Esmeraldas, the Ecuadorian coastal city and provincial capital, marked the 206th anniversary of its independence on August 5 without Mayor Vicko Villacís, who has been detained since June while under investigation. The absence has cast a different mood over this year's celebrations and left several municipal projects unresolved.
Laura Yagual Salazar took over as acting mayor in Villacís's absence. She replaced department heads and continued reviewing the city's agreement with the state oil company EP Petroecuador, which covers works in 25 neighborhoods in the south of the city as well as four urban projects already under construction.
Roundabout spending under scrutiny
Documents on Ecuador's Public Procurement portal show that $525,063.16 was spent on two of those projects, the Los Cocoteros and Jolgorio roundabouts, during Villacís's administration. Authorities are also speeding up a response plan tied to the announced arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Fight to save the Petroecuador agreement
At a session of the Esmeraldas Municipal Council, officials described the steps taken to prevent the termination of the agreement with Petroecuador and to keep the works moving for residents. The municipality submitted a formal document asking Petroecuador to continue the agreement, arguing it was important to preserve the integrity of the process.
The council also committed to buying the machinery included in the agreement itself, backing that pledge with a budget certification confirming the funds were available. Rather than filing a legal protection action, the municipality asked for a seven-day extension, equal to half the time originally granted, to allow room for dialogue and consensus.
Officials said the goal is to keep the machinery in the municipality's service, and to ensure that if the local administration cannot finish the works, another entity would step in to complete the projects that residents in various neighborhoods are demanding.
The $11 million at stake is part of a larger $40 million agreement that Petroecuador owes the city as social compensation for the installation of its refinery and for environmental damage caused by oil spills.
Residents describe unmet needs
Solange Mina, president of the Los Girasoles neighborhood, said most of Esmeraldas's urban neighborhoods still lack basic infrastructure, and that municipal authorities have only carried out stopgap measures that fail to resolve residents' demands for real public works.
By contrast, a national government project, the reconstruction of the E20 highway between Esmeraldas and Quinindé, continues to advance.
Rioverde cancels festivities over budget rules
The municipality of Rioverde, also in Esmeraldas province, announced it would not hold festive programming this year for the 206th anniversary of Esmeraldas's political independence, citing budget restrictions and difficulties in public contracting processes.
Rioverde also observes the date as historic territory: the independence movement began there on August 4 and concluded the following day in the jurisdiction of Esmeraldas.
The Rioverde council said its decision followed current regulations governing public spending for Ecuador's Decentralized Autonomous Governments, which require that 70% of resources go toward investment and only 30% toward current expenses. The funds originally set aside for festivities will instead go toward public works and the canton's priority community needs, the administration said.
A group of Rioverde residents said they would still mark the date with ancestral games and artistic programming funded on their own.
Esmeraldas anniversary schedule
In the city of Esmeraldas, August 5 events were set to include a civic and cultural parade along Avenida Olmedo starting at 7:00 a.m., a formal municipal session at noon in the Salón Esmeraldas, and the EsmeSalsa festival on Avenida 6 de Diciembre from 6:00 p.m.
