March 11th, DOGS poisoned
all over Vilcabamba and surroundings
People report having their
dogs poisoned today, this is lasting since years in Vilcabamba...Who does
it? Who orders it?....THIS HAS TO STOP!
March 8th, Attack of 2
Canadian tourists while visiting Mandango in Vilcabamba, FACTS AND
WARNING OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT!
On Thursday, 8 March, on Mandango mountain, two Canadian
tourists, one male and one female, suffered a brutal attack by three
individuals who were heavily armed with a machete and a gun.
Upon hearing of this, we rushed up the Mandango: the local
government, the teniente político, the prosecutor’s representative, the
National Police, and some fellow townspeople with the intention of helping
in the rescue. We arrived on time and were able to save the tourists from
the aggressors, although the young woman was taken to Loja as she had
suffered blows and was wounded—she is doing well at this time.
Our intention is to reach all citizens, residents and
tourists of Vilcabamba with some precautionary measures to be taken prior
to climbing Mandango or going to other tourist attractions:
Visit Mandango only when accompanied by a Native Guide.
Do not carry money, documents, etc.
Always inform the authorities of the places you will be
visiting.
Register with the Vilcabamba Tourist Information Center.
As the authorities of this Parroquia, we ask you for your
help to avoid these mishaps.
In the same manner we ask for your trust since we are doing
whatever is humanly possible to locate these thugs and imprison them,
thereby guaranteeing the security of the community and tourists alike.
The hotel that does not warn its guests of these provisions
shall be held directly responsible for whatever might happen in regards to
the integrity and security of its guests.
Caring for the community, its residents and tourists.
Adalber Gaona Gahona
President of the local govt. (Vilcabamba is a parish of the
Loja canton).
March 4th and 5th 2012
VILCABAMBATV working for Filming of German TV ("Galileo" show)
- February 2012 -
TAME Flights Announces $69
Roundtrip
The company Ecuadorian Military Air Transport (TAME) announced that all
its destinations, both domestic and international, will be worth $ 69
roundtrip.
Jorge Paez, head of marketing, TAME, explained that the offer applies
for the 50 years of the company.
Hence, Paez assure you that this is not related to the criticisms made
by the president, Rafael Correa, to raise the cost of the tickets.
During the string of Saturday, 21 January, Correa threatened to take
away the three aircraft delivered by the Government for keeping the rise
in prices of the tickets.
Paez stated that "the promotion price includes taxes, but you have to
pay fuel surcharge and airport charges at international departures."
"The promotion is valid for 10,000 seats available or until March 31,"
he said.
The measure applies to all routes, ie nationwide: Galapagos, Cuenca,
Loja, Manta, Santa Rosa, Esmeraldas, El Coca, Lago Agrio, Guayaquil and
Quito, while international destinations are: Cali, Panama and Havana.
- October & November 2011 -
Cuenca, November 18th
2011 - In the morning, walking in the downtown of Cuenca , people looking at the sky...Orbs
or UFOS were floating in the sky, about 7 of them...
Quito, 12 de
noviembre de 2011, REGISTRO CIVIL / About the new Cedula...
"Ante inquietudes de los
usuarios, en varias Agencias Provinciales de Registro Civil, relativas a
que la cédula convencional (de fondo blanco y cubierta con mica) dejaría
de tener vigencia en el 2012, la Dirección General de Registro Civil
quiere desmentir categóricamente dicho rumor por ser absolutamente falso.
La validez del documento de identidad al que nos referimos, está
registrada en la misma cédula y el propio usuario la conoce y puede
consultar.
Únicamente perderá valor y deberá renovarse si el documento está
deteriorado, caducado, con información desactualizada o se manifiesta en
la cédula que es válida "hasta la muerte del titular".
El rumor también manifiesta que en caso de no renovarse el documento, por
el actual que contiene un chip, el ciudadano se haría a creedor a una
fuerte multa. Otra información equivocada, por las razones ya señaladas.
El rumor que hoy queda desmentido, había ocasionado una innecesaria
congestión en las agencias y que los ciudadanos madruguen innecesariamente."
Translation:
"Givenconcerns of users, several
ProvincialCivil RegistryAgency, ontheconventionalcard(white
backgroundcovered withmica)cease to haveeffect in2012, theCivilRegistrationDepartmentwants tocategorically denythe rumorto beabsolutely false. The validityof the identityto which we refer, is registered in
the samecard andthe userknows andcan see. Onlylose valueand must be renewedif the
documentis damaged,
expiredoroutdatedinformationappearson the cardthat is good "until
the death of owner." Therumoralso states thatifthe documentis not renewedby the currentcontaining a
chip, the citizen would be subject toa heavy fine.Anotherwrong information,
for the reasons already stated. Therumortodayis belied,
had causedan unnecessarycongestionin the agencies andcitizens toget up earlyunnecessarily."
1/ Certificado de
permanencia legal o registro de extranjeros expedida por la Dirección de
Extranjería del Ministerio de Gobierno.
2/ Passport with Visa
3/ Censo Actualizado
4/ Cédula anterior
(5/) In case of lost or
robbed cedula, you must present the police report of loss.
News flash:
Oct 31, 2011 "permiso
de movilizacion"
Starting
on Monday (Oct 31, 2011)
if you are moving your household belongings from one house to another in
Ecuador using your
or a hired truck you will need a permit from the Policia Nacional to do
so. It is called a "permiso de movilizacion"
This means more paperwork,
(having to go personally to the Police, standing in line, getting
photocopies of cedula, truck registration and possibly pay a fee) and
you get a piece of paper authorizing you to pile your stuff into the
truck and take it somewhere else. If you don't have the permit the truck
will be retained for investigations and then ... (?)
The logic for this is to
prevent the high rate of household goods burglaries, where they break
and enter your house and move all your stuff out to a truck in minutes.
This on its face seems logical, but again, it is an intrusion on
personal freedoms, in order to combat crime. Plus I wonder if the street
cops could identify a fake photoshopped document. I mean the thieves can
be clever.
- September 2011 -
September 22nd 2011
Nathalie Duffau and
VilcabambaTV.com receive award, 1rst Prize of Touristic Journalism in
FITE 2011
September 9th 2011
Anonymous letter about foreign investors in Vilcabamba...
"The youth organization of
the 18 districts of the parish of Free Vilca called Vilcabamba, whose
names are anonymous, today, presented by the resounding rejection flyers
to the excessive entry of foreign investors.
The message was disseminated through volatile sheets spread over the early
morning hours by different households in the central part of the parish of
Vilcabamba.
According to the group, the protest group was formed in several meetings
of local youth belonging to the neighborhoods of the parish who have been
analyzing the social problems facing the site.
"By means of retaliation can not give our names, we are a young group
whose members belong to 18 districts of the parish and our desire is to
stop some of this abuse that exists in our land, and that the authorities
take a hand in the issue thanks for your cooperation" were the statements
by email.
The passive protest aims to know and claim an undue rise in the land and
lead to sustainable development reconciled to the descendants of the
inhabitants of the valley of longevity."
July 29th 2011
Passing away of Brian O'Leary...Our condolences go to his wife, children
and friends.
April 20th 2011
Passing away of Jose Poma (the Shoe Shine Boy we sponsored for a year
and a half). The cause of his death is malign tumor in the nose due to
sniffing glue...This death has broken our hearts...We wish him a nice
return to the Creator. To see Jose's story go to "Friends of".
- April 2011 -
April 9th 2011
VilcabambaTV.com mentioned as
one of the window for Medical Tourism in Cuenca promoting top doctors
through video interviews (see those in section "Cuenca Videos")
March 16th 2011
Closure of airport of Catamayo
in July 2011 for ONE year (see April 8th revision of dates)
A short notice to anyone planning on coming to Vilcabamba after July 2011
– the link below is in Spanish for those who can read it.
The nearest airport to Vilcabamba (Catamayo) will be closed from about
July 2011 for one year or so, as a result of the runway needing a
substantial upgrade.
This will make it more difficult or time-consuming to reach Vilcabamba, as
you will need to travel overland from the next nearest airport, which is
Cuenca. This overland trip is usually about 4 hours or so to Loja, which
itself is then an hour by bus to Vilcabamba.
A
massive magnitude 8.9
earthquake rocked the Japan coast
on Friday,triggering
tsunami warnings for twenty countries, including the coast of
Ecuador and the
Galapagos Islands. NOAA alerts indicate that
the tsunami could reach
Ecuador late afternoon to early evening on Friday. Action should be
taken to protect life and property. A tsunami is a series of
long ocean waves.
Each individual wave crest can last 5 to 15 minutes or more and
extensively flood coastal areas. The danger can continue for many hours
after the initial wave as subsequent waves arrive.
Tsunami wave heights
cannot be predicted and the first wave may not be the
largest. All shores are at risk no matter which direction they face.
The Galapagos Islands may be especially vulnerable to large waves.
Extremely strong and unusual currents can accompany a tsunami. Debris
picked up and carried by a tsunami amplifies its destructive power.
Simultaneous high tides or high surge can significantly increase the
tsunami hazard. Press reports note that
President Correa has
declared a state of exception/emergency and the coastal region may be
subject to evacuation today.
Americans living near or visiting the coastal areas of Ecuador and the
Galapagos islands should monitor tsunami warnings on http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/ and
www.cnn.com, as well as local
news
sources.
- January 2011 -
January 10th
2011
- Ecuador Offers
Amnesty to Immigrants who Report Police Corruption Written by InSight
In what is both an
unorthodox anti-corruption effort and an unusual political appeal to
Ecuador's immigrant community, Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa has
offered citizenship to undocumented immigrants living in the country
who give information to officials about corrupt police officers.
According to the
Spanish news agency
EFE, Correa
provided a telephone hotline at a press conference on Saturday so that
foreigners living in the country illegally can report extortion by
local authorities. Citing a concern for corruption in his country,
Correa told reporters that he had heard "reports of police officers
who extort money from the 'undocumented'. There are districts where
they locate foreigners who are illegally in the country and instead of
following the established procedure, ask for money or other
collateral.”
The president went on to
offer citizenship as a reward to those who give information that leads
to the apprehension of police officers who use such methods, saying
“If we help you punish those bad elements of the police, we’ll give
you papers, because you are contributing to the work of the national
government."
The
announcement is the latest development in Ecuador’s historically lax
immigration policies, which until September of 2010 granted “universal
citizenship” to those seeking to live in the country. According to the
Washington, DC-based
Institute for Policy Studies,
Ecuador’s approach to immigration makes it a prime midpoint for human
trafficking networks seeking access to the United States.
January 17th
2011
- Robberies go on in Vilcabamba
region...
Latest
attempts and actual robberies:
1. attempt: early hours of this morning, at Shawn's in Vilcabamba centro.
Got up in his pj's to follow man/men who were marauding in the property in
the dark. He/they got away.
2. robbery: yesterday, afternoon in daylight, at Alan & Lorita and Antonio
& Marli in El Carmen neighborhood of Malacatos/Landangui. They all went to
a meeting/party at 1 p.m. When they returned at 6 p.m. found they had been
robbed. They are pretty sure they know the perpetrator(s). Police is
investigating. Their 2 dogs were found poisoned and passed away.
It seems that this happens in waves...sort of just at the time we are
beginning to let down our guard, bam! they strike. Let's keep vigilant.
- December 2010 -
December 9th 2010
-
Ecuavisa TV reports on Raw
food in Vilcabamba...
Confusion
continues to reign regarding the rules for Sunday´s national census, in
part because Ecuador´s census officials are still tinkering with
the details.
Ecuador´s rule that
requires citizens, residents and visitors to remain in their homes and
hotels during the count is common practice in Latin America as well as in
countries in Asia and Africa. Government officials say it is necessary in
countries without extensive computer data bases that contain
information about citizens, such as in the U.S. and most European
countries. They also say the process is cheaper and more efficient than
taking months to count all heads. On the question of inconvenience,
they point out that the census happens only once in 10 years.
Argentina´s census, which
has rules similar to Ecuador´s, made the news in October when
international news crews came to the country to cover the death of former
president Nestor Kirchner. When they arrived at the Buenos Aires airport,
reporters were told to go directly to their hotels and stay there until
the conclusion of the census. The biggest complaint by foreigners regarded
the prohibition of purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Ecuador has similar rules including a three-day prohibition of alcohol
sales.
The following is the
Ecuadorian census office's official statement about the census. It was
issued Nov. 19. Other advisories, in English, can be found on the U.S. and
British Ecuador embassy websites.
The Ecuadorian
National Institute of Statistic and Census is organizing the Population
and Housing Census 2010. It will take place on November 28th. The census
will start at 7:00 am and will finish at 5:00 pm all across the Ecuadorian
territory.
We are asking all
residents and visitors to stay in their homes and hotels the whole day of
November 28th , from 7:00 am until 5:00 pm, in order to achieve a
successful census process. We are thankful you for your comprehension.
The census is a
traditional survey that happens every ten years in Ecuador. The
information to be requested is totally confidential therefore people
shouldn’t be worried about it. We also inform that all kind of shops
(supermarkets, groceries stores, department stores, etc.) will be closed
during the census until 5:00 pm. Nevertheless, hospitals, health centers,
police service sand hotels will be opened normally.
We remind people
that all kind of transportation by air, by land or by sea is suspended
during the census timeframe (28th November), the only exceptions are the
international flights and the foreign passengers who are flying from
Ecuador continent to Galapagos Island.
The Population
and Housing Census has only a statistics purpose. We remind you that it is
technical and legally impossible to use this information for taxes, legal
investigations or military recruitment. Despite of your migration
condition, everybody who sleeps in Ecuadorian territory during the night
of November 27th to November 28th will be counted in the census.
The 2010
Ecuadorian´s census will be on 28th November for the urban areas and since
28th November to 5th December for the rural areas. Three important
operating will be managed: the individual housing operating is the biggest
part of census; the second one is the survey in collective places like
jail, convent or monastery; and, the last one is the homelessness census
population that will be on the night of 27th November.
Passengers who
are flying this day:
In the airport case, we are granting buses, van and a taxi services
with the legal permission to transit. Hotels are taking care of their
passengers’ transportation.
If a passenger
comes to Ecuador with a tour arrangement or a travel agency, the
transportation to hotel or ship will be covered by the travel agency.
If a passenger
comes by himself (it means without a hotel reservation or travel agency),
the passenger should help us and stay at the airport until 5:00 pm or take
one of the legally allowed taxis to move to the place he decides either in
Quito or Guayaquil.
We inform you
that food services in the airport and hotels will be operating normally.
Residents
who live in Ecuador:
It is important to remind you that you should only be asked questions that
are on the census form.
If you want you can check the questions on our web site:
http://www.censos2010.gob.ec
We would also like to
remind people that on the Census questionnaire WE DON’T ASK:
• The Passport or ID number.
• How much and What kind of property or assets do you have
• If you want to share your house
• Your migration situation
• The house owner’s name
• Any personal details: salary, bank account, credit card number,
password, or phone number.
• Finally, you shouldn’t sign any papers for the Ecuadorian Census.
For the
Diplomatic Corps:
The Diplomatic Corps of each embassy has a special status. For this reason
the diplomatic staff will not be part of the Ecuadorian census in terms of
inquiries; however we request them to help us and don´t move during the
census day. If somebody needs more information about this matter, please
contact your embassy.
We would like to
remind you that the information is: “confidential, and consequently we
cannot publish any individual information by any means; we cannot use the
information with the aim of taxes, military recruitment or legally
investigation, and in general, for any other no statistical or data bases
census. We can only publish the global statistics results and report paper
for the data census bases,” according to draft 21 in the Statistic
Ecuadorian Law.
The
Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistic and Census (INEC) complies with
his duty announcing and informing people about the statistic diffusion for
any policies Ecuadorian might need. For more information you can call to
1800 080808, or check:
October 13th 2010
- After another intent of robbery on October 12th, locals have pursued
the robber up to the local police station...Related on National TVs...Vilcabamba
people are determined to end criminality, GO GUYS!
"The story is that around
3:30 a.m. Tuesday, there was an attempt to break into the humble
home of an elderly person.
(The seventeen barrios of Vilcabamba are organized into citizen patrols
because they are fed up with the robberies of the last two months. They
are on duty from
11 p.m. to 4 a.m.)
When the guys on duty that night saw this, they fired into the air
repeatedly as the law allows citizen patrols to do, the would-be robber
started running, the patrollers stopped at the dwelling and saw that a dog
was killed, and the locks broken in the attempt to break-in; as the guy
kept running to get away, the patrollers shot repeatedly again, and one of
those shots hit him in the arm. He then ran into the
police station seeking protection saying that the people tried to
kill him. The members of this citizen patrol say they only tried to scare
him.
At this point the people of Vilcabamba upset because the police are
protecting the 'bad-guy', try to break in to the station to 'give him what
he deserves'. His name is Carlos Eduardo Sanchez Chiriboga, 33 y.o.,
door-to-door salesman, lives in Loja. The people accused him of trying to
steal the gas tanks.
A contingent of 25 uniformed and armed men, 10 motorcycles and one bus,
arrived as support for the police. They took the 'bad-guy' to Loja at
10:45 a.m.
The teniente politico asked for increased police presence here.
The people announced the use of a strong hand in future break-ins or
attempts to steal anything.
The 'bad guy' is in jail and was sentenced to 'preventive detention', and
will fulfill his term in the Loja Rehab Center."
October 12th 2010
- After many robberies, assaults and rapes in Vilcabamba, the locals have started
to react...and talk on National TV...
October 7th 2010
- VilcabambaTV.com finds its email published on VISTAZO...Click on cover
to read the article...
