Asunción Mayor Luis Bello summoned representatives of the volunteer fire departments serving the capital on Tuesday to discuss the accumulated debt of more than G$ 10 billion, stemming from the transfer of construction-tax revenue. During the meeting at the Municipal Palace, Bello ordered the immediate creation of a technical panel to regularize outstanding documentation from previous administrations and to sign a new agreement ensuring transparency in financial reporting.
The meeting was attended by Lorena Canan and Marco Almada, from the Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios del Paraguay (CBVP), and Ariel Ferreira and Marcos Torres, from the Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios de Asunción (CBVA). Under the municipal ordinance in force since 2012, 3.5% of the construction tax must be allocated to the firefighters, but the transfers were halted in 2020, Canan said.
The debt directly affects the volunteers' response capacity, as they need to cover vehicle maintenance, equipment purchases, and fuel. Several capital fire stations have declared a state of alert in the face of the looming operational crisis. The firefighters expect the city to present a realistic payment schedule to ensure continuity of services.