Page 18
December 2005
The AC Phoenix
‘VKNEZl EL \ VI ATTEKS’
By: Lorenzo Martin
Chicago Standard Newspapers
CHICAGO (NNPA)—Venezuela officials recently met to
announce help with energy resources and to forge a new
relationship with the Latino and other impoverished communi
ties in the city.
The meeting, themed “Venezuela Matters,” was held at the
River East Art Center on east Illinois Street, where breakfast
and an impressive multimedia exposition of Venezuelan
Culture, Social Development, Baseball, Oil, Tourism, Trade
and Investment was displayed in living color and sounds.
Because of the devastation created by Hurricane Katrina,
the Venezuelan Government, under the leadership of its
Ambassador to the United States, Bernard Alvarez, and
CITGO CEO Felix Rodriguez, went into action by providing
relief and help as a good corporate partner.
“We choose Chicago because of its strong Hispanic and
Latino communities that needed help,” Mr. Rodriquez said.
Chicago Consul General Martin Sanchez said CITGO will
also provide eye care and other health-related needs by flying
individuals to Venezuela for needed operations and returning
them to Chicago, all free of charge.
He also stressed working with organizations and developing
initiatives for improving community organizations and
neighborhoods. “We are working out a way to provide cheap
gas to bus companies who are serving our neighborhoods and
other nonprofit organizations.” “We are trying to help the poor
in Venezuela and the U.S.,” Mr. Sanchez added.
The Consulate General talked about a CITGO refinery
located 30 miles south of Chicago, which is owned by the
Venezuelan National Oil Company, “Petroleos de Venezuela
(PDVSA).” CITGO is one of the largest refiners of gasoline in
the U.S. and is the fourth leading exporter of oil to the U.S.
Venezuela is one of the most important suppliers of crude
oil and gasoline for American consumers and industry,
accounting for about 15 percent of its petroleum imports.
As CEO of CITGO, Mr. Rodriguez said, “The best way to
help is through our markets and providing business and
opportunities through our 2,000-plus stations throughout the
U.S. It is what Standard News Director David Johnson called
being a corporate partner.”
Going back to the theme of the program, “Venezuela
Matters,’ Mr. Alvarez said, “This is no propaganda or a media
happening. This is for real and we are here to make a
difference in our poorer communities.”
The ambassador stressed the need to expand opportunity
for aii, and pointed out that in Venezueia, 1.2 million illiterate
adults have been taught to read and write because secondary
education has been made available to 250,000 children whose
social status excluded them from this privilege in the past.
This has all been made possible by increasing oil revenue
spending on social programs from $40 million to $1.7 billion,
he further noted, where millions of Venezuelans have access,
not only to education, but also to essentials such as food,
housing and health care.
In fact, 12.5 percent of the GDP has been destined for the
financing of social programs. Three distinct funds have been
created to finance infrastructure, agriculture and the various
social missions (education, health, micro-financing, etc.).
These programs are not seen as handouts, but alienable rights
of all citizens, while PDVSA still makes oil profits, he added.
The conference also concentrated on addressing poverty
and health care in Venezuela, civil rights and the
Afro-Venezuela-U.S. strategic relations and investment oppor
tunities.
One of the hidden gems of Venezuela is a proud heritage of
its African, Spanish, Indian and Mestizos-attested to by
President Hugo Chavez, Felix Rodriguez and Chicago Consul
General Martin Sanchez
Mr. Sanchez admitted that it wasn’t always that way, but
after a delegation of African Americans met in Venezuela,
subsequent dialogue was able to begin the process of
improving the conditions of the Afro-Venezuelans are nearly
30 percent of the population.
KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS
As the Yuletide t)eils resound, joy cuicJ Icrughter dll around.
Filling every liecirt and liome witii merriment and ctieer.
Wticrt t>etter time for lo scty, "THanks to you in every way.
May tills Cliristmas tioUdav t>e tlie start of a grecrt year."
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