Unions in Mexico are often historically undemocratic and are controlled by corrupt barons. New legislation aims to give workers the right to choose a union that best represents them. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
Up to 85% of Mexico’s labor union contracts could be canceled after unions missed the May 1 deadline to confirm them by a members’ vote.
President López Obrador’s 2019 labor reform — which helped win the renewal of the U.S-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA) by regulating Mexico’s system of labor organization — stipulated that unions were required to submit their workers’ contracts with employers to a vote within four years to confirm that workers agree with their terms.
President López Obrador’s 2019 reform was designed to ensure that unions comply with their obligations to protect and support workers, rather than side with employers. (Gobierno de México)
The reform sought to democratize the system and take power away from Mexico’s so-called charro unions — groups with permanent leaders that have been accused of collaborating with the government and companies to suppress wages in order to keep factories in Mexico.
The labor reform gave the country’s 140,000 registered unions four years to corroborate their contracts with a secret ballot of members. However, by Monday’s deadline, only around16,000 had done so, mostly at larger companies and plants.
The Labor Ministry has said that the remaining contracts will be canceled unless unions schedule votes by July 31. This will likely end many phantom contracts but could also leave many of Mexico’s 4 million unionized workers without representation.
“Collective agreements not published on this list are terminated as of today, but employers must respect all rights and benefits acquired by workers through individual contracts,” the Labor Ministry said in a statement.
The VU Manufacturing plant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, manufactures interior upholstery and plastic parts for car interiors. It is at the center of allegations that it has not allowed workers to choose a union. (VU Manufacturing/Facebook)
“Employers must also suspend the deduction of union dues and refrain from giving preferential treatment to unions whose collective agreements were terminated over other organizations with a presence in [the] enterprise.”
Any organization that wishes to advance a new collective agreement must prove that it enjoys the support of at least 30% of workers so that “freedom and union democracy are guaranteed in workplaces.”
In the past, many of Mexico’s longstanding union leaders have been accused of illicit enrichment at the cost of their members. Since the 2019 labor reform, several independent unions have filed complaints under the USMCA, accusing existing unions of repressing or harassing those that try to present an alternative.
In July 2022, the U.S. requested alabor rights review through the USMCA’s Rapid Response Mechanism at a plant owned by American company VU Manufacturing in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, alleging that the company was violating workers’ rights to choose their union. A second review was requested at the same factory in February.
In March, the U.S. requested another labor rights review at the Unique Fabricating auto parts plant in Querétaro after reports that the Michigan-based company had collaborated with the existing union to intimidate supporters of the alternative “Transformation Union.”
Mexico agreed to investigate the complaint, and the Transformation Union later won a vote authorizing it to take over the plant’s collective bargaining contract.
And in April, a confirmation vote was suspended after a pro-company union stole a ballot box at a Goodyear tire factory in San Luis Potosí. The vote will be held again in early May.
“We are going to purge the collective agreements in Mexico and only those the workers really support will remain,” said Alfredo Domínguez Marrufo, director of the Federal Labor Conciliation and Registration Center (CFCRL) after Monday’s deadline.
“The worker will realize that he already has the right to a personal, free, secret and direct vote to decide on the content of his collective bargaining agreement. This is the beginning of the procedures of union democracy.”
The writer had little idea what he would be getting into when he agreed to join a group of men riding on horseback from Mexico City to Morelos to honor Mary Magdalene. (Illustration by Miguel Ángel Gómez Cabrera)
And here I thought the pilgrimage to Chalma was tough.
That pilgrimage had taken 2½ days, and on each full day, I rode a horse for a couple of hours, walked a few more, got rained on and slept on muddy ground covered with rocks. But I survived.
So when I was invited to go on a pilgrimage to Amatlán, Morelos — which I was told we’d do on horseback and which would take about eight hours — I felt ready. I believed I was battled-tested.
I was a fool.
Residents of San Gregorio Atlapulco, in Mexico City’s Xochimilco borough, make the pilgrimage to Amatlán on July 21 to honor María Magdalena, Amatlán’s patron saint. They go because xochimilcas — who have occupied San Gregorio since pre-Hispanic times — populated parts of Morelos centuries ago.
Six of us headed out a little past 8:30 a.m. and almost immediately faced the first challenge of the day: navigating San Gregorio’s chaotic traffic circle. At rush hour. On horseback.
The other riders expertly weaved their way through cars that were coming at them from every possible direction — and some impossible ones. You’d think drivers would take pity on someone on horseback trying to cross the road.
You’d be wrong.
The only way I could figure to get safely across that road was to make eye contact with drivers, hoping they’d see the terror in my eyes and not hit me. It must have worked because we made it — or perhaps Saint Mary Magdelena heard my pleas.
The first couple of hours were across flat stretches, where I learned something important about my horse: she didn’t like to go slow.
Every chance she got, she’d break into a trot, bouncing me unmercifully in the saddle. I’d pull on the reins, slowing her down, but soon she’d be running again.
My friend Felipe pulled up alongside me. “She likes to run,” he said. I’d pretty much figured that out.
We rode for about three hours through mountains before stopping for what I believed would be a quick lunch. I believed this because the sky had turned a deep, ominous black and lightning was flashing all around.
So I gulped down my food, expecting to mount back up quickly, but the rest of the crew ate at a leisurely pace, filling their cups with tequila, something I politely refused. Drinking tequila while on horseback in the mountains with a storm threatening seemed a bad idea. But my friends took their cups on the road as we resumed our journey.
Happily, the rain didn’t reach us. Yet.
We were still in the mountains as dusk settled, getting lost three or four times. People were working in nopal (cactus) fields, and when we asked for directions, they’d point here and there. We’d head off, only to somehow realize we were going the wrong way. I don’t know how anyone knew this, but we’d realize this and turn and head back. Of course, the person who’d given us the directions was long gone.
My friend Javier, who rode next to me, said, “We’re almost there.” I said something about us getting lost.
“Yes, but it’s exciting,” he replied. Not exactly my sentiments.
By this time, my fellow pilgrims had tossed their plastic cups aside and were drinking tequila straight from the bottle, perhaps contributing to our getting more and more lost.
Around 8 p.m., we entered San José de las Laureles — meaning we’d been riding for almost 12 hours. The sky had blackened again, and lightning crackled. We were lost — again — and asking for directions, but there was a lot of confusion as people pointed us in different directions.
The only word I could clearly hear during these discussions was carretera, meaning “highway.” Not a comforting word.
Finally, a young man said he’d guide us. He jumped in his truck, and we followed — on a highway, in the dark. I kept being alternatively terrified as a vehicle approached my horse from behind or blinded as one approached from the front.
Our guide finally left us, after pointing out the road we needed to continue on. It was now pitch-black and raining. I strained to make out the rest of my group.
Meanwhile, my trusty horse continued to break into a trot. I’d rein her in, telling her I was also anxious to get to Amatlán but that trotting in darkness in the rain with a novice rider might not be the best idea.
Finally, we pulled into Santa Catarina at midnight, meaning we’d been riding for 16 hours. We stopped in front of a small store that, amazingly, was still open. When I dismounted, everything ached: my back, legs, shoulders. My brain was completely fogged.
We all bought something to eat and drink and walked around, trying to force some life back into our bodies. Javier told me we were going to wait for rides to Amatlán. A trailer would take the horses, and we’d all ride in cars. I didn’t know where they’d get enough cars, but I didn’t care. We were so exhausted that most of us lay down on sidewalks and fell asleep.
When I was shaken awake, we all climbed into the back of a horse trailer — there were no cars — as the horses were loaded into another trailer. We finally arrived at Amatlán at 7:30 a.m., slept for around two hours, ate, and attended the festival the next day.
When we were ready to leave, Javier told me I could ride with the group or go back in a pickup. I pretended to weigh the options before saying it’d probably be best if I went by truck. Javier agreed.
The following year, Aurora, a friend in San Gregorio, asked if I was going to Amatlán.
“I’m not getting on a horse again,” I said.
“We are not going on horseback,” she said. “We are walking.”
The Mexican economy continues to surpass expectations, but analysts warn the growth is unsustainable. (Shutterstock)
Mexico’s economy has exceeded analysts’ expectations for Q1 2023, accelerating its GDP growth to around 1.1% compared to last quarter, and showing 3.8% annual growth over the same period last year according to preliminary data.
The strong performance in the first quarter of 2023 comes on the back of six consecutive quarters of growth, as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A chart showing different experts on Mexico’s predictions for GDP growth in 2022 and 2023. Depending on which you ask, Mexico’s GDP (PIB in Spanish) is forecast to expand between 1% and 2% in 2023. (El Economista)
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Q1 quarter over quarter growth was led by a 1.5% increase in the service economy. This counteracted a 0.7% decrease in the industrial sector, and a 3.2% decrease in the primary sector, which includes agriculture, fishing and mining.
Mexico’s economy has repeatedly exceeded expectations over the last two years. It grew3.1% in 2022 — less than President López Obrador’s prediction of 5% but well over the 2.2% projected by the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) early in the year.
The growth was even more surprising against a backdrop of record-high interest rates, applied by the central bank in an attempt to control high inflation.
Indeed, the British magazine The Economist ranked Mexico sixth on a list of“2022’s Unlikely Winners”, an accolade boasted of repeatedly by López Obrador.
Morena Party leader Mario Delgado recently gave a conference celebrating the success of the “superpeso” against the U.S. dollar. Mexico’s currency is today valued at just under 18 pesos per dollar, its strongest value since 2018. (Morena/Cuartoscuro)
Even so, many believed the gains were unlikely to continue, as growth stagnated at 0.5% in Q4 2022. Financial analysts such as Fitch Ratings and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean lowered their2023 growth predictions for Mexico at the end of last year – to 1.1% and 1.4%, respectively.
Fitch warned that continued high inflation could start to erode consumption, compounding economic problems caused by low capital investment in Mexico, the end of the Covid recovery period and the global economic impact of the war in Ukraine.
Although the figures for Q1 2023 appear more positive than predicted, the director of analysis at Banco Base, Gabriela Siller, again cautioned that Mexico’s current growth pattern isunsustainable in the long term.
Siller argued that the apparent strength of the Mexican economy is due largely to government support and remittances from abroad, which primarily boost consumption.
However, gross fixed investment in machinery or other assets to increase production has fallen since 2019, limiting possibilities for long-term growth.
“The proportion of GDP that represents gross fixed investment has fallen, and what has gained proportion is consumption,” Siller said. “This is not sustainable in the long run because it snowballs public finances, which depend on economic growth.”
Gabriela Siller of Banco Base, a Mexican banking institution, says consumer spending is driving GDP growth but that there are warning signs in the business sector that Mexico’s economy is headed for a slowdown. (Photo: Archive)
Although Siller said that “nearshoring” —the process by which U.S. companies have relocated Asian operations to Mexico — had been positive for the Mexican economy, she argued that some of López Obrador’s policies have weakened Mexico’s institutional framework and decreased business confidence.
In light of these factors, Banco Base predicted growth of 1.9% for Mexico at the end of 2023 – a considerable slowdown from the 3.1% seen last year.
The Schneider Electric plant in Monterrey is the second largest in North America. The company is investing an additional US $72.5 million in energy sustainability and efficiency software for companies who want to nearshore in Mexico. (Schneider Electric)
French multinational Schneider Electric have announced an additional US $72.5 million investment in their Mexican energy automation services.
The investment is earmarked to upgrade operations in their facilities in the states of Tlaxcala, Nuevo León and Mexico City, in response to increased demand.
Much of Schneider Electric’s operations in Mexico is focused on the manufacturing and installation of energy management equipment. (Twitter)
Schneider Electric’s Mexico operations primarily focus on high- and medium-tension electric services for manufacturing facilities. It also has Digital Experience Centers, which allow the company to visualize real-time energy usage and identify areas for efficiency improvements as a result.
The company is hopeful that upgrades to the network in Mexico will help to attract additional foreign investment since ensuring a consistent electric supply is a key factor influencing business investor choices in the current nearshoring boom.
Another goal is to provide a platform for new technology to combat climate change – a factor already causing significant problems in the region. Schneider has identified energy efficiency as a key element of its business, with Director of Digital Energy for Mexico Arturo Granados telling Global Energy magazine that the company has been trying to find ways to automate energy usage and reduce potential waste.
The automotive and logistics industries – two key elements of the Mexican economy – have been singled out as targets for energy automation, as Schneider looks to reduce the amount of power consumed in these sectors.
The investment marks a commitment by Schneider Electric to “continue working hand in hand with our customers and collaborators in the electricity industry to build a more sustainable world, with innovations that consolidate a more electrical and digital Mexican industry,” said General Director for Mexico and Central America Jesús Carmona.
Schneider has already invested more than US $105 million into the Mexican market since 2018.
The San Diego Padres hit 22 runs in during two games against the San Francisco Giants in Mexico City, becoming the first Major League team to win in the capital. (Reddit)
The San Diego Padres swept the San Francisco Giants aside in a two-game Mexico City series.
Held in the high altitude of the Mexican capital – almost 2,250 meters above sea level – the Padres ran wild, taking the opening game in a 16–11 extravaganza as the teams hit a total of 11 home runs between them — with back-to-back homers for both the Padres and the Giants.
The Alfredo Harp Helú stadium saw almost 20,000 fans pack in to witness Major League Baseball in the capital. Here, Fernando Tatis Jr. takes a selfie with the crowd. (San Diego Padres)
Despite a slow start to the 2023 season, the Padres turned on the class in Mexico City as they celebrated in front of the almost 20,000-strong crowd, who created a carnival atmosphere as Major League Baseball lit up the Alfredo Harp Helú stadium for the first time.
“For moments, it felt like more than just a game; it felt more like a parade,” Padres manager Bob Melvin told ESPN. Both teams wore special jerseys to commemorate the opening game of the series. San Francisco’s jerseys had “Los Gigantes” emblazoned on them.
Even team celebrations had a Mexican flair, with Padres batters celebrating every home run in a traditional mariachi sombrero. They also broke open a giant Buzz Lightyear piñata to celebrate their victory.
The Giants’ Brandon Crawford hit a 482-foot home run — the longest by a Giants player in the post-2015 Statcast era. Meanwhile, during Saturday night’s slugfest, the Padres’ 42-year-old Nelson Cruz became the oldest player in franchise history to hit a home run.
The Giants also unveiled a special Mexican jersey, emblazoned with the word “Gigantes.” (San Francisco Giants)
While Sunday’s game was a slightly calmer affair, at 6-4, the Padres fought back from four runs down to seize the initiative in the 8th inning thanks to a two-run double by Padres first baseman Matt Carpenter, who hit a fly ball into center field that eluded Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski — who suffered a pulled hamstring after making a heroic sprint infield and a final dive to reach it but ultimately saw the ball pop out of his glove.
Victory in Mexico means the Padres return to San Diego with a Standard score of .511.With reporting by MLB, Yahoo!Sports and ESPN
Ker Clinic offers holistic, state-of-the-art mental health care in Mexico. (Stock image)
Meet Magala Martínez and Pedro Martin, the inspiring couple behind Ker Clinic in Mexico. Driven by their own journey to find effective treatment for their son’s autism, they founded a clinic that offers personalized and comprehensive mental health care with FDA-approved alternative therapies.
They now have clinics in Monterrey, Mexico City, and Panama (in partnership with Johns Hopkins University) as well as partnerships with other prominent clinics in Tulum and Miami.But their mission goes beyond just treating patients – they strive to change the conversation around mental health in Mexico and shatter the harmful stigma. In this interview, we begin with a personal story that led to this mission.
Magala and Pedro began their journey to founding the Ker Clinic through their own son’s mental health struggles. (Courtesy)
Can you describe your journey to finding the right treatment for your son’s autism?
Magala: It was a journey filled with both hope and uncertainty. I was in New York desperately seeking effective treatment for our son, Andrés. It was there that we started an experimental treatment called the PK protocol that involved doing infusions of vitamins and supplements to alleviate neurotoxicity and hence, help reduce inflammation in the brain. While it provided temporary relief, we knew we needed to find a more permanent solution. That’s when Dr Patricia Kane suggested the only place she knew of that was providing such treatment – the Newport Beach clinic and their personalized Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) protocol. So, we had no choice, we went there.
What happened next when you arrived at the Newport Beach clinic?
Magala: I took Andrés to visit Dr. Yi Jin, the director of the Brain Treatment Center in Newport Beach. He was using TMS which had been approved by the FDA in 2008 for drug-resistant major depression but he was experimenting and customizing it to treat a wide range of neurological disorders, including autism, anxiety, addiction, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. He called it “non-invasive” neuromodulation, and I was intrigued. We were so impressed by this doctor who recognized the downsides and side effects of psychiatric drugs on his patients and was passionate about finding relief for his patients in a more humane way.
Magala and Pedro eventually ended up at a clinic in California to help treat their son. (Stock image)
At first my husband Pedro was hesitant, but once I told him that within just two days of the treatment, Andrés had slept for 12 hours straight, after not sleeping through the night in years, it took him about 30 seconds to get on board! I felt so relieved to have found a solution for my son’s condition. We stayed there for just under a year and it was worth every moment to see our son’s progress and newfound sense of peace.
How did your family cope with your son’s autism diagnosis, and what impact did his treatment have on your relationships and daily life?
Pedro: Dealing with my son’s mental health struggles wasn’t easy – it was a rollercoaster ride that took a toll on our entire family. We couldn’t do the things we used to love, and we faced some really tough moments. It destroyed the harmony in our family, and it was emotionally draining for all of us. Our other children were studying for their degrees in Boston, and it was difficult for them to come and help. But after remortgaging our house three times and a year and a half of treatment, we’ve come out the other side with a high-functioning son, who plays golf with us, studies, travels, and can socialize with everyone. He even works with us at our clinic in Mexico City. It’s been a tough journey, but we’re proud of how far we’ve come.
What inspired you to found the Ker Clinic?
Magala: As a mother of an autistic child, I experienced the harmful stigma around mental health issues in Mexico firsthand. It was unjust to label someone’s identity and experiences with a single diagnosis, and we had to lead by example and create positive change. That’s why I founded Ker Clinic, and with Pedro as our CEO, we’re welcoming anyone who needs help with open arms.
Working together as a couple can be challenging. What’s it like for you both and what do you enjoy about it?
Magala: We share the same passion and goal of helping people, and that’s what keeps us going. We complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Pedro is great at growing the concept and bringing new ideas, while I‘m more focused on running the clinic smoothly.
Pedro: The decision to start the Ker Clinic wasn’t really a decision at all, but rather a necessary step that Magala took to help our family, friends, and others in need of quality mental health care. My wife inspires me everyday in everything she does.
What sets your clinic apart from others in Mexico when it comes to treating mental illness?
Pedro: In the U.S., it can be difficult to find mental health treatment that integrates nutrition, psychology and technology, a holistic approach that is both personalized and affordable. Our own experience with our son taught us that to improve his quality of life, we needed to take an integrative approach to his treatment, and not just depend on intermittent treatment provided by technology. Therefore, at Ker Clinic, we take a holistic approach by assessing each patient’s metabolic, physiological, and psychological profile. By getting to the root cause of the disease, we can provide effective and cost-effective treatments for our patients.
Magala: At Ker Clinic, we pride ourselves on the warmth and hospitality of our doctors and nurses, which has led to many of our patients becoming like family to us. This is also a very unique part of our Mexican culture. Our culture is innately a very caring and kind culture. All of our patients become a part of our extended family and continue to stay in touch with us, often celebrating birthdays together. I am very proud of that because I know from my personal experience how much the whole family suffers when one family member is not well. We are able to offer these services at nearly one-third the cost of comparable treatment in the U.S., without compromising quality.
Please join us next time where we’ll dive deeper into the technology and services the Ker Clinic offers. If you are interested in learning more, visit the Ker Clinic website.
The planned site, which may see investment of up to US$ 1 billion, will aim to help Foton EV models such as the Aumark S3 sell to Mexican and U.S. markets. (China Trucks)
Chinese auto manufacturer Foton is planning to build a second plant in Mexico, which will allow it to manufacture electric vehicles in the country, the company said.
The Beijing-based company specializes in heavy-duty electric vehicle (EV) production, primarily trucks, buses and pickups, alongside traditional gas-powered models for the haulage and construction markets.
Foton currently operates a facility in Jalisco but is looking to open a second plant to support plans to nearshore in Mexico, including for their EV business. (Foton)
The company opened a facility in Jalisco in 2017 but is looking to expand operations as part of the nearshoring boom that has attracted a significant number of Asian manufacturers to Mexico. Heavy manufacturers from across the world are attracted by the low-cost, high-quality production facilities here, as well as proximity to the important United States market.
Foton currently imports electric vehicles to Mexico directly from China but says that the planned facility will provide the company with the ability to manufacture EVs within the country. It is not yet known where the new site will be located, although the states of Jalisco and Aguascalientes are understood to be under consideration, according to Bloomberg.
While the total investment cost is also still undecided, Roberto Talavera, EV director for Foton, predicted it will be around US $1 billion.
The plant would also allow Foton to export vehicles to the U.S., said Talavera. Foton also anticipates that it will sell 3,000 EVs in Mexico by 2025. The company hopes that EV sales in Mexico will account for 10% of all new car sales in 2024.
Foton currently provides buses for the Metrorrey public transport network in Monterrey, Nuevo León. (Foton)
Foton currently provides construction equipment to Mexican companies, including ICA and Cemex, as well as buses for the Metrorrey public transportation network in Nuevo León.
In addition to the new manufacturing plant, Bloomberg also recently reported that Foton is preparing to partner with the Chinese EV battery manufacturing company Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL), the world’s largest producer of EV batteries. That company is also in the business of recycling, refurbishing and repurposing EV batteries.
While CATL has not confirmed Bloomberg’s reports, the industry publication Automotive News, citing anonymous sources, reported in July that CATL was looking at potential EV battery manufacturing sites in northern Mexico — including in Ciudad Juárez and Saltillo, Coahuila.
If the Foton-CATL partnership were to go through, it would likely give Foton the lead in Mexico as the technical support, repair, and recycling service for CATL batteries in the country, as part of a new “battery-as-a-service” venture allowing Foton users to exchange batteries in their vehicles.
Peréz topped the podium ahead of his teammate, reigning world champion Max Verstappen, and Monegasque Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. (Sergio Perez/Twitter)
Mexican racer Sergio “Checo” Pérez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, taking his second victory of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Victory on the streets of Baku marked a successful end to a dominant weekend for Guadalajara-born Pérez, who also took victory in the 17-lap short-form “sprint” event on Saturday.
The Mexican driver scored a victory in the sprint feature and in the main race this weekend, bringing him to within 6 points of the championship lead. (Sergio Perez/Twitter)
Success in both races gave the Mexican 33 out of a maximum of 34 points. Pérez is the first driver to score multiple wins in Azerbaijan, a track that has been part of the championship since 2017.
In Saturday’s sprint, Pérez started third but quickly took the lead from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as his Red Bull Racing teammate, two-time world champion Max Verstappen, made contact with Mercedes’ driver George Russell.
In the full race on Sunday, Pérez led home Verstappen and Leclerc, after taking the lead during a safety-car period, which allowed the Mexican to pull off a quicker-than-average pit stop. Pérez also capitalized on a mistake by Alfa Tauri rookie Nyck de Vries, who brought out a safety car on lap 10 as race leader Verstappen had taken a pit stop for new tires, dropping the Dutchman behind.
The end of the race, however, was marred by an incident in which Alpine driver Esteban Ocon came perilously close to colliding with a crowd of people in the pit lane, after officials mistakenly closed the pit lane with one lap remaining.
By winning this weekend, Peréz becomes the first driver to score multiple victories at the Baku City street circuit — a challenging street race through the historic center of the Azeri capital. (Sergio Pérez/Twitter)
As a result of the 1–2 finish, Red Bull Racing have assumed a dominant 93-point lead in the constructors’ championship, having won all four opening races of the 2023 season. There are 19 rounds remaining.
It is Pérez’s second victory this season, having also taken the checkered flag in Saudi Arabia in March. He currently sits second in the drivers’ championship with 87 points, 6 behind leader and teammate Verstappen, who has 93.
President López Obrador unveiled the program in his Monday press conference, alongside members of the Financiera para el Bienestar. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
A new alliance between government agency Finance for Well-being (Finabien) and the banking app Broxel will make it easier for Mexicans in the United States to send remittances to relatives at home, including the ability to send money directly via cell phone.
The program will be run by the government agency Finance for Well-being (Finabien) – formerly Telecomm. It will allow Mexicans in the U.S. to open dollar accounts using only Mexican identification papers, such as a national identity card or driving license.
The Finabien program is designed to make sending remittances easier for migrant workers in the United States, many of whom lack the paperwork to open traditional bank accounts. (Finabien)
Migrant workers will then be able to get a Finabien Mexico card, allowing them to instantly transfer remittances to their families in Mexico via their cell phones.
“With this card, a digital bank account is opened for them in the United States,” explained Finabien director Rocío Mejía Flores, at President López Obrador’s Monday morning press conference.
“This is a great advance for many of our compatriots there, who suffer a lot of banking marginalization, as they don’t have sufficient [identity] documents.”
Users will also be able to open an account in Mexican pesos on the same card, making it easier for them to pay for services in Mexico.
Remittances to Mexico come largely from the U.S. and are the country’s second-largest source of income from abroad. (Depositphotos.com)
The cards will initially be available at Mexican consulates in the U.S. and will later be made available for home order via an online application. Families in Mexico will be able to get the cards at any of the 1,700 Finabien branches across the country.
The commission for the service will be US $3.99 for a transfer of up to US $2,500, Mejía said, compared to an average of US $14 with other services.
Remittances accounted for US $58.5 billion in foreign exchange for the Mexican economy in 2022 alone. Finabien is already active in this market, capturing US $2.3 billion last year through its collaboration with the government’s Banco del Bienestar (Bank of Well-being), which announced in March that it would exit the remittance market.
However, the new program will differ from the Banco del Bienestar because it is entirely digital, allowing people to access money even in remote rural communities with no bank branches.
He asserted that his illness wasn’t serious, but rumors about his health – fueled by a report in a Mérida newspaper that he had fainted after an apparent heart attack – proliferated nevertheless.
The president’s absence due to a COVID-19 infection – and a brief fainting episode – fueled speculation about the seriousness of his condition. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)
Speculation only increased early in the week when Monday, and then Tuesday, passed without a direct message from the president, even as his colleagues, including Health Minister Jorge Alcocer, repeatedly assured reporters – and the Mexican people – that he had COVID-19 but was otherwise in good health.
AMLO finally dispelled the rumors on Wednesday, emerging from isolation to record a video message in which he declared he was fine, but admitted that he briefly fainted while attending a meeting in Mérida last Sunday.
By Friday he was back in front of reporters for the government’s fifth and final press conference of the week.
For the second time in as many years, the president’s fellow tabasqueño and close confidante, Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández, took the reins of the mañaneras, standing in for his convalescent superior from Monday to Thursday.
Interior Minister Adán Augusto López filled in for the president from Monday through Thursday. (Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
The former governor of Tabasco has aspirations to replace López Obrador on a full-time basis, a goal that might have become slightly more obtainable given the increased prominence he gained by stepping in for Mexico’s preeminent political participant this week.
Monday
“As you well know, the president of the republic reported yesterday that he had tested positive for COVID,” López Hernández said at the beginning of the first press conference of the week.
AMLO is isolating and receiving medical care and is expected to return to his mañaneras in two or three days, the interior minister said.
Responding to reporters’ questions later in the presser, López Hernández specified that López Obrador was recovering at the National Palace – within which he has an apartment – and explained that he began experiencing cold-like symptoms on Saturday night.
“There was no emergency transfer [from Mérida to Mexico City], there was no fainting episode,” said the former governor, rejecting a report published Sunday by the Diario de Yucatán.
Questioned about the newspaper’s assertion that the president suffered a heart attack or “cardiac complication,” López Hernández responded:
“No, … nothing like that [happened]. That is what [his detractors] would like, but he’s in good health. He said it himself yesterday, he’s 100% fine in terms of cardiac health.”
Questions about AMLO and his health dominated reporters’ engagement with the interior minister, but López Hernández also responded to queries related to a few other issues.
A migrant caravan is protesting asylum laws left Tapachula for Mexico City on Sunday. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
Asked about Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos’ recent request to the federal government to stop the flow of migrants to the north of the country, he stressed that Mexico is a “country of asylum” with its “doors open” to those fleeing adverse situations in their home nations.
Although hundreds of thousands of migrants have been detained and deported since López Obrador took office in late 2018, the federal government seeks to “guarantee” migrants’ “free passage” through Mexico, López Hernández said.
He noted that a new migrant caravan left Tapachula, Chiapas, on Sunday, and said that federal and state authorities were providing its members with all the “care” they need as they move through the country.
The interior minister also weighed in on the case involving United States company Vulcan Materials, whose marine terminal near Playa del Carmen was occupied by federal and state forces in March due to its alleged failure to comply with an injunction ordering it to allow the building materials company Cemex to use the facility.
“I understand that … [Vulcan subsidiary Sac-Tun] unilaterally decided to suspend Cemex’s activities at the port,” he said.
“… I understand that there is now an agreement … and operations have resumed,” López Hernández said before railing against Vulcan for what he called its “irrational looting” and “irrational exploitation” of the Quintana Roo coast through its extraction of gravel at a quarry that authorities shut down last year.
Earlier in the press conference, the head of the National Tourism Promotion Fund reported that tracks along 94 kilometers of the 234-kilometer-long Escárcega-Calkiní section of the Maya Train railroad have been laid.
Section 2 of the railroad – the entirety of which is slated to open in December – passes through six municipalities in Campeche and has two intermediate stations, one near the archeological site of Edzná and the other in Campeche city, Javier May said.
Numerous other officials provided updates on various government programs, including the Youths Building the Future apprenticeship scheme.
“Today 231,789 young people are in training,” said Deputy Labor Minister Marath Baruch Bolaños López.
“… This program is aimed at young people who don’t study or work and supports their … [transition] … to employment through workplace training for which they receive the minimum salary of 6,310 pesos [about US $350] per month,” he said, adding that the government has invested just over 4 billion pesos in the scheme so far this year.
Tuesday
AMLO’s health was also high on the agenda at the government’s second mañanera of the week.
Health Minister Jorge Alcocer reported early in the presser that the president had mild COVID-19 symptoms, but was in good health overall. López Obrador’s symptoms include inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, fever and fatigue, he said, adding that his treatment consists of taking paracetamol, staying hydrated and resting.
“He will be discharged in a few days,” Alcocer said, making an apparent reference to when AMLO was expected to come out of isolation at his National Palace residence.
Health Minister Jorge Alcocer told reporters that President López Obrador experienced inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, fever and fatigue. (Photos by Galo Cañas Rodríiguez/Cuartoscuro)
A reporter noted later in the presser that there is a pervasive “idea” that the president is ill with something other than COVID and asked the interior minister why AMLO hadn’t posted a video to social media to counteract the rumors.
“Of course there are voices that feed off disinformation,” López Hernández said.
“As one of the most read books, or possibly the most read book in the history of humanity says, they are the ones whose souls are rotten. There is nothing to hide; from the beginning we’ve said what the situation is and that the president is recovering,” he said.
López Hernández, who gave up the governorship of Tabasco to succeed Olga Sánchez Cordero as interior minister in 2021, later expressed his support for the Supreme Court’s ruling that the governing body of the National Institute for Transparency (INAI) cannot convene with just four commissioners.
Justice Loretta Ortiz’s ruling was “issued in accordance with the law,” he said.
The interior minister denied that the government was pleased to see the INAI inoperative – as leaked audio indicated – and stressed that it was up to the Senate to appoint additional commissioners so that its governing body can convene.
“The most important” aspect of the legislation, López Hernández said, is that “the human right to water” takes precedence over mining.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, who spoke about the risks associated with using electronic smoking devices early in the press conference, returned to center stage late in the mañanera to respond to a question about a new law that bans the addition of trans fats to processed food and beverages.
Health regulator Cofepris will carry our inspections of food and beverage manufacturers in order to enforce the ban, said López-Gatell, who is best known as Mexico’s COVID czar.
Puebla Governor Sergio Salomón Céspedes was invited to speak after a brief introduction from López Hernández, and proceeded to offer a lofty description of the weekday morning press conference, over which AMLO began presiding two days after he was sworn in as president.
“The mañanera will always be remembered as the maximum exercise of openness and transparency that a government has had with Mexicans,” said the Morena party governor, who replaced Miguel Barbosa after his death last December.
“… President Andrés Manuel López Obrador: know that in Puebla we are always attentive to your health as well as the directives you give for the transformation and prosperity of our country. We wish you a quick recovery, we know we will have [you as] president for a long time yet,” Céspedes said.
Governor of Puebla, Sergio Salomón Céspdes, at the morning press conference. (Sergio Salomón Céspedes/Twitter)
“… A lot of us would like to have your energy, but especially your conviction and consistency. Mr. President, you are a great example,” he added.
In her “Who’s Who in the Lies of the Week segment,” Ana García Vilchis highlighted the responses of the Russian Embassy in Mexico to two allegedly spurious newspaper reports.
“Look, this is a gem,” she said, referring to a tweet the embassy published in response to a report by Reforma that said that “United States authorities suspect that Tajikistan, the country to which Mexico sold the presidential plane [last week], could serve as a bridge to get various products to Russia, including aerospace components [whose sale] to Moscow was prohibited after its invasion of Ukraine.”
The Russian Embassy said it didn’t understand how the sale of the presidential plane was related to “banned products” reaching Russia, but added that “thanks to Reforma we can now imagine what components will fly to Russia.”
A photoshopped image showing a variety of items in the plane’s presidential bedroom was included in the tweet.
“The banned components in Russia – we hope [they are] not … – are tacos, esquites, tequila, the delicious avocado and other things of national interest,” García said. “We hope they eat tacos and esquites in Russia.”
The government’s media monitor also drew attention to a tweet in which the Russian Embassy rejected an El Universal column that claimed that it was Russia, rather than Tajikistan, that bought the presidential plane.
“The Russian Embassy responded with a lot of humor, [saying] ‘another surrealist story was published in El Universal,'” García said.
“The embassy says, ‘thanks to ‘the reputable international sources’ we found out that the plane wasn’t bought by … [the] unknown [country] Tajikistan but by Russia,” she said before continuing to read the tweet. “‘The West will do anything to manipulate public opinion.'”
The Interior Minister and Ana García Vilchis at the Wednesday press conference. (Gob MX)
Responding to a reporter’s question, López Hernández said that the postponement of a regional anti-inflation summit in Cancún that was scheduled for early May had nothing to do with AMLO’s COVID infection, even though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explicitly said that the decision was taken after finding out about the president’s positive test result.
“As I said a moment ago, we believe, and the doctors maintain, that the president will resume his normal activities … before the weekend,” the interior minister said.
He asserted later in the press conference that the head of the National Immigration Institute (INM), Francisco Garduño, wouldn’t be distracted from his job despite facing a criminal charge related to a detention center fire in Ciudad Juárez that claimed the lives of 40 migrants.
Garduño, who was formally charged on Tuesday, will “probably” fulfill his requirement to periodically sign in with authorities in Ciudad Juárez while he is on official INM business in Chihuahua, López Hernández said.
In response to another question, the interior minister played down the proposal to incorporate the National Institute of Health for Well-Being (Insabi)– a government department created in 2020 that was tasked with providing medical services to millions of Mexicans without insurance – into the Mexican Social Security Institute.
“The most important thing is that universal, free health care is guaranteed for all Mexicans,” he said a day after a bill that seeks to disband Insabi passed the lower house of Congress with the support of the ruling Morena party and its allies.
Thursday
It was a two-man show on Thursday with the general director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) accompanying the interior minister during a 100-minute mañanera at the national palace.
Diego Prieto, an anthropologist who has been at the helm of the INAH since 2017, told reporters at the beginning of the presser that “very significant” discoveries have been made along the route of the Maya Train railroad, including the finding of a rare stone sculpture of the Mayan god K’awiil, a deity linked to power, abundance and prosperity.
The three-dimensional depiction of the Mayan god K’awiil, uncovered during an archaeological dig on Section 7 of the Maya Train route. (INAH)
Along Section 7 of the railroad – which will link Chetumal, Quintana Roo, to Escárcega, Campeche – pre-Hispanic structures and platforms have been found “at practically every step,” Prieto said.
“… We’ve had to come up with imaginative and painstaking engineering solutions to save … these archaeological structures,” he said, adding that many of the ancient edifices could be restored so that Maya Train passengers can enjoy their splendor from the comfort of their seats.
López Hernández relived the INAH chief at the mañanera lectern and got straight down to responding to the questions of the day.
The “campaign of hate” directed at the president as he recovered from COVID is regrettable, he said, referring to unfounded claims that López Obrador suffered a heart attack or stroke.
“As we’ve said since Monday … and as he made known on Sunday, the president, fortunately, is fine,” the interior minister said.
“… The way in which some media outlets, pseudo-journalists and pseudo-columnists respond to dark interests is truly miserable,” López Hernández said.
Asked whether he believed that some people really want AMLO to die, he responded:
“What they have written and what they have said is there for Mexicans to make up their own minds.”
López Hernández later took a leaf out of AMLO’s book and launched an attack on Felipe Calderón when asked about the former president’s meeting in Lima earlier this week with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, whose government has been described as “spurious” by López Obrador.
On his fourth day helming the daily press conferences, López lambasted “pseudo-journalists” for questioning President López Obrador’s health status. (Gob MX)
“Mexicans know that if anything has characterized Felipe Calderón it has been his selling-out to foreign interests,” the interior minister said.
“If I remember correctly, he ended up as an employee of a Spanish energy company, I think it’s called Iberdrola,” he said, adding that any sense of nationalism Calderón might have wasn’t on display when he “stole the presidency” in a hotly contested 2006 election in which López Obrador was his main rival.
Among other remarks, López Hernández stressed that the government’s position with regard to the Ciudad Juárez detention center fire is that justice must prevail. There must be no impunity for those found to be responsible for the deaths of the migrants, he said.
Shortly afterwards, the interior minister thanked reporters for their time and in AMLO-esque fashion disclosed his breakfast menu, announcing that he would chow down on small tamales called chanchamitos.
Friday
“I’m very happy to be here with you again,” AMLO said upon his return to his mañanera after a week-long absence.
“Firstly, I’d like to wholeheartedly thank the people of Mexico for their support, their solidarity. … I’m thinking about almost all Mexicans, who expressed concern about my COVID infection. There were displays of affection, a lot of blessings, good wishes, prayer chains, a lot of solidarity,” he said.
“… People became concerned because there was sensationalism, yellow journalism and bad faith,” López Obrador said, adding that he had recovered and was determined to continue the “transformation” of Mexico for the good of “our beloved people.”
In his opening monologue, AMLO also outlined a range of ways in which his government has cut costs, highlighting that the military institution that was formerly tasked with protecting the president of the day – the Estado Mayor Presidencial – was disbanded, overseas trade offices were closed, public trusts were abolished and salaries for high-ranking officials were reduced.
The president returned to his daily morning press conference on Friday. (Gob MX)
In the past, the federal government “guzzled the entire budget itself,” López Obrador bemoaned. “It was an enormous apparatus, an extremely expensive, onerous, golden bureaucracy. The people weren’t given anything,” he said.
The head of the state-owned development bank Banobras later reported that there were 93 expressions of interest related to purchasing the presidential plane before the US $92 million sale to the government of Tajikistan was completed.
Jorge Mendoza Sánchez noted that the plane – which was purchased in 2012 for $217 million – was scheduled to leave Mexico on Friday afternoon, a departure that went ahead as planned.
“The sale was carried out through the Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People,” the Banobras chief said, adding that the sale price matched the commercial value of the aircraft as determined by the Institute of Administration and Evaluation of National Assets.
Mendoza also sought to dispel any doubts about the purchaser, noting that Tajikistan is a member of international intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations and the C5+1 group, a “diplomatic platform” through which the United States engages with the governments of five Central Asian countries.
During his engagement with reporters, López Obrador noted that in light of his most recent bout of COVID, doctors advised him to drink a lot of water and not overexert himself.
“It’s very good to be drinking water, water and water, hydrating the body. … I’m going to rest, I have time [to do so], but I [also] have a mission to carry out; there’s not long to go [in my six-year term] … about a year and five months, but as I work double [the hours of a regular worker], it means I have two years and 10 months left. So I have to keep going, consolidate the welfare programs,” he said.
AMLO later repeated his assertion that the INAI – which remains out of action after a vote in the Senate on Thursday failed to attract the support required for the appointment of a new commissioner – is “useless” and was created to “simulate” that corruption was being tackled.
“When has there been more corruption in Mexico? In the period that the institute has been [in operation], excluding our own [time in office],” he said.
Senator Xóchitl Gálvez points to a banner protesting inaction over the appointment of new INAI commissioners, which has hobbled the transparency agency. (SEDEMA/Cuartoscuro)
The president said he would like to see the transparency agency disbanded and its duties taken over by the Federal Auditor’s Office. One billion pesos a year would be saved, he said, explaining that “waste, superfluous expenses and privileges” would come to an end.
Toward the end of his sole mañanera appearance of the week, López Obrador once again took aim at one of his chief antagonists in the Mexican press, Carlos Loret de Mola, as well as television journalists and news anchors in general.
Loret de Mola, who has exposed alleged corruption within the current government, “is a journalist at the service of the magnates,” he said.
“There is a more precise word, but it’s very strong and I don’t want to use it. [Such journalists] are paid very well … to always pounce on those who oppose corruption,” AMLO said.
“… In the case of television, … they read – they’re not capable of improvising, they have the so-called teleprompter, and so it appears that they’re improvising, but they’re not – they’re reading, they’re newsreaders,” he said.
After proving over a period of three hours that he hadn’t lost his penchant or flair for pugnacious oratory during his enforced absence from public life, the three-time COVID survivor told reporters he was off to eat something for breakfast to ensure he didn’t suffer another váguido, the word he used to describe his brief fainting spell last Sunday.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
