PIP lawmaker calls trip to FITUR in Madrid a waste of public funds
- The San Juan Daily Star
- Jan 21
- 2 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) Rep. Denis Márquez Lebrón on Tuesday sharply criticized the announcement that 16 legislators from the New Progressive Party (NPP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) will travel to Madrid to attend the FITUR International Tourism Fair.
Márquez called the trip a “pathetic waste of public funds” and said it exemplifies what he has long denounced as “legislative tourism.”
Márquez, who has served nine years as the PIP spokesperson in the island House of Representatives, said that most publicly funded trips taken by members of the two major parties fail to produce any legislative benefit for Puerto Rico.
“The vast majority of these trips do not result in any benefit to the Legislature or the country,” he said. “They do not advance legislation, they are not part of oversight processes, nor do they include any analysis of public policy.”
The lawmaker added that he has repeatedly reviewed travel reports filed after similar trips and found them largely “pro forma” and lacking any concrete legislative action.
The trip to FITUR, he argued, is no different.
“What is the need for 16 representatives to attend this fair?” Márquez asked. “What legislative work are they going to do?”
In addition to questioning the purpose of the travel, the PIP legislator warned that the trip has already disrupted the legislative calendar. Márquez said numerous activities in the House have been halted, including the remainder of this week’s session and public hearings related to the tax reform bill.
He demanded that leaders of both the NPP and PDP explain the use of public resources for what he described as “legislative vacations paid for with public funds.”
“The leadership of both parties owes the country an explanation for this waste,” Márquez said.
The controversy adds to a longstanding debate about the use of taxpayer money for official travel and the broader issue of transparency in the Puerto Rico Legislature.
The Legislature in PR is a joke. Just another way to steal Government money. They are mostly ignorant considering how many "advisors" they need for even the simplest tasks. Texas has part time legislators that meet every other year, and it functions very efficiently. Florida legislators only meet for 90-day sessions every year. Both states are way bigger than PR and function more efficiently. Term limits and part time legislators will save PR money and can end up working better, it certainly cannot get any worse.