As fulfillment of a historical and long-awaited debt, the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, sanctioned this Thursday, January 15, Law 506. This law orders the payment of interest for late payment derived from the retention of the second installment of the thirteenth month for the years 1972 to 1983, benefiting public officials and private sector workers who served during that period. The payments will begin next June through an orderly delivery plan. In the event that the beneficiary has passed away, their relatives can make the claim by processing it before the authorities. The Ministry of Economy and Finance will be the entity responsible for coordinating and communicating the process, and payments will be made after a registration and digital appointment system to avoid queues and crowds, in order to guarantee the health and well-being of the elderly who come to collect their certificate. It was also clarified that these certificates will be transferable, not subject to taxes, and cannot be garnished. "This government will not continue to shift problems to the future: it faces and resolves them with planning and seriousness, without improvisation, and demonstrates that we can comply with the law, attend to people, and take care of public finances at the same time," highlighted Chapman. The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac; the President of the National Assembly, Jorge Herrera; the Comptroller General of the Republic, Anel Flores, and a group of beneficiaries, including Mrs. Alejandrina Gómez, who thanked the president for assuming responsibility and making the payment after years of waiting. "Mr. president, thank you because you have fulfilled the duty that others did not and gave the runaround. You have fulfilled the honor of being a president who keeps his word... Thank you for calling us to the Presidency to tell us that you are fulfilling our wish and paying us what we have fought for years," mentioned the beneficiary. The president, during his usual Thursday conference hours before the signing, expressed: "I tell the gentlemen who picket everywhere every day: this is a commitment acquired and soon they will receive the amount of their interests." The sanctioning act, signed by the president and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, reaffirms the State's commitment to equity, legality, and respect for acquired rights, as well as a demonstration of the institutional will to settle pending obligations and strengthen citizen confidence in government actions. "It is a debt that we did not cause, but it falls to us to honor because they are obligations of the State and not of a government, just as it has fallen to us to fulfill others since the beginning of this administration. This law orders the payment of the interest for late payment derived from the retention of the second installment of the thirteenth month from 1972 to 1983, benefiting public officials and private sector workers who worked during that period. The historic sanction grants justice to thousands of officials and former officials who, for more than four decades, maintained their legitimate aspiration for the recognition of this labor right."
