De nuevo - NO al Muelle de Cruceros en Zihuatanejo

Cruceros en Bahía de Zihuatanejo

De nuevo otro presidente municipal de Zihuatanejo ha solicitado la construcción de un proyecto multimillonario de un muelle para cruceros. De nuevo nos quiere hacer creer que el proyecto nos va a beneficiar y aumentará el turismo en Zihuatanejo por llegar más cruceros. Es pura mentira que llegarán más cruceros con la construcción de un muelle para cruceros. 

Los dizque servidores públicos nos quieren engañar para poder despilfarrar millones de pesos y llenar sus bolsillos hasta el tope. La misma industria de los cruceros explica muy bien las razones por qué se ha disminuido el arribo de cruceros a Zihuatanejo, y no tienen absolutamente nada que ver con la falta de un muelle para cruceros sino con la falta de seguridad pública, la pobre imagen de México entre el mercado extranjero de pasajeros de cruceros, la falta de interés en viajes por cruceros a la Costa Pacífica de México que duran más de 5 días (se requieren más días para un viaje redondo desde San Diego a Zihuatanejo), problemas con la economía de los EE.UU. y el movimiento de cruceros hacia regiones del mundo donde la demanda sí ha crecido (Mediterráneo, Oceanía, Caribe) ya que sólo hay cierta cantidad de buques. 

La construcción de un muelle para cruceros en Playa Linda, Playa La Majahua o Playa El Palmar perjudicará la economía de los comerciantes de Zihuatanejo quienes históricamente han beneficiado por lo menos un poco de los cruceros, incluyendo todos los comerciantes del mercado de artesanías en la Calle Cinco de Mayo, del Andador del Pescador y de los demás calles del Centro Histórico de Zihuatanejo ya que no vendrán los pasajeros para ambular y hacer compras como antes. Los únicos beneficiados con la reubicación del arribo de cruceros van a ser agentes de viajes que ofrecen excursiones por autobús, o sea en nuestro caso significa Mario Diego Hernández ya que él es quien vende las excursiones por autobús, excursiones que los pasajeros compran en el crucero antes de desembarcarse. 

No hay ninguna necesidad de gastar estos millones y arruinar otra playa. Es simplemente otro caso de tentación, avaricia, fraude y corrupción. De nuevo vamos a tener que recurrir a las manifestaciones (creo que es la quinta vez en los últimos 15 años), pero los políticos nos van estar echando sus mentiras como siempre porque su hambre para despilfarrar estos fondos es enorme ya que vienen las campañas electorales y aún andan flacos. 

La única cosa que necesitamos es un muelle flotante junto al muelle municipal para poder recibir mejor los turistas que llegan por los tenders, igual que tiene en La Paz. Un muelle para cruceros no nos va a atraer ni un crucero ni un pasajero más que habría llegado normalmente. No dejemos pasar este desperdicio multimillonario de nuestros impuestos sólo para enriquecer unos corruptos y sus compinches. ¡YA BASTA!

Ronda el fantasma del desalojo en Barra de Potosí

NINFA BRACAMONTES Despertar de la Costa - Zihuatanejo, Gro. Jueves, 28 Mayo 2009

Reza conocido refrán: con dinero baila el perro. Y sin dinero bailas como perro. Es lo que les está sucediendo a los pescadores de Barra de Potosí, mi estimado amigo; les ha llovido sobre mojado a estos cooperativistas. Los representantes de la empresa Interad SA de CV, Roberto Mario Guala y Pedro Olea Bracamontes, invitaron a estos humildes hombres del mar a una plática para notificarles que la empresa ya es dueña de la concesión de esa hermosa barra; que, con la pena, pero tendrán que salirse; ya no podrán seguir pescando en ese lugar, pues ese es un proyecto millonario que no puede incluirlos a ellos. Qué maravillosos empresarios. Bueno, eso usted lo sabe: cuando una empresa privada compra playa olvídese de que podrá volver a entrar a ella. Vea a Ixtapa, ¿cuándo imaginó que ya no lo dejarían disfrutar de ese maravilloso lugar? Estas empresas adineradas privatizan todo; después ni siquiera se puede uno asomar a sus lujosos edificios, mucho menos disfrutar la playa. Los empresarios comenzaron a hacerles propuestas a estos hombres del mar: que les pondrán una escuela de inglés para sus hijos, que cuando construyan sus chocitas de millones de dolarucos podrán trabajar ahí… Falso, señores, jamás aceptarán a esas personas en sus lujosas residencias. No mientan, es el primer factor que deben cuidar si quieren quedar en buenos términos con los pescadores; nunca van a emplear a estos señores simplemente porque no llenan los requisitos que ustedes necesitan; sus empresas millonarias son de lujo. Lo importante fue que estos empresarios propusieron a los pescadores que pueden quedarse hasta con 60 metros para anclar sus lanchas (no se hayan quedado pobres, señores), no sin antes advertirles que después de que construyan su marina ya no podrán estar ahí. Obvio, cómo creen que habrá lanchas baratas, apestosas a pescado, en una marina de ricos donde sólo habrá yates supermillonarios; además, dónde piensan pescar; desde el momento en que se dice privado termina todo, no hay vuelta de hoja. La Barra de Potosí tiene nuevos dueños, es una empresa llamada Interad, se ponga de cabeza quien sea; no hay nada que hacer, señores del mar; sólo que les faltara un sentido a los empresarios para dejar que les echen abajo su proyecto millonario. No piensen que este delicado problema será fácil de resolver, señores, tienen un grave problema; el gobierno y la empresa deben ser muy cautelosos al tomar decisiones contra estos pescadores. Es verdad que el dinero mueve montañas, pero a veces es el peor enemigo también, nos traiciona de manera criminal. No querrán tener en ese lugar maravilloso cuevas de delincuentes; si te quitan tu fuente de empleo haces lo que sea para llevar el pan a tus hijos. No es posible que sigamos retrocediendo de esta manera cuando debemos ir hacia adelante. Es lo único que nos falta, mi estimado amigo, que estemos como los hacendados: comiendo tortilla con sal estando el zarzo lleno de queso, no puede ser. Estos pescadores tuvieron la fortuna de disfrutar, cuidar, por años esa maravillosa playa, y ahora tienen que abandonarla sólo porque no tienen dinero para pagar una concesión que les pertenece por antigüedad. Digo, eso pienso yo, perdóneme si estoy equivocada. Claro que se le deben las puertas a la iniciativa privada, es una manera de que la economía de nuestro pueblo crezca, pero lo deben hacer sin destruir ni pisotear a nadie. La pesca es la única fuente de empleo de estas cuatro cooperativas, que en familias son como 200. Están en riesgo de quedarse sin nada, gracias a sus gobiernos nefastos; los funcionarios nunca saben nada, sólo miran los billetes que les dan, qué les importa la gente. Esa ha sido la mayor desgracia de la gente humilde. Ojalá que no se generen tragedias de las cuales tengan que lamentarse. Lo malo, como dice el dicho, es que al perro más flaco se le cargan las pulgas, al jodido siempre le toca la peor parte, es como si se pusiera con Sansón a las patadas. Lo que sí es verdad es la gran diferencia que hace el gobierno entre los ricos y los pobres; no se vale. ¿De qué diablos piensan que van a mantener a sus familias estos hombres del mar, si lo único que saben hacer es precisamente pescar? No jueguen. Lo que sí debe hacer urgentemente el gobierno, junto a estos empresarios, es buscar alternativas sanas para esta gente; no les pueden dar con la punta del pie. Con el poder adquisitivo que estas empresas tienen, deben proponer y cumplir las propuestas. Muchos empresarios no cumplen cuando firman convenios con la gente. Hay muchas cosas que les pueden proponer y que les genere dinero a los hombres del mar: los estanques acuícolas para cultivar tilapia, camarón, huachinango, las especies de la región. Puede ser una alternativa muy buena para estas personas, sólo se requiere disponibilidad de ambos grupos para acceder y cumplir lo pactado. Pueden quedar en buenos términos los empresarios, los pescadores y el mismo gobierno.

Tales of Guerrero

Although it is the birthplace of Mexico's independence as well as its Constitution, Guerrero is a state that has long been under seige by ruthless caciques who apparently enjoy protection by elements within the military as well as all levels of government. To understand Guerrero it is essential to be aware of the suffering and injustice many of its communities live under. The ordeal of Javier Torres Cruz as well as his family and the entire community of La Morena in the remote sierra of Petatlán where he lives is one of those tales.

Last December 22 one of our regional newspapers, "La Jornada", published three enlightening articles about the recent 10-day ordeal, torture and eventual escape of Javier Torres from the soldiers and paramilitaries allegedly working for the ex-mayor of Petatlán as well as the terror his village has been subjected to for over 30 years. If you want to begin to understand our region of Guerrero, this is one of its typical and revealing stories repeated similarly throughout the state in other communities. For all the time that Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa have been mass marketed as tourist resorts, all this has been going on to the ignorance of most of the region's visitors. Nothing fundamental has changed here except the facility with which information can now be diffused and accessed. The following articles in Spanish represent just a small part of the many tales of Guerrero.

"El Ejército Me Desapareció", Confirma el Campesino Ecologista Javier Torres

Cunde el Miedo en La Morena; No Se Puede Ir a Cultivar la Tierra, Dicen los Pobladores

Desde 1985, las Incursiones de Militares y Gatilleros de Rogaciano Alba en La Morena

Water Shortage in Zihuatanejo

Zihuatanejo's water company uses the acronym CAPAZ (Comisión de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Zihuatanejo), which in Spanish also means "capable". I doubt there's a Zihuatanejo resident who isn't aware of the tragi-comic irony of their name since most of us refer to them as INCAPAZ.

Some sectors of town have not received water for weeks and months. At least one neighborhood says it has been without water for two years. Most residents have gone without water repeatedly for days at a time since before Semana Santa this year. The annual water shortage before the rainy season has never been this bad nor lasted this long.

Water service has noticeably deteriorated during the last 5 years or so, becoming an acute problem under the administration of our "current" ex-mayor who literally left us dry before resigning his post to campaign for a post as diputado federal in upcoming elections. Seems to be a pattern being set by the past two mayors from the same political party: screwitup beyond all repair or neglect it to death then resign before finishing their elected term to run for another post. "No re-election" doesn't mean our politicians can't jump from one post to another like a grasshopper, which is why we call such a politician a chapulín.

What both of them did was allow tens of thousands of squatters to invade our ecological zones, thus condemning Zihuatanejo to a very different and difficult future than it might have had otherwise. Of course, the municipal administration run by the party who fomented these invasions now finds itself unable to supply water, among other services, to the community at large. However, one of those politicians recently stated publically that tourist developments should have preference over the general community, which of course was met with indignation and outrage by the general public.

Many of us think that the community should come first over the tourists. Imagine that! Putting our daily needs over tourists' luxuries! If we're not happy then we certainly aren't going to be happily welcoming visitors here, you can bet on that.

The tourists that originally put Zihuatanejo on the map certainly put up with more hardships than not being able to shower off their suntan oil at the end of the day. Of course, the "modern" hotels couldn't operate or survive the way hotels had to back in the pre-Ixtapa days. Many of Zihuatanejo's longtime visitors remember making do with spotty water and electricity services. It was all part of the attraction spending evenings sitting around candles and kerosene lamps and playing backgammon and dominos and having conversations uninterrupted by anything louder than a battery-powered radio or cassette player. People today who visit Troncones and Barra de Potosí put up with similar hardships as our original repeat visitors, yet more and more people want to visit those places, which tells me that Zihuatanejo's original adventuresome and down-to-earth type of tourist market is still out there, though many have actually been chased away by our irrational overdevelopment.

But our current water shortage isn't a problem caused by tourism. It's been caused by promoting the theft of our ecological zones by political parties seeking votes, leading to irrational development and unsustainable growth. We've always had water problems, but we've never had so many people go without water for such long periods of time. Downtown usually gets some water every day, but for years the service has steadily worsened, and it seems every month or so there's another excuse why the service is interrupted for days if not weeks.

Zihuatanejo needs to get its house in order and update its infrastructure before allowing any more developments to be built. I don't expect the "responsible authorities" to be wise or altruistic enough to implement a building moratorium, but I keep hoping they'll surprise me and follow the example of many now-successful Florida communities that were facing similar problems decades ago and responsibly addressed them by imposing building moratoriums to allow their infrastructure to catch up to the demands of their growth. Unfortunately, it appears we are instead following to the letter the failings of Acapulco (which uncoincidentally has also been suffering a severe water shortage); right down to the sunken religious statue in the bay that nobody visits or cares about.

Of course what's done is done and now we must deal with it the best we can, which is why it is more urgent now than ever that we elect responsible politicians and hold them, their parties and our government to account. Fortunately, it's an election year and we're working on it.

And hopefully our visitors will give us a hand in the meantime by helping us to conserve water.

¡Viva Zihuatanejo!

Artificial Reefs in Zihuatanejo

On my Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa, Troncones and Barra de Potosí Message Board the other day someone asked what the government might be trying to sneak by us while diverting attention with the pier project that was never likely to succeed. How about the purchase of 1,500 cones measuring 1.5 meters tall by 1.7 meters wide at the base made of a special cement mixture for the purpose of creating "artificial reefs"? That'll probably stuff a few pesos in some "public servants'" offshore bank account. Does that qualify? Never mind that we're already killing, damaging and polluting the few reefs we already have. Why bother saving the reefs at Playa Las Gatas, Playa Manzanillo and Isla Grande de Ixtapa? Just build more!

From the April 8, 2008 edition of Despertar de la Costa:

Aprobó Ecología crear arrecifes artificiales en Zihuatanejo

*Especialista expone las ventajas de estos criaderos de vida marítima

GILBERTO GUZMÁN CARRANZA

Los arrecifes artificiales no son un peligro para la bahía de Zihuatanejo, pues no se construirán en ella, aclaró Jorge Alberto Terrazas, de la Fundación Arrecifes Artificiales Pura Vida, ante la inconformidad de ambientalistas para con dicho proyecto.

Después de la queja de los ambientalistas con respecto a los arrecifes artificiales, por la cual manifestaron que se alterará el hábitat de la bahía de Zihuatanejo, el integrante de esta organización dijo que es necesario crear ecosistemas, porque están dañados en la costa, están sobreexplotados y se acaban las especies marinas, como los corales.

Aseguró que por esta razón no se realizarán en la bahía, pero que se harán en playas de mar abierto, y que la bahía seguirá como hasta el momento, contaminada, pues la función de estos arrecifes artificiales es en gran parte limpiar y oxigenar el agua del mar.

Dijo que hay personas que no entendieron el concepto de los arrecifes, pero que la Dirección de Ecología ya dio la autorización de seguir adelante con el proyecto, pues está bien fundamentado, porque está avalado por maestros en ciencia, gente profesional que se dedica al mar, que son los que revisaron el proyecto.

En ese sentido, informó que ya se está llegando al sector pesquero, quienes lo están pidiendo, porque se dan cuenta de cómo funcionan los arrecifes, y que la directora de Pesca del estado de Guerrero está muy interesada con el proyecto, por lo que ya están en contacto para trabajar al respecto.

En Zihuatanejo ya hay tres módulos que fueron de prueba, los cuales, asegura, funcionaron correctamente y cumplieron lo previsto, que se ubican en la playa Varadero, playa las Gatas y playa la Ropa , “los cuales se encuentran llenos de vida, completamente, y están evolucionando y produciendo”.

El proyecto consiste en mil 500 unidades, para pesca sustentable de producción de peces. Explicó que no se tiene que hacer ningún tipo de excavación, pues son del tipo de cono o pirámide, se construyen afuera, para posteriormente depositarlos en el lecho marino.

Dichos conos miden un metro 70 centímetros de ancho, por un metro 50 centímetros de alto, con aproximadamente 15 centímetros de grosor, y con resistencia de 300 toneladas por centímetro cuadrado, “es como una piedra, se mete bajo el agua, los pedazos de coral que se ven en las playas, rotos por la gente o por las olas, son recolectados y se siembran en estos arrecifes”, precisó. Y son construidos con conchas de ostión, cemento, mineral microcílico que reduce el PH y lo hace más parecido al del agua.

“Los módulos aztecas —así los nombran—, están diseñados específicamente para que el agua atraviese por enmedio de ellos, cuentan con una cámara reproductiva, donde los peces entran para desovar y reproducirse, en el mar hay pocos lugares donde se puedan establecer”, explicó. Con esto, aseguró, se les ofrece un hábitat nuevo.

Dijo que todos los problemas, como el calentamiento global, afectan el mar, donde están todos los ecosistemas más viejos del planeta, y que los arrecifes las 24 horas del día producen oxigeno, a diferencia de las plantas; con los arrecifes se ayudará a crear más vida, y tener bancos de pesca nuevos, frescos, y los que ya están sobreexplotados se van a recuperar.

“Los arrecifes naturales con los que cuenta Zihuatanejo se recuperarán, van a volver a tener su belleza natural, como cuando no estaban explotados, y esto es muy notorio en el mercado, pues el pescado que se comercializa es de una sola especie, ya casi no hay de cuál elegir, porque estamos sobre explotando todos los recursos”, concluyó.

Best Time To Be In Zihuatanejo

The tourist crowds have thinned out in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa since "high season" became "low season" after an early Semana Santa this year. Once again the pace of life in our seaside community has slowed considerably. Once again people in our community can take the time to have fiestas, take vacations, visit with friends, go to the beach, and catch a sunset. And ahhhh... what sunsets!

Click on the photo to enlarge it. Maybe you'd like to save it as your desktop background. ;~)

It's been almost a week since el horario de verano began, and most of us are still not used to the time change. The almost sacrosanct and favorite daily ritual of siesta is based on the position of the sun and the heat of the day, not on an arbitrary and variable man-made hour on a clock in England, so adjusting to the time change is problematic.

The nights are still refreshingly cool while the daytime temps have risen notably within the past month, but a heat wave is predicted from now until the rains begin possibly in June. Already our state of Guerrero has registered temperatures over 40°C in some places and fires are starting to break out as the burning season comes upon us and the skies grow a little hazier with smoke each day.

Nevertheless, the air still is fragrant with Pacific Ocean breeze and night-blooming jasmine, and more importantly: mangos are in season! ¡Auuuuaaaa!

¡Viva Zihuatanejo!

¡Viva México!

Getting Their Money's Worth

Vacationers in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa certainly got their money's worth today. It was a picture postcard perfect day with light tropical breezes, plenty of sunshine, and clear calm seas: just what the thousands of vacationing visitors from all over Mexico as well as from abroad wish for when they imagine themselves on vacation here.

The streets, hotels, beaches and restaurants of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo are full of tourists, mostly nationals with their families enjoying their summer vacation, escaping from the inland cities, their jobs, and the daily grind of fighting traffic gridlocks to get to and from work and school. The smiles on their faces really leave no doubt they are having a good time and are glad to be here surrounded by Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo's simple natural beauty, far from the crowded hustle and bustle of larger tourist destinations with whom Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa really do not seek to compete.

Small groups of wandering musicians serenade vacationers on the beaches of Zihuatanejo and their music carries on the warm breeze scented by blooming frangipani trees that cling to the coastline around the bay. Families spanning generations congregate at beachfront seafood restaurants and under beach palapas and umbrellas, many with coolers full of food and drinks, soaking in the sun and simply enjoying being together in a still unspoiled natural tropical paradise.

Let's hope Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo can continue being that simple and natural tropical vacation paradise, attracting visitors who come here for what Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is, and not what it isn't. Those who know and love the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo region, especially its residents, do not believe we should seek to compete with other overcrowded and overdeveloped tourist destinations. We believe that Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is a unique enough destination in its own right, thanks to the natural beauty with which it is endowed: a natural beauty worth preserving and protecting for future generations.

Navy Attacked by Gunmen in Ixtapa

While watching the last minutes of LOST at my mother's home in normally peaceful Ixtapa last night, our attention was quickly drawn to what sounded like gunfire somewhere not too far off in the neighborhood below us. For about 15 or 20 minutes we listened to hundreds of rounds of gunfire from automatic weapons interspersed with what also sounded like handguns and a shotgun, and culminating in what sounded like a tiro de gracia at the end. Since we couldn't see where the firefight was taking place, we could only guess that it was coming from somewhere near the residential section of Golondrinas near the intersection with Pelícanos. So many rounds were fired that we feared a stray bullet, so we kept our heads down and tried to stay out of any possible line of fire. We were somewhat surprised not to hear any sirens for what seemed like a long time, but eventually we heard them and saw a couple of police cars drive past on the road below us. My wife and I had to call a taxi to get to our home in Zihuatanejo, and we were concerned they might not come due to the apparent danger. Fortunately APAAZ sent us a taxi, and it just happened to be one who had tried to drive by the scene of the crime to see if the white vehicle reported in CB radio broadcasts was a taxi, but he was waved off by police who had closed the road. He said he saw one body in the road, and during our ride back to Zihuatanejo we listened to quite a bit of radio chatter about the shootout. However, we were quite surprised and disappointed that no roadblock had been set up between Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. With the morning news I found out that the firefight was apparently between narcos and members of the Armada de México when gunmen allegedly ambushed the Comandante del Apostadero Naval de Zihuatanejo as he was driving past the water treatment plant in Ixtapa on Paseo de los Viveros. According to newspaper reports, one marino was killed at the scene and two others injured as they attempted to repel the attack. The attackers allegedly carried off their dead and/or wounded, fleeing the scene in their vehicles. As far as I know they were not apprehended. Also this morning several helicopters of the Sector Naval have been busy circling over Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa since about 9 o'clock, giving the feeling of being in a war zone. With the ambush and murder of 5 members of the Ejército de México last week in Carácuaro, Michoacán and this latest ambush of members of the Armada de México in Ixtapa it appears clear that the narcos have declared war on Mexico's military, something that has never happened in Mexico's history. They have certainly stirred up a hornets' nest, since by directly attacking Mexico's armed forces they have assured that the military will mount a relentless campaign against them to hunt them down and kill or capture the aggressors. The local population has long been calling for the military to take over from the police, who are not trusted, prepared or trained to take on narcos or organized crime. Unfortunately, the governor has been trying to restrict the role of he military in Guerrero so as not to frighten tourists, several who have been injured in attacks over the past two years. Now even the PRI and the PRD at the national level are calling for Presidente Calderón to send the military back to their barracks, against all logic. This only raises suspicions as to the lawmakers' own involvement in narcotrafficking and organized crime, since it is widely known that most police forces at all levels are infiltrated and corrupted by narcos and criminals. If a war is to be waged against organized crime only the military is currently capable of waging it. Yet it begs the question: Even if the military wins, what will be left of Mexico after such a war? Currently in many communities across the country the narcos provide important income, community works and even social assistance where the government has long been failing. Farmers who would otherwise have to leave their lands to seek work either in the cities or across our northern border are currently able to survive and maintain their families only with the money their illegal crops bring. More and more it appears that the only way to put an end to the bloodshed, the corruption and the crime associated with the narco trade, and to save the billions in pesos spent by the government on an unwinnable war, is to legalize and regulate "recreational" drugs as well as to distinguish between truly hard drugs and those less harmful. The money saved as well as the money generated by such measures could be much better put to use educating our youth against drug use as well as rehabilitating drug addicts and making them productive members of our society instead of filling up jails with people who commit victimless crimes. Such a measure would also go a long way towards reducing corruption in the public sector and keeping citizens who are going to use drugs anyway safe from having to deal with underworld criminal elements.

Crime and Pollution

Sadly locals have watched as during the past couple of months a number of notorious crimes have taken place giving rise to a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty among the local residents. There was the assassination of a man at an auto repair service on the highway in Ixtapa, the discovery of grenades in a planter on a downtown street, the discovery of a cache of weapons and ammunition less than a block from the police station as well as near a school and public sports center, the detention of 16 men (though only 13 were handed over to federal authorities with no mention of the fate of the remaining 3) along with the confiscation of four and a half metric tons of cocaine 140 km off our coast, the attack on the Ixtapa police module on the coastal highway Carretera Nacional 200 in broad daylight with a grenade and automatic weapons, several kidnappings including one where a ransom was paid but the victim was murdered anyway, the brutal and senseless murder of a young woman 8 months pregnant by a thief who first made the woman tie up her husband, and an attempted kidnapping in broad daylight and right in front of the municipal police by Policía Ministeriales del Estado and one of their "madrinas" (all 3 were inebriated and had no valid excuse for "detaining" the lady they allegedly tried to kidnap and they were all let free). Local residents no longer feel confident to walk the streets at night and by 10 o'clock Zihuatanejo is now quieter than it's been for years. Municipal authorities have not addressed the problems but instead have only contributed to them by allowing family friends and members to blatantly thumb their noses at police when caught violating our laws, even attacking and threatening police only to get off scott free or paying an absurdly low fine.

Additionally, concealing the pollution problems with Zihuatanejo's bay has also led to a worsening of the problem. City authorities maintain there is no problem and the federal agency entrusted with monitoring and reporting on bacteriological water quality of our beaches, SEMARNAT, simply does not test where raw sewage enters the bay next to the canal "La Boquita" by the museum on the Playa Principal, the town's main beach where many vacationing families frequently swim and play in the water. They apparently have made a deal with politicians to overlook this very real danger to the health of our visitors and instead, like most all of the local lodging establishments and promotors of local tourism, simply maintain that there is no problem or risk to bathers.

How can Zihuatanejo continue inviting vacationers to enjoy its beaches while hiding from them the fact that their health may be at risk, especially at the Playa Principal? How can we claim that Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa are safe and tranquil vacation destinations while violent crimes are on the rise and criminals continue enjoying impunity?

Lodging owners MUST get involved and insist on concrete action from our local, state and federal authorities. The clamor from the general populace has only caused at least one political candidate to run on an "anti-crime" promise, but no action at all has been detected by residents other than the increased military presence protecting the local naval base. Since lodging operators enjoy the greatest benefits of our tourism industry, they should be the first to insist that responsible authorities do their part to provide a safe and healthy environment for tourists to visit.