Renan Filho denies Michelle Bolsonaro's video in Acre: 'There is a bridge. Lula built it' (video)

247 - In response to a video released by former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro and Senator Márcio Bittar (União-AC), the Minister of Transport, Renan Filho (MDB), used social media to refute false claims about the infrastructure in the Acrean municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul. In the post made by Michelle alongside the senator, she states that "there is no bridge" connecting the city to the rest of the state, ignoring the existence of the so-called Ponte da União — a project completed with resources from the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

“Michelle, Cruzeiro do Sul is a city located in the far west of Acre, connected by the BR-364 highway. Yes, there is a bridge there, it's the Union Bridge. Who built that bridge? President Lula,” stated Renan. According to the minister, the federal government made the agreement, transferred the funds, and the work was delivered by the Ministry of Transport, in partnership with the state government.

In a video released by Michelle, she appears on the banks of a river and tries to move her followers with the supposed absence of a crossing structure. “Imagine having to cross this river every day to take children to the hospital, to school, or even to work. Do you know why? Because there isn't a bridge to connect them,” said the former first lady. Márcio Bittar, in turn, blamed NGOs and the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, for alleged obstacles to the construction of the bridge.

Renan, however, showed that the bridge exists and was built during the current administration, in addition to announcing new projects for the site. “We are contracting a new project for this bridge you are referring to. Michelle, whoever builds one, builds two. Now, for someone who has never done anything, it's difficult. The strange thing is that Bolsonaro spent four years in government and did nothing there,” the minister criticized.

Dilapidated highways and dwindling investments - In addition to refuting the former first lady's claims, Renan presented data on the degradation of Acre's roads during the Bolsonaro administration. In 2016, 39% of the state's highways were classified as poor. By the end of the previous administration, this number had jumped to 72%. Meanwhile, the percentage of roads considered to be in good condition fell from 32% to just 13%.

Since the beginning of Lula's government, Renan states that this situation has begun to change. "The 'good' rating grew from 13% to 42%, and the 'bad' or 'terrible' rating fell from 72% to 35%," he pointed out. He also compared the amounts invested: in 2022, Bolsonaro's last year in office, Acre received R$ 89 million in resources for transportation infrastructure. In 2023, under Lula, the amount rose to R$ 274 million, and in 2024 it has already reached R$ 543 million.

Finally, the minister mocked the former first lady: “Michelle, when you're going to make these comments about infrastructure, call Tarcísio. He was a minister here. He knows what he did to Acre — exactly what I showed — he and Bolsonaro. It's not fair to try to make this kind of video trying to deceive people,” Renan concluded.