By The Star Staff
Juan Dalmau Ramírez, the candidate for governor for the Puerto Rican Independence Party in alliance with the Citizen Victory Movement, requested on Wednesday to be excused from the last debate among candidates for governor, organized by Telemundo and El Nuevo Día, due to the medical emergency involving his wife, Griselle Morales Rodríguez, who suffered an acute cerebral hemorrhage last week.
New Progressive Party gubernatorial candidate Jenniffer González Colón will not appear at the debate either.
Dalmau Ramírez made the decision while he remains attentive to his wife’s evolving health picture. Morales Rodríguez underwent surgery a week ago to stop the bleeding caused by an aneurysm. Her medical situation remains critical since she is under evaluation for possible complications that could require new surgical interventions.
The final debate, scheduled for today at 6 p.m., will be held as planned, the organizers of the event confirmed. The island will have the opportunity to hear the proposals of the other candidates for governor.
The González Colón campaign officially confirmed that she will not participate in today’s debate, although it is expected that she will continue with her campaign commitments in other events scheduled for today.
“I deeply regret the situation that Ms. Griselle Morales, Mr. Juan Dalmau, their children and their entire family are going through. As a woman of Faith in Almighty God, I trust that Ms. Morales will overcome her health condition and with the power of God she will recover,” González Colón said in a written statement Wednesday. “I fully understand that Mr. Dalmau has to cancel his participation in the televised debates of the candidates for governor. His decision is more than justified and we respect it. For my part, I announce that I will not be participating in the debate scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, on Telemundo, Channel 2. I believe that Channel 11 made the right decision when they decided to cancel the debate last Tuesday due to the forced absence of Mr. Dalmau. The family is a sacred matter that goes above any political consideration or position. It is not the time to impose particular or commercial political interests by holding a debate in which one of the four participants cannot be present when there is such a powerful reason. We are five candidates aspiring to the governorship according to the ballot. The debate had been arranged for four candidates, so since no candidate has withdrawn from the electoral contest, offering a debate with only three of the candidates is unfair to the voter. We will continue with our campaign plan as we had outlined it for the final stretch in view of the November 5 election.”
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor, Jesús Manuel Ortiz González, reacted to González Colón’s decision not to participate in the last debate.
“Jenniffer González’s refusal to attend the debate scheduled for tomorrow is another example of her not fulfilling her commitments,” Ortiz said in a written statement. “Unlike Mr. Dalmau, whose family situation we all understand and with whom we stand in solidarity, Jenniffer has no reason to deprive the country of the opportunity to listen to our proposals and evaluate the character of each candidate.”
“Taking advantage of Dalmau’s family situation to not answer questions and explain her constant changes of position is a crude manipulation that will not stop the change that we all want,” the PDP candidate for La Fortaleza and lawmaker added. “Puerto Rico is getting to know the character of a candidate who always puts her personal and political interests first. She would do the same as governor.”
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