The determination of Guadalajara City Council limiting the celebration of Christmas vermouths to December 24 and 31, from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., both for hoteliers and for solidarity organizations and associations which request it, has caused the first complaints from the Nipace Foundationwho had raised another request.
The Guadalajara City Hall has decided this year to set only these days for Christmas vermouths as a principle of “fairness” to make it compatible with the rest of the hotel activitya decision that the council adopted at the request of the hotel sector itself and with the clear intention of soon resolving this issue in the most practical way.
This is what the celebrations advisor said this Thursday, Santiago Lopez Pomedaaccompanied by his counterpart from Hospitality and Tourism, Víctor Morejón, during an appearance before the media which took place immediately after that made by the president of Nipace, Ramón de Rebollo, accompanied by families of children being treated in its foundation as volunteers.
While since Nipace does not understand the decision of the municipal council not to authorize the dates of the 21st and 24th which they requested for the celebration of a solidarity vermouth on the first day and an 80s Festival on the second, on the part of the Town Hall, the Advisor for Celebrations wanted to influence in the sense that the Town Hall has not canceled anything from this organization, insisting that, if they wish, they have the possibility of benefiting from days 24 and 31, “with the same times and conditions as for the rest social organizations and the hotel sector. . “The same days and the same conditions for everyone,” he stressed.
“It’s about setting a criterion according to which no one will be harmed,” pointed out Lopez Pomedarecognizing that this results from the fact that on the part of the Guadalajara Hotel and Tourism Federation, integrated into CEOE-Cepyme, at the request of many hoteliers in the citysent them a press release received at the Municipal Council on November 14 in which they showed their complaints and the “necessary regulation” of the so-called solidarity vermouths to make them compatible with the economic activity of the hotel sector and “avoid harm”.
A request that, according to López Pomeda, was discussed in a meeting with the spokespersons of the municipal political groups, during which the request for Nipace was presented, a first of solidarity vermouths for the 22, 23 and 24 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Concordia, and a later one for vermouth on December 21, from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on the 24th from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. 7 p.m., during which the desire of the municipal council to regulate these solidarity vermouths was also mentioned.
A meeting in which, for the moment, it was decided that, given the immediacy of the Christmas dates, only December 24 and 31 and from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. would be set for vermouths, a decision that , according to López Pomeda, was agreed with the government. Federation of Hotel Industry and in which the spokespersons of the political groups PP, Vox and Aike expressed their agreement while the PSOE did not take a position.
Nipace asks the municipal council to think
From Nipace they requested a new meeting and unsuccessfully asked the Municipal Council to reconsider its decision, with the councilor for celebrations insisting that the 21st “is not within the two days set for the Christmas campaign” and once again offering them the opportunity to do so. on New Year’s Eve, a proposal that the foundation is not considering because a large part of the people who participate are volunteers and it would be a disadvantage for them to be with their families that day.
Regardless, in response to Nipace’s meeting request, the councilor indicated that even if he has no request in this regard, there will be no problem in holding it but “that he be clear that the municipal council is not canceling anything, it has simply determined what the days of vermouth will be for everyone.
“We are looking for a framework of coexistence in which everyone benefits and where no one can be harmed,” repeated the councilor.
In the same spirit, Morejón explained that there cannot be “situations of privilege.”
Main source of financing
For his part, from Nipace, its president Ramón Rebollo insisted, an hour earlier, on the fact that Christmas and Fair vermouths are one of the most important sources of citizen funding for boys and girls with cerebral palsy.
During a joint appearance with Raquel de los Santos, Rebollo highlighted that if they proposed the 21st and not New Year’s Eve for one of their solidarity vermouths, it is because many volunteers participated from altruistic manner and “we cannot ask them to give up 24 and 31 for our children”, ensuring that a single day would not even be enough to pay the expenses.
And addressing the hoteliers and more specifically the Secretary General of CEOE, Javier Arriola, for having been one of the participants in the aforementioned meeting with López Pomeda, he criticized them for “knowing nothing about what they are talking about or of what they do.”
“We tell you this with our hearts in our hands”, inviting you to visit the foundation and discover how it works.
And contrary to what the hospitality sector thinks, Rebollo – who is also a hotelier – said that Nipace’s solidarity vermouth benefits the hospitality sector and businesses in the region.
“The Nipace Foundation does not take anything from anyone, but does extremely important work with children with cerebral palsy, for which it needs financial support from companies, institutions and individuals.”
Finally, its president demanded that those responsible for the City Hall “come to their senses, reconsider, granting authorization to produce their vermouths in the requested terms, and thus receive the solidarity of the Guadalajara society, which has already been proven.” “She has a huge heart and is always ready to help,” he concluded.
However, the municipal council clarified that what was decided only affects Christmas and that in the future “we will have to work on establishing a regulation”, which will take into consideration the position of each of the social associations . and hospitality organizations. As for its legal form, it will have to be studied, concluded Pomeda.