TABASCO DIGGING OUT FROM LAST YEAR'S FLOOD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 002201 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EAID PHUM MX SUBJECT: TABASCO DIGGING OUT FROM LAST YEAR'S FLOOD MEXICO 00002201 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: MinCouns Charles V. Barclay. Reasons: 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Poloff traveled to Villahermosa, Tabasco to assess recovery efforts from the floods of last October and the consequent political ramifications. State government officials, including the Governor Andres Granier (PRI) gave themselves high marks for coordination of national and international aid, suggesting these efforts had undercut the political advantage the PRD -- the second leading political force in the state -- had sought to gain from the disaster; the governor sought to focus future recovery efforts on rural areas he described as prone to political instability. A PAN Federal Deputy and a representative from a Human Rights Committee, however, had a different take on the local government's efforts citing instances of corruption and repression. State Government officials, including the Governor, and representatives of civil society appeared unaware that the USG contributed over $2 million in assistance through three NGOs in the course of the crisis. Separately, Poloff learned that the local office of the Institute for National Migration (INM) is setting up more control points near the Guatemalan border while the State Human Rights Commission is setting up small offices in the same area of the state in an effort to more effectively monitor human rights respect for migrants. The Secretary of State Security expressed an interest in USG assistance for police training and in the creation of a vetted police unit. END SUMMARY. Governor Sings His Own Praises -------------- ¶2. (U) Poloff met with the Governor of the State of Tabasco, Andres Granier, and his Secretaries and Under Secretaries from the Ministries of Development, Planning and Health June 30-July 2 to discuss the status of recovery efforts from the major flood that affected most of the state in October 2007. The officials stated that, although there were USD 3.6 billion in losses affecting 57 percent of localities in the state, with over 148,000 homes damaged significantly and over 20,000 homes destroyed, no deaths were reported in Tabasco as a direct consequence of the flooding. They attributed the disaster to the failure of dams in Malpaso and Penitas located in located in the state of Chiapas. ¶3. (U) State officials -- hailing from the PRI -- praised the Governor for the leadership he demonstrated in the course of the crisis working closely with civil society and coordinating the distribution of massive assistance amounting to the equivalent of $1,000 per inhabitant. Poloff drew attention to assistance the USG provided in the form of USD 2 million channeled through three NGOs: Project Concern International, World Vision, and Samaritan's Purse. The Governor and his cabinet were not aware of this aid as they thought the USG only had contributed 300K USD. He said that he would send a thank you note to the Ambassador for the USG assistance and requested further aid to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in rural areas. Political Opposition and Civil Society Fault Efforts -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Granier, however, has received some criticism for his handling of the relief effort. Several PAN politicians accused senior-level state officials including Granier of widespread corruption and blamed officials for mistakes that had hampered recovery from the disaster. Jesus Maldonado, President of the Committee on Human Rights in Tabasco, complained about the lack of transparency in disbursing relief. He told Poloff that members of the Citizen Advisory Committee for Reconstruction had been mandated to distribute donations without bias but their appointment by the Governor personally had compromised their objectivity. He said that over USD 110 million was inexplicably missing from state and federal funding. Maldonado maintained that government officials had discriminated against non-PRI members in the distribution of assistance. INM and Human Rights Community Expanding Presence -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Separately, the National Institute of Migration (INM) told poloff that it had recently established more checkpoints near the border with Guatemala. Genaro Gutierrez, INM's regional representative, maintained it had improved its that databases, reached an agreement with a local hospital for treatment of ailing migrants, and commenced cooperating more with the Mexican army, PFP, and municipalities for support. He also said that the office has begun training as needed to implement the new Anti-Trafficking law but remarked that more MEXICO 00002201 002.2 OF 002 work needed to be done with customs. ¶6. (U) The State Human Rights Commission is establishing new small offices in municipalities near the border and other areas to attend to human rights complaints by migrants. Sergio Arturo Avalos Magana, Executive Secretary of the office, said that the Commission is focused on detecting vulnerable populations and providing sensitizing the police, the army, and the civil registry -- which is often reluctant to provide birth certificates to children of migrants born in Tabasco -- of their responsibilities and obligations in dealing with migrants. He said that the Commission also conducts annual training for high-level and mid-level members of the army. He commented that the Commission would like to establish closer ties with diplomatic missions in Mexico, including the U.S. Embassy, to partner in providing training and holding seminars on human rights issues. Police Looking for U.S. Assistance -------------- ¶7. (U) General Hector Sanchez, Secretary of Public Security of Tabasco expressed disappointment that the Merida Initiative did not include funding for state police units. He registered his desire for USG assistance in the future to train State police officers as well as for doctors, psychologists and two or three poligraphers to set up vetted units. ¶8. (C) COMMENT. No doubt corruption and political bias were factors in the provision of assistance in the aftermath of last year's flood. However, poloff's visit to the regions most affected by the flood provided much visible evidence of efforts to put the massive assistance provided by the state and federal governments along with the international community to good use. In a helicopter tour, Poloff observed the construction of housing occurring on a significant level with funding provided in the form of donations by Mexican companies including Cemex and civic organizations. Time will determine if the disaster produces a political fallout but for at the present moment it appears PRD may not be able to capitalize on the scale originally expected. END COMMENT. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / GARZA