"A lack of respect for the people of Faro" and an episode that "can't even be qualified". It was in this way that Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro, commented on the visit of António Costa to the municipality, yesterday, the 7th, to participate in the naming ceremony for Gago Coutinho Airport Faro, scheduled for the same time as the City Day solemn session, without the municipality being consulted.
The situation went badly with both Rogério Bacalhau and Cristóvão Norte, president of the Municipal Assembly, both social democrats. And if the mayor left the matter out of his official speech, the former deputy and current president of the PSD/Algarve made a point of stating during the session his «lively repudiation» for what he considers to be a «disregard» and a « institutional disrespect in the ultimate degree'.
Questioned by journalists, after the end of the session that officially marked the 482nd anniversary of the elevation of Faro the city, the mayor reinforced this idea.
«It is not about disrespecting Rogério Bacalhau, who is here, but one day he will leave. There are institutional relationships that must be maintained. (…) It is a lack of respect, which cannot be resolved with a letter saying: sorry we didn't notice”.
The mayor of Faro guarantees that he only learned about this ceremony when he received the invitation from ANA Aeroportos. "I didn't even understand what it was, I was just talking about changing the name and that the prime minister would be present."
“I said I couldn't be there because of City Day and I sent a letter to the Prime Minister. Last Friday, the chief of staff called me from Mozambique to say that they didn't know [that it coincided with City Day]", said the mayor of Faro, who was not convinced by justification.
“I do not believe that the Prime Minister's departures are treated with such levity. Get registered!” he said.
On the sidelines of your visit to the Faro and in response to a question from the Sul Informação, António Costa regretted «that it was not possible to reconcile the timetables».
«It is a happy coincidence, the fact that the bicentennial of the independence of Brazil is also the Day of the Municipality of Faro. I congratulate all Farenses”, added the prime minister.
Rogério Bacalhau recalled, for his part, that yesterday he had «a program that lasted until 20:00. These are things that are prepared months in advance. Yesterday [Tuesday], when I received the letter, I couldn't change anything. If I had been warned in advance, I could have had fewer openings, a different program, and we would have been able to adjust”.
«For us, the day is going well, the county is surviving. We have a lot, a lot of openings and that's what we need. Mr. prime minister has this on his résumé. It's not pleasant, but it's what we can have», shot Rogério Bacalhau.
«I know that today is Brazil's independence day, but there would be other ways to do this. We could have had our ceremony in the afternoon, there could have been some consultation, which would certainly have been possible», he reinforced.
What also does not please the House of Faro, but which did not prevent yesterday from being 'a happy day', is the fact that the name of the airport was changed, which until today was Faro.
«We don't understand very well what Gago Coutinho has to do with the municipality of Faro and with the airport", he said.
“It is evident that he is an important figure in our history. But nobody noticed. There was a group of friends of Mr. prime minister who proposed this and he accepted. It's in his right. Now, you cannot force us to agree with that decision», concluded Rogério Bacalhau.
The name chosen to give the airport, yesterday made official, celebrates the Portuguese aviator, with Algarve roots, who 100 years ago, with Sacadura Cabral, starred in the first air connection between Portugal and Brazil.
The designation was first proposed by a commission from the Algarve, then by AMAL itself – Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve, of which the Chamber of Faro is part.
In practice, the ceremony at the airport took place in parallel with a session where not only employees, personalities and institutions of the municipality were honored, but also four former mayors, two elected by the PS and another two by the PSD or by coalitions led by it. broken.
Luís Coelho, José Vitorino, José Apolinário and Macário Correia took the stage to receive from Rogério Bacalhau municipal merit medals – gold degree and the respective diplomas.
Admiral Gouveia e Melo, Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, was also honored, in this case, with the attribution of the key to the city.
The former coordinator of the Covid-19 Vaccination Task Force did his best to be present both at the ceremony at the Airport of Faro, as in the solemn session of the City Day, where he arrived when it was about halfway through.
Also Artur Nunes da Silva, better known as “Chief Artur” of the PSP, Arquente – Associação Cultural, the Hotel AP Eva Senses, João José Gago Horta (posthumously), João Amaro (Tertúlia Algarvia), Maria Cabral (ex- president of the Orquestra Clássica do Sul) and Ricardo Colaço (shooter with a hunting weapon) were awarded honorary medals.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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