on Wednesday reported that the Council of Ministers meets this morning to declare the town of Retamas, hit by a landslide a day earlier, in state of emergency.
During a meeting with the population,
after supervising the affected areas, he said the Government will provide Retamas with full support in health, education, and whatever is needed to live safely.
As the Head of State remarked, Housing Minister Geiner Alvarado is in charge of making arrangements with local authorities so as to address local problems.
"We can't have the people like this," Mr. Castillo emphasized.
"We need to guarantee the sustainable development of the population center. Let's conduct a registration to take residents to a safer place," he added.
The Head of State announced that a responsible commission will be formed along with leaders, neighbors, ronderos (farming community patrollers), and teachers to assess the transfer issue.
"Life, health, and the tranquility of the neighborhood come first," he noted.
The top official said he understands that people residing in the area had come to seek the development of their families, due to mining influence. Nonetheless, they must organize themselves and not continue to live in the current conditions.
In this sense, he highlighted the willingness of local and regional authorities to manage an action plan so as to assess the place where families can move.
"Let's get out of here; let's go to a safer place featuring homes, services, education, and health posts," he said, commenting that this task falls to the State in alliance with the mining company.