The Mayan communities of Playa del Carmen, Punta Laguna, and Hidalgo y Cortés will soon receive a visit from the City Council to hold informational meetings and learn what social works or services they require. The federal and municipal governments will provide resources from the Social Infrastructure Contribution Fund (FAIS) and the Municipal Social Infrastructure Contribution Fund (FAISMUN), respectively, reported César Uuh Chi, head of the Indigenous Affairs Unit.
He recalled that Mayor Estefanía Mercado approved the FAISMUN—a Social Infrastructure Contribution Fund—to be allocated to the residents of the two towns, as part of the recognition given by the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) to Punta Laguna and Hidalgo y Cortés by including them in the INPI Catalog.
Exact dates for the informational meetings have not yet been set. Currently, the Directorate of Indigenous Affairs is engaging with other government agencies in working groups to learn about the needs of both communities.
The Mayan communities of Punta Laguna and Campamento Hidalgo—also known as the communities of Hidalgo and Cortés—remain embroiled in a border dispute between the municipality of Playa del Carmen and the state of Yucatán, as the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) has not yet determined which state they belong to.
However, the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) indicated, through its mapping, that both communities are located within the municipality of Playa del Carmen.
César Uuh Chi mentioned that the informational assemblies have been requested by the residents of Punta Laguna and Campamento Hidalgo themselves, who need to know the legal status of their land and to which state they belong.
The official reported that the residents are demanding basic services that they currently lack, as they are in a legal limbo while the SCJN resolves their territorial situation.
He noted that Punta Laguna has 197 inhabitants and Campamento Hidalgo, 186. Both communities require priority attention from the government. Regarding the birth rate, Punta Laguna has six registered babies and two pregnant women, while Campamento Hidalgo has one pregnant woman.
Both communities only have schools run by the National Council for Educational Development (CONAFE) and lack basic public services.
César Uuh Chi commented that there is an ejido commissioner in the area, known as Ejido Valladolid, although he clarified that the municipal government has two indigenous Maya representatives appointed by the communities themselves.
The director specified that the exact amount of resources to be allocated to the inhabitants of these Maya communities is still unknown, and that confirmation is awaited from both the federal and municipal governments. He did confirm, however, that the funding will represent 10 percent of each fund.
He reported that the FAIS and FAISMU programs are national agreements that distribute funds to all indigenous communities in the country.
César Uuh Chi commented that a process still needs to be completed among the authorities for the funds to be approved by the members of the Municipal Development Planning Committee (Coplademun) and the City Council.
He explained that the inhabitants of the indigenous communities will decide how the FAISMU funds are used for projects or social programs they require, exercising their right to self-determination.
The director mentioned that the federal government will create a Citizen Oversight Committee to properly manage the resources. Therefore, the support is provided annually: those who demonstrate good performance will be considered for the following cycle, and those who do not will have to provide proof of their performance.
He affirmed that the mayor is interested in having Playa del Carmen recognize its two original Mayan indigenous communities and have that recognition endorsed by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN).
César Uuh Chi commented that the other multicultural communities surrounding Playa del Carmen cannot be overlooked either. He asserted that the law recognizes them and that they work with them continuously.
“As the City Council, it is our responsibility to provide them with accurate information about the communities’ identity, through the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), an informational assembly organized by the municipal government, and through various requests from community leaders who, to this day, request medical consultations, free legal advice, and assistance from various government agencies,” he said.
He stated that no other administration had provided such support to these communities. Following the constitutional reform to Article 2, which establishes that indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination, it will be essential to ask the residents of both communities which state they wish to belong to.
Source: newsdaycaribe
