Governor’s choice to replace Rodríguez Erazo at DACO draws PDP fire
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) minority delegation in the Senate announced Monday its opposition to Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s nomination of Hiram Torres Montalvo as secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO by its acronym in Spanish), citing past controversies and concerns over his performance.
Torres Montalvo, the public affairs secretary at La Fortaleza, was appointed last week to replace Valerie Rodríguez Erazo, who was dismissed amid criticism related to who will bear the cost of appliances lost during power outages and her absence from a recent suicide prevention march.
Rodríguez Erazo, who did not attend the march that central government agency heads were expected to attend, later suggested on a television program that she was being attacked from within.
In response, González Colón said that if Rodríguez Erazo “doesn’t feel comfortable working as part of a team, she can leave.” The governor added that Rodríguez Erazo should stop spreading gossip. Shortly afterward, she dismissed her and appointed Torres Montalvo as her replacement.
Sen. Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, the PDP minority leader in the upper chamber, said Torres Montalvo’s prior tenure at DACO raised red flags.
“On November 22, 2022, then-Governor Pedro Pierluisi appointed Torres Montalvo during a recess. After five months in office, the Senate issued a negative report citing complaints about his performance and positions that could harm consumers,” Hernández Ortiz said.
The PDP controlled the Senate during Pierluisi’s term as governor.
The Senate Appointments Committee previously documented concerns including alleged favoritism toward the business sector, support for a coffee price hike, and dismissive handling of early-morning sales complaints. Hernández Ortiz also noted that Torres Montalvo was fined $5,000 by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court in 2016 for filing a frivolous lawsuit challenging the appointment of Chief Justice Maite Oronoz Rodríguez. The court ruled that he used the judicial system for partisan purposes during a primary campaign.
“This nomination shows a lack of understanding of DACO’s public policy and raises questions about the governor’s so-called talent pool,” Hernández Ortiz added. “Our delegation anticipates rejecting this appointment and calls on Governor González to reflect on her first year in office, which has been marked by broken promises and arrogance toward issues affecting Puerto Ricans.”
Just days after being fired by González Colón, Rodríguez Erazo posted a video on social media thanking the people of Puerto Rico for their support and hinting that she hasn’t yet had her final say on what happened last Friday.
In the video, Rodríguez Erazo appears visibly emotional as she expresses her gratitude for “the opportunity to serve” and acknowledges the outpouring of support she has received since her departure was announced.
“I am grateful for every message I have received; it touches my heart. You will always have a public servant here,” she said, accompanying her words with a written message in which she reiterated her commitment to public service based on “transparency, commitment, and results.”
On the same day that Rodríguez Erazo was removed from her position La Fortaleza announced that attorney Torres Montalvo would assume the role of the DACO secretary.
Rodríguez Erazo dismissal sparked a wave of reactions. One of the strongest endorsements came from Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, who praised her leadership and lamented her departure, asserting that the former secretary had ensured LUMA responded to consumers in a way it had never done before. Rodríguez Erazo had recently alleged that some of the “hardest blows” she was receiving were coming from within the government itself, a comment that fueled the debate about internal pressures and disagreements over the handling of sensitive cases for the administration.