Although it is the first formal meeting that unites the state and regional institutions at the headquarters of the Provincial Council, the coordinated work between its representatives has been carried out since the beginning of the reconstruction, always maintaining contact. This is reflected in the report prepared by the former Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, after his supervision of the implementation of measures adopted and the work of the administrations, a document that was commented during this meeting and that highlights that La Palma is an example of institutional collaboration in the face of disasters such as the one experienced in 2021.

The Council of the Common has a fundamental role as guarantor of the rights and freedoms of citizens, even more so in extreme situations such as the one on the island. The Commissioner is therefore pleased to work together to maintain this essential pillar that ensures the smooth functioning of democracy. “I’ve been an auditor by profession for many years and if there’s one thing I believe in, it’s control and accountability,” Izquierdo said as soon as the meeting began.

Follow-up of complaints about housing and property communities

Although after the volcanic eruption there was a greater number of complaints from those affected by the volcano, seven of them are currently being worked on, related to housing valuations, aid management and financial compensation to the irrigating communities. “Although they are few complaints, they are representative of what is happening in La Palma,” added the Deputy of the Commons. Those related to housing are in the process of resolving the discrepancies between valuations, which is a slow process that will end up being solved by the Insurance Consortium itself.

In particular, Diputación and Commissioner have shared the next steps that the national and regional executives are taking related to the compensation of the value of the lost in the field of agriculture. Following the Joint Reconstruction Monitoring Commission held last Friday in Santa Cruz de La Palma, “it is expected that affected farmers will be able to start collecting compensation from February,” Izquierdo said. He also explained that from then on - as specified in the priority of the Decree of the Government of the Canary Islands - it will be possible to study the compensation of other groups such as communities of property. “Once the aid has been paid to the first homes and the primary sector, in the third place the reconstruction of public infrastructures is established, which is already underway, and then the work will begin to evaluate the second home and the communities of goods,” Izquierdo explained.

The Deputy of the Common stressed the need to start the valuations of the irrigators, a figure so specific to the Canary Islands that is fundamental for the recovery of an island such as La Palma in which agriculture represents a significant percentage of its GDP. “So far it has not slowed down the times of reconstruction, but if we do not start to draw up a plan, farmers will still not be able to have access to the irrigation so necessary in their work,” Padrón warned.