San Juan, Mar 28 (EFE).- The governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, assured this Tuesday that he will not rest until he achieves statehood or annexation of the island to the United States and equal rights for Puerto Ricans.
“That equality is what all the daughters and sons of this Puerto Rican homeland deserve and I will not rest until we achieve it,” he stressed during his annual message on the situation of the State before the Legislative Assembly.
In this sense, Pierluisi said that “he hopes that the measure that will make possible a consultation endorsed by the (federal) Congress that allows achieving that equality will be presented soon.”
The US Lower House approved a bill on the status of Puerto Rico in mid-December that authorizes the holding of a binding referendum on the island next November to define its political future.
It is pending that the federal Senate endorse the measure, which stipulates that the plebiscite will choose between statehood, independence or sovereignty in free association.
“If there is something that continues to be verified on a daily basis, it is that the fight for equal rights with American citizens goes hand in hand with our economic development, ongoing reconstruction, social justice and a quality of life for our people,” added the president.
Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898 and is considered a Commonwealth, with its own Constitution and a significant degree of autonomy, although the US reserves sections such as defense, currency, immigration and customs, among others.
“Thousands of our brothers have moved to the United States in search of the equality that we should have in our land,” lamented the governor of the Caribbean island.
In budget matters, the governor announced that a central government budget of 12.740 million dollars will be presented tonight before the Fiscal Oversight Board and that the consolidated budget will amount to 31.163 million dollars.
“I am sure that this budget will provide us with the necessary funds to fully attend to the essential services that our people deserve,” said Pierluisi.
