Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on Friday delivers the annual Address to the Nation on the occasion of the 196th anniversary of the Andean country's independence from Spain.
The Head of State began by expressing his appreciation to all State bodies involved in
Coastal El Niño emergency-response efforts, as well as the private sphere and civil society for their generous donations.
As is known, the Andean country was severely hit by heavy rains, floods and landslides in the January-March period.
After calling for a minute of silence to honor disaster fatalities, the statesman introduced 9 exemplary citizens who stood out for their hard work and contribution to 'Una Sola Fuerza' (A Single Force) campaign.
"These 9 citizens epitomize the kind of Peru we want to build: courage, solidarity and work team," he pointed out.
A rough first year
The President started the overview of his first year in office addressing the two major blows that hit the Inca country in recent months: The Lava Jato corruption scandal and the aforementioned Coastal El Niño phenomenon.
"I may have underestimated the gargantuan effort required to resume economic growth in such context. I apologize if that was the case," he conceded.
"Little could I imagine such two serious events —out of our immediate control— would pile up within a few months."
Mr. Kuczynski recalled the devastating consequences of the massive Lava Jato graft case, involving bribes by Brazilian companies to a number of countries, including Peru.
"We have been forced to put an end to major contracts —which generated thousands of jobs— to combat that corruption wave […]. But showing that here, in Peru, we take immediate and strong measures against corruption, was more important," Mr. Kuczynski pointed out.
Said actions, he continued, have been recognized in other parts of the world as an example in the Latin American region.
As for Coastal El Niño phenomenon, the 78-year-old leader regretted consequent floods and landslides caused major infrastructure damage, particularly in northern coastal regions.
"Climate change is a major global challenge which is hitting us hard; we must be ready. Thus, the huge reconstruction task we are working on is a process of Reconstruction with Changes," he stated.
Reconstruction with Changes
President Kuczynski proceeded to address the government's plan to rebuild and restore infrastructure damaged by the disasters.
"We have allocated S/20 billion [about US$6.15 billion] to Reconstruction with Changes. These will be used to reconstruct: 8,700 km of roads, nearly 2,000 schools, 47,000 houses and 150 health centers," he detailed.
In this sense, he explained the first step is to guarantee all displaced victims have a safe and comfortable temporary dwelling by the end of the year.
"River clearing works —of 15 rivers and one stream— will begin in September […]. We are also reinforcing river banks, rehabilitating dykes, drainage and retaining meshes."
"We shall not be caught off guard ever again, and we will build safe homes away from [flood-prone] streams. Efficient, technically sound and corruption-free works, that is the change in the Reconstruction with Changes!," Mr. Kuczynski emphasized.