The Paraguayan Volunteer Fire Department (CBVP) is on the verge of an operational crisis in Asunción due to a debt of over G. 10 billion accumulated by the Municipality. The amount, which should have been transferred since 2020, comes from 3.5% of the municipal construction tax paid by citizens but never passed on to the fire stations.
Lorena Canan, president of the CBVP, stated that the ordinance has been in effect since 2012, but transfers stopped five years ago. Without the funds, firefighters cannot maintain vehicles, purchase new equipment, or fuel emergency vehicles.
Under pressure, Mayor Luis Bello called a meeting for this afternoon. However, volunteers demand a concrete payment schedule to ensure street operations. A service stoppage is a real possibility, according to the entity.
On another front, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill on Tuesday requiring the judicial deposit of original credit instruments, such as promissory notes and checks, during executive proceedings. The measure aims to increase control and transparency in judicial collections.
Deputy Héctor Figueredo, president of the Industry, Commerce, Tourism and Cooperativism Commission, explained that the goal is to ensure the instrument is identified as the subject of a judicial claim. The debtor may recover the document after paying the debt.
Deputy Jorge Ávalos Mariño, from the Legislation and Codification Commission, highlighted that the norm also updates the use of digital tools, such as electronic notifications and digital executive instruments. The text now proceeds to promulgation by the Executive Branch.
In Amambay, two 9-year-old siblings were admitted to the hospital in Pedro Juan Caballero in serious condition due to intoxication. The family accuses the father, who is said to be in severe depression, of administering cocaine to the boy and a potent anxiolytic to the girl. The man was detained after leaving the unconscious children in a rural area.
Finally, the Chamber of Deputies gave half approval to a bill declaring an emergency in the department of Alto Paraguay due to floods caused by heavy rains.