Isle’s corruption is an unnatural disaster F

Jorge Rodriguez, 49, is the Harvard-educated CEO of PACIV, an international engineering firm based in Puerto Rico that works with the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. Here is his statement about the hurricane response there:

FOR the last 30 years, the Puerto Rican government has been completely inept at handling regular societal needs, so I just don’t see it functioning in a crisis like this one. Even before the hurricane hit, water and power systems were already broken. And our $118 billion debt crisis is a result of government corruption and mismanagement.

Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, 36, has little government experience. His entire administration is to- tally inexperienced, and they have no clue how to handle a crisis of this magnitude.

Shortly after the hurricane hit, the government imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and then changed it. Now, it’s 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., and makes no sense. The curfew has prevented fuel trucks from transporting their loads. These trucks should have been allowed to run for 24 hours to address our needs, but they have been stalled, and so we have massive lines at gas stations and severe shortages of diesel at our hospitals and supermarkets.

I’m really tired of Puerto Rican government officials blaming the federal government for their woes and for not acting fast enough to help people on the island. When the hurricane hit, we had experts from FEMA from all over the US on the ground and I was really proud of their quick response.

I have 50 engineers that I have sent out pro bono to help local companies get back on their feet. This includes getting people gasoline and cash, and helping them connect to others that can assist with repairs without delays.

I won’t allow my people to work with the local government.

I have a message for the US Congress: Watch out what relief funds you approve and let our local government handle. Don’t let the Puerto Rican government play the victim and fool you.