Orihuela will increase the subsidy to the Moors and Christians and will equate it with that of Holy Week

The proclamation of this recently completed Holy Week went to the newspaper archive as a gloss marked by those chest-pumping that Mónica Lorente made about her management as mayor, but also by that cry for help that the president of the Mayor Board of Brotherhoods, Pepe Sáez Sironi, launched towards City Hall. The nominative subsidy to this entity has not moved a cent since the current 2018 budgets came into operation, 115,000 euros that were falling short for the brotherhoods. The government team, a few weeks later, presented its draft municipal budgets for 2024, the first to be approved after almost six years. Well, the economic-financial report of the project, to which LA VERDAD has had access, includes good news for Holy Week. The Mayor's Board will increase the emoluments it receives from the Consistory by 10,000 euros more this year until it reaches 125,000 euros. The same amount that, on the other hand, the Association of Moors and Christians Festivals 'Santa y Rufina' will receive. Last year the festive organization received 96,900 euros.

The nominative subsidy implies the direct granting of money without any competitive bidding process. Both subsidies to the organizers of the two most important festivals in Orihuela are, in this sense, a matter of approval without any discussion year after year in the Governing Board. Holy Week, without going any further, has been declared of International Tourist Interest precisely since the time of former mayor Lorente. The relevance of the Moors and Christians, however, does not reach such a high distinction among other things because, while the origins and tradition of the Oriolana passion date back to the first processions between the Cathedral and the Loreto chapel in the 16th century, the Moors are a tradition that will be 50 years old in 2024. Today they are recognized as being of Regional Tourist Interest.

The sensitivity, however, of the current government team with the festival that commemorates the Reconquest of Orihuela to the Muslims in 1296 is well known. Many members of the government team participate in different groups – also in Holy Week brotherhoods – but the mayor himself, Pepe Vegara, before being a councilor and candidate of the PP to occupy the office of the Palace of the Marquis of Arneva, was, without going any further , president of the festive association. In fact, the current president and Vegara's successor in that position, Manuel Ortuño, is an advisor to the government team and one of the closest collaborators of the current first mayor.

But the parties are not the only ones that benefit from the so-called nominative subsidies. Not even those who will receive the most money, since that position is occupied by the Church. The Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante will be the one that will receive the most income from the Consistory, yes, based on very specific concepts. The first of them is the rehabilitation of the Communion Chapel, in the Church of Santa Justa and Rufina. The City Council will do its part in this project with 200,000 euros. It is worth remembering that the church of Santa Justa, a magnificent exponent of Valencian Gothic, is declared BIC and that specific part of the temple was the only one left untouched after the rehabilitation work undertaken on the occasion of the Light of Images. The bell tower remains to be fixed in this temple, the interior of which is in a deplorable and even dangerous state despite being the tower that presides over the skyline of the capital of Vega Baja.

The second of the concepts from which the Bishopric will benefit is another 63,000 euros in maintenance, also of the church of Santa Justa, and that of other temples such as Santiago, Monserrate and the Cathedral. The third and last concept is none other than the grain of sand that the City Council will contribute to the campaign undertaken by the Cathedral Chapter for the restoration of the Cathedral organ (50,000 euros). A campaign that, on the other hand, has already garnered support economic of some of the most important companies in the region and of the Generalitat itself. The previous Botanical government granted him 90,000 euros. The entire restoration being carried out by the expert Frederic Desmottes in his workshop in the province of Cuenca is valued at 390,192 euros.

Outside of festivals and the Church, the rest of the subsidies go to smaller associations. The City Council will give 64,000 euros to the foundation that manages the Didactic and Interactive Science Museum (Mudic), located at the Desamparados Polytechnic School. 20,000 euros will be the amount taken by the Historical Artistic Board, 20,000 will also be taken by the Ibero-American Chair of Cultural and Creative Industries (which is taught at the Salesas Campus of the Miguel Hernández University), 18,000 by the Chamber of Commerce and 15,500 at IES Thader.

Compensate the poet

The Vegara cabinet also fulfills its promise to the Miguel Hernández Cultural Foundation. The institution chaired by Aitor Larrabide and which organizes the international poetry prize that bears the name of the famous Oriolano poet will receive 12,000 euros, 6,000 corresponding to 2024 and another 6,000 extra from the previous year. This is the famous debt that led to national controversy when it came to light that Vox, as argued by the Councilor for Culture, Gonzalo Montoya, could not process the granting of that aid in time. Something that the opposition understood as an attack by Santiago Abascal's party against the poet due to his communist and republican militancy during the Civil War.

The remaining amounts are for much smaller entities and do not exceed 10,000 euros. The Royal Order of Saint Anton increases its subsidy from last year's 3,800 euros to 4,200 euros. The local associations of the National Police (Santos Ángeles Custodios) and the Local Police (Virgen de Monserrate) maintain the same subsidies as last year with 1,500 euros and 3,000 euros respectively. The Civil Guard also receives a maximum of 1,500 euros.

The smallest amounts

The list of subsidized recipients is completed by the Federation of Young Business Associations of the Province of Alicante (8,000 euros), the AVE Cities Network Association (7,000 euros), the Vega Baja Artichoke Association (7,000 euros), the Cultural Association of Costaleros del Cristo Yacente (5,000 euros), the chronicler Antonio Luis Galiano (3,500 euros), the European Network of Holy Week and Easter (3,000 euros), MeteOrihuela (2,500 euros) and the Association of Women of the Rural World (2,000 euros). All of which makes a total of 760,720 euros in nominal aid from the City Council to local entities.