"I kept my promise to offer a better country" Ñanduti

Report Summary : Maps cited works such as bridges, roads, viaducts, social projects, scholarships, a larger budget in medical equipment and hospital infrastructure, with better attention in the IPS, creation of housing and badistance to the Tekoporã system, industries such as Petropar and the industry cement, fight against drug trafficking and extreme poverty, achievements with the Itaipú and Yacyreta dams, international relations with Japan and Taiwan, educational programs such as BECAL and security with the Lince group, but have baderted that they did not achieve the desired result with the self-styled Paraguayan People's Army. "We delivered an austere government," he said, thanking the people of Paraguay for the trust he has shown.

Complete Report:

Honorable Members of the National Congress,

Pursuant to Article 238, 8 Constitution of the Republic, I come to report to the National Congress the measures taken by the Executive Power, and to the general situation of the Republic for the fifth time and in the last year of my mandate.

We are on the right track to recover the historical greatness of our country. During these five years of management, our administration has embarked on a historic integration that has enabled us to gain allies, business partners and investors from around the world. We achieve greater presence and more weight in the international forum through our political, economic and social stability; our predictable behavior; our sustained and autonomous economic development; our ability to produce food for the world; and above all, for showing that we are a reliable country.

We are the country that has the most improved risk rating, having reached a level of investment, and we have entered into agreements of great impact for the benefit of the country and all Paraguayans who now have a more great ability to consume.

In a short time, the leaders of the world have given us their recognition and support through historical visits received. I would like to emphasize the ties we have with China (Taiwan), thanks to the solidarity of its President, Tsai Ing-wen and the brotherhood we feel with Israel and our gratitude for the confidence of its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

the affection and guidance of His Holiness Pope Francis, who blessed our country with his visit and with whom I had the honor of meeting me four times.

During these five years, Paraguay also received official visits from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, Her Imperial Highness of Japan, Princess Mako, First President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Tsai Ing-wen, and Patriarch Kirill, Head of the Russian Orthodox Church . The Chancellor of Morocco also visited us; Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America Roberta Jacobson

We also received several members of the United States House of Representatives, the Secretary General of the United States the Organization of American States, Irina Bokova, Director Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank,

Paraguay was unanimously accepted in Development Center of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and today we are part of the Advisory Committee of the Observatory of the World Intellectual Property Organization, after years of mistrust as a country in respect of property rights.

Honorable National Congressmen,

The ceremony, in addition to being a constitutional requirement, is also the first symbolic step that marks the end the most important task that has been entrusted to me in life, the task of serving as president of all Paraguayans.

It is time to look back and reflect on the path we have traveled, the HERITAGE that our administration leaves to those they will reach us in the public management and especially, the RESULTS that we leave to our compatriots .

At the same time, it is the welcome to this new Congress of the Nation which is inaugurated in the legislative function, God willing, eager to serve, and even the impatience to do the things that Paraguay needs from you.

Always remember that the legislative task must give priority to the creation of the legal framework that guarantees the social and economic development of the country, not the sectoral political agendas. The approval of social utility projects that executive power is pushing should not be a currency of exchange for the promotion of profits.

For those who first occupy a place in Congress, always remember that day and why they brought us here, do not lose their ideals and never forget the true values ​​of service that define the true policy.

The strength of principles is the cornerstone of the inclusive economic and social development that our country needs, because of you. It depends on us gradually breaking the search for the privileges of a few, putting the emphasis on the benefit of the vast majority of Paraguayans.

For example, join me in this comparison. As of August 2003, the State of Paraguay had 150,000 civil servants who were paying $ 500 million a year. 10 years later, in 2013, I had to receive a state with more than 230,000 civil servants who cost the Paraguayan people nearly $ 3 billion. In just 10 years, 80,000 employees were hired and 600% spent 500 million pesos. 2,500 increase. What could have been an investment for Paraguay, was thrown into political patronage. For this reason, institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and many others commit more than 90% of their resources to pay salaries and can not invest enough to serve them. Paraguayans, condemning the country to delay. 19659007] It was not easy to break the vice of excessive hiring of public officials, but we began our administration convinced that we should serve the majority and always put the country first. Always thinking of people, today I give them an austere government, which puts social investment above privileges, we close the management with 242,520 employees, and we manage to reduce the budget that goes to wages from 86% to 69%, allowed to double the amount available for investment.

These achievements are not mine, they are the result of the delivery of the great team that accompanies me. To all those who serve the country, convinced that Paraguay could change and fight for five years with convictions and unshakeable principles, my deep admiration and gratitude.

Thank you for believing and having courageously faced the sacrifice of this fight. 19659007] Together we won the first battles, and we proved that it is possible: that "the common good can win the privileged", but the struggle must continue if we want to win the war. It remains for all senators, MPs and elected President not to give up the territory won and to continue moving in the right direction.

I used as a prime example hiring achievements to demonstrate the consciousness and collective commitment of all but I want to share other iconic examples that I l & # 39; Hopefully, will serve as a basis for not going back and for ALL THE PARAGUAYS THAT WE SPREAD do not lose what has been won in the following administrations.

ITAIPP gave a lesson in transparency and commitment. the people, being a binational entity, were not obliged to comply with the publication of payrolls and expenses, but also because of the duty to do the right thing.

In these five years, ITAIPU has saved more than $ 60 million. rental of cars and aircraft, more than 25 million advertising, 23 million travel expenses, 6 million fuel and in other areas, resulting in total savings If we consider the total savings and the redistribution of ITAIPU and YACYRETA, the amount amounts to more than 160 million dollars

And what does one do with this money?

We built and offered works We did iconic work such as the San Francisco district, a model that transforms the lives of 1,000 Paraguayan families, offering them a decent home, and above all an environment conducive to economic development and social, with all services: school, medical care, civic center, security, green spaces, development bank, financial inclusion and even job opportunities. San Francisco was planned 100%, executed and funded by ITAIPU

But that's not all, with the $ 160 million saved by the two binationals:

In addition to the San Francisco neighborhood, the construction of more than 2,000 homes in different districts of Paraguay,

The cost of creating the Lince Group was funded, investing more than $ 6 million, and more than 230 patrolling zero kilometers for the National Police, [19659033]. executive project and financing for the south coast refining that includes two neighborhoods that will benefit 2,000 families,

200 ambulances were acquired 0 km, and 25 ambulances with intensive care units that did not exist before in the Public Service, [19659007] More than 10 public hospitals in the infrastructure were reconditioned,

Mobile clinics were created for health to reach where it never happened before, and 200 beds were purchased For Clínicas Hospital,

Important infrastructure works were built, such as the coastal road and the avenue of the city of Hernandarias and viaduct CDE,

Agricultural tractors and implements that benefited more than 30,000 families. with the land mechanization program for small producers of family farming. A program of this administration that has been awarded by the UN for the great social impact it has had on this very vulnerable segment of the population, and

More than 7,500 university scholarships have been awarded to young people low-income … to give just a few examples It is painful to think that in the previous period, $ 63 million was spent on renting vehicles, knowing that for much less than that amount, they could have offered solutions like San Francisco to thousands of Paraguayan families with real needs. This Paraguay of selfishness must never come back.

The state in which Paraguay was at the time of baduming the presidency, and to some extent is still, is the product of decades of abandonment, prebendarianism and clientelism. It's the job of everyone to uproot these practices forever.

Being a government is not a spoils of an electoral political contest. Being a government is the responsibility of making difficult decisions and cutting the privileges of the well-off for the benefit of the people.

Know that every time you do the right thing, you will win enemies, but you must choose that path. the most vulnerable, not being complicit in patronage privileges.

I am sure that we have made progress by changing the paradigm, and the team that accompanies it has made significant progress that is causing it.

We remember institutions that, for decades, are centers of corruption, broke the old model and were key players in the transformation of the country. All were mentioned in previous reports, showing that they remained on the difficult path of doing the right thing:

The INC, the national cement industry, historically deficient, ineffective and servile to private interests. With the restructuring of the industry, the cost of production per bag has gone from $ 8.56 to less than $ 4 per bag, less than half to the benefit of the construction industry and all Paraguayans. Today, INC has put an end to speculation and shortages that have caused so much damage to a key development sector, such as construction.

The Ministry of Public Works has managed to reduce the cost of maintaining local roads from 9,130,000 Guaranís to only 1,860,000, saving 80% per kilometer, thanks to this, with the same budget we have increased FIVE times, that is to say we have increased by 500%, the number of kilometers traveled by local roads.

Our National Directorate of Intellectual Property, which has resolutely faced the frontal struggle against piracy and counterfeiting, has ceased to be known as a pirate country and we are now members of the Committee Advisory Board of the Observatory of the World Intellectual Property Organization. image of the country at the international level.

With the transparency and high technology of SIRT, between 2014 and 2017, INDERT has delivered more than 21,000 prizes awarded to small producers, FOUR TIMES MORE than the 5,200 awards granted between 2009 and 2012. With an integral approach the development of their settlements, they faced unprecedented activities: delivered 265 water systems; I coordinate the delivery of nearly 11,000 homes, mechanization of more than 11,000 hectares that have benefited 7,100 families and access to markets through its fairs "From the colony to your table". This is not a minor problem that prior to this administration the INDERT had not recovered a single hectare badly, and during these 5 years managed to recover over 200,000 hectares

The Office of the Attorney General has achievements that speak of a change of mentality in the care of public affairs, put an end to a history of injustice, and Paraguay won the well-known case GRAMONT BERRES. The favorable resolution in Paraguay in the Gramont Berres case allowed for the release of our foreign badets that were previously almost entirely concentrated in the Bank for International Settlements. With this, the management of international reserves BCP can be done more efficiently and with a higher return for the benefit of all Paraguayans. Indeed, interest on the investment of these reserves has more than doubled, from 25 million USD between January and June 2017 to 54 million USD for the same period this year.

In addition to saving more than $ 700 million in the Paraguayan state in the lawsuits won, the commitment to his maxim, "THE COUNTRY DOES NOT SELL, DEFENDS" reflects the success history of having instituted civil liability actions against officials found guilty of causing millionaire patrimonial damages to the Paraguayan State

Similarly, thanks to the meritorious effort of 39; an interinstitutional team, the historic title of the emblematic national heritage has been achieved, such as the Palacio de López, the Pantheon of Heroes, Mburuvicha Roga, the House of Independence, among others and more than 728,000 hectares of parks nationals.

We received PETROPAR, a loss-making company with a wealth of $ 145 million; today, it is self-sufficient and is very competitive in the private market. In just five years, we took a complete turn and saved the entity; we reduced freight costs from $ 66 per cubic meter to $ 40.5, saving $ 80 million; and of the nine petrol stations it owned in 2013, today PETROPAR has 150 service stations with the best quality fuels at the lowest price for the benefit of all citizens. Today, we are delivering a renewed PETROPAR, with $ 70 million in positive equity, 150 $ 250 million of service stations and cash close to $ 200 million. We manufactured high-end diesel at a common price and gas at a fair price for all families in Paraguay.

More and more people are joining this shift in mentality, where we take care of state property as they were ours. We work for the good of the people. This is reflected in several examples:

The former Casino Hotel San Bernardino, an important abandoned public good, today serves the elderly as a model center in the region in terms of quality of life, and services for this sector so forgotten of the people who do not have time to wait.

The housing complex never finished and abandoned in front of the Expo in Mariano Roque Alonso, left its grim appearance to become a prosperous housing project for the middle clbad. ] We started this government with a simple but meaningful ideal: "working to think of people". For the political mentality with which we find ourselves in 2013, it was a new and even revolutionary idea. Today, no one can think of an upcoming government that does not have people as a central idea. People were our priority and the engine that led us to make the transformations that are the hallmark of our government.

This work spirit is clearly reflected in the example of the binational, where we cut the "business" to a privileged group to redirect those expenses to the investment for the people.

With this same spirit, we focused on finding the good of people who were studying the problems that affected their lives to find real solutions

. the most vulnerable sectors of the population, we focus on social investment in them. I share with you some excellent and very encouraging measures:

We promote and practice equal opportunities for women, and we demonstrate it in the same cabinet of our administration. We have implemented the project of women entrepreneurs in family farming, the project Ñemity Tesairá: the producers for your well-being, the training project for the female profession in the textile modal production chain, and the Agricultural Credit Articulation for Empowerment

In February of this year, we inaugurated CENTER CITY WOMAN, an initiative of this government that offers the maximum of integral attention to the women of our country; serves more than 250 women a day and offers a full range of services, including education, health, safety, training and legal advice; with the participation of 13 public institutions

The social programs Tekopora, Tekoha and Tenondera reach more than twice as many families; in 2013, there were just over 95,000 beneficiaries and today more than 195,000 families have benefited from it. In addition, we have reached 100% coverage of the indigenous population reaching all districts of the country.

With the combined efforts of several institutions, we will have delivered more than 30,000 homes by the end of this presidential period, and 7,000 more, this is unbelievable compared to the average of 1,800 homes that were delivered before every year.

The various programs of technification in production have benefited more than 200 000 small producers of family farming: more than 36 000 hectares mechanized against 500 of the administration above, 50% more beneficiaries of credits, and double the average value, 1,500 greenhouses, against 43 in the previous administration and nearly 1,500 artesian wells against 23 of the previous period.

The greatest prize to all these efforts was to have succeeded in reducing poverty and extreme poverty to the lowest level since we recorded democratic history.

we would be proud, satisfied and even happy with these results, but it is NOT like that … people are not satisfied either, because nobody judges a government by management statistics, people judge us by their needs; and the accumulated deficit in more than 30 years of neglect and clientelism is so great that we need years of progressively better and uninterrupted management to be able to solve the population's emergencies. That's why I ask you, beat the meter-gained meter, do not back down, learn from our mistakes to keep improving.

We work with pbadion to bring together Paraguayan families returning from abroad. We have invested 7,347 million Guaranies so that those who return to the country create businesses and generate skilled labor through the Repatriated Secretariat.

We must emphasize the beautiful premises of Repatriados that we will inaugurate in a few weeks.

Thinking about the well-being of people, we focus a lot on transportation, remember, how was transportation five years ago?

million people who daily access Asuncion to work, had junkyards, insecure and uncomfortable, the traffic was slow, lose up to 40 minutes in some bottlenecks, and the pbadage was expensive, especially if we consider the poor quality of service

We managed to renew 40% of the buses that circulate in the metropolitan area, offering more quality, safety and comfort to hundreds of Pbadengers

To seriously and responsibly attack the traffic problem, we leave the plates, we create a comprehensive and sustained plan for the next 20 years: the Transportation Master Plan.

This plan involves several completed work that gives excellent results, other insiders, and others in the planning process; It has two axes:

The first, streamline transit through new fast access routes and crossings to solve bottlenecks. In this axis, we can mention several projects already concluded: the Guasu highway, the superb Aviadores del Chaco viaduct, the Santa Teresa viaduct, the Semidei tunnel, the Guasu avenue tunnel, access to clean with two Laguna Grande crossings, more than 470 kilometers of paved interurban roads in the central department, and the Costanera Norte recently allowed.

And the second axis, to develop a modern multimodal system, incorporating the Cercanía train, and the Metrobus system. These accomplish two key objectives in an efficient transportation system:

Carry larger volumes of pbadengers in major main lines at high speeds, and with efficient costs.

And realize reducing the number of traditional collective units, going through these circuits benefit the general traffic. The Metrobus system that is currently running will replace 800 traditional units by 200 articulated units

And of course, the big changes have cost, we know that there are people who are affected by the works of Metrobús and we apologize for it. little patience. It is our duty to place the common good above the individual good, the construction process creates difficulties, but once the work is finished, the benefit will be enormous for all, and even more for the borders and for those who cross Eusebio Ayala Avenue. to go to Asunción. Remember that this project also includes the construction of a stormwater drainage system, sewers, new water pipes, underground electrical cables, a new avenue and new trails. politics of discomfort and conflict. We choose the right way to pay the political cost

The other central aspect of the infrastructure is to promote the development, facilitate and reduce transportation costs. Considering that agriculture generally accounts for more than 26% of the country's gross domestic product and that the most vulnerable population is concentrated in rural areas, improving the road network to facilitate product access to markets and at collection centers for export is the key. The results in this direction have been very successful, we can speak of emblematic landmarks such as: the lie road which is today the Way of Truth, the long road to Vallemí, the duplication of routes 2 and 7 to Ciudad del Este, road that already reaches Villa Oliva and that will soon take Alberdi from the historic isolation, Highway 8 Caazapá Yuty.

Thanks to our brothers from Japan we start the export corridor that goes from Cedrales, Alto Paraná, to Natalio along the coast of the river with 7 exits to the port terminals on the Paraná, and many of them. 39; others.

To better represent the advances I would like to share some convincing statistics with you. In 2013 we received 5,370 kilometers of paved roads built throughout the history of the country and in just five years we added:

More than 2,700 kilometers of new paved roads completed and underway. execution

More than 1500 kilometers of rehabilitated roads

In total, by adding new and rehabilitated kilometers, we are working on 4,200 kilometers of roads, which represents no less than 80% of the 5,370 kilometers that were built throughout history.

Bridges are also a key factor in our infrastructure of rural communities to access markets and services, we often saw in the information the isolation problems suffered by entire populations when bridges fell . Thinking about these people, we have worked a lot here.

In 2013 we received 2,200 linear meters of bridges and during these 5 years of work we already have more than 8,500 linear meters of new bridges completed and in progress. We build 400% more bridges on rural roads, more than triple what has been done throughout history and received early in this government … this includes reinforced concrete, metal and mixed bridges .

In the last 10 years at this administration, an average of less than $ 174 million a year has been executed, a ridiculous figure because it is totally insufficient to at least stop the deficit from occurring. infrastructure of a growing country like ours. To surpbad these numbers, it took a great job reengineering work, which today allows us an investment in infrastructure with an execution rate of nearly $ 1,000 million a year.

We can not close this chapter without thanking the members of Congress who accompanied this management approving the sources of funding for this work necessary for the country, to them thank you very much.
Honorable Members of the National Congress,

We must also talk about the issue of security, and it is always a difficult question to deal with its complexity and because there are lives between the two. Even so, it's a problem we have to face, and I'd like to start with the most difficult one.

Nous n'avons pas obtenu les résultats escomptés dans la lutte contre les criminels dans le Nord. Bien que nous ayons réussi à éliminer la faction qui s'appelait ACA, nous n'obtenons toujours pas le même effet avec les criminels qui s'appellent eux-mêmes EPP.

Ici aussi, nous prenons des décisions difficiles mais nécessaires. Pour la première fois, une structure et un processus de lutte ont été mis en place, sachant que proposer des confrontations génèrerait des pertes irrémédiables et douloureuses, probablement la décision la plus difficile que nous ayons prise, mais nous savons que c'est la bonne voie. Je vous exhorte à continuer le combat, et que nos erreurs servent à améliorer à l'avenir et à réussir pour le bien du Paraguay. Le Paraguay prévaudra tôt ou tard sur eux. Que le sang de l'armée et de la police qui est tombé pour défendre les Paraguayens du bien n'a pas été vain.

Parallèlement, nous travaillons pour avoir plus de présence et d'investissement de l'Etat dans cette région du pays, Les opportunités de développement économique et social sont la seule chose qui finira par porter ses fruits et qui unira tous les Paraguayens du Nord

Notre pire ennemi est le crime organisé, en particulier le trafic de drogue et les crimes de blanchiment d'argent. En termes de lutte contre le trafic de drogue, nous avons obtenu des résultats historiques, cette administration a infligé les plus grands dommages économiques et logistiques au trafic de drogue. La valeur économique de la saisie de drogues, de précurseurs chimiques et de biens matériels tels que les avions, les véhicules, les espèces, entre autres, s'élève à plus de 870 millions de dollars; dix-sept fois plus élevé que l'ensemble du budget du SENAD sur cinq ans, et presque le double des 570 millions de l'administration précédente. Hemos golpeado donde más duele para que entiendan que el Paraguay ya no será terreno fértil para ellos.

El combate al crimen organizado, en particular los delitos de lavado de dinero, el narcotráfico, y la piratería, deben seguir siendo una prioridad.

Debemos fortalecer todas las instituciones vinculadas con orden, seguridad y justicia, y sobre todo evitar que el dinero de estas mafias tenga injerencia en las políticas públicas.

De la misma forma nuestras ciudades ya no son un lugar por donde los delincuentes pueden operar tranquilos. Con el Grupo Lince hemos inaugurado un nuevo modelo de seguridad ciudadana que está devolviendo la tranquilidad a las familias paraguayas y poniendo tras las rejas a quienes se apropiaban del fruto del trabajo honesto de nuestra gente.

Con capacitación, tecnología, entrenamiento adecuado, pero por sobre todo con una elevada moral y sentido del deber, el Grupo Lince ha demostrado que la Policía Nacional puede mejorar sustancialmente para bien de nuestra población.

El Grupo Lince en tan solo un año y meses, ha logrado controlar y reducir en forma importante y focalizada actividades delictivas específicas y de gran impacto como los moto-asaltantes, y ha devuelto la tranquilidad a las calles en Asunción, Central, Caaguazú, Itapúa, Alto Paraná y próximamente en Guairá. Para finales de este mes, contaremos con casi 250 agentes y es nuestro deseo que sigan expandiendo su cobertura hasta llegar a todos los departamentos del país.

En el área de SALUD, logramos una administración transparente con el solo fin de lograr la atención digna y eficiente para los paraguayos en todos los rincones del país; logramos adquirir el mayor número de medicamentos e hicimos posible construcciones y remodelaciones de múltiples establecimientos de salud para el bienestar de la gente.

Gracias a la optimización de los recursos financieros, logramos incrementar la inversión en insumos y medicamentos para la gente de 159 a 648 billones de guaraníes, esto es 400% más en solo 5 años.

Sumamos 114 camas de terapia intensiva, de 80 máquinas para hemodiálisis que había hoy contamos con 148, triplicamos la inversión en vacunas, a través del Programa Ampliado de Inmunizaciones, para que todos los niños del país puedan contar con las vacunas necesarias para su sano desarrollo. Y ya vemos los resultados de nuestros esfuerzos en esta área, en el 2014 logramos la certificación de país libre de Sarampión y Rubeola y hace unos días la Organización Mundial de la Salud certificó al Paraguay como país libre de Malaria, el primer país de América en recibir esta certificación en 45 años.

En cinco años destinamos el mayor presupuesto en la historia de nuestro país en equipos médicos de alto nivel para que las personas tengan acceso a las mejores tecnologías para la detección y el tratamiento de enfermedades. Invertimos más de 330 mil millones de guaraníes en la compra de equipos como tomógrafos, angiógrafos, ecógrafos, rayos x, prótesis, implantes y plantas de oxígeno medicinal.

Invertimos más de 34 millones de dólares en obras de infraestructura para la salud, que permitieron remozar, ampliar, refuncionalizar y construir nuevas estructuras como el Hospital Materno Infantil San Pablo, el nuevo edificio del Banco de Leche humana, la nueva área de consultorios para el Hospital Distrital de Villa Elisa, los nuevos pabellones de agudos del Hospital Psiquiátrico, las nuevas unidades de terapia en el Hospital Nacional de Itauguá, Coronel Oviedo, el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, las salas de Terapias del Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Salas de Tomografía, la remodelación del Hospital Distrital de Presidente Franco, la habilitación de la Nueva Urgencia del Hospital de Trauma y hace unos días inauguramos el primer Laboratorio de Bioseguridad Nivel 3 en la historia de l país y el único en la región.

Además, para que la salud llegue a los lugares más recónditos del país instalamos el modelo de la Telemedicina con muy buenos resultados y aumentamos la calidad y cantidad de ambulancias ampliando significativamente la cobertura sanitaria a nivel nacional.

Con todas estas inversiones, el año pasado logramos realizar mas de 8.150.000 consultas médicas, comparado con 3.270.000 registradas en 2013.

El Instituto de Previsión Social que encontramos en el 2013 era más que preocupante. Tenía una enorme deuda de más de 700 mil millones de guaraníes, el ausentismo de funcionarios era superior al 40%; el ingreso indiscriminado de funcionarios llegaba a casi 1.000 por año, de las 14 obras emprendidas, 10 estaban paradas y las otras avanzaban lentamente, los recursos del Fondo de Jubilaciones estaban colocados principalmente a corto plazo y se utilizaba casi exclusivamente para financiar créditos de consumo. Todo esto mientras se registraba un crecimiento exponencial de nuevos asegurados.

Nuestra administración renegoció la deuda con las proveedoras y el 100% de los medicamentos están adjudicados y en proceso de entrega. Invertimos más de 900 mil millones de guaraníes en infraestructura, superior a lo que se había hecho en más de una década: Logramos terminar la construcción de los hospitales de Ciudad del Este, de Coronel Oviedo, de Caaguazu; del Centro de Rehabilitación del Adulto Mayor (CREAM), y la duplicación de camas en Terapia Intensiva con un nuevo pabellón.

En las próximas semanas inauguraremos los hospitales de San Pedro del Ycuamandiyú; Ingavi; Benjamín Aceval; e incorporaremos más de 14 servicios dentro del emblemático Hospital Central. Esto se traduce en más de 1.200 camas para los asegurados una vez que estén operativos los establecimientos. Logramos reducir el ausentismo al 10%, y suspendimos el ingreso indiscriminado de funcionarios.

Incorporamos tecnología de punta para fortalecer la gestión financiera y presupuestaria; diversificamos las inversiones en productos financieros de mayor seguridad, garantía y rentabilidad, y capacitamos a los responsables de áreas con curso de prestigio internacional.

Dejamos para la próxima administración un IPS que funciona de manera eficiente y ofrece mejores servicios para todos los asegurados.

La EDUCACIÓN fue una de nuestras prioridades y aunque nos encontramos con un sinfín de falencias, logramos avances significativos. Durante nuestra administración, casi 120mil docentes recibieron capacitaciones, profesionalizaciones y especializaciones para el mejoramiento del aprendizaje de alumnos en todo el país. Revisamos los útiles escolares de la canasta básica y ampliamos la lista en respuesta a los requerimientos educativos; ahora, los kits escolares son distribuidos a TODAS las instituciones de gestión oficial y privada subvencionada, y la compra eficiente de los útiles ha permitido un ahorro de más del 10% adquiriendo más útiles y de mejor calidad que en administraciones pasadas.

Creamos el Registro Único de Estudiantes, un sistema de información que censa, e identifica a cada estudiante, con datos descriptivos digitalizados que facilitan todos los procesos académicos de los alumnos a lo largo de toda su vida estudiantil: desde la postulación a becas, el acceso al boleto estudiantil, la alimentación escolar, traslado entre instituciones, y la optimización en la distribución de recursos educativos entre las diferentes instituciones del país.

Hoy quiero informar a toda la nación una gran noticia que va a revolucionar el futuro de nuestro país. Mediante un convenio que hemos conseguido con la hermana república de China Taiwán, Paraguay contará con una nueva universidad de altísimo nivel; la Universidad Tecnológica Taiwán Paraguay en la que profesores de esa gran nación prepararan a nuestros jóvenes para afrontar los desafíos del futuro. Con esto estamos dando el primer paso para convertir al Paraguay en un país productor de tecnología. Una apuesta impensable hace apenas pocos años.

Esta universidad, cuya ambición es la de ser la mejor a nivel regional, recibirá a los primeros 400 postulantes en el mes de agosto para las carreras de Ingeniería Electromecánica, Ingeniería Industrial Aplicada, Informática con énfasis en Inteligencia Artificial e Ingeniería Civil para megaproyectos. Agradecemos a la hermana república de China Taiwán y a todos los que acompañaron este proyecto, convencidos de que el gran potencial de nuestra juventud pondrá al Paraguay en el mapa mundial de los países productores de tecnología.

Y no podemos dejar de mencionar el Programa Nacional de Becas de Postgrados en el Exterior Carlos Antonio López (BECAL), una iniciativa de este gobierno para formar a la élite de los líderes del futuro. Con un fondo de 73 millones de dólares del Fondo para la Excelencia en la Educación y la Investigación y el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Para agosto de este año, 1.500 paraguayos habrán sido favorecidos, estudiado en casi 30 países en las 50 mejores universidades del mundo, y muchos de ellos ya se graduaron y regresaron a trabajar por nuestro país.

Aún con todos estos logros, reconocemos que falta mucho por hacer en el área de la Educación y debe ser una prioridad en la administración que inicia.

Los desafíos de transformación y la resistencia no solo existen en el sector público, también tuvimos que enfrentar poderosos adversarios en el sector privado.

Reducir las tasas de interés en las tarjetas de crédito nos enfrentó con un sector económicamente fuerte, pero el camino correcto era proteger a la gente, de los intereses irracionales que estaban sepultando el bienestar y el futuro de miles de familias.

Reducir el costo promedio en la construcción rutas asfaltadas en más del 30% significó menos utilidades para las vialeras, un gremio de gran peso e influencia, pero teníamos que a sincerar los costos por el bien del país.

Reducir el precio del gas y de las naftas regulando el margen, nos costó la crítica y oposición de las empresas del sector de combustibles, pero nuestro deber era defender los intereses de la gente porque es lo justo, y así lo hicimos.

Contra grandes presiones políticas, y en contra de nuestros intereses electorales, vetamos la condonación de deudas que hubiese condenado las finanzas de nuestro país.

Debo referirme a un tema que es superlativo para el interés de la Republica, luego de casi 25 años, hemos llegado a un acuerdo con el Gobierno Argentino que pone fin a la deuda de la Entidad Binacional. Numéricamente, hemos reducido de la deuda de U$S 17.088 millones de dólares a U$S 3.775 millones, una baja del 78%, eliminándose los intereses devengados y a devengar.

Dentro de la negociación se logró también: darse por concluida la diferencia diplomática con relación a las Notas Reversales de 1992, se incrementó en un 20% los pagos por cesión de energía, mejoramos la compensación por territorio inundado en U$S 2.430 millones dólares que ingresaran al país en los próximos 20 años. Con el ordenamiento económico-financiero se abre el camino para la maquinización del Brazo Aña Cuá y la modernización y ampliación de la Central, que significará mayor producción de energía, fuentes laborales para los trabajadores y empresas de ambos países.

Permítanme agradecer a las Senadoras y Senadores que acompañaron con su voto de confianza la aprobación de estas Notas Reversales y les aseguro que han hecho una gran contribución a la Patria y Dios nos ilumine para poner primero al Paraguay, siempre.

El efecto de todas las decisiones difíciles, pero correctas que tomamos es este Paraguay que les entregamos, un país que se despegó de la región y creció en forma estable y predecible en los años más duros y oscuros de la región. A pesar de la gran dependencia económica que siempre hemos tenido de nuestros vecinos, logramos un crecimiento independiente, y estable.

Los sectores que se sintieron afectados negativamente por los controles y regulaciones, a mediano plazo, todos fueron beneficiados del crecimiento económico estable y el desarrollo compartido de todos los paraguayos. Es la prueba de que evitando el egoísmo y los vicios podemos prosperar todos juntos.

Espero que ellos y todos hayamos entendido y aprendido que no podemos buscar nuestros beneficios en detrimento de los demás. Que debemos privilegiar el bienestar de todo el Paraguay. Al final, todos terminamos beneficiándonos viviendo en un país mejor.

Este puede ser un punto de inflexión para devolver al Paraguay su histórica grandeza, podemos ser los gestores de la transformación. Hemos avanzado mucho en crear un nuevo modelo de país, Paraguay ofrece al mundo un nuevo ecosistema para la inversión con:

La mejor tasa de crecimiento económico de la región, estable, con buena proyección e independencia de los vecinos,

Un bono demográfico envidiable, y reconocido por su capacidad de trabajo,

Un marco jurídico fortalecido con nuevos instrumentos como la ley de transparencia, la ley de responsabilidad fiscal, la ley de seguridad a las inversiones internacionales,

El paquete impositivo más competitivo y atractivo de todas las américas,

Una infraestructura logística muy mejorada, habiendo invertido en los últimos 5 años más que la suma de los 10 anteriores, y con proyecciones de ser un hub latinoamericano una vez desarrollados plenamente los proyectos de hidrovía, el corredor bioceánico, y el corredor de la exportación,

Una reducción de 40% de la pobreza extrema y reducción del 16% de pobreza total e n el país del 2012 al 2017, el nivel de pobreza más bajo de la historia democrática,

Con más equidad al ampliar la base impositiva y reducir la evasión lo cual nos permitió incrementar en 58% los ingresos tributarios,

Como parte de las acciones implementadas durante este periodo de gobierno, también se actualizó el sistema de medición y cálculo del PIB, utilizando para ello las mejores prácticas internacionales. Esta fue una tarea de años, con mucho esfuerzo técnico nacional e internacional. Recientemente el BCP ha publicado las nuevas cuentas nacionales donde se estima que el PIB del Paraguay es aproximadamente 30% superior a lo que se calculaba anteriormente, llegando a 40.062 millones de dólares a finales del 2017. Estos nuevos números sobre el tamaño de nuestra economía ratifican la fortaleza macroeconómica de la misma. De hecho, con ellos Paraguay se convierte por lejos en el país de mayor solidez fiscal en la región. Ahora nuestra deuda es solo un 17% del PIB y nuestro déficit se sitúa muy por debajo del límite establecido en la ley de responsabilidad fiscal.

Con tres mejoras en la calificación de riesgo en 5 años, estamos a un paso del grado de inversión, lo cual nos permitió una drástica reducción del costo de financiamiento para potenciar la inversión en obras

Ofreciendo al mundo la mejor tasa de retorno a la inversión extranjera directa según reporto la CEPAL

Gracias a todos estos factores que ofrece este nuevo ecosistema, logramos que la marca Paraguay sea reconocida como tierra fértil para todo tipo de emprendimientos. Cada vez recibimos más inversión extranjera, y nos integramos al mundo: en 2017 recibimos el DAKAR en Paraguay, organizamos la Asamblea del BID el año pasado, fuimos seleccionados como sede para los JUEGOS ODESUR 2022, y estamos compitiendo para ser sede compartida con Argentina y Uruguay para el Mundial de Futbol 2030.

Honorables miembros del Congreso Nacional,

Sigamos luchando para beneficio de todos los paraguayos, aunque a primera vista sientan que su labor no la están reconociendo, los verdaderos resultados saldrán a la luz, y el legado de su labor perdurará en la historia de nuestra nación y será reconocido en el futuro.

Preservemos nuestros ideales. Lo único que da prestigio y genera confianza son las cosas bien hechas con honestidad de propósitos.

Mas allá de los aciertos y los errores…, y si, hemos cometido errores porque somos seres humanos, PERO… hemos tomado siempre, y sin dudar el DIFICIL CAMINO de las decisiones correctas.

Hemos puesto a la gente por encima de los privilegios. Caminamos con la cabeza erguida y la satisfacción del deber cumplido dentro de nuestras habilidades y limitaciones.

Lo mucho y poco que logramos hacer en estos cinco años de gobierno, es testimonio de que el cambio es posible.

Exhorto a que continuemos desafiando paradigmas, y como vengo reiterando, me comprometo a continuar apoyando a todos los hombres y mujeres que deseen el bien del Paraguay desde donde me toque estar, con toda mi determinación y hasta el límite de mis posibilidades.

Permítanme mencionar una frase que mencioné en la rendición de cuentas del año pasado, una enseñanza de Su Santidad el Papa Francisco: “NUNCA OLVIDEMOS QUE EL VERDADERO PODER ES EL SERVICIO”.

Y quiero finalizar agradeciendo a los presentes y al todo el pueblo paraguayo por la confianza depositada en mi persona. Ha sido un gran honor servirles como presidente, estoy terminando mi gestión satisfecho de haber dado lo mejor de mí y de haber cumplido con mi promesa de entregarles un país en mucho mejores condiciones que el que recibí hace cinco años.

Gracias a todos los paraguayos por permitirme ser Presidente.
Que Dios bendiga a nuestro querido Paraguay.