Transition committee takes dim view of seeing information in media that is not shared in hearings

State secretary says all requested information has been provided

“It is discouraging to see the media raise news about matters that should have been brought to our attention by the [Outgoing] Transition Committee or that contradict or are not in line with what they told us,” said attorney Verónica Ferraiouli Hornedo, a member of the Incoming Transition Committee.

By The Star Staff

Members of the incoming Transition Committee, through attorney Verónica Ferraiouli Hornedo, expressed their annoyance on Tuesday with some officials of the outgoing administration regarding the information they offered in the public government transition hearings.

“It is discouraging to see the media raise news about matters that should have been brought to our attention by the [outgoing] Transition Committee or that contradict or are not in line with what they told us,” Ferraiouli Hornedo said in a press conference. “That is very discouraging because a couple of weeks ago we had a conversation about that.”

Ferraiouli Hornedo was referring to the news of the commonwealth comptroller’s report on the Medical Services Administration (ASEM by its acronym in Spanish) and purchases and disbursements during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also points out that the entity could lose ownership of 149 acres of land at the Puerto Rico Medical Center in Río Piedras.

At the public hearing on Tuesday, the committee heard depositions from the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCR), and the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (see related story on page 3).

Regarding the DCR, Ferraiouli Hornedo raised the possibility of canceling the contract with Physician Correctional, the private company contracted to provide medical services at all DCR facilities.

“Correct. They have a contract that they renewed, a five-year contract, but of course, all contracts are subject to compliance and that the services are provided as required,” she said. “We had a federal case [Morales Feliciano] for many years and we have metrics established by the court that have to be carried out. And if that is not happening, if the necessary service is not being provided, then that is not the company we have to have there.”

In addition, the panel invested part of its time in the controversy over the qualifications of Mr. Jorge Galva and Dr. Silvette Rivera García of UTICorp. Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Ana Escobar Pabón claimed that she was unaware of the credentials and relied on the information provided by one of her assistants.

Department of State Secretary Omar Marrero Díaz, meanwhile, insisted that part of the doubts that the members of the Incoming Transition Committee have are answered in the reports submitted by the agencies.

“Well, I don’t want to go into why they are not aware of the details,” Marrero Díaz said in response to a reporter’s question. “There are reports, and I will be more sincere with you. In the case of ASEM, which is about a debt that it had with the now extinct Government Development Bank, it is about a public debt that was part of the restructuring of the Government Development Bank -- it is about a loan retained as part of that debt. All requests for information have been attended to. Not one request for information has gone unanswered, because at the end of the day, that is our commitment and that is what not only the governor requires, but the law requires.”