This Friday, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC in Spanish) and president of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, toured the southern Las Tunas, starting with the municipality of Jobabo.

This is the second time this year that the Cuban leader has visited the Balcón de Oriente together with Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of the Organization of the Central Committee, since he was in the provincial capital in January.

His strategy seeks to boost the work in those places whose results are not favorable at the moment, contrasting them with other existing entities in those same spaces. Likewise, the missions include direct contacts with political and governmental leaders and the citizens of each of the districts, to review, in situ, the fulfillment of the economic and social priorities outlined by the PCC.

SEEKING ALL WAYS TO PRODUCE FOOD

The Cuban president began visiting the municipality of Jobabo by visiting the Basic Cooperative Production Unit (UBPC in Spanish) Primero de Enero.

The cooperative, eminently a livestock cooperative, is involved in the production of rice while working on the recovery of the livestock mass.

There, the President was interested in the sowing of 62 hectares of grain and other various crops, in addition to the development of livestock modules and the intense work of its workers, about 46.

In his dialogue in the place, he called to maintain the primary purpose of the cooperative, to increase the workers' salary, and he was interested in the work collectives and their operation.

He said that it is necessary to look for all the ways to produce food and that it is necessary to expand the best experiences to continue doing.

WITH COLLECTIVE EFFORT

Díaz Canel arrived at the neighborhood in transformation, Argentina Sur, as part of his second visit to the municipality of Jobabo.

Before 2022, El Siete, as it is popularly known, was affected by the alarming rates of alcoholism, unemployment, precarious conditions of the housing fund, and a high number of teenage pregnancy cases.

After joint and multisectoral work, with the protagonism of the community factors, the enclave is reversing its detriments.

There, the Cuban leader urged to exploit the local potentialities, take advantage of the land to strengthen food production, and reduce the high prices of agricultural products.

Ana Ivys Salina Núñez, delegate of Constituency 12, of the People's Council 2, talked with the president about the main challenges still present in the neighborhood, especially those related to the supply of drinking water through networks, which do not reach all the inhabitants and requires a substantial investment.

During the exchange, emphasis was placed on the problems associated with housing, which increased in 2023 when a storm surge caused around 23 roof damages and two total collapses. So far these situations have been reversed, but there are still more than 800 homes in poor and regular technical conditions.

The authorities of the territory emphasized the achievements that have changed the environment in "Argentina Sur". Among them, they mentioned the capital repair of the emergency medical office with extended hours, a long-standing desire of the community, taking into account the remoteness of the 14 de Junio polyclinic, which will soon serve more than six thousand inhabitants.

Díaz-Canel Bermúdez also learned about the construction of the warehouse, the revitalization of the Acopio sales point, the José Antonio Echeverría elementary school, and the construction and rehabilitation of the municipality's Home for the Elderly.

He learned that for the current year, work is being done on a typology 4 housing project that will benefit 25 families living in vulnerable conditions, and that, in addition, around 40 dirt floors have been eradicated, despite the scarcity of resources that the country is experiencing.

In "Argentina Sur," with this revitalizing impetus, a children's playground was built, 427 residential fixed telephony services were installed, and the Nauta Hogar service was promoted. So far this year, 93 families have been protected with economic assistance from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Likewise, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Party was interested in the linkage to employment and study and called on the community to continue transforming the environment through collective empowerment.

IN A WELCOMING CENTER

Díaz-Canel Bermúdez ended his tour in Jobabo by visiting the local development project of the Manifiesto de Montecristi Agricultural Polytechnic Institute (IPA in Spanish).

He arrived with a smile on his face and told them that he had come to verify what the paper said. And he succeeded.

There, they explained to him the daily dynamics of a center that works with students and professors directly linked to production and has become an educational institution with excellent results.

The school, a national reference, runs a veterinary clinic, produces tobacco, seeds, bricks, grains, and milk, and provides services to the community.

They have bought four oxen, means of protection, five irrigation systems, sacharinas machines, machetes, fertilizers, as well as study material and many other things with the money they can produce.

It is not for nothing that they have 39 hectares of land, and they also produce pickles, contribute to local development, save money for the educational sector, and are self-sufficient in food and vegetables.

The IPA has four teachers becoming doctors in Science, something that the President celebrated and told them that they are the reference in Cuba when the teachers explained that they are looking for other experiences to continue growing.

The president celebrated the work achieved in dry lands and smiled when they told him about specific exports in which they are already working, such as okra, eggplant, and red sweet potato.

He called to share the experience and told them that the work is "tremendous" and that, just listening to the interventions, it is evident that science and innovation go hand in hand.

Díaz-Canel asked for a photo with everyone, signed the school's book, and called to extend the experience of this place to his peers all over Cuba.

FROM "COLOMBIA", EXPERIENCE THAT HONORS PRODUCTIVE COMMITMENTS

The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and president of the Republic continued his tour of southern Las Tunas in the municipality of Colombia, where he visited the Los Manantiales farm, in the area of La Anacaona; always accompanied by Roberto Morales Ojeda, secretary of Organization of the Central Committee; Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, first secretary of the Party in Las Tunas; and Yelenis Tornet Menéndez, governor.

Los Manantiales has an area of 13.42 hectares, where its four workers grow viands, vegetables, and fruits, linked to the School Food Collaboration Project (AES in Spanish).

Jesús Rodríguez Lay, head of the farm, explained to the president how the food for the students and teaching staff of three primary schools and a canteen that is part of the Family Assistance System (SAF in Spanish) is ensured from here.

"Nine months ago, this was an area infested with weeds, where the mango trees were barely visible," recounted Rodríguez Lay. "We already have the postures house and we want to have another one for semi-protected crops," he said.

Díaz-Canel praised that, from a form of state management, they have honored their productive commitments for the quarter, even exceeding the expected figure by more than five tons; standing out, in addition, for their contribution to the local agricultural fairs.

After hearing that the project underway includes the installation of solar panels for the irrigation system, the president suggested extending it also as a source of energy for the farm's housing.

THE CLOSING OF A CYCLE

The former Batista Army barracks, today Rogelio Rojas Tamayo home for the elderly, in the municipality of Colombia, was the last site visited this Friday by the President of the Republic.

The Public Health institution houses 65 grandparents, and there the President received a full explanation of the main services provided to them. He spoke with a group of elderly people and part of the staff. He was interested in the existing conditions after the repairs that, at a cost of more than five million pesos, allowed the improvement of the building.

At the exit of the facility, Díaz-Canel Bermúdez exchanged with the population. In his words, he stressed the importance of these tours and said that the current tour of the southern Las Tunas closes a cycle of visits to the province.

He also emphasized the importance of continuing to look for alternatives to produce food and achieve the recovery of the sugar cane industry; at the same time, he highlighted the value of attention to the elderly.
He pointed out that there are many dissatisfactions in the population, on issues such as transportation, roads, and the energy situation. Regarding this last issue, he confirmed that the nation is working for a definitive solution, with several investments, in the shortest possible time. (With information from Raudel Rodríguez)