Pedro Bettencourt, Airport Operations and Emergency Manager at Porto Airport Faro, is the head of the list of the Liberal Initiative for the Algarve, leading a candidacy entirely composed «of candidates who live and work in the Algarve».
Now that the election campaign is underway, the Sul Informação is publishing interviews with the list leaders of the 15 parties or coalitions that are running for the Legislative Elections on March 10th.
The same questions were sent, in a timely manner, to all 15 first candidates, covering the main themes in focus in the Algarve.
The interviews will be published as responses reach our newsroom.
Sul Informação – What are the priorities of your political force in the next legislature for the Algarve?
Pedro Bettencourt – Our priority is to make the country grow economically, to make the market work and the State to provide quality public services in a direct relationship with the taxes charged to us.
To achieve this, we have listed a set of measures, different from those that have been applied for decades with mediocre results in the economy.
We propose lowering taxes on taxpayers, to a single IRS rate of 15%, for income that exceeds the national minimum wage, starting gradually with 15% and 28%.
This way, the Portuguese have more monthly income and can decide how to manage that surplus.
Likewise, but on the companies' side, we advocate a single IRC rate of 12%, except for multinational companies imposed by the European Union.
Another essential task is a true revolution in terms of reducing bureaucracy, as the current level of bureaucracy is the biggest enemy of progress.
The State, instead of constituting itself as a vehicle that maximizes the initiatives of businesspeople and individuals, is emasculating and a real obstacle to development.
In our opinion, there is too much State in the lives of Portuguese people and companies, and it is necessary to reconsider and ensure that the State does not resign from its essential functions where it cannot fail citizens, and the State has failed a lot, it fails in health, education, housing, justice.
We intend to reverse the rules of the Mais Habitação package relating to local accommodation and reduce the tax quotient from 0,5% to 0,35%, eliminating the CEAL and revoking the rules relating to AL registration.
We also intend to gradually reduce the IUC and reduce the return on capital to 14,5%. The Liberal initiative understands that these measures are compatible with surplus budgets and reducing public debt even if they force the State to reduce spending on non-essential functions.
SI – What led you to accept being the head of the list for the party or political force you represent?
PB – The desperation of being a father of four children, a couple born in the 80s and another couple born in the 90s, for whom the alternatives are to emigrate or stay in Portugal, but with low salaries that do not allow for emancipation and, therefore, , a dignified life.
I also have a granddaughter who will be 4 years old and I am sure that, with a change of government and with the measures of the Liberal Initiative, the country will grow and create wealth, as this is the only way to improve the lives of the Portuguese.
SI – What are the expectations and objectives of your political force in relation to these Legislative Elections?
PB – The Liberal Initiative intends to grow and expand its electorate in the country and in the Algarve, through our ideas and our proposals.
This is a path that will take your time. We are aware that it will be difficult, but not impossible, to elect a liberal deputy for the Algarve.
The Liberal Initiative is aware that a large portion of its electorate is aged between 18 and 34, that is, it is a young electorate that has gradually been growing from election to election.
SI – What remains to be done in the Algarve?
PB – Unfortunately, at a structural level, almost everything remains to be done, otherwise the state of health, education, housing, transport and water should be repaired.
But the fact that everything remains structurally undone reflects the importance that the various PS and PSD Governments have attached to this region.
It is necessary to definitively resolve our delay in terms of transport, we need an alternative backbone to the highway, that is, the efficiently managed railway, which must be the guarantor of mobility between municipalities.
Public road transport must respond with a shuttle service between stations to strategic points in cities, from which walking routes are feasible.
Other hypotheses of smooth mobility are naturally also a path to be consolidated, as long as safe circuits are created for this to happen.
In health, all installed capacity in the Algarve must be used, and people must be free to choose where they want to be treated, whether public, private or social (the Misericórdias).
There are more than 350 thousand people over the age of 65 without a family doctor, a situation that can be resolved with our proposals, just like pregnant women and children up to 9 years old.
This is immediate, because we recommend obtaining family doctors for everyone by 2028, once again as long as all installed capacity is used.
In housing, we understand that this is a problem where supply has to increase.
It is possible to build more houses, as long as the right incentives are implemented.
On the other hand, the unfreezing of rents, the reduction of income taxes from 28% to 14,5%, along with the abolition of forced leasing, are measures that the Liberal Initiative defends, in order to give a positive signal to the market .
23% of lease contracts are over 20 years and 13% over 40 years. Only with different rules, like the ones we advocate, will more of the current homes appear on the market.
With regard to affordable homes or rents, it is up to the State to implement the measures, which it was unable to do in eight years, such as making their vacant properties available to the Portuguese, as well as building social housing in sufficient numbers.
In education, the Algarve's problem is, once again, national.
At the Liberal Initiative, we advocate a change in the financing standard, moving from school financing to per-student financing.
Freedom to choose the school we want for our children. More administrative, financial and local recruitment autonomy for schools.
Recover national assessments at the end of basic education cycles and reinforce Financial Literacy in the school context.
The role of the State in Education must be financing and regulating.
SI – Drought and lack of water is a pressing issue in the Algarve. What solutions do you advocate, in the short term, knowing that the water currently available only arrives until August? And in the medium and long term?
PB – To solve the problem of water scarcity, the Liberal Initiative defends national transfers, the so-called “water highways”, to transport water from the country where it is abundant to where it is scarce.
In the short term, it is essential to invest on two fronts, in prevention, through a very strong public awareness campaign, which cannot be reduced to the posting of some “billboards” spread across some municipalities, even though it is an action to be welcomed. implemented by some municipalities.
In the short term, it is important to operationalize alternative solutions: repair of the Arade dam, repair of the Odelouca dam, to allow the use of its dead volume, development of a water retention system from the Algarve mountains to serve agriculture: Rio Vascão, Ribeira of São Brás, Ribeira de Tedes, to prevent abundant masses of water from flowing into the sea daily.
Another project would be the connection of the Santa Clara dam, one of the largest in the country, to the Odelouca dam.
Another priority is ApR [treated wastewater].
It is easy to see that non-structural works and structural works are yet to be carried out. It is unacceptable that maintenance and repair works were not carried out to ensure that the current structures maintained their operability.
As for long-term works: connection to Pomarão, desalination plant, construction of the Foupana dam, pipeline repair works to prevent water loss, as well as the reuse of wastewater for irrigation and agriculture should have already progressed and only negligence and lack of interest from the State justifies this status quo.
Unfortunately, in terms of execution, all of these structural works are still in government offices and bodies, two years after the PRR and none of these works will see the light of day in 2026.
SI – Health is a very deficient sector in the Algarve and in the country. What measures do you recommend to solve health problems in the Algarve?
PB – The Liberal Initiative has a health project called SUA Saúde – Universal Health Access Service.
With this proposal, the Portuguese can choose between different health systems, being able to access public, private or social health providers, without any costs on their part.
It therefore means that, if implemented, this measure would result in immediate improvements for the Algarve.
In the Algarve, there are three public hospitals with 994 beds and five private hospitals with 248 beds.
It follows that an integrated response would result in better health services, whether in access to hospital care, consultations, family doctors and other specialties.
The network of private clinics in the Algarve and their respective healthcare professionals allow for a broad and rapid response to the needs of the population.
Now, the Liberal Initiative intends that all citizens, and not just some, can choose to be treated in any hospital.
This freedom of choice will allow us to have family doctors for everyone by 2028.
Immediately, people over 65, pregnant women and children up to 9 years of age would receive private care, in the likely event that the public does not have the capacity.
SI – What about the Algarve Central Hospital? What should be done?
PB – The HCA – Hospital Central do Algarve is a promise that has been going on for over 22 years, demonstrating the importance that different governments have attached to the region.
The HCA must be built following current guidelines regarding hospital architecture, fundamental in the construction of modern and functional hospitals, where integration with the urban and social context, the flow of people, comfort and well-being, flexibility, expansion and sustainability are conceptually necessary.
Now, the current hospital Faro it no longer enshrines any of those vectors, being an obsolete and dysfunctional building.
We note that, contrary to this inaction on the part of the State, the Private sector continues to build hospitals in the Algarve, with another hospital having been opened in Vilamoura.
There are already five private hospitals in the Algarve with 248 beds, while the public hospitals have 997 beds.
the hospital of Faro has 582 beds and the one in Portimão has 288 beds.
Therefore, the construction of the HCA is urgent and Rui Rocha, president of the Liberal Initiative, has committed to moving forward with its construction.
SI – The Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve and the Regional Health Administration joined, from January 1st, into a single body, the Algarve Local Health Unit. What do you think of this change and what expectations do you have for your future?
PB – Any change must aim at efficiency and, in this specific case, the provision of quality public services.
The integration of this value into a single entity theoretically brings benefits, as long as it is possible to mobilize and move resources from one unit to another.
Otherwise, given the history of poor management of the public cause, I expect more difficulties, as these bodies are not equipped with the management tools that allow them to manage networked units efficiently.
I only expect improvements if the measures recommended by the Liberal Initiative are implemented, such as total administrative and financial autonomy, with these units deciding on the various processes that allow for good management.
Knowing the bureaucratic level that was created, which, at first, could be an advantage, will become a constraint.
SI – The previous Government, now only in management, transformed the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions into Public Institutes, adding new functions (such as Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as Culture). What do you think of this change and what expectations do you have for your future? Is this a first step towards Regionalization?
PB – In theory, bringing decision-making power closer to local power is more advantageous and beneficial, as long as these integrations do not occur with the loss of skills that previously existed in the now integrated organisms.
Being a first step towards regionalization, its operationalization does not bode well in this matter.
SI – Are you for or against Regionalization? Why?
PB – The Liberal Initiative is in favor of decentralization.
As for regionalization, it depends on what is meant by regionalization.
If regionalization aims to multiply bureaucratic structures, we are against it.
If, instead, it places decision-making power closer to citizens and returns power to those or local authorities, we are in favor.
If regionalization results in more State, whether central or local, we do not agree.
If the regionalization process is fiscally neutral and does not involve tax increases, it naturally has our support.
If centralized powers give regions the power to decide on their income and expenses, we are also in favor.
As I tried to demonstrate, it is necessary to know what is intended with regionalization and how they recommend its implementation.
SI – Will the integration of the former Regional Directorates of Culture and Agriculture and Fisheries into the CCDR have beneficial effects for these sectors or not?
PB – In theory yes, but in practice no, considering that, in the integration process, capabilities, skills and, above all, resources that could be reduced within the scope of integration should not be lost.
SI – What solutions do you recommend for tolls on Via do Infante?
PB – In this matter, this is not a question of solutions, especially because all Algarvians are in favor of abolishing tolls due to the lack of an alternative and for several other reasons.
But it is important to clarify the details of this concession to the Algarvians. As you know, Via do Infante cost 250 million euros (M€).
The concession has a term of 30 years, with completion scheduled for 2030.
The concessionaire's annual revenue is €37M, €30M for making the road available, plus 7 million tolls, which serve, among other things, to pay for the maintenance of the road.
As there are seven years left, it is easy to see that, until the end of the concession, the State will have to disburse €259M, which is the amount that the abolition of tolls will cost.
The curious thing is that, in 2017, the concessionaire transferred 49% of its contractual position to a fund in the Netherlands for €52M and, in 2020, it transferred another 48% for €76M.
It means, therefore, that the State, if it were a good manager, could have kept 97% of the concession for €128M, but, instead, it will now disburse €259M, without taking into account the opportunity cost that would result from the acquisition of the contractual position to the concessionaire, in these cases being exorbitant values.
Now, the PS infrastructure minister in 2017 was Pedro Marques, but Pedro Nuno Santos was the Infrastructure minister at the time of the transfer of the contractual position in 2020, curiously the same one who now promises to abolish tolls.
This will be an example of what Pedro Nuno Santos, from PS, refers to as “better done than perfect”.
It is not possible to announce correct accounts when one practices ruinous management.
SI – And for the completion of works on the EN125, from Olhão to Vila Real de Santo António?
PB – It is another topic with which any Algarve resident agrees with its realization/conclusion, because it improves mobility in a region where 68% of people use, due to lack of alternative, individual transport.
SI – One of the biggest problems in the Algarve is mobility. Work is being carried out to electrify the Algarve Line, the creation of the Metrobus is expected and there is talk of a possible TGV connection between Faro and Huelva/Seville. What is your opinion on these issues and what solutions do you advocate?
PB – In national terms, the Liberal Initiative advocates that a Railway Plan must be implemented so that no district capital is more than two hours away from Porto or Lisbon. Lo-go, the connection between Lisbon and Faro must achieve this goal.
In the specific case of the Algarve line, it is another sad example of forgetfulness by governments, both the PS and the PSD.
Electrification, as always, is delayed, with completion now scheduled for the end of 2024.
The rolling stock will only enter service in 2030.
It is consensual and imperative to put the railway at the service of the Algarve, as it is an urgent and irreplaceable need for mobility between municipalities.
But the railway has to work and the State is a bad manager. If the State is unable to operate the railway efficiently, opening its operation to other entities that are able to manage the service efficiently, as is the case of Ferta-gus, in Lisbon, should be considered.
Another example where private management provides a better service is in terms of public road transport, where competition has led to a better service: frequencies, schedules and price. See, as an example, the case of Flixbus.
Metrobus is a good solution for population clusters of more than 100 thousand inhabitants. Now the Loulé-Faro-Olhão has around 185 thousand inhabitants, 40% of the total inhabitants of the Algarve, therefore eligible for this type of solution.
It is important that this type of transport progresses on a dedicated road, reducing traffic lights to situations where the cost-benefit is unaffordable, and its route should favor large clusters of public concentrations: shopping centers, airport, UAlg hubs, hospitals, etc.
The increase in connectivity with Portugal is something that should please the people of the Algarve, in this specific case a connection to Spain has enormous advantages in terms of mobility, but above all in commercial terms.
SI – The president of the Algarve Tourism Region complained that the budget of this organization is short and has not been increased for many years. What do you recommend for this sector in the Algarve region?
PB – As I have mentioned on other occasions, the Algarve's problem is not too much tourism, contrary to what some predict, but rather too little alternative economic activity.
In 2023, Algarve revenue totaled 1,5 billion euros, 25% of the national total, there were 20,38 million overnight stays, which represent 26% of the national total, and, in golf, 1,4 million were played of rounds, which “constitutes a historic maximum for golf in Portugal”.
Passenger traffic forecasts point to numbers slightly higher than those for 2023.
Therefore, Tourism in the Algarve must consolidate and diversify, enhancing niches, especially those that make it possible to eliminate seasonality, as is the case with Golf, but there are others linked to nature tourism and events, such as meetings, exhibitions, conventions, incentives , the well-known MICE Tourism.
SI – In the current Government, does Tourism share a State secretariat with Commerce and Services? Do you think it is enough? Or should a future Government give more importance to Tourism? In what way?
PB – What matters are policies, it is neither necessary nor beneficial to create a Ministry for each sector of activity, especially because tourism cannot be dissociated from other related activities.
SI – In the case of more divisive issues, will you vote for the AR according to your conviction, even if it goes against your party's guidelines?
PB – The Liberal Initiative, as expected, is a party in favor of freedom and, as such, does not require voting discipline.
Once elected deputy for the constituency of Faro, I will defend solutions and take positions aimed at improving the living conditions of the Algarve.
Unfortunately, the biggest problems in the Algarve are transversal to the country, but, in most cases, we are still in a worse situation, such as in health, transport, education, as well as the very serious problem of water scarcity in the Algarve.
SI – Do you consider that it would be useful to change the electoral law, to create single-member and partial constituencies and a national compensation circle, and thus bring deputies closer to citizens? Why or why not?
PB – The Liberal Initiative has already proposed in the Assembly of the Republic the creation of a National Compensation Circle, similar to the one that already exists in the Azores archipelago, since 2016, and this circle would elect 40 deputies.
In this way, the waste of 700 thousand votes would be avoided, which did not elect any deputy in the last 2022 Legislatures.
The result would be greater pluralism in parliamentary representation, with clear benefits for Democracy.
SI – Do you want to add any more topics or questions?
PB - Yes I want! I want to appeal to the mobilization of the population to use their citizenship rights by going to vote on March 10th.
It is important to drastically reduce the value of abstention, ensuring greater participation, resulting in better parliamentary representation and consequently a more robust representative democracy.
On the other hand, I believe that people want a change in policies, ones different from these, ones that, instead of stagnation, promote the country's growth and progress.
The proposals that the Liberal Incitativa wants to implement have led countries that entered the European Union much later, much poorer countries that have already surpassed us, to growth rates far above ours.
In prosperous countries, people live better. And it is exactly this country that we want to build: a Portugal with a future and giving a new direction to the Algarve. And this will only happen with the vote for the Liberal Initiative.
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