Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori traveled to the Junin region to oversee relief efforts for families affected by a recent earthquake, ordering the immediate transfer of 500 temporary housing modules to the area.
Speaking from Pumpunya, described as the zone hardest hit by the tremor, Fujimori expressed solidarity with families who lost relatives in the disaster, saying five people had been lost in the community. She said the government would support reconstruction efforts and would not leave survivors without help.
Fujimori also inspected a national civil defense agency warehouse in Chongos Bajo, Junin, to monitor the distribution of aid to affected families. She said she intended to visit all six shelters set up by the agency across the affected districts.
Private Sector Called In for Reconstruction
The president said she would call on the private sector to help drive reconstruction, framing the effort as a shared national responsibility. She said the trip to Junin was a deliberate choice for her first journey as constitutional president.
The Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Sunday, August 2, for a second session. The meeting’s agenda includes a request to Congress for legislative powers covering measures related to the El Nino weather phenomenon and public security, according to Transport and Communications Minister Rafael Rey.
Social and Economic Announcements
Fujimori announced that beneficiaries of the Pension 65 program, which supports elderly people in extreme poverty, will receive a bimonthly subsidy of 700 soles, double the current amount. The government said the increase would be applied gradually and no start date has been set.
Labor Minister Juan Sheput defended the government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to 1,300 soles, describing it as one of several complementary measures being developed in coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Sheput also said public holidays would neither increase nor decrease.
Other Presidential Activities
Fujimori said she would meet with Foreign Minister Carlos Espa to define the government’s position on a safe-conduct pass requested by former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who is sheltering in the Mexican Embassy in Lima. The president said no final decision had been made on the matter.
On the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling that annulled criminal proceedings against former president Ollanta Humala, Fujimori said that while she may disagree with the decision, it must be respected because Peru is a rule-of-law state. She said the ruling also pointed to shortcomings in the work of the public prosecutor’s office.
Fujimori defended the appointment of Luis Dyer as health minister despite criticism that he has no background in the health sector, saying the priority was to find a strong manager capable of eliminating waiting lines and coordinating with doctors.
The president also visited a non-commissioned officer, Jose Rogelio Parinango Huaman, who was injured in a counterterrorism operation in the Vraem region. She was accompanied by Defense Minister Rafael Belaunde and expressed recognition for members of the armed forces.
On labor rights, Fujimori said no workers’ rights would be cut, repeating a pledge she had made in her address to the nation.
Earlier in the week, Fujimori participated in a thanksgiving ceremony organized by evangelical Christian churches as part of official Fiestas Patrias activities, then attended the Grand Parade and Civic Military Procession marking Peru’s 205th anniversary of independence. On Wednesday she led her first Cabinet session and was formally recognized as supreme commander of the armed forces and national police.
