Annual Report 2020-2021

To achieve our mission of strengthening the capacity of municipalities
and communities in the archipelago, La Liga develops important publications
and analyses related to public policy and the current socio political context of Puerto Rico.
One of the most significant publications was the analysis of the Fiscal Plan 2021,
developed and approved by the Fiscal Control Board (FCB), entitled "En Arroz y Miserias..."
(translated as "In Rice and Misery..."). The title is a play on words: in Puerto Rico, to say it "in
rice and beans" means to explain in a simple way. Instead of rice and beans, the title makes a
reference to the expected impacts of the undemocratic fiscal plan that entrenches austerity
measures and increases misery for the most marginalized communities and vulnerable
populations in Puerto Rico. This analysis focused on the expected impact of its approval on
municipalities, communities, and public entities across Puerto Rico. Its approval
demonstrated that the FCB, even without having achieved positive changes to the economic
restoration of the country, maintains a threatening posture towards the organizations that
make up our fiscal, governmental, environmental, academic, and social ecosystem.
As part of La Liga's organizational objectives, our team developed and published a
framework to evaluate decentralization opportunities in Puerto Rico. This was based on a
brief historical overview of elements that have been attempted in Puerto Rico,
definitions of concepts, lessons learned,
achievements of other countries, and
potential courses of action.
Scan the QR code on the right to
access all of La Liga's publications:
La Liga has accessed the press to promote the municipalist agenda, and to
communicate about other initiatives and work that La Liga is leading. Throughout
the year, opinion columns highlighting the accomplishments of the municipalities
were published in the country's newspapers. At the beginning of 2021, a series of
articles about the lawsuit against the Fiscal Control Board dominated the news,
successfully highlighting the importance of this legal advocacy strategy for
municipalities. Among these, a letter addressed to the Board was disseminated,
focusing on the fact that Law 29 was not a bailout for the municipalities, but rather
for the central Puerto Rican
government. In November,
several papers ran front page
features announcing the
Amicus Curiae supported by
five members of the US
Congress (Nydia Velázquez,
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Raul
Grijalva, Jesus "Chuy" García
and Richie Torres). 22