By The Star Staff
Newly appointed Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez will need to explain to the island Senate his decision to shelve allegations of illegal construction in La Parguera, Lajas, just hours after taking office, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz said late last week.
The administrative order, which was published last Thursday, followed Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s comments, made after her swearing-in on Jan. 2, in which she referred to an ongoing investigation into waterfront construction on property belonging to her in-laws as “political persecution” against her.
The investigation targeted alleged violators, including the governor’s in-laws, who are accused of illegally cutting mangroves and making unauthorized expansions and renovations to a platform or dock at their residence in La Parguera, a natural reserve designated in 1979 and known for its bioluminescent bay.
Quiles’ order legalizes the structures built in La Parguera by allowing them to pay certain fees. He stated that the order was prepared and written by the previous administration. In response, Rivera Schatz emphasized on social media that addressing political persecution requires caution and transparency.
Hernaliz Vázquez Torres, the director of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the Sierra Club, is calling for Quiles’ immediate removal as DNER secretary after he issued the executive order, which she claims represents a serious conflict of interest and an abuse of power.
Administrative Order 2025-01, which Quiles signed on the same day he was appointed, archives the administrative complaints against José del C. Vargas Cortés and Irma Llavona Rivera, the governor’s in-laws, and legitimizes the presence of other private structures on protected land by allowing them to pay a fee every five years. The decision comes despite serious accusations of violations against Vargas and Llavona, including cutting down mangroves, filling land, and building structures without permits.
“This action is a direct affront to environmental protection and justice,” Vázquez Torres said. “It is unacceptable that the DNER secretary, whose mission should be to safeguard our natural resources, is using his position to benefit the governor’s in-laws. This order not only legitimizes the environmental damage occurring in La Parguera but also reflects the true interests of Governor Jenniffer González’s administration, a situation we have been denouncing since her inauguration.”
The Sierra Club chapter director further stressed that the secretary’s actions contradict existing laws and regulations that protect maritime-terrestrial zones.
“Shelving these cases as if they were academic is a mockery of the conservation efforts led by many organizations and citizens for decades,” she said. “This type of abuse of power cannot be tolerated.”
The soap opera WQuiles Pérez/JGonzález had kept Puerto Ricans entertained throughout the inauguration festivities of the new governor. During the week and half that it had been on the air, the US press pick it up and now it's known all over the mainland.
It's good to hear that thanks to Mr. Rivera Schatz, we'll have another installment when they move it to the Senate to verify legality and other issues dealing with "political persecution [that] requires caution and transparency," as if he is not an actor in this soap opera. It gives the impression that everyone is working really hard to get their Emmy Award or to take it away from the diva.
Whatever game these folks are playing,…