Chile Senate Insists on Funding for Post‑Storm Reconstruction

Senator Matías Walker, representing the Coquimbo Region, conditioned his vote on the government’s mega‑reform legislation, demanding that the executive formally guarantee the funds needed to rebuild the Coquimbo and Atacama regions after recent severe frontal systems. The Ministry of Public Works estimates the damage in Coquimbo alone at $500‑700 million, affecting bridges, roads, homes, irrigation canals, agriculture and fisheries. Walker warned that the Senate will reject the reform if the Treasury does not provide immediate, binding budget commitments, stating, “La gente necesita certezas. El financiamiento debe quedar formalmente establecido ahora.”

Deputy Francisco Crisóstomo of the Socialist Party, speaking for the Ñuble Region, called on the government to activate the constitutional 2 % emergency fund and to declare an agricultural emergency. He urged rapid financing to repair damaged infrastructure and to support farmers whose production has been hit by the same weather event, noting, “Tenemos familias damnificadas en la región…”. Both officials are pressing the government for swift financial tools to address the extensive damage caused by the storm.