PR Bullish on Housing

From the National Association of Homebuilders:

A housing stimulus package enacted on Sept. 2 with strong input and support from the Home Builders Association of Puerto Rico is already showing promising results, according to Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño and the HBA.

For more, go to NAHB Online Newspaper.

Another PR Independence Leader Dies

Associated Press reporting:  “Juan Mari Bras, an elder statesman of Puerto Rico’s independence movement who gave up U.S. citizenship in an act that inspired hundreds of other activists, died Friday. He was 82.”   Mari Bras’s rejection of US citizenship yielded a political victory, when, as the AP reports, “[a}s the result of legal challenges stemming from that case, the island government in 2007 issued its first certificate of Puerto Rican citizenship to Mari Bras. Some other islanders have also requested the document, which is valid as an ID on the island but not recognized as a travel document outside the island given that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.”  For Spanish coverage, check out El Nuevo Dia.  This past summer, Dolores (“Lolita”) Lebrón Sotomayor, who became the leader of a group of nationalists, who proceeded to attack the United States House of Representatives in 1954, died from complications of a cardio respiratory affection.

Delgado on Ohio’s “No on PR’s Birth Certificate”

El Nuevo Dia’s Washington DC correspondent Jose Delgado blogs about news yesterday that Ohio, like New Jersey, doesn’t trust most of the birth certificates issued by Puerto Rico government. (See  9/1, 8/25  PRPolNewsBlog entries.) Delgado’s posting quotes PR’s Secretary of State (equal to Lieutenant Governor in most states), Kenneth McClintock, criticizing Ohio’s actions and claiming the state based its decision on “lack of information” and is “insensitive” to the Puerto Rican population in the state.  If McClintock is right – and this is just a “failure in communication” – then PRPolNewsBlog hopes that sometime soon the Fortuño Administration, and Res. Comm. Pedro Pierluisi, will kick-off a much-needed conversation between the island and the states.

Ohio Joins NJ – No PR Birth Certificate

Last week PRPolNewsBlog reported on New Jersey’s decision not to recognize Puerto Rico birth certificates for certain government transactions.  We expressed concerns about other states joining the fray.  Associated Press today reports that older birth certificates from the U.S. territory are not being accepted when applying for a state ID or driver’s license at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a “reaction to concerns about possible fraud that a national Hispanic group said smacks of racial discrimination.”  Not a good trend.  PRPolNewsBlog wonders if the PR Resident Commissioner Hon. Pedro Pierluisi is ready to tackle this matter.  Wonder what Pierluisi can do ….

Illegal Immigration = PR Birth Certificate Fraud

Today some bad news from New Jersey, as the state’s motor vehicle department declares that it won’t accept birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico due to massive fraud tied to illegal immigration. For any islander, glad for our U.S. citizenship and all the privileges it grants, this is quite unsettling news.  Most Puerto Ricans, not unlike most mainland-born Americans, don’t have a passport.  One of the fundamental benefits of citizenship is our ability to move freely from PR into the US mainland, and from state to state.  This freedom is severely limited if islanders cannot secure a driver’s license because the state (and PRPolNewsBlog imagines NJ will be the first of many other states that will impose the same rule) cannot trust your proof of citizenship – i.e. your birth certificate.

According to the 2000 US Census, New Jersey ranks third in states with the largest Puerto Rican population as a percentage of their total population (4.4 percent) , behind Connecticut and New York.  Wikipedia reports that in some NJ towns,  close  to 30 percent of the community’s population is composed of Puerto Ricans.   For the hundreds of thousands of islanders that have moved to New Jersey, the fact the state requires extra assurances that one is, in fact, an American citizen is problematic not only in terms of getting a driver’s license, but also for getting a job (proof of citizenship required), securing housing, and even hooking up utilities. 

The Problem here, of course, is the very organized efforts by criminals to steal the identities of Puerto Ricans, to be sold to other Hispanics that have entered the country illegally.  Thieves continue to ransack rural elementary schools in Puerto Rico in search of student’s birth certificates to steal and sell (see BBC story).  PRPolNewsBlog understands there is a valid need being addressed by NJ.  And we wish there was a less intrusive way for the state governments to deal with the real problem of stolen identities.  But for now, though, all us Jíbaros lcan do is visit the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration for more information on the law that triggered the need of getting a new, certified birth certificate from Puerto Rico, and the application process.  We completed the process one month ago, and it was easy (although we are still waiting for the new document).

In the meantime, make sure your passport is up to snuff.

Adapting Never Easy, But Worthwhile

Today CNN profiled Keila Pena-Hernandez, a Puerto Rican student “homesick” as she is completing doctoral studies in the US mainland.  As per the CNN story:  “Pena-Hernandez craved the tropical fruits of Puerto Rico and the cool sea breeze. ‘Lakes or rivers in the Midwest do not compare to the Caribbean Sea,’ she said. Also troubling was the sense that her loved ones had moved on without her.  ‘A lot of my friends got married, had children and I’m not part of that because I’m not physically there, so you feel like you’re losing out.’

PRPolNews can relate.  Trading beautiful Borinquen, even for education and adventure in the US, is never an easy choice.  As Autumn approaches with its cool winds – a reminder of the temperature drops to come – one starts missing the inviting Caribbean waters, the humid days and warm evenings.  It is true most college  towns in the US are welcoming communities with many social and cultural advantages.  It is also true the chaotic lifestyle that is de rigueur back home has its entertainment value, and an unexplainable comfort. 

Like Ms. Pena-Hernandez, we adapt.  We learn how to eat clam chowder, wear long johns, and carry our Spanish-English dictionary with us like it was a passport.  And years later – whether we stay in the mainland or return to Puerto Rico - we look back at this period of adaptation as one of the most important, character-forming experiences in our lives.

BBC’s Look at PR

BBC’s Radio’s news program Cross Continents today aired a 28 minute piece on Puerto Rico’s current political, social and financial situation.  PRPolNews is not particularly crazy about the romanticized and politically correct version of the island’s current event.  Such template tends to result in superficial coverage of important issues.  And please - is a profile of an environmental lawyer that makes money by teaching salsa dancing the most relevant interview NPR’s Maria Hinojosa could have secured?  Sounds more like a movie script than a serious attempt to report on the everyday lives of islanders.

Having said all that, PRPolNews appreciates the effort, and doesn’t dismiss the important international exposure the piece brings.  For those of you who haven’t been following PR news lately, the piece will pretty much put you up to speed regarding, for example:  perspectives on Gov. Fortuño’s efforts to fix the island’s fiscal mess; drug wars; and the damaging (both to students and administration) University of Puerto Rico student strike.

Send Comments or Blog Suggestions etsuarez@prpolnews.com

Note to PRPolNews Friends:  It’s been a while, but we are back, and planning to say more ….

Puerto Rico Officials Confirm First Swine Flu Death

In a press conference Tuesday Noon, Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño, surrounded by top health officials, confirmed the island registered its first fatal swine flu case and another eight deaths were being investigated.  “The spread of the swine flu virus is lo longer limited to travelers outside of Puerto Rico. We are seeing the spread from person to person,” the governor warned.  Caribbean Business reports in English, WAPA-TV (video) in Spanish.

For more news about Puerto Rico politics and policy, visit PRPolNews.com.

Poll: Puerto Rico statehood favored by islanders

Thursday’s Caribbean Business published a poll showing statehood option for Puerto Rico’s political status has gained ground with islanders.  According to CB:  “Statehood has gained ground to become the preferred solution to Puerto Rico’s status issue by a slight majority, according to this week’s CARIBBEAN BUSINESS/WOSO Radio/Gaither International InstaPoll, which consisted of 601 face-to-face interviews in June … When asked specifically about status preference, 51% of respondents cited statehood as their preferred option, an increase when compared with the results of a similar survey conducted in 2007.”

And former Miami mayor and (now) columnist Maurice Ferré writes in El Vocero about the quandry facing the pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party (PPD) – the curse of irrelevance. 

And finally PRPolNews own J. Raymond Watson writes about how in his opinion US citizenship has empowered “Boricua”-ness.

For more news about Puerto Rico politics and policy, visit PRPolNews.com.

Puerto Ricans: Sneaky, or Just Beggars

PRPolNews is pleased to introduce our newest contributor, Ing. J. Raymond Watson.  His latest posting, Mr. Watson asks a very important question:  When it comes to Puerto Rico’s status and the current debate surrounding Commish Resident Pedro Pierluisi’s HR 2499, are Puerto Rican acting “smart” or as second-class citizens?

Some background.  Mr. Watson is a retired civil engineer who has served in high-level positions for various PR governors, and in the federal government. He was Governor Luis Ferré’s Executive Director of the PR Highway Authority, where he lead efforts to introduce toll turnpikes and the Urban Train to the Island.  In the Gov. Carlos Romero Barceló’s Administration, Watson served as President of government-owned PR Telephone Co. As Caribbean Area Director for the federal Housing and Urban Development Department, he introduced Community Development Block Grants and Comprehensive Modernization of Public Housing Projects to PR.  Mr. Watson also served as Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, UPR-Mayaguez, and in private practice worked in major infrastructure projects in PR, including Highway PR-10 (Arecibo- Utuado), Guayama By-Pass PR-53.  Mr. Watson was Board Chairman of the internationally-recognized Casals Festival Corporation. Among his many recognitions include the Caribbean Business Journal’s Outstanding PR Businessmen 1988 and the Luis A. Ferré Award. A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (cum-laude) and MIT (honors), Mr. Watson provides commentary to various media outlets in Puerto Rico.

For news about Puerto Rico politics and policy, visit PRPolNews.com.  For more on PRPolNews commentaries by Mr. Watson, visit our commentary page.