Peru's President Keiko Fujimori traveled to the northern region of Piura on Monday to oversee flood prevention work ahead of the El Niño weather phenomenon, announcing a 140 million soles investment to fund desilting projects in the Chira valley, which covers the cities of Sullana and Piura.
Fujimori said the work was expected to be finished within four months. She said the government's priority was protecting people's lives while minimizing the impact on agriculture, a mainstay of the region's economy.
Speaking in Piura in remarks carried by the state news agency Andina, Fujimori said the government had to prioritize saving lives and caring for the elderly and children first, and only then protect agriculture from damage, adding that the government intended to move faster on the issue.
El Niño is a recurring climate pattern that periodically brings heavy rainfall and flooding to Peru's northern coast, and Piura has been among the regions hit hardest by it in the past.
Criticism of Piura Flood Preparations
Fujimori said Piura had been the hardest-hit region, which was why her government chose to begin its inspections there. She said officials had identified 60 critical points requiring simultaneous work.
She criticized the outgoing administration, saying it had done nothing to prepare the region for the rains. Because no action had been taken months earlier, she said, the government could no longer speak of prevention, only of preparation.
During her visit, Fujimori also inspected the 26 de Octubre police station in Piura, according to footage broadcast by Canal N.
Armed Forces to Patrol Streets and Transport
Fujimori said that, as part of measures against crime and to restore public order, the armed forces would soon join police in patrolling the streets and the public transport system. She said the cabinet had already approved the armed forces working alongside the National Penitentiary Institute, known as INPE, on prison security, and that in the coming days they would also be deployed on the streets and in transport. She made the announcement during a live broadcast on TikTok.
The security message came as the government confirmed the expulsion of three members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization. Interior Minister César Astudillo said the expulsion of criminals who had completed their sentences and had outstanding arrest warrants in their home countries would continue, adding that several were ready to be deported.
Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Espá said the expulsion of high-risk criminals from Peru would continue as the start of a firm-handed policy against foreign nationals who come to the country to terrorize Peruvians. He made the comments at Air Group No. 8 during a ceremony welcoming Peruvians repatriated from Venezuela, according to Andina.
Legislative Powers and a New Deputy Minister
Fujimori said she expected her government to present a bill, likely next week, asking Congress for special powers to legislate on security and the economy. She said the request had been delayed by the naming of deputy ministers and by bureaucratic obstacles she expected to be resolved within hours or days.
Separately, the government named Juan Teodoro Falconi Gálvez as the new deputy minister of justice, a post he previously held in late 2017 under then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.
Toledo Asks for Pardon to Be Sped Up
Fujimori said her government would evaluate a request for a presidential pardon from former President Alejandro Toledo, who governed Peru from 2001 to 2006, weighing technical and medical factors as well as humanitarian considerations. She said the members of the Commission for Pardons and Presidential Graces still needed to be established.
Toledo recalled that he had sent Fujimori a message when her father died, and asked her to speed up his pardon request, saying he suffers from several illnesses and does not want to die in prison. His request follows the recent death of Eva Fernenburg, the mother of his wife, Eliane Karp.
Repatriated Peruvians and Fujimori's Residence
Fujimori also received a group of Peruvians repatriated from Venezuela on Monday morning, following earthquakes that struck the Caribbean country on June 24. According to Andina, ten Peruvians were repatriated at their own request after facing a difficult situation in the aftermath of the two earthquakes.
Fujimori confirmed on Sunday, in an interview with the television program Cuarto Poder, that she will not live in the Government Palace and will continue living at her own house. She said the decision was a family one, made together with her daughters, Kaori and Kyara Villanella. She said that for now they had decided to stay at home, though she goes to the Palace almost every day to work.
