Temer makes his debut in the Northeast and manages to escape the boos.
On his first trip to the Northeast after seven months in office, marked by cancellations due to fears of booing, Michel Temer said today that the region is a priority for his government; "The Northeast is a priority for our government. We have allocated more than R$ 200 million for water infrastructure projects during our time, and we will allocate more, because investing in water is guaranteeing rights," he said in Surubim, Pernambuco; he spent only 15 minutes at Caruaru airport to change aircraft and managed to avoid a protest that was planned for the location; protesters arrived late.
Pernambuco 247 - On his first visit to the Northeast, seven months after taking office as head of the Federal Executive, Michel Temer stated that the region is a priority for the government. "The Northeast is a priority for our government. We have allocated more than R$ 200 million for water infrastructure projects during our time, and we will allocate more, because investing in water is guaranteeing rights," he said during his visit to Surubim, in the Agreste region of Pernambuco.
In Caruaru, Temer narrowly escaped a protest against him by making a stopover of only 15 minutes. He disembarked from a helicopter to get into a car that would take him to Surubim. A group of about 20 protesters arrived at the airport a few minutes after Temer left. Temer's trips to the Northeast have been canceled several times for fear of being booed by the president.
"We have allocated [funds] to all water-related projects in the Northeast region," Temer stated. Alongside Governor Paulo Câmara (PSB), he noted that the government is releasing R$ 12 million for works on the Jucazinho Dam in the Agreste region, which is collapsing due to drought, out of a total of R$ 53 million, "to prepare for the future."
The reservoir, which is cracked in several places, has had a series of repair works recommended by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office about two months ago, under the risk of collapse if the services are not carried out. Temer also said that he will continue the works on the transposition of the São Francisco River. "I have had numerous meetings to achieve the central objectives of the government, which is precisely to complete the transposition works. If we manage to deliver the works in the next two years, it will already be worth a government," he stated.
Temer also highlighted in his speech that he has invested in combating poverty and cited the 12,5% increase in the Bolsa Família program as an example of such actions. He stated that his government will not cut social programs and emphasized the launch of the Cartão Reforma (Reform Card) and the land regularization plan.
Temer also defended the economic and fiscal adjustment measures, such as the Proposed Constitutional Amendment that limits public spending for the next 20 years and the pension reform. "These measures are unpopular today so they can be popular tomorrow. That's the great truth. Someone had to have the courage to face the problem that Brazil is going through," he stated.