At a press conference held Tuesday, representatives of the National Union of Retirees and other associations of retirees from the Social Security Institute (IPS) made a direct appeal to President Santiago Peña: to replace advisor José Jara Rojas, a holdover from the previous administration, and give effective support to the current head of the pension agency, Isaías Fretes.
“With all due respect, we ask and demand the replacement of advisor José Jara Rojas. If the president truly wants to give a concrete sign of support for Dr. Fretes’s work, he needs to give a sign of backing by giving him a team that will work with him,” said Pedro Halley, one of the movement’s spokesmen.
Halley added that the new IPS head cannot “sleep with the enemy every day,” referring to the advisors who remain from the previous administration. According to him, retirees agree that Jara Rojas does not represent them and has never served them.
“Mr. President Peña has the political and moral obligation as a citizen and future retiree to replace this man and support Dr. Fretes,” Halley stressed.
Another spokesman, Elvio Brun, also joined the request: “If the advisors do not have the dignity and stature to resign, knowing that we do not want them, then Peña must take care of it.”
On the occasion, the protesters reiterated their support for the current IPS president, highlighting his ability and integrity to lead the agency. “But he needs a team to be able to work,” the associations’ spokesman recalled.
The retirees also called for a change in the system for electing advisors, without detailing specific proposals.