Buildings with dubious finishes are sometimes more gloomy than dilapidated sites; they bear the mark of human beings intertwined with apathy, neglect, and despair.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- This is not a new story, quite the contrary; since the days when cement trucks roamed the city and people built houses without thinking that one day there would be a shortage of materials, shoddy work has been done; however, that cannot be a reason for the disaster, far from stopping, to find a way forward.

The most recent experience known to 26 is that of the headquarters of the Las Tunas Civil Registry Duplicates, to which we have already dedicated several lines in this publication. A site that has been closed to the public since the unfortunate March 6, with delays in the provision of services that the Cuban Civil Registry system so badly needs.

Some 18 million pesos were allocated to the site for the execution of works that would resolve, or at least significantly alleviate, the construction problems that, for more than a decade, have fueled the disrepair of its spaces.

And that's where they got to, according to Vivian Luz Morales Cordero, head of the Legal Services Unit, with the nine workers from the Construction Maintenance Brigade determined to get the job done.

“They made a lot of progress, but they left to take on other projects related to the 26 de Julio works in Las Tunas, and they haven't returned. Two offices were completed, but they have not yet been plastered and are not finished. In addition, the bathroom was modified, although the fixtures have not been installed. And the shelves where the various volumes of books are located remain in poor condition.”

26 was unable to verify the leaks that, they say, fall on the newly repaired walls when it rains heavily, but it is evident from the street itself that not everything has been rosy. The paint on the front, for example, already shows signs of leaks from above, giving it a kind of “old soul blush” that is far from being a solution to the ravages of time.

Vivian told us that on August 28, the health inspector came by and found larvae in the toilet and debris in the courtyard, so after intense volunteer work and a fine imposed on the Provincial Justice Department, that problem was resolved. However, since then, the waste has been left in the doorway of the premises, with no one answering calls to remove it, and the neighbors' junk has been added to it, tired of going further away to throw out their trash, saying, “It doesn't matter where you throw it away, they don't pick it up anyway.”

We asked Manuel Jiménez Almaguer, the representative for the district where the site is located, about this issue by phone. He insisted that the residents' attitude is a response to the delays in garbage collection; littering is a problem that is very difficult to regulate these days. This is a harsh truth that not only further disfigures the front of the Duplicado, but also generates foul odors and damage that could end up being a health hazard.

We are not living in easy times, and undertaking a construction project means putting other things on hold. That is why it is necessary, with almost millimeter precision, to know where and for what purpose public funds are being used. Leaving work half done, as a recurring practice, will make it difficult to ever finish, especially with the speed that is urgently needed in this case. And it would not be surprising if, when we return, we have to redo the supposed progress. We have many examples of this in Las Tunas; hopefully, the Duplicado del Registro Civil will not become yet another one.