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Acoforag Responds to Mulchén Mayor: "Enough of Cheap Populism"

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• In an interview with a newspaper from the Biobío Region, the municipal leader claimed that "the forestry sector does not generate significant job opportunities for the commune."

The statement made by Mulchén Mayor Jorge Rivas to the newspaper El Sur de Concepción caused irritation in the Association of Forestry Contractors A.G (Acoforag). Rivas, a public administrator, former councilman, and member of the DC party, stated that "the forestry sector does not generate significant job opportunities for the commune."

The article notes that some of the challenges faced by the commune of nearly 30,000 inhabitants have been addressed by the municipal administration led over the past twelve years by Mayor Jorge Rivas. In an interview with this outlet—as part of a series of conversations with mayors concluding their terms due to legal restrictions on running for a fourth term—he acknowledged that the central focus of his administration amid these changes has been improving the quality of life for residents.

"We have been working on various urban improvement projects, sports initiatives, city beautification, and creating job opportunities primarily through private investment. We’ve also improved education by increasing enrollment, enhanced rural healthcare, and opened the municipality to the community, providing job opportunities for young people, including those who went to study and now work with us," he said, recalling that his campaign slogan was 'I Want to See You Better,' focused on the improvements the community needed.

–How have you assessed the transition of the commune, historically agricultural and industrial, to one more focused on forestry and renewable energy development, and the opening of opportunities for Mulchén’s residents?

–This was a commune that for many years relied on wheat as its economic driver until the 1980s. However, at that time, large forestry companies arrived, providing jobs for tasks like stacking wood. Today, everything has transformed technologically. Many people lost their jobs, migrated to urban areas, and we still have many seeking employment. Some have found opportunities in businesses, public services like the Mulchén Hospital, or the municipality itself. But we also detect that, year after year, at least a thousand people are looking for work, and we manage to place about 70% of them in the job market.

On this point, Rivas argues that "companies could invest in supporting the municipality to promote sports or social development, but unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. We’ve also seen this with the forestry sector, where we have vast expanses of pine and eucalyptus forests under private ownership, yet unfortunately, they do not provide significant job opportunities."

In response to these statements, Acoforag stated: "Mr. Mayor, you are mistaken in your assessment. CMPC operates a sawmill, the main source of employment in Mulchén, which directly employs 200 people, plus all the indirect services like cleaning, transportation, food, and security. Enough of this cheap populism, Mayor."