Southern Tenerife: problems with medicine, transport, and housing remain unresolved

Despite the fact that much has been done, the South still has problems with medicine, transport, and housing. And it's not because of tourism. We drive on the same roads as before, and housing construction plans were halted during the 2008 crisis. Therefore, there is a shortage of housing now, and affordable housing programs for ordinary workers need to be restored. There is a lot of talk about it, but little is done.

The CC and PP government lasted the longest, but the first to react were the CC and PSOE, who governed in the Cabildo. They transferred a building intended for socio-medical needs to build a hospital faster. Now there are many patients there who need care, but they have nowhere to go because there is no socio-medical center.

They froze a historical project from the time of Adán Martín – to cover the highway to connect the tourist area, which is divided by the TF-1. The work had already been assigned, but it was stopped, like many other projects in the South. I would like those responsible for this to consider alternative options, because any accident on the highway blocks the entire South.

The transport system will not work if it is not well-established. If I have to drive to Adeje, then go down to the station, leave the car and take the train to Santa Cruz, I would rather drive. We need an extensive public transport network, and the train should be part of it. But I have doubts about this project, especially because of its impact on the environment.

The unification of terminals at the airport, of course, improved the situation, but it is not the airport that Tenerife needs. We have the best hotels in Europe here, so the airport should be of a corresponding level. The residents of the South deserve a better airport.

Yes, something is being done, but it is not enough. The problem is more serious and requires more effort.

We have a problem with tourist apartments. They do not compete with the housing sector, but they create other problems. The main challenge now is the uncontrolled supply, which could have serious consequences in the future. Holiday accommodation has already become part of the market, and it needs to be controlled, otherwise it will destroy our tourist destination.

You can't blame everything on tourism. Does something need to be improved? Of course. Should tourism bring more benefits to people? Without a doubt. The model we have is not bad. There is a lot of talk about the model, but no one has proposed a better one. We need to control the shortcomings and establish quality criteria, as well as regulate the supply. It is necessary to improve salaries and services, and remember that all this exists thanks to tourism. When new generations talk about returning to the old days in the Canary Islands, I don't know if they mean the days of cochineal or emigration. There was no such past, it's just a poetic imagination. Especially in the South, we lived a different life. We must strive for social sustainability. In addition to controlling the unregulated supply, we need to ensure good services, salaries, housing, and space for our people. There is a risk of a significant drop in prices and, as a result, a deterioration in the quality of the destination. And we should not forget that we have competitors very close by.

Morocco receives more tourists than we do. We don't want an endless number of tourists, we want quality tourists who bring more social, environmental, and economic benefits. There are also external factors that create uncertainty, such as wars in tourist regions. We will not be able to compete on price, but we must compete on quality.

I am not expressing my opinion on sovereign countries. Full respect.

I am neither a defender nor a critic. The Port of Los Cristianos creates problems, and in view of this, Fonsalía seemed like a good option to me, better than Granadilla. Regarding the tunnel under the road through the whole city to the highway... I don't know how it will be.

Of course, yes. They have a consolidated right. Whoever wants to stop it knows that they will have to pay. The partial plan of Puertito de Adeje existed even before I became mayor, in the 80s of the last century. After several changes of owners and transformations, the last one was to adapt the project and create the highest quality tourist infrastructure that we need. It is absurd to say that the beach will be privatized when beaches are public property. On the contrary, access will be more accessible than it is now. There will be a small hotel with 90 rooms, and respect for the residents will be preserved, which is a prerequisite for promoting changes. It's a pity that it was distorted in such a way that I don't understand. The expedition has all the guarantees and has passed all the filters.

There were none. The objections were from the owners. In addition, it should be said that the island's water transportation system passes through this partial plan, and, contrary to many rumors, people should also know that almost 50% of this land is state-owned: streets, roads, squares, and spaces that will be transferred to the city council. In addition to this, 10% of the profitable value goes to the municipality and can be converted into housing, not in El Puertito, but in habitable conditions and at affordable prices. That is, the policy that we followed in our time for the construction of what we built. Cuna del Alma meets all the requirements of the law and is a good project. If the alternative is what is there, let them say so.

But no one is saying that. They are on private property, which is what should be done. In any case, the Canary Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment of the Government of the Canary Islands has already opened a case to take action. The preliminary and serious work carried out by the local police made it possible to discover that 90% of those in this settlement are foreigners, and in the remaining 10% there are cases of people who do not have housing, and another part of the Canarians who use this area as a second residence to spend the weekend.

Absolutely. I have no explanation, I don't know who is behind this and what is the purpose of the opposition to Cuna del Alma. There seems to be a disproportionate fixation, I don't know if it's personal. I manage as best I can, and I can support the municipal technical and legal structure.

Indeed, and in the world, with the return to past eras, the consequences of which we know. The most worrying thing is the trend in society. The ordinary parties, which are obliged to give answers, do not meet the level. The performance does not meet the needs and demands of the population, which lives in amazement. On the one hand, war, on the other hand, a massacre... This is really worrying.

Yes, Israeli citizens should not be criminalized. There will be everything there. I believe that sport should not be involved in this. I would hang a banner to draw attention to the situation, but not criminalize or create situations of tension and violence with athletes.

This is genocide.

In Adeje, we have been charging an entrance fee to Barranco del Infierno for 15 years, which was the second most visited place after the national park. It works very well and has allowed us to control the space and avoid many incidents. I believe that the system is logical and natural. The use of this place has a cost of regeneration, maintenance, capacity control, and research to ensure the continuity of the space. This requires resources. In addition, it is not a first-necessity service. The system we have created in Barranco del Infierno allows it to be practically self-financing.

The Government of the Canary Islands has a request, but I don't think it's a solution. We have started procedures to achieve about 90 housing units in two or three years and reach 200 in the near future.

There is no dispute in this, it is one way or another. We have been doing calculations for a long time. There are services that need to be offered and paid for, which is not popular, but it needs to be done. The better we all manage this, including citizens, the better it will be. In Tenerife, we have a problem with garbage. A very serious problem, very, very worrying, which we probably came to a little late, just like with water. The tax needs to be adjusted to reality, because if you don't, when you adjust it, the residents will suffer the blow.

For a long time, we have been the voice and have responded very well to the reality of the South. The system is what it is, and without close partners, you win the election, but you remain in opposition.

With regret and concern, because we are worsening the system. The presumption of innocence is worth nothing, they are in a situation of "get out of the way so I can take your place"... I am surprised that they do not feel a complete break with the citizens. It hits you in the face. What I can say is that I believe in Ángel Víctor. He could have made a mistake, I don't know, in a hopeless context, to get masks, but I believe in him.

If it's tomorrow, then yes; in two years, I don't know what I'll be doing, I don't know how I'll be, what the family and the party will say.