts of restoring electricity to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Secretary Gil hopes that the Congressional hearing helps clarify the situation because the government of Puerto Rico is in complete compliance and there hasn’t been evidence of any irregularities with the management of funds.

Gil also regretted the departure of HUD Deputy Secretary Pamela Patenaude, who worked with Puerto Rico.

THE WEEKLY JOURNAL: How would you describe HUD’s and the federal government’s treatment of Puerto Rico?

SECRETARY GIL: “In comparison, and based on the same scenario in other jurisdictions that have the same funding, it is a completely disparate treatment. That means that we are being discriminated against for x or y reason.”

HUD has authorized about $20 billion in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief funding (CDBG-DR) for Puerto Rico, but the U.S. territory has only been granted access to an initial $1.5 billion on a first tranche.

Last March, HUD approved Puerto Rico’s Amended Action Plan appropriating a second tranche of $8.2 billion of Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds for the island’s recovery after the havoc caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria almost two years ago. The funds can be used for unmet housing, economic revitalization, and infrastructure. Puerto Rico should also receive another $8.2 million in CDBG-Mitigation funds.

Secretary Gil hopes that the Congressional hearing helps clarify the situation because the government of Puerto Rico is in complete compliance and there hasn’t been evidence of any irregularities with the management of funds. > Archive/ Carlos Rivera Giusti

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The Debate Behind the Excise Tax Federal and local government officials have pondered the tax that adds $1.85 billion in yearly revenues to Puerto Rico’s coffers

W Cynthia López Cabán

clopez@wjournalpr.com

@cynthia_lope

hen President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law on Dec. 22., 2017, the island was still reeling from the havoc caused by Hurricane Maria.

For most Puerto Ricans, the tax overhaul debate went unnoticed. But among the modifications, the new federal tax code lowered the barriers for American companies to repatriate overseas profits and designated the island as a foreign jurisdiction for contribution purposes.

Both changes inflicted a blow to the excise tax that 24 multinational corporations pay and that generates an estimated $1.85 billion yearly to Puerto Rico’s coffers.

The excise tax was introduced by Act 154 of 2010. The administration of Luis Fortuño conceived it as a temporary tax on certain purchases made

by American Foreign Controlled Corporations (CFC) whose gross receipts exceed $75 million. It had a six-year life span, decreasing gradually from 4 to 1 percent. Later, then-Governor Alejandro García Padilla amended Act 154 so it would last until 2018 and raised the excise tax to 4 percent. At the beginning of his administration, Ricardo Rosselló extended it until 2021.

Until now, the multinational companies paying the levy received a 100 percent credit when filing federal taxes. While the Obama administration withheld a ruling on the constitutionality of the tax under the assumption it was a short-term measure; the Trump administration addressed the tax reimbursement without qualms.

Along the way, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with members of the Financial Oversight Management Board (FOMB), who projected a decline in revenues under the current fiscal plan due to the elimination of the excise tax.

Secretary Steven Mnuchin traveled to Puerto Rico on March 2018 to discuss the terms and conditions of the FEMA community disaster loans authorized by Congress. >Archive/Carlos Rivera Giusti

For some time now, federal and local government officials have pondered the issue behind the scenes. Then, last week, Mnuchin brought it up during a meeting with Gov. Wanda Vázquez and other government officials, becoming the center of the public debate.

Is the government ready for a repeal of the excise tax? How is the government going to replace that source of income?

CPA and former Treasury Secretary Teresita Fuentes told THE WEEKLY JOURNAL that she initiated an analysis of the excise tax and possible options for its replacement during her short tenure at the agency.

As part of her efforts, Fuentes met with

economist Melba Acosta, who headed the agency under García Padilla’s administration, and scheduled meetings with the multinational companies affected by future revisions of the contributory system.

“The Board didn’t identify any alternatives. Its position was that the government of Puerto Rico had to identify another source of income. Both the U.S. Treasury Department and the Board were pointing at Puerto Rico saying: ‘you created this temporary tax now you have to come up with an alternative to replace it’,” Fuentes explained.

A possible option to make up for the revenue shortfall is to transform the excise tax into an income tax, an alternative that economist Gustavo

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Vélez also favors. Why? Because under the new According to Martínez, a shrinkage in the tax policy, these companies can claim up to an 80 pharmaceutical industry, the major player behind percent tax deduction in repatriated earnings.

Act 154, could compromise 30 percent of the “The only viable option is to convert it into government’s budget, which amounts to $9.1 an income tax within the context of the new tax billion. These companies not only account for the reform. Still, it would result in a net contribution biggest chunk of the $1.85 billion in government impact of 20 percent, quite a departure from the revenues but they also pay another $850 million in 100 percent credit provided to these companies tax decrees. under the current statute,” Veléz pointed out.

“Puerto Rico could lose competitiveness and But it is not that easy. this industry could continue to close factories on “If you create a new income tax, you have to the island and $2.7 billion or 30 percent of the discuss it with these companies because they budget relies on ten pharmaceutical companies,” already have tax decrees that would have to be he insisted. renegotiated. You can’t change the rules of the For Vélez, the founder of Inteligencia Económica, game unilaterally,” Fuentes indicated. there are other elements working against the THE WEEKLY JOURNAL asked Omar Marrero, island. “It’s not as simple as replacing it. Hurricane director of the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Maria unveiled our vulnerabilities; the poor Authority (Aafaf), if the meetings with these infrastructure; the Jones Act that increases the companies still continue but he can’t confirm or costs of shipping to the island thus incrementing deny the information because “it could affect the production costs; the uncertainty caused by the market”. government bankruptcy; government bureaucracy Three different sources confirmed to THE and the cost of electricity.”

WEEKLY JOURNAL “This is a call to that Secretary action. We need a Mnuchin did not new tax policy but disclose a deadline without gimmicks. by which to submit We have to reduce a possible solution the cost of electricity, to the phasing out repeal the Jones Act, of the excise tax. As improve infrastructure of press time, the and education,” Vélez U.S. Treasury had yet added. to respond to this As a short-term paper’s request for a solution, Martínez statement. proposed a “Since the beginning maximization of the of this administration, pending disaster aid we have been aware and recommended that the fiscal plan government contemplates a intervention in order -Teresita Fuentes, possible reduction to guarantee insurance former Secretary of Treasury of the excise tax but, companies pay the as of today, the U.S. millions of dollars in Treasury Department unpaid claims for the has yet to make a determination on its future and damages caused by Maria. has not advised us of any six month timeframe in “You have insurance companies that don’t want which we are to receive a determination,” Marrero to pay, that are litigating everything and denying pointed out. claims,” he emphasized.

Marrero added that although the Fiscal Agency The proposals must go beyond the allocation and Financial Advisory Authority, the Puerto Rico of money. Martínez insisted on government Treasury Department and the Department of transparency and accountability. To achieve this Economic Development and Commerce are still goal, he maintained, public officials must recognize working on a plan, he does not want to reveal that the Office of the Comptroller, the Ethics Office details of the possible alternatives to the excise and the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel tax. don’t work. “We have to close those three agencies Aside from a possible renegotiation of decrees, and create a new structure based on international Fuentes, Vélez and Heriberto Martínez, president standards of transparency.” of the Puerto Rico Association of Economists, Martínez also advocated for a transformation of questioned whether a new income tax would make the contributory regime, the adoption of a valuePuerto Rico less attractive for businesses. added tax and a wealth tax.

“Puerto Rico could lose its competitiveness The president of the Puerto Rico Association of against other jurisdictions such as Ireland, Economists explained that there has to be a social which has already seen its pharmaceutical industry responsibility tax to fund the welfare state and improve precisely because they have been a higher tax on the wealthy so that the working successful in defending their incentives against the class feels that the product of their work benefits European Union,” Fuentes argued as she rejected them. the imposition of new taxes on individuals to make up for the lost revenue.

Yennifer Álvarez Jaimes contributed to this story.

Teresita Fuentes, former Secretary of Treasury >Courtesy

Puerto Rico could lose its competitiveness against other jurisdictions such as Ireland, which has already seen its pharmaceutical industry improve precisely because they have been successful in defending their incentives against the European Union.

Gustavo Vélez, economist and founder of Inteligencia Económica. >Courtesy Inteligencia Económica

Heriberto Martínez, president of the Puerto Rico Association of Economists. >Gabriel López Albarrán

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Profesa Achieves a Major Step Towards Bettering Emergency Assistance

Puerto Rican Professional Organization (Profesa) would be on charge of receiving, documenting and sending out all containers with recovery supplies to the island in case of a natural disaster

A Claudia Guerrero Negrón

newsroom@wjournalpr.com

@cguerreronegron

fter a discussion with the Jacksonville Port Authority COO Frederick Wong and five shipping company executives, the Puerto Rican Professional Association (Profesa) achieves a major step towards bettering emergency assistance in case of a natural disaster on the island, establishing themselves as the official shipping entity for all goods and supplies shipped to Puerto Rico from the Jacksonville port for the next time it is needed.

In the meeting, celebrated in the Jacksonville port facilities, Wong described the problems that the authority had with the organization of all the materials that needed to be sent to the island for assistance, blaming Puerto Rico’s slow recovery

after Hurricane Maria to not having an established shipping company, the shipping company then protocol that facilitated the process. stocks the ships with the containers and since “For Maria, they had lot of trucks to help with Profesa will instruct different institutions on how the recovery of the island. Each truck belonged to to properly document the information on the someone different and that required a different material, that will help us avoid having any errors set of documents for each one, which meant of sending it to the wrong place simply because you had five times a piece of information the same thing for went missing,” said different people. Now, Agrait. as Profesa assumes “The team that role, we will understands this will receive the equipment be an excellent tool to and take care of the speed up the process, documentation and unload the trucks and that will speed up send the help in a all processes in the timely manner so that area of docks and the help is received on maritime corporations” time,” the leader added. said Thomas Agrait, This change in vice president for who is in charge of government affairs this protocol will -Thomas Agrait, Vice president for government of Profesa and CEO facilitate the access of Lean Enterprise to information of affairs of Profesa and CEO of Lean Consulting. what goes in each Enterprise Consulting Agrait is one of the container. Also, with a leaders in Profesa bill of lading document dedicated to the improvement of recovery protocols issued by Profesa for each container sent out, the for the island, creating the entity’s first emergency organization will have complete and clear visibility plan for when the next storm ravages the island. of tracking, acknowledging a receipt of cargo for “We are building a vision of system, from the shipment. The entity will know exactly where each moment we receive, for example, a power plant, container they send out arrives, leaving no room we will take care of all of the documentation for for lost material or improper mismanagement. the shipment, we will deliver it by land to the Conversations are already underway with Medtronics, a multinational medical device company with facilities in Cataño, Juncos, Humacao, Villalba and Ponce, to establish protocols for the reception and distribution end of the process.

In a phone conversation with Felix Negrón, vice president of Puerto Rico operations for Medtronics, Agrait was able to confirm Medtronics’ participation in what will be a much more efficient and cohesive disaster recovery plan for Puerto Rico.

One of the Profesa members owns Multi-pak, a packaging and shipping supplies company based in Miami that will be one of the receiving centers where the material will be collected and then sent out to the Jacksonville port. The company also has facilities in Puerto Rico.

Conversations are also to be planned in the coming weeks with Anthony Maceira, executive director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, to establish a direct line of communication in the response of another atmospheric phenomenon.

We are being more sensible to the human element. We are working with the system part and we are harmonizing it with the sensibility of the people who will suffer in the middle of an atmospheric catastrophe.

Frederick Wong, Head of Operations of the Port of JAX; Rafael González, President of PROFESA; Thomas Agrait, Vice President of Government Relations of PROFESA; Héctor Díaz, founding member of the Board of PROFESA; and Executives of the marine cargo companies Crowley, TOTE and Trailer Bridge. >Courtesy PROFESA

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Concerns have arisen in the past few days about the operational agreement between Luis A. Ayala Colon Sucrs., Inc. (Ayala) and Puerto Rico Terminals (PRT). Maritime industry services are not easy to understand and can be taken out of context, therefore we would like to set the record straight for the benefit of our customers and the citizens of Puerto Rico.

This agreement is a 50%-50% joint venture between Ayala and PRT. Working together as a new entity known as Puerto Nuevo Terminals, the operational agreement between the parties is limited to unloading, loading vessels, dispatching and receiving cargo. It has nothing to do with the routes and services of the shipping lines, nor the freight offered by them. Luis Ayala is not a vessel operator, nor is PRT. The shipping lines are customers of the terminal.

In the case of PRT, it provides terminal services to CMA-CGM, National Shipping, TOTE, Trailer Bridge, Tropical and car carriers. In the case of Ayala, it provides stevedoring and terminal services to APL, Dole, Evergreen, Geest Lines, Hamburg Sud, Hapag Lloyd, Maersk, MSC, ONE, Sealand, and Zim. Services to these lines are under contracts negotiated individually with each of them. These agreements, which last from one to five years, include unloading, loading, dispatch and receiving of containers, equipment, fuel, and other services.

Each of these shipping lines that is serviced operate independently of each other and are regulated by the federal government. They serve Puerto Rico from different parts of the world and vice versa. This business of this joint venture will continue in the same way as is today since the terminals have no intervention in these matters. For consumers, shippers and truckers it is transparent.

Luis Ayala Colon will continue to provide stevedoring and terminals services to the new corporation Puerto Nuevo Terminal.

With the investments in new equipment, cranes, terminal operating systems and others, Puerto Nuevo Terminals will be a world-class terminal ready to give the most efficient and effective service to our customers. Investments have been made in new cranes capable of handling bigger vessels and the line’s requirements, a new terminal operating system capable of increasing the efficiencies of the terminal, and other potential synergies.

With the lack of future volume increases, this is the only option to improve services, enhance asset utilization, reach economies of scale, and guarantee the best service possible to the island.

Sincerely, Luis A. Ayala Colon Sucrs., Inc. & Puerto Rico Terminals Luis A. Ayala Colon Sucrs., Inc. is a local, family-owned corporation founded in 1938 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Ayala has been operating continuously for 81 years and will maintain stevedoring and terminal services at the Port of San Juan.

PRT, an independent marine terminal operator at the Port of San Juan, and its predecessor companies, have been reliably servicing international and domestic shipping lines to Puerto Rico for more than 35 years.

< The Weekly Journal > Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Open Letter to our customers and the citizens of Puerto Rico

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U.S. Rep. Grijalva Discusses Promesa, Political Status With Puerto Rico’s Leaders Proposes amendments to Promesa to audit the island’s debt and ensure greater transparency Giovanna Garofalo

R

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com

@giopgarofalo

aúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, held a press conference at La Fortaleza on Sept. 16 to report on the topics and issues addressed

in his meetings with Gov. Wanda Vázquez and other local officials concerning Promesa, Puerto Rico’s political status and environmental affairs, among others.

Grijalva confirmed that he convened with P.R. Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Sens. Eduardo Bhatia and José Luis Dalmau Santiago to discuss the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management & Economic Stability Act (Promesa) established by the U.S. Congress, which created the Financial Oversight & Management Board (FOMB) tasked with monitoring the island’s public debt and economic restructuring processes.

At the meeting, Rivera Schatz reiterated his opposition to this federally-established law and called for its repeal.

“In this Senate, we are using and depleting all the resources to eliminate once and for all the

Speaking in San Juan with Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, Raul Grijalva said he’ll present a draft proposal regarding amendments to the 2016 law known as PROMESA at a committee hearing in October. >Courtesy President of the Senate Office.

devastating effects of Promesa on the island with a federal Fiscal Control Board that has achieved nothing and has been a major obstacle to Puerto Rico’s recovery,” the Senate president stated.

According to the pro-statehood legislator, FOMB “only ensures its own benefits, so it is time for Congress to act and repeal this arbitrary law.”

However, Proposed Grijalva leaned Amendments to toward enacting Promesa: amendments rather than • Audit the an absolute debtEnsure greater derogation of the transparencyCreation act. He informed of a reconstruction that amongst coordinator to oversee the changes he the island’s hurricane has proposed recovery to Promesa • Allocate FOMB’s funds are an audit for its operation directly of the debt, from the federal ensuring greater governmentDetailed transparency, definition of essential the creation of benefits a reconstruction • Added protection to coordinator to education, healthcare, oversee Puerto and pension security Rico’s recovery from 2017’s Hurricane Maria, and for the funds needed for the FOMB’S operation to come directly from the federal government.

“Because of federal funding, Congress and its investigative processes have many more entry points for checks and balances,” the representative said.

Other suggested amendments include a detailed definition of essential benefits, as well as added protection to education, healthcare and pension security. These last three have been key factors in discussions around Promesa, given that FOMB has repeatedly introduced austerity measures that effectively slash the government’s

In fact...

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budget for these services.

Grijalva informed that he is gathering data from local officials on the subject of Promesa and expects to file a complete report on October 22.

Expedited Federal Funding for Reconstruction Efforts

to that position that there has to be some accountability, transparency and oversight, and that’s what we’re trying to figure out, and that’s where the involvement of the municipalities would be involved,” he said.

Statehood Would be “Miracle of Miracles”

Regarding the island’s reconstruction, Grijalva stated In addition to these that “the federal government matters of interest, Grijalva has a responsibility to secure said that local officials also the funds dedicated to Puerto brought up the subject Rico.” of Puerto Rico’s status as The congressman said that an incorporated territory he talked with corresponding of the United States, a officials about how to attain topic that has been heavily the funds, as well as the U.S. debated, particularly government’s role in with the present making sure that this pro-statehood >Carlos Rivera Giusti process is expedited. administration.

Furthermore, he stated On this regard, that the process to Grijalva stressed expedite assistance that both President to municipalities Donald J. Trump relies on local policy and U.S. Senate and the roles of the Majority Leader -Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, chairman of the U.S. Federal Emergency Mitch McConnell House Committee on Natural Resources Management Agency have stated that (FEMA) and the Central the island’s political Office of Recovery, status is not an Reconstruction utmost priority and and Resilience (COR3), a local government they would not have a voting session on the instrumentality that works alongside FEMA in matter. Regardless, Grijalva observed that there disbursing obligated funds. has been pressure from the local media and “There is consensus among municipalities from pro-statehood politicians. and even people who are adamantly opposed “[Statehood] would be the miracle of miracles,

The federal government has a responsibility to secure the funds dedicated to Puerto Rico.

politically... We will have the discussion, we will have the debate, but I assure you that there will be different ideas from other colleagues,” he punctuated, adding that the issue requires a discussion nonetheless.

Coastal Erosion a Priority

Lastly, the congressman also talked about environmental issues with Vázquez and other officials, particularly about climate change, the use of natural gas and how to tackle concerns about coastal erosion threatening residents’ wellbeing.

THE WEEKLY JOURNAL asked Grijalva to share details about his discussion concerning the current debacle among some government leaders in regard to approving Senate Bill 1122, which aims to ban construction projects on coastal zones for 20 years.

While some officials, such as Puerto Rico Tourism Co. Executive Director Carla Campos, stress that this would be detrimental to the island’s tourism economy and construction industry, others—such as Sen. Juan Dalmau, who authored the bill—worry that allowing further construction projects in these areas could cause longstanding or irreparable damage.

In response, Grijalva noted that he will release a separate report about environmental issues, but affirmed that he is in favor of issuing a hiatus to these construction projects.

“I think there has to be a safe zone and I personally think that no construction in those areas is not only an environmentally good idea, in terms of sustainability and overall protection, a necessary idea,” he said.

Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) held a press conference at La Fortaleza to discuss the topics and issues addressed in his meeting with Gov. Wanda Vázquez. > Courtesy La Fortaleza

12

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Invest PR Maximizes Efforts, Hiring Staff in California and New York Rod Miller, Invest PR CEO, discusses with manufacturing and government sector leaders the challenges and economic development opportunities Puerto Rico faces at this time Claudia Guerrero Negrón

R

newsroom@wjournalpr.com

@cguerreronegron

odrick Miller, Invest Puerto Rico CEO announced the expansion of the organization in the U.S. states of California and New York as a strategy to maximize efforts in educating about and attracting business opportunities to the island. The entity will be hiring two full-time staff personnel to further its agenda.

Invest Puerto Rico is also in the process of selecting representation in Asia and Europe, which should be culminated by the end of the calendar year ideally. These officials will be focused on recruiting investors in the areas of financial services, professional services, and technology, explained Miller, also former president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

“The short term strategy is that we’re going to sell the incentives primarily on a lot of the stuff that is I would say is more people intensive because quite frankly it’s easy to get people in financial services and some of these other areas,” said the executive in a round table discussion with manufacturing industry leaders.

The teams will be focused on informing future prospects on Puerto Rico’s competitive value, which Miller indicates is the ability to infiltrate

different markets and different cultures, as we endemic problems that cause the need for those have with Caribbean, Latino, and U.S. markets. incentives in the first place.

“For a company, that is very valuable,” said “We’re addressing competitive disadvantages Miller. in terms of cost of transportation, in terms of As part of their strategy to familiarize future cost of energy, were addressing competitive partners with the business opportunities in disadvantages in terms of access to labor, Puerto Rico, the teams will be hosting events access to new markets, so all of those things to present compelling business cases and are competitive disadvantages; unless we proposals while maintaining effective invest in those things long term, those communication with Puerto Rican incentives are going to have to municipalities, island government continue to go up over time,” and private sector partners, Miller added. according to the duties and Miller statement was made responsibilities section of during a round table in the Business Development preamble to the week that Director position listed is dedicated to celebrating on the Invest Puerto Rico the manufacturing industry website career center. starting this Sept. 23, where While attracting industry leaders joined investment on the government representatives manufacturing to plead for support. sector remains a The manufacturing challenge in Miller’s industry represents a >Archive/ Gabriel López Albarrán opinion, the business 45 percent contribution expert is convinced to Puerto Rico’s overall of the industry’s gross national income, resilience in Puerto according to Migdalia Rico.

Rosado, executive “What we’re director of PriMEX, seeing on the a private non-profit manufacturing front organization that -Rodrick Miller, Invest PR CEO is a much more created and retained

complicated game, 4,891 manufacturing because as much jobs in the 2018 fiscal as markets want to year. move away from manufacturing, nothing’s going The leaders reiterated this industry’s to invest at the level of manufacturing, nothing permanence in generating economic activity on in terms of the long-term is going to be kind the island, generating more than 74,000 jobs of as sustainable because once you have that on the island today with over 1,700 different infrastructure on the ground, I know how on the manufacturing companies. ground from the manufacturing perspective its The group established a collective call to search harder to move it,” said Miller. for more opportunities and strategies on how While Puerto Rico offers aggressive incentives this industry can see improvement in terms of for companies to establish themselves on the government permisology, approval of labels for island, one of the opportunities that Miller sees different products and distribution mechanisms in economic growth in is fixing Puerto Rico’s among other issues.

We need innovation that represents opportunity to face the problems we have, there is a lot of space for growth.

13 < The Weekly Journal > Wednesday, September 18, 2019

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/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Growing Your Business Means Taking Risks

Also important is building a network of contacts

A Rosario Fajardo

rfajardo@wjournalpr.com

@RosarioWJournal

bout four years ago, Andrea Tsakanikas, took a major risk and began her small business, operating out of her home. Based in Austin, Texas, Crewfacilities began with her vision of providing “quality lodging offerings” to the federal government and private companies for employees and work crews in such areas as disaster relief, oil and gas works and railroad construction, among others.

The lengths of stay vary from one night, one month and even two to three years, she said.

Tsakanikas has grown her company from being its sole employee to a team of 21 staff members today. good shape.”

However, she did not begin from scratch.

She also planned for future government work Tsakanikas already had years of experience in by getting her company’s certifications in such the property and facility management areas as a female-owned company industry. This not only provided her with and HubZone, for those operating important knowledge of the industry, in economically distressed but also armed her with a muchcommunities. When she was needed network of contacts. ready, Tsakanikas and her She said she started with small team began bidding clear goals in terms of revenue for government contracts. projections, which she tied to Her first award was for overhead. She never took a 25 hotel rooms for a line of credit or loan, as the government agency. company was pretty much Among her clients today self-funding. “Little by little, as include the U.S. National revenues grew, then so did my Guard, the U.S. Coast infrastructure and Guard, U.S. Customs my staff,” she said, and Border Protection >Courtesy Crewfacilities noting that she began and various “disaster by hiring part-time response” companies. employees.

For his part, Karel Tsakanikas also Gómez, bought saved by putting a Draftpros, a telecom, certain percentage of engineering and incoming payments construction firm more -Andrea Tsakanikas, into a money market than four years ago, founder and president of Crewfacilities account. This was when the company had important in case she six employees. Today, needed financing from the Miami-based firm a bank, she explained. has 400 employees in “The best time to get credit is when you don’t 17 cities around the U.S. need it. Keep all your data, your financials, in Gómez, who used to be a telephone lineman,

The best time to get credit is when you don’t need it. Keep all your data, your financials, in good shape.

said he grew the business by outsourcing the work to various contractors and “removed the fencing” around him by bidding for government contracts outside his immediate area. “Don’t limit yourself to your geographic area. Fight your comfort zone,” he said.

His first contract was a small one, in San Antonio, Texas. Gómez hired a contractor, gave him a financial incentive to do a great job, and the rest is history. “Subcontracting saves on payroll and by paying a high rate, there is an incentive to do well. This is important for your company’s reputation,” he said.

Tsakanikas and Gómez spoke to their fellow businessowners during a forum by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Chamber of Commerce (CoC) on federal contracting for small businesses in the area of road and bridge construction.

“The Puerto Rico Highways Authority projects a total investment of $652 million in two years for road construction on the island. Of this amount, $250 million will come from federal funds and the remaining funds from the local government.

Knowing how to effectively compete for contracts is something that our entrepreneurs need to understand. This was a great opportunity for our small and midsize businesses to know how, when and where they can access the capital that the DOT has accessible for the reconstruction of our roads,” said José Ledesma Fuentes, president of the Puerto Rico CoC.

15

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

East Coast Visitors Continue to Dominate Tourism in Puerto Rico Study: Media “lift” leads to more visitors and longer stays

J

Rosario Fajardo

rfajardo@wjournalpr.com

@RosarioWJournal

ust one year after Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s destination marketing organization (DMO), began operations, there has already been a noticeable impact from its advertising and media campaigns, leading to more visitors coming from the East Coast and longer stays to the island, based on data from Arrivalist.

“Puerto Rico is a good story, so it’s a hot destination right now,” according to Matt Clement, vice president of marketing and business development at Arrivalist.

Once exposed to Discover Puerto Rico’s media and marketing campaign, an estimated 85 percent of the target audience comes to the island for leisure travel, he said. This media “lift” compares favorably with other campaigns from other destinations, with response rates of between 50 percent and 130 percent.

Once exposed to the campaign, “about 60 percent decide to come within 60 days,” Clement said. “That’s pretty quick. In Bermuda, the targeted audience takes longer to decide, more than three months,” he noted.

In that sense, the decision-making process for the island is similar to that of other destinations in the mainland U.S. Clement attributed this “quick” decision making primarily due to the island’s

Matt Clement, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Arrivalist >Gabriel López Albarrán

downloaded on mobile devices, tracks them during frequency of air service and price offerings for their visits to the island. travel-related products.

Arrivalist, a U.S. company that measures Meanwhile, these visitors also stay longer in digital intelligence and consumer behavior, was Puerto Rico. On average, visitors from Florida, the hired by Discover Puerto Rico to determine if island’s top tourism market, stay three days and the DMO’s media and marketing programs were five hours on the island. But the target audience having a positive impact on visitors to the island. who comes, stays 53 percent longer, at four days The company tracks and 22 hours. geolocation data on For visitors from about 120 million New York, Puerto Rico’s people in the U.S. and no. 2 tourism market, Puerto Rico. the overall average Among the stay is three days and other findings that 21 hours. The target Arrivalist found, using audience who comes, -Matt Clement, vice president of Marketing geolocation-based stays 28 percent and Business Development at Arrivalist apps, are that residents longer, at four days from Florida, New and 23 hours.

York, Pennsylvania and Rounding out the Texas were the toptop-five markets for Puerto Rico are no. 3 New Jersey, followed by Texas five visitors to El Yunque; and that other top places to visit, besides Old San Juan and El Yunque were and Georgia.

Plaza Las Américas mall in Hato Rey, Casa Bacardi in In marketing, “lift” represents an increase in Cataño and the so-called Pork Highway, or “La Ruta sales in response to some form of advertising del Lechón,” in Guavate, where dozens of informal or promotion, according to the website restaurants specialize in slow-roasted pork. practicalecommerce.com. The metrics measured Not surprisingly, San Juan is by far the top for media lift include “clicks” for a website after the destination, followed by 22.4 percent for the targeted audience has been exposed to content, north region; 19 percent for the northeast and such as an ad in a magazine or a digital ad on social media; the length of time a person stays on a 15 percent for the central area. Only about 2.4 particular website and return visits to that website. percent of the targeted audience go to the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra. Clement In the case of Discover Puerto Rico, they also surmised that it “requires a bigger commitment” to track when the targeted audience—primarily on visit Vieques and Culebra compared with staying the East Coast—arrives in Puerto Rico and then, on the main island. using location data from various applications

Puerto Rico is a good story, so it’s a hot destination right now.

16

Puerto Rico as a Destination for Megayachts

>Archive

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

This industry represents millions for the local economy

S

Yennifer Álvarez Jaimes

yalvarez@wjournalpr.com

@yalvarezjaimes

ecretary of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its Spanish acronym) Manuel A. Laboy, announced that the Government of Puerto Rico will be promoting and marketing the island as a destination for megayachts.

Laboy stated that promoting Puerto Rico to megayacht owners would be beneficial to the local economy. He explained that promoting the island’s many tourist attractions would arouse the interest of these megayacht owners thus bringing them to the island and benefiting various economic sectors directly and indirectly.

“Our mission is to oversee the implementation of economic public policy within Puerto Rico’s varied business sectors. According to data provided by the U.S. Superyacht Association, this industry has had a direct and indirect economic impact of approximately $39 million since 2014,” Laboy added.

“We will be promoting the many benefits and virtues that Puerto Rico has to offer, in terms of

Manuel Laboy explained that promoting the island’s many tourist attractions would arouse the interest of these megayacht owners thus bringing them to the island and benefiting various economic sectors directly and indirectly.>Archive

tourism and government incentives to those who wish to do business on the island, at five major boat shows,” said the engineer.

Laboy added that his agency seeks to foster the development of a stable and self-sustaining economy.

“We estimate that we will have received 327 megayacht visits since 2014, and hope to eventually reach 500, which would represent an

economic impact of $61 million, according to data provided by the U.S. Superyacht Association,” the official said.

Some of the upcoming events where Puerto Rico will be promoted are the Monaco Yacht Show, one of the most important events in the boating industry and at which the island has not had a presence since 2016; the Antigua Charter Show; and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

17

Insurance Commissioner: Integrand Assurance is Insolvent and Must be Liquidated Integrand: Claims are spurious and false

I

Rosario Fajardo

rfajardo@wjournalpr.com

@RosarioWJournal

n the latest round of the legal battle between the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and Integrand Assurance Company, the insurance commissioner claimed that “the insurer’s obligations exceed its admitted assets, which makes it an insolvent insurer.”

In documents filed with the Appeals Court on Sept.

12, the insurance commissioner outlines the case for insolvency in a voluminous 506-page document.

After reviewing Integrand’s books, the company allegedly understated losses by $230.4 million, which leads to a capital insufficiency of $215.7 >Archive million. “This situation makes the efforts of a Naturaleza for $5.9 million; Espiritu Santo School possible rehabilitation unviable,” the document and Parish for $524,947; and states. In other words, there Global Manufacturing for is no point in rehabilitation, as $568,043; among others. liquidation is the correct route to Based on the insurance follow. commissioner’s calculations, For example, based on several Integrand’s assets total $85.2 reports of Integrand’s “suggested Other compensation million; liabilities total $295.9 exposure,” due to damages claims filed with million and equity totals $3 caused by Hurricane Maria in Integrand have million.

Sept. 2017, the adjuster-estimated not received any “The examination of insurance compensation for payments at all: the insurer’s operations Empresas Berrios was $14 million, • Para La Naturaleza demonstrates a significant and of which $1.75 million has been for $5.9 million accelerated deterioration of its paid, leaving $12.25 million as • Espiritu Santo financial situation, which directly possibly due, as the claim has not School and Parish for affects the level of risk-based been settled. $524,947 capital…required to operate, as For Union Holdings, the • Global required by law,” the document adjuster-estimated insurance Manufacturing for states. compensation was $8.3 million, $568,043; among As such, the insurance of which $1.1 million was paid, others. commissioner is asking the leaving $7.2 million as possibly Appeals Court to declare due.

Source: Insurance Integrand insolvent, dissolve The municipality of Ceiba’s Commissioner’s Office the corporation, assign a adjuster-estimated insurance liquidator to take “physical and compensation was $3 million, of constructive” possession of all which $650,000 was paid, leaving property and sell them, and deal $2.35 million as possibly due. with all claimants, among others.

Other compensation claims filed with Integrand In a response filing comprising five pages, have not received any payments at all: Para La

In fact...

Integrand is asking for an expedited hearing, saying that “the arguments used by the Commissioner to support his claim are at least spurious, and in virtually all cases, false.”

Integrand is asking the court to attend to the controversy of its opposition to the insurance commissioner’s appointment of Juan Moldes Rodríguez to be in charge of the company’s rehabilitation process. Until the matter is resolved, Integrand wants all the decisions made by Moldes to be declared null and void.

Integrand is asking for the expedited hearing to be held no later than Sept. 18.

Integrand found itself in financial distress after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, as the company was unable to pay off claims that could have reached $50 million. As a result, the company requested that the insurance commissioner initiate rehabilitation proceedings.

The legal controversies arose at the end of May after the insurance commissioner took control of the insurer’s assets and property, under the supervision of the court, initiating Integrand’s reorganization. Integrand has also filed a civil lawsuit against Insurance Commissioner Javier Rivera and other members of his office, alleging that they participated in a conspiracy to affect the insurer, which is asking for $30 million in compensatory damages.

18

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Lobbyist Registry MAY beCOME AVAILABLE This Week Executive Order prohibits lobbying without registration

T Giovanna Garofalo

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com

@giopgarofalo

he Puerto Rico Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to launch its digital platform to register lobbyists sometime this week, a spokesperson for the institution informed THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. The move would come more than two months after then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló signed Executive Order 2019-031 to create a lobbyist registry and establish the “code of total transparency” for all agency heads within the executive branch.

“In the past, the practices of some people dedicated to the business known as ‘lobbying’ have opened the door to acts that deviated from the word of law. That is why it is necessary to establish additional and novel measures that regulate the lobbying practice in agencies from the central government and establish a frame that endorses transparency in this professional practice before the government of Puerto Rico,” the executive order reads in its exposition of motives.

Section 1 of the legal document states that the DOJ would be tasked with implementing the ‘Registry of Lobbyists Before the Government of Puerto Rico’, monitoring and enacting the provisions of the executive order, and carrying out an agreement between public agencies or instrumentalities for the design of the digital platform.

Moreover, the executive order states that any individual who is carrying out lobbying activities must register in the aforementioned platform and submit an affidavit (sworn testament) that includes information about their clients in any government agency; the business or businesses in which they participate, be it through actions or under professional services; the list of people for which they are performing lobbying activities; and a certification that the natural person, shareholders, partners and/or members of an entity that provides lobbying services have not advised, intervened or worked with the matter for which it provides lobbying services.

Sources close to this paper affirmed that they

are interested in registering, particularly for issues states that “this executive order will take effect concerning the Opportunity Zones program, and immediately and will remain in force until it is that they already completed their affidavits, but amended or revoked by a posterior executive are unsure if they are able to order or by law.” proceed without the registry Although the six-page available. document goes into detail about Section 4 of EO 2019-031 several definitions and multiple outlines that agency directors orders, it does not outline the The move are not allowed to meet—be it penalty or fine for violating its would come more in person, phone call or video provisions. than two months chat—with any lobbyist who is The DOJ spokesperson after then-Governor not duly inscribed in the official informed that the secretary Rosselló signed an registry. Despite this, inside of Justice, Dennise Longo, has Executive Order to sources confided that several already held various meetings create a “code of officials have held meetings to give shape to EO 2019-031, total transparency” with lobbyists, even though the with the last one having being for all agency heads within the executive registry had not been made scheduled for September 13, as branch. available at the time of this of the time of this writing. At this writing. meeting, the DOJ expected to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL asked discuss what they regarded as if this action constitutes an the last pending issue, which is irregularity or illegal act, to which a spokesperson the registry and how to implement it. The DOJ was responded that delving into those details would expecting to publish the platform on the week of constitute as legal advice and that the DOJ is not Monday, Sept. 16, although an exact date could not allowed to do so. Section 12 of the legal document be provided.

In fact...

Secretary of Justice Dennise Longo, expects to publish the platform this week, although an exact date could not be provided. >Archive

19

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

By Manuel Cidre

By Waleska Rivera

Entrepreneur & Founder of Los Cidrines

Entrepreneur & CEO Danosa Caribbean Inc.

We Have Opportunities but we Need to Change the Business Model

T

he closing announcements of Sears and Kmart stores in Puerto Rico and the United States, and the recent closing of few Sam’s Clubs earlier in the year send us a message: the retail business and shopping centers are not as usual and is quickly moving to a different model.

Recently, the secretary of economic development of Puerto Rico (DDEC), in reaction to these closures, said that this situation represented a great opportunity for Puerto Rican entrepreneurs to adopt these models and turn them into local companies.

What would be better than if the Sears and Kmart stores on the island could be replaced by models similar to González Padin or Velasco, which disappeared several years ago, and that the JF Montalvo Cash & Carry chain could open the closed Sam’s Clubs stores in Barceloneta, Rexville, Humacao and Carolina!

Believe me I would be the first one jumping on one foot!

However, these closures do not respond to mismanagement or recession, which by the way, we are not in recession, I mean the American economy. The reality is, that the world of retail is changing and the challenge is how we can be ahead of that change.

Predicting that mega chains

such as Walmart, Macy’s, Home Depot, Ross, JCPenney are going to disappear is unlikely, what is predictable is that they will transform their models to ones based on innovation, differentiation and relevance, integrating technology and a service aligned to a different experience, which includes, but is not the only one, shopping.

I would not be surprised to see very soon in a store of this nature a childcare, a nursing room, a medical office, a playground among many other initiatives that justify the visit of the client beyond the current business model. Why do I bring this issue? Because it seems to me that there are opportunities for the local entrepreneur to operate these concepts but in a different way.

Likewise, for the shopping centers it represents a great challenge. I recently attended my grandson’s birthday at the Canóvanas outlets and, to my surprise, almost half of the shopping center was occupied by a top notch center of entertainment that included from a track under the roof of “go karts” to game machines, restaurants, bars, in short a whole concept for the family.

By the way, the place was packed with people.

Transparency and Honesty: A Path to Economic Growth

C

orruption has escalated all levels, from local and federal government officials to private sector contractors, as we have painfully seen during the past weeks. This is not only shameful; it is unacceptable and reprehensible. It is an obvious lack of honesty and integrity on both ends.

It plays with people in need, pulls us back decades of hard work, and shatters our credibility hindering our economic and social growth potential. Corruption behaves like a wood moth, eating us up from the inside out. While the surface seems untouched, when you put pressure, it collapses, like in an old table.

The most unfortunate part of this plague is the long lasting effect it has on every aspect of our lives, especially on our social and economic development.

Without economic stability, we will be stuck in debt and uncertainty for years to come. This is also unacceptable.

As we search for answers, as an active member of the private sector, there are two imperative demands that can bring economic change: transparency and honesty.

The lack of credibility derails investments, and has direct consequences on the economy related to purchases of local products, increasing costs, which in hindsight affects local company competitiveness and exports.

The trickle down effect of awarding corrupt contracts to companies from abroad , while we have local talent and products that would do an excellent job for less, disrupts the most basic principles of economic development.

Local companies comply with the Stafford Act, which promotes economic development by using local workforce and products manufactured on the island.

Puerto Rican entrepreneurs do not have a problem with competition, as long as it takes place in an open and transparent process. I can assure, as a local entrepreneur, that all we are asking for is a fair turn at the bat. We welcome investment from abroad as part of our economy, yet we must have balance supporting local companies and capital with transparency and accountability in federal and local government contracts.

Let’s make bid results and contracts public, accessible to all.

It is critical to understand that out of every dollar invested in local products, 70 cents stay in our economy. When we utilize imported products, in the end, we export local capital, instead of participating in our own economic and social development.

Corruption continues to be a crater in our path. How many contracts have been awarded to locals?

Total transparency in every single process is urgent and it is our responsibility to demand it in all aspects of governmental affairs. Those of us that have dedicated our lives to be part of the economic and social development of the island, struggling to retain and create jobs and opportunities, must step up to the times!

Government employees, private sector representatives at the local and federal levels must make a habit of transparency and honesty. This is the path for all to walk if we want a sustained economic and social growth.

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/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Nono Maldonado: The Order of Shapes The former fashion editor for Esquire Magazine will be featured in a retrospective exhibition covering his 50-year career as a fashion and interior designer Yennifer Álvarez Jaimes

N >Photos Courtesy Nono Maldonado

yalvarez@wjournalpr.com

@yalvarezjaimes

ono Maldonado, one of the most renowned local haute couture designers, as well as an accomplished furniture and interior designer, will be the subject of a retrospective exhibit that will cover his 50 years in the fashion industry.

The International School of Design and Architecture (EIDA by its Spanish acronym) at Ana G. Méndez University in Gurabo will be hosting Nono Maldonado: The Order of Shapes, an exhibit which seeks to study and document the historical and cultural value of Puerto Rican fashion through the multidisciplinary analysis of Maldonado’s work.

Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, this wellknown, former fashion editor of Esquire Magazine explained that The Order of Shapes came to life because within the structure and concept that permeates his collections, “there is always an order to follow,” said Maldonado.

“In the organization of thought, in the thread that binds a collection together there is always a beginning, a middle and an end. It is the positive and the negative; the ‘ying’ and the ‘yang’. There is always a beginning, a middle and an end to the order of music and colors; and a well-balanced symmetry always frames the intention of shapes.

The straight line, the column, the line within the square, the bias cut, the circle, the ruffles and the

21

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

triangle, the volume, be they right side up or upside down,” added the designer.

The exhibit includes approximately 42 articles of clothing curated by Aurorisa Mateo, dean of EIDA, under Maldonado’s watchful eye.

The space will include memorabilia that will tell the tale from his beginnings in 1970s New York City through graphics, reports, covers, photographs and a documentary reviving his trademark fashion shows.

The visitor will also be able to appreciate looking at his collaborations with artists such as Antonio Martorell, Noemí Ruiz, Jaime Suárez and Carlos Dávila Rinaldi.

The retrospective vision of the exhibition will be chronicled in a book to be published by the Puerto Rican Humanities Foundation. The development of the publication will be in charge of EIDA, in coordination with the professors and students of the school’s graphic design program.

“The publication, titled

‘Reflection on the cultural identity and the collective memory of the historical value of fashion from Puerto Rican designer Nono Maldonado’s perspective’, will present the historical value of fashion as a humanistic –artistic manifestation as studied by a group of humanists, artists and designers who used Nono’s perspective as its central axis.

It is framed by the history and criticism of art, stringing together sociocultural aspects of fashion from Mayagüez, New York and ultimately, San Juan, Puerto Rico,” said Mateo.

As a final legacy, this project will support future fashion professionals in all aspects of their academic development through a scholarship fund bearing Nono Maldonado’s name.

The scholarship will help students EIDA’s Fashion Design Program. The scholarship will be used to cover tuition fees, materials, books, entrance fees for conferences and competitions and internships, among other expenses.

“It is an honor for our university to be able to open a space that will expose our students and the general public to the work that has distinguished Nono Maldonado for five decades. His excellent career is an extraordinary contribution to the development of the fashion industry in Puerto Rico,” said José F. Méndez, president of Ana G. Méndez University.

Nono Maldonado: The Order of Shapes will be at the Museum and Center for Humanistic Studies

Josefina Camacho de la Nuez in Gurabo from October 14, 2019 until December 20, 2019, accessible from Monday to Friday.

For information on schedules and guided tours you should call: 787-743-7979 extension 4135 or 4396. In 2020, the exhibition will be taken to Mayagüez where it will be presented at the University of Puerto Rico until May, when it will be brought to the Museum of Art and Design (MADMi) in Miramar, San Juan.

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/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Níspero Restaurant

in Historic Ponce Níspero also has a banquet hall and a terrace where they can host activities and serve braised meats.

L Yaira Solís Escudero

ysolis@elvocero.com

@yairasolis

ocated within a historic home on 32 Isabel St. in Ponce, Níspero, Asador, Vinos y Coctelería recently opened its doors.

The restaurant is chef Javier Bustillo’s and sommelier David Talavera’s most recent venture.

Collaborating once again- they had operated a restaurant before, and, as is often the case, the passion to begin anew was still there- they selected a home that dates back to 1863 as the perfect place in which to establish their new concept. The name Níspero lends tribute to the beautiful centennial tree located in the house’s terrace.

>Photos Courtesy Nispero

We specialize in the best cuts of meat and seafood; as well as having an extensive and exquisite wine collection. We also offer a family-friendly environment, security and ample parking.

- David Talavera, Sommlier of Níspero

“We are very pleased with this new gastronomic offer we are presenting the public with,” said Bustillo.

Talavera, on the other hand, spoke of the

/ Wednesday, September 18, 2019

menu saying, “We specialize in the best cuts of meat and seafood; as well as having an extensive and exquisite wine collection. We also offer a family-friendly environment, security and ample parking.”

Within its menu one can find ‘chorizo’ sausage and prosciutto stuffed chicken breast with vegetables and cilantro rice; mahi mahi in a light cream-based Chardonnay and garlic reduction sauce; calamari ‘a la romana’; ‘caldo gallego’; braised octopus; octopus ‘a la gallega’; rice, beans and ‘bisté encebollado’ croquettes; root vegetable and codfish croquettes; and cream of avocado soup. The restaurant also offers Prime Angus Certified skirt steak, filet mignon, rib-eye and vegan as well as vegetarian options for its patrons. Their wine list features over 150 different wines from around the world and the bar offers an assortment of creative and modern cocktails.

Níspero also has a banquet hall and a terrace where they can host activities and serve braised meats.

The restaurant opens for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, and on Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, they feature live music from 7 p.m. on. Parking is available on site. For more information, call (787) 259-7520.

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Villarreal CF Offers Soccer Training to Puerto Rico’s Youth

Scholarships available to children from low-income households

T Giovanna Garofalo

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com

@giopgarofalo

he Puerto Rico Department of Sports and Recreation (DRD by its Spanish initials) announced that it will offer soccer lessons to children on the island aged four to 17 thanks to an alliance with the renowned Spanish club,

Villarreal CF. DRD Secretary Adriana Sánchez explained to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL that the Villarreal CF Academy has been seeking to share its knowledge in the occidental hemisphere and recognized Puerto Rico’s potential for growth in this sport.

Despite being the most popular sport in the world, soccer has traditionally been underdeveloped on the island, which the secretary attributed to cultural influences from the United States. However, there has been an upsurge of interest in recent years and, with this project, the DRD aims to boost the skills of young athletes who would receive training from four professionals with the Villarreal CF. Some of these trainers include Ismael Ortuño and Lucy Goffe, who are already settled on the island. Sánchez informed that both Ortuño and Goffe are specialized in the Spanish soccer club’s methodology, which emphasizes personal growth in addition to technical education.

“They know very specific technical aspects, but they want to develop people more so than soccer players... They handle the mental and DRD Secretary emotional aspects, so they have multiple sports psychologists constantly working with youth and they subscribe to a very important educational technique,” Sánchez said.

The lessons will be divided by age, in ages under five (U5), under seven (U7), under nine (U9), under 11 (U11), under 13 (U13), under 15 (U15), and under 17 (U17). >Archive

The lessons will be taught to children in biannual sessions—from August to December, and from January to May. These will be divided by age rather than gender, with the categories being under five (U5), under seven (U7), under nine (U9), under 11 (U11), under 13 (U13), under 15 (U15), and under 17 (U17). The categories U11 to U17 will have boys’ and girls’ and divisions.

The cost of these lessons ranges between $350 to $425 per semester, depending on the age group. However, Sánchez stressed that 10 percent of the student body will be comprised of children from lowincome households who are interested in soccer and who will need to be evaluated by trainers if they wish to apply for a scholarship.

-Adriana Sánchez, “As part of the agreement that we established with the academy, we specified that it was essential for us to have scholarship students... It is a little bit different. The club has several academies in the United States and Puerto

They know very specific technical aspects, but they want to develop people more so than soccer players.

Rico’s stands out because of that aspect... That is very important to us,” Sánchez affirmed.

In addition to training students, the academy will offer its “Train the Trainers” program through which it will better equip local soccer instructors using Villarreal CF’s proven education techniques.

Moreover, 10 students and 10 trainers selected by the academy will be able to travel to the city of Villarreal in Spain to continue their schooling.

The timeframe of this selective training is undetermined and will depend on the student.

Sánchez stressed that this alliance would not have been possible without High Performance Soccer Club, a non-profit organization that will serve as headquarters for the Villarreal CF Academy. The DRD’s goal is for this alliance to morph into a community project with fewer government contributions. Thus, she informed that people who are interested in becoming community contributors can issue donations to the High Performance Soccer Club directly.

The DRD official said that although the alliance is meant to be in place for three years, the goal is for the club to permanently settle in Puerto Rico.

For her part, Goffe stated, “We have arrived in Puerto Rico to help, to share our soccer knowledge and teach the sport’s methodology, based on Villarreal CF’s methodology. We believe in Puerto Rico’s talent in this sport, and that is why we believe that the project will be successful.”

For more information, contact (787) 902-1472.

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puertorico@mdausa.org

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< The Weekly Journal > Wednesday, September 18, 2019

VIERNES/27/SEPT/2019

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Cambio en Clave

to Begin Seasonal Dance Lessons Learn the basics of salsa and cha-cha in a friendly environment at the Coliseum of Puerto Rico

A Giovanna Garofalo

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com

@giopgarofalo

ny Puerto Rican can confirm that music and dancing are essential components of the island’s culture. For decades, Puerto Rico has been both a pioneer and an enthusiast in multiple musical genres as well as dancing choreographies and techniques. As such, dancing rhythmically is not only seen as a

fun pastime but almost a necessity in most social gatherings islandwide.

Aiming to solidify residents’ prowess in this activity and to foster a sense of social unity, Cambio en Clave is resuming its series of salsa lessons in the atrium of the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum of San Juan, known colloquially as the Choliseo.

For 13 years, Cambio en Clave has been teaching a variety of genres for different levels of expertise, from beginners to advanced dancers.

The social project group will begin its next lessons on Monday, September 24 and will be held on a weekly basis for two months. For this edition, the group will offer its regular salsa lessons, plus its ‘Salsa Divas’ and ‘Cha Cha!’ lessons.

The salsa lessons will be divided into basic, basic plus, and intermediate 1; each session has more than 1,000 enrolled students and hundreds on a waiting list.

Basic lessons cost $71.36, with the sales and use tax (IVU by its Spanish acronym) included, and last two hours each. These will be offered by Rafael Cancel, the director of Cambio en Clave, and will be divided into two groups, which will begin classes on Sept. 23 and 24 from 8:15 to 10:15 p.m. and 6:15 to 8:15 p.m., respectively. The focus during these is free steps and dancing in pairs.

Meanwhile, basic plus classes focus on couple’s dancing and are taught by Cancel and Yami Otero, Cambio en Clave’s coordinator. These will begin as of Sept. 24 from 8:30 to 10:15 p.m. and cost $80.25 with the IVU. In order to apply, people will be subject to evaluation, under which they must prove that they know basic steps, turn right and left alone and in pairs, the cross-body lead both simple and with turns, various combinations of cross-body lead with turn and the rhythm. Cambio en Clave noted that its complexity would be deemed as intermediate by other groups or schools.

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Participants will learn basic steps and dancing in pairs. >Photos Courtesy Cambio en Clave

Moreover, intermediate 1 classes begin on Sept.

23 and will be offered from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for $80.28 by Cancel and Otero. As is the case with basic plus lessons, people who are interested must comply with the evaluation, in which they will be judged by their dominion of the basic step, left and right turns alone and in pairs, the cross-body lead both simple and with turn, various combinations of cross-body lead with turn, the copa, the cloche or desplante, and rhythm. Similarly to basic plus, Cambio en Clave warned that these lessons’ complexity level would be deemed advanced by other groups or dance schools.

Salsa Divas is a series of intensive workshops designed to stylize dancing techniques while boosting participants’ confidence and self-esteem in a “relaxed and fun” environment. These workshops focus on style, free steps and dancing in pairs.

Concerning style, attendees will learn elegant and sensual movements when dancing salsa, one of the most popular genres locally and a big must at parties and celebrations, while concentrating on free steps and dancing in pairs.

These lessons will be offered by Otero and will begin on Sept. 25 from 7 p.m. to 8:15 at a cost of $80.28, including the IVU. Lastly, the Cha Cha! classes will focus on free steps and turns in pairs and will be taught by Cancel and Otero, starting Sept. 25 from 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. at a cost of $80.25 with the IVU. According to Cambio en Clave, this session does not require an evaluation, “however, to reap the most of the course you must master dancing salsa at the basic step, turn right and left alone and in pairs, the simple cross-body lead and turn and the rhythm.”

The enrollment fee can be paid online with a credit card or at the Choliseo in cash or through

This dance project has been offering group lessons since 2006.

the ATH Móvil smartphone app.

“At Cambio en Clave—in addition to learning many turns in pairs, free steps and developing your gusto—you will make a lot of friends and you will join the largest family of dancers who week after week travel across the island dancing,” the group affirmed.

Cambio en Clave is a social integration project

that gathers thousands of people three times a year to dance salsa, cha-cha, bomba or bachata.

The initiative began in 2006 when Cancel offered a free class to a group of friends—a group that grew from 15 to nearly 200 attendees. Since then, more than 40,000 people have taken these lessons and learned from the most basic dancing techniques to the most advanced.

Cambio en Clave offers a lively social atmosphere to complement the beat of salsa and cha-cha.

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San Juan Celebrates its 500th Anniversary Enveloped in Art and Folklore Nearly 80 artisans of a variety of mediums showcased their work in an art market and in musical performances

T Giovanna Garofalo

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com

@giopgarofalo

he historic city of Old San Juan commenced its 500th anniversary celebrations last weekend, gathering locals and visitors alike in an environment of cultural enrichment with a colorful array of the city’s

folkloric enchantment. The celebrations, named “San Juan 500,” were orchestrated by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (ICP by its Spanish initials) in collaboration with a series of cultural groups and organizations.

ICP Executive Director Carlos R. Ruiz Cortés discussed the background for this event, which featured art and farmer’s markets, educational tours, musical numbers and other miscellanea, with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. Ruiz Cortés explained that the initiative began around mid-2017 between the ICP and various cultural organizations in the Barrio Ballajá area of Puerto Rico’s colonial vestige. These included the School of Plastic Arts and Design, the Museum of the Americas, the Puerto Rican Academy of History and the Puerto Rican Foundation of Humanities, among others.

ICP Executive Director Carlos R. Ruiz Cortés affirmed that the celebration was a family-friendly event. >Photos by Gabriel López Albarrán

After more than a year of planning, the ICP and the San Juan 500 Committee kicked-off a series of activities at Cuartel de Ballajá on the morning of Friday, Sept. 13 with a display of Kamishibai, a form of Japanese street theater and storytelling, performed by Colectivo ConTarte Inc., and a screening of “Raíces Eternas”

by Puerto Rican director Noel Quiñones at Casa Blanca Street.

Between Saturday and Sunday, roughly 80 artists set up their displays, which showcased a broad variety of Puerto Rican art forms.

People of all ages gasped in wonder at the colorful sight of vejigante masks—horned demonic figures that have been a staple in folkloric carnivals and festivities for centuries.

Other artisans exhibited their prowess in craftsmanship with wooden maracas engraved with multiple symbols that were illustrative of Puerto Rico’s Spanish, African and taíno influences; while others engraved sceneries in wooden planks or designed intricate masks and figurines with clay.

Paintings and drawings seemed to captivate older visitors, while children gravitated toward toys and masks. The art market was also had intricate jewelry, embossed metal, African dolls, handcrafted musical instruments, delicate clothing, accessories sewn by hand, and more.

On Saturday, as visitors marveled at Puerto Rico’s artistic talent on display, the Plaza del Quinto Centenario was home to a stage, which hosted the performances of semifinal contestants of the National Competition of Trovadores, or troubadours, who write, compose and perform their own songs—in the poetic structure of the trova musical genre. Following this competition, the musical offer diversified with Taller Tamboricua—specialized in the Puerto Rican genre of bomba y plena—the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra and Plenéalo, also dedicated to bomba y plena.

Moreover, the musical offer for Sunday included performances by Bomba Jarana Jaguar, of the University of Puerto Rico’s (UPR) Carolina campus; the UPR Arecibo Band; Ballet Folklórico Guateque; the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra; the Tuna (musical group) of the

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Inter-American University; and Pirulo y la Tribu, a highly popular salsa and timba group.

For more educational entertainment, there was a reference point in the Plaza Norte de Ballajá at which visitors were offered historical tours led by architects. In addition, there were multiple expositions and workshops in Plaza de Armas, the Casa Blanca Museum and multiple checkpoints in Cuartel de Ballajá.

Apart from these activities held last weekend, the cultural organizations will hold their own individual endeavors throughout the remainder of the year.

“Little by little there will be more activities emerging throughout the week and we will make the announcement. But yes, this is a situation in which everybody will be joining in, so they will gradually be adding up [to the overall celebration],” Ruiz cortés said.

A Historic Overview of Old San Juan Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement of what later came to be known as the island of Puerto Rico in the northern area in 1508 and named it Caparra, which is presently known as the Pueblo Viejo sector of the metropolitan municipality of Guaynabo.

Ruiz Cortés explained that the celebrations that just transpired were in commemoration of these settlers’ relocation to the islet of San Juan, then called simply Puerto Rico, whose literal translation is Rich Port. In 1521, the Spaniards formally named the area “San Juan Bautista

de Puerto Rico” to honor John the Baptist in recognition of Spain’s institutionalized Catholicism; this is why “San Juan 500” will be extended until 2021.

As the city began to flourish, settlers began to construct a fort to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay and officially named it Castillo San Felipe del Morro, but colloquially referred to it as El Morro. In 1983, El Morro was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations and a San Juan National Historic Site by the National Park Service in Old San Juan.

With its imposing military structure of a centuries-old citadel; the picturesque and colorful buildings designed in classic Spanish architecture; the blue cobblestones that pave its streets; the vast assortment of folkloric, artistic, and culinary curiosities; and Puerto Rican hospitality, Old San Juan has charmed millions of tourists and cultural enthusiasts from every corner of the Earth.

Following multiple discussions regarding its historic and national significance, then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló signed Executive Order 2018-038 to create the San Juan 500 Committee, tasked with organizing the activities for “San Juan 500.” This committee is comprised of the Ruiz Cortés; the secretary of State; the secretaries of Treasury, Education, and Economic Development and Commerce; the directors of the Puerto Rico Tourism Co.; the Federal Affairs Administration of Puerto Rico; the executive directors of the Puerto Rico Corporation for Public Dissemination and the Puerto Rico State Historical Conservation Office.

The 500th anniversary celebration placed the spotlight on local artists as an intrinsic feature of Old San Juan.

Visitors enjoyed the works of Puerto Rican artisans.

As part of the celebration, the Cuartel de Ballajá hosted a contest for trovadores (troubadours).

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Photonight: Two Years After Maria The photojournalists Carlos Rivera Giusti, Teresa Canino, Ricardo Arduengo, Tonito Zayas, and Eric Rojas will show their photos after the hurricane’s passage on 2017.

When: Thursday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m.

Where: #312 Constitution Ave., San Juan

International Coastal Cleanup Day The world’s largest effort to rid the ocean of plastic and marine debris is held annually on the third Saturday of September. The local efforts are led by the Scuba Dogs Society. Join thousands of volunteers through more than 200 coastal zones around the island in this worldwide effort to rid our beaches of contamination. For more info: (787) 454-4246, info@scubadogssociety.org.

When: Saturday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m.

Where: Around the island

Social Media Entrepreneurs & Freelancers Meet Up / San Juan Using social media to build your own business? Edgardo Hernández, a social media expert, will be giving a talk on how to optimize sales via your social media platforms.Make sure to RSVP on Eventbrite.com.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: 259 San Sebastián St., Old San Juan

Jam Fest 2: Rage Against The Machine & Pearl Jam People of the Sun and Ten Tribute Rage will perform a tribute concert including some of the band’s most popular songs.

When: Saturday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Where: La Respuesta, 1600 Fernández Juncos Ave., San Juan

Rubén Blades: 50 Años de Música 1969-2019 Join Grammy award-winner singer Rubén Blades, as he celebrates 50 years of music at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot. Blades will be accompanied by the Roberto Delgado Salsa Big Band.

When: Sunday, Sept. 22, 5 p.m.

Where: Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, San Juan

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Shopify: Create your Online Store Do you have a product you wish to sell inside and / or outside the island? Learn how to create your online store using Shopify. The lesson will cover topics like how to choose your supplier, create a virtual store, choose your domain, prepare your inventory and take care of order processing and returns.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de P.R., 500 Ing. Antolin Nin St., San Juan

FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2019 The America’s premier women’s basketball event, FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, is coming to Puerto Rico for the first time. The event will feature the national teams of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, USA, and Puerto Rico.

When: Sunday, Sept. 22 to Sunday Sept., 29 Where: Coliseo Roberto Clemente, Flanklin D. Roosevelt Ave., San Juan

Dorado! ManjArt Enjoy “art as entertainment,” in a relaxed, stressfree group setting. This is not just a class; it’s a great time! Absolutely no experience is necessary to have fun. Tickets available at www.artwinepr. com.

When: Saturday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.

Where: Manjart Restaurant, Centro Comercial Dorado Classic Court, St. Rd. 693, Dorado

El Yunque’s Trail System and Outdoor Ethics

Farmer’s Market Organic food and products in a beautiful campus.

When: Thursday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Rosales St., Sacred Heart University, San Juan

Are you planning a day of adventure at the only rainforest within the U.S. National Forest System?

Make a pit stop at this one-hour information session that will be led by the people that know the most about the rainforest— the park rangers!

During the event, the park rangers will cover the three following topics: El Yunque’s trail system, the benefits of being outdoors and outdoor ethics.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1 p.m.

Where: El Portalito Hub at El Yunque National Forest 54 Cll. Principal, Palmer

Wine Tasting Wednesday Enjoy a guided wine tasting tour through vineyards from around the world at the Wine Bar of El San Juan Hotel. Every week will feature a new region and assortment of wines presented by a special invited sommelier. The wines are paired with a delicious charcuterie and cheese board.

For reservations please call 787-7911000, ext. 3009.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: El San Juan Hotel, 6063 Isla Verde Ave.,Carolina