Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena’s recent claims about the success of the “Pothole Repair for Wellbeing” program have come under scrutiny. The governor asserted that in less than a month, 33,900 linear meters of potholes were patched across 100 streets in three neighborhoods, surpassing the efforts of the City Council. However, this claim has been met with skepticism, as each street in Mérida averages only 100 linear meters.
Two officials from the PRI, Alaine López Briceño and Ángel Pérez Medrano, provided the governor with these inflated figures. Díaz Mena, a former PAN member now with Morena, aimed to highlight the progress of the pothole repairs but ended up facing accusations of dishonesty. Critics argue that only Morena loyalists would believe such numbers.
During an event, Díaz Mena claimed that the program had outperformed the City Council led by PAN member Cecilia Patrón Laviada, which had repaired 14,941 linear meters (14.9 kilometers) across 318 locations. In contrast, Díaz Mena stated that 33,900 linear meters (33.9 kilometers) were repaired in three neighborhoods: Castilla Cámara, Dolores Otero, and Melitón Salazar, covering 100 streets—a distance equivalent to the journey from Mérida’s center to the port of Progreso.
The governor’s figures suggest that each of the 100 streets required 3,390 linear meters of repairs, an impossible feat given the average street length. To achieve the claimed 33,900 meters, work would have had to be done on 339 streets, patching every centimeter. This would only cover 29% of the surface area Díaz Mena claimed to have repaired.
The governor may have been misled by his officials, but the lack of scrutiny from his advisors raises questions. Some speculate that the inflated numbers were intentional to justify higher expenses, as larger surface areas would require more funding.
The company responsible for the extensive repairs was not disclosed, but it was reported that state resources funded the project, and the contract was awarded directly. Sources from Sol Yucatán indicated that the work was carried out by companies owned by Mario Millet Encalada, a key campaign sponsor and favored contractor of the Morena administration.
This incident mirrors the previous situation at the Xmatkuil fair, where 70 million pesos in contracts were awarded to Millet Encalada’s companies, amid allegations of excessive costs.
Source: El Sol de Yucatan