Ángel Matos García, spokesperson for the delegation of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) in the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), has accused the current administration, led by Governor Wanda Vázquez, of seeking to take away some of its powers in order to turn the PRTC into an “office without relevance within the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC)”.

The spokesperson argues that the Gaming Division of the PRTC would lose some of its benefits to the new Puerto Rico Gaming Commission.

In an interview with Telemundo, Matos García explained that the new authority can’t guarantee that it will keep the current staff. “The Commission doesn’t even have accounts in the Department of Treasury, it hasn’t even bought a ream of paper. Of course it hasn’t transferred the staff, as established by the HR regulations,” he said.

In addition, Matos García said that having attempted to communicate with the Executive Director of the Gaming Commission José Maymó Azize, there has been no response.

“[What he’s doing] goes against the provisions of Article 7.2 of the law that creates the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission, which clearly sets that all rights, salaries, allowances, commissions and medical plans must remain the same. This abuse is added to the attempt from  the Secretary of the DDEC, Manuel Laboy, to take over the PRTC, without complying with the law, which will be resolved in the Court in the upcoming days,” he added.

“It’s not fair that hundreds of families are going through this period of uncertainty and abuse. We ask the Governor to keep the PRTC intact with its Gaming division as it has for the past 50 years. If she wants to leave a positive legacy, she needs to amend the historical error of eliminating the PRTC,” he concluded.