Here we are arriving on a special day. My greetings to everyone. A special Monday, December 15th. December 15th always brings luck. Today is a very special day. This is program number 99. Twice the luck. 9 plus 9 is 18. 8 plus 1 is 9. Everything you multiply by 9 gives you 9. My greetings to everyone in this special program.
Today, December 15th, we are in the final stretch of this beautiful year, 2025, a good year for the homeland, a year where the homeland has grown. Venezuela grows every time it faces historic challenges that test us, and we just keep moving forward.
These weeks of December have been of exceptional, immense work, where permanent work has been combined with maximum happiness turned into parties, celebrations, and sharing. That's how we Venezuelans are, that's our people. They celebrate life, they take advantage of life for good. It's a people that grows in great circumstances and great tests.
Today is program number 99, and I was thinking about the year 2025. Each of these programs has always captured the synthesis of the weekly battle we fight and has always presented the perspective of the effort to be made. Great achievements in 2025: absolute consolidation of popular power at the base in the communes. Consolidation of popular constituent processes in 27 sectors. Today, the great constituent assembly of the Venezuelan working class was installed.
Consolidation of the new economic model: self-sufficient, sustainable, productive, diversified, national. Let's not look for anything outside of what we have to do here, and we are doing it. Consolidation of social, cultural, and public health processes for the people. Consolidation of food projects. The supply, the quality of food, and the access our families have to their right to food is impressive.
Education, the school year. If we could say there was a perfect school year this year, in its first half, the kids are already on vacation. I greet the teachers, and they return to class on January 12th. They have exactly one month to read several books, enrich their culture, share with family and friends. A perfect school year.
Venezuela advances on every front of battle with optimism, with an unbreakable faith in the victory of Venezuela, of Venezuelan identity. And if anything was missing, last week in India, the UNESCO World Assembly declared the joropo an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. A great world prize that we won last week. That is a real prize. It's a deserved prize for the people of Venezuela, for their identity, their joy, the joropo dancers, and the strength that this rhythm has always had, has today, and will always have.
We are a free people. Who doubts it? A free people subjected to sanctions, to aggressions, to permanent aggressions of all kinds. But aggressions only strengthen our fighting spirit. And if a free people fights, always fights, it is doubly free. A free people that fights is a people squared, and we are a doubly free and blessed people.
Today, program 99, don't miss it because we are kicking off the inauguration of 2,000 works today, Monday the 15th, until next Sunday the 21st. This whole week we will be delivering 2,000 works made by 'Together, Everything is Possible,' a great corporation of the people, made by the government, the ministries, the agencies, governorships, mayoralties, popular power. More than 2,000 works. I'd like to know which government on this continent can deliver 2,000 high-quality works to its people. So in program 99, the 'obratón,' the marathon of works, kicks off. Don't miss it. Let's go with the presidential segment. Go ahead.
Monday. From the National Hall of the Popular Government System, President Nicolás Maduro offered a balance of all the communal projects that have been developed in the country. He had a direct connection via video conference with the 5,336 self-government halls, which include the more than 49,000 communal councils, to highlight the importance of working and continuing to cultivate the close relationship with the people.
And that is why we are going to launch a set of fundamental lines. First line: consolidate public works through direct and permanent democracy. Second line: strengthening the planning and action system of the communes. Third line has to do with the self-government system. Fourth line: the communal economy, Bolivarian self-management, so that all the communes in the country have their active communal bank. Fifth, all the great missions reach the territory in the bases of socialist missions and have expression in the self-government hall. Sixth is training and communication, and seventh is security and the defense of the territory and the homeland.
Tuesday. The head of state presided over the National Council of Productive Economy. It was attended by more than 600 national entrepreneurs. A space aimed at consolidating the self-sustaining economy, strengthening the engines of the Bolivarian economic agenda, and transforming Venezuela into a multi-diverse export hub.
Those 13 engines, we could incorporate engine number 14 for its full national and international development, which would be the transport engine. The economic team must immediately, in permanent session, make a plan to, by the first quarter of next year at the latest, simplify into a single window and a single process the complex process that industrialists and entrepreneurs in the country have to go through.
We are at 18 consecutive quarters of growth in the real economy, a growth projected at 9% for 2025. And the projection made by the Central Bank of Venezuela for 2026 is that the economy will continue to grow, with a projected growth of 7% of the GDP of the real economy, because this is the path.
Wednesday, the revolutionary people and social sectors of Venezuela accompanied the national leader in the great commemorative march for the 166th anniversary of the Battle of Santa Inés, with the objective of paying homage to the heroic force of the general of the sovereign people, Ezequiel Zamora, and as a show of force of the Bolivarian Revolution.
We are building the power of the Venezuelan nation to make peace, independence, and the 21st-century Bolivarian Revolution irreversible, to refound from our land the great Bolivarian and Gran Colombian union of eternal times, of eternal centuries. That is why we must bring great victories to our Venezuelan homeland and always defend our land's right to peace and life. You are sworn in with the sacred oath of Ezequiel Zamora. Long live the free homeland of Zamora.
Thursday, the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, led an inspection and delivery day of comprehensive rehabilitation works in the Amalivaca socialist commune, located in the Pinto Salinas sector in the El Recreo parish in Caracas. There, he presented a balance of the participatory budget, highlighting a historic investment and that direct democracy is the fundamental guide for the transformation of a new state.
The year 2024 started this methodology. We realized it's the method. We did two project consultations and approved 9,258 works. We invested $95,280,000. In 2025, we are already at 33,753 works and have invested $337,430,000 directly for the deepest truth we have, which is the organized people. Next year we will move to 42,688 works. That is very important to say because that money, who produces it? Our economy, our people. What does the empire want? To re-edit the old formula of economic warfare. But I tell you, today we are prepared, and nothing and no one will stop investment in community projects for the year 2026, for the year 2027, and the complete recovery of our beloved homeland.
Friday. The head of state celebrated the first anniversary of the National University of Sciences, Dr. Humberto Fernández Morán. From the facilities of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, IVIC, located in Altos de Pipe, Miranda state, he stressed that Venezuela remains on the correct path of history, being the epicenter of high-level education for scientific training and true independence of knowledge for the great homeland.
I see the National University of Sciences, Humberto Fernández Morán, as the bridge, the vehicle of interconnection between the scientific seedbed, which is the Venezuela of the future for the entire 21st century, and the great Humberto Fernández Morán Scientific Movement, which already has 67,000 scientists trained, producing science for the development of a harmonious, truly human society. And in the first quarter of 2026, we will see 2,800 more students enter these classrooms for Venezuela and the world. Learning by doing and doing by learning is a perfect formula. Result: independence and happiness to build our own society.
Sunday. By video conference, President Nicolás Maduro led the 21st Summit of Heads of State and Government of the ALBA-TCP from the Boyacá Hall of the Miraflores Palace. This meeting was dedicated to the centenary of Commander Fidel Castro, reaffirming anti-imperialist unity, sovereignty, regional cooperation, and highlighting the vision of the Liberator Simón Bolívar and Commander Chávez for a united and just Latin America.
We are the great project of union, emancipation, and multidimensional liberation of our people. Let the empires do what they want, and we will do what we have to do. And it will be the way to honor, in this year of the centenary, the great Commander Fidel Castro Ruz. To all of ALBA, I say peace and love to achieve permanent victory. Long live the Bolivarian Alliance of our peoples. Until victory, always.
What a wonderful week. I can tell you that for a long time, the work has been demanding, intensive, and abundant. But this year has been impressive. I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about your work, everyone's. The intensity of the work, the results, the permanent action is impressive. There isn't even time to show everything that is done. There isn't time, there are no media or networks for what is a true saturation of government work. By our works, you should know us as tireless workers with unbreakable faith in the victory of the homeland. That is the title of this film, which is a film based on real events. I only show the public part of the agenda, but behind the scenes, before, during, and after each event, there are meetings, decisions, actions, studies, things done here and there, delegations arriving from abroad, we talk, ping pong.
Last Monday we had a wonderful day with the 5,336 communal circuits, and I launched the seven lines for 2026 for the big bang of communal power. A big bang because there is the perfect accumulation. As was the accumulation that occurred in space, people who have studied this say, for the Big Bang to happen, the creation of the universe. You can go to Simón Bolívar Park in La Carlota. Expoespacial. Don't miss it, Ricardo Sánchez, don't miss it because it explains all this, the Big Bang theory. This Big Bang theory applied to society, to politics, I first heard it from Commander Hugo Chávez in 2003, when imperialism and the oligarchy of surnames were also harassing the country and wanted to destroy it, and we made an accumulation of corresponding actions for the time that led to the great victories from 2004 onwards. And right now something similar is happening, but on a larger scale.
So it's permanent work, and so it must be. The Liberator Simón Bolívar said it in the phrase one has learned since childhood: work and more work, constancy and more constancy to have a homeland. There it is. We have a legacy of persevering, hardworking people, from Bolívar, from Guaicaipuro, from José Leonardo Chirino, and so on.
On Monday, seven lines for 2026 and a big goal, a big goal, a big goal. Here with me is the minister, because I didn't say where I was. I forgot, it's your fault, Ernesto, for arriving late. Ah, I am at the majestic, beautiful, and very central main headquarters of the Latin American School of Medicine, Salvador Allende, a medical school founded by Commander Fidel Castro Ruz and brought to Venezuela by Commander Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías. I greet the president, the rector, sorry, of the University of Health Sciences, Hugo Chávez Frías, Dr. Giovanni Peña. I greet our dear comrade Carlos Alvarado, president of the Salvador Allende Foundation. When he was Minister of Health, he was the minister who faced the pandemic, and he got COVID 10 times. COVID, remember? We were coordinating something all the time, and he would call me, 'I have COVID, I tested positive.' Well, rest. He didn't rest. And also with us is the lieutenant colonel, doctor of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, graduated from the ELAM school, the main headquarters in Havana, Cuba, Dr. Armando Marín Rojas, who was born on November 22nd, one day before me. Excellent.
Well, we are here at this headquarters, and I wanted to come do the program here, this program 99, in homage to Salvador Allende, as Ali Primera said, 'Deep, beautiful Chile that we love, and we know that Chile will resist, and sooner rather than later they will be reborn.' As Allende said, 'They will return to the great avenues of certain hope, defeating the Nazifascism that seeks to impose itself again.' Allende, Ali said in his song. And the day will come when our continent speaks with the voice of a united people. And it will speak, Allende said. The name of Allende, in whose name thousands of doctors and health professionals from Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, Africa, and Asia have graduated. So, well, I am here because we are going to enjoy this magnificent headquarters that I couldn't come to inaugurate personally, but I was very eager to visit. And what better day than today, program 99, a special program where the 'obratón' begins. We continue.
Well, the presidential agenda has been good, good, intense. On Tuesday we woke up with tremendous news. The Venezuelan joropo is an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. A unanimous vote by the countries of the world. Unanimous. Unanimous. And well, it's time to joropo. It's time to joropo, as they say, and it will be said. In these days we will receive the prize and the special historic certificate, and we will deliver it into the hands of the joropo dancers of more than 16 styles of joropo that are danced throughout the country. And I even told Minister Ernesto Villegas to invite our joropo dancer brothers and sisters from Colombia, from Casanare, to come dance joropo with us. Ernesto, that day we also had the conversation with President Vladimir Putin, as you know, solidifying the integral ties of cooperation. The year 2026, I believe in the last quarter, we have the Russia-Venezuela Mixed Commission in Caracas, where Vice President Charnichchenko will come, all the ministers of President Putin's government will come, and we plan very high goals in all areas of work so that 2026 continues to be a year of growth and development in the strategic relations between President Putin, President Maduro, and our two countries. That same Tuesday.
What you see and what you don't see, imagine it. One day I'm going to do a program just of gossip, to tell everything I do like gossip. Ah, Silita, can we do a gossip program? Ah, between Silita and Nico. Find out the gossip. What do you think, Alfred Nazaret? Well, I had the meeting with more than 600 entrepreneurs from the country. If we had done it at the Poliedro, 18,000 entrepreneurs would have come. If we had done it at the Monumental, 60,000 entrepreneurs would have come, because the entrepreneurs of Venezuela are with peace, with sovereignty, with work, committed to the idea of building a productive economy. There I received live and direct on the National Chain more than six interventions where contributions were made to the country's economic development, debates, and all those contributions have already been addressed by different areas of work. The decisions are already coming out, and Venezuela continues on its path to a multi-diverse growth of our economy, which leads the economic growth of all of Latin America and the Caribbean. ECLAC says it, which modestly calculates Venezuela's 2025 growth at 6%, and puts us at the head of the growth of the real economy, also with threats, with aggressions, with sanctions. What is that to us? Rather, it's motivation. Every time the aggressive empire of the north says something about us, we do better. What they want to send us as curses, their threats become blessings and motivation for the work and the achievements we are obtaining every day. Because we carry, like David facing Goliath, the blessings of God and the blessings of the people.
On Wednesday afternoon, we went out to the streets to get wet in a gigantic march. Two swollen rivers. The Caroní and the Orinoco arrived from Caracas, one via Avenida San Martín. 7 km of people, of patriots, and another via Avenida México, Avenida Universidad, and then the junction with Loliar. 7 km more. Rivers of patriotic, rebellious force, of the indestructible, invincible force of the people of Venezuela. Rivers of people, and we called for it, we put out an ad, before it was by radio, 'Tomorrow at 5 pm, candidate so-and-so.' No, we are not in a campaign. Here it's word of mouth. It's not the first time that in hours 200,000, 300,000 people come out in any big city in Venezuela, starting with Caracas. It's not the first time. It's a capacity built based on organization, awareness, motivation, and that we defend the most sacred cause to defend in Venezuela: peace, sovereignty.
Tremendous. Well, it was very good there. I debuted the last one there, in Petares, right? We had already sung in Petares, which became a hit, the song of the great John Lennon, admired since always, since childhood. Imagine. And well, it ran impressively, how it ran on the networks. You all ran it across the continent. Across the continent. Then the 'changa' came up, made by a kid from the Dominican Republic, my last name Santana. The 'changa' is played at all the parties here, at all the concerts, in all the discos, dance centers, because besides being catchy, it has a correct human message, which is the message of the Venezuelan National Consensus. Peace, peace, peace. No to crazy war, no to war for oil. No blood for, no blood for, no blood forever. Victory forever the people.
And on Wednesday, I launched the other thing, well, that came to my mind that morning. I woke up that day, Wednesday, singing the song 'Don't worry, be happy.' No, that has a rhythm, it can't be right there. 'Don't worry, be happy.' So, you can combine it. 'Don't worry, be happy.' No to war. Be happy. Be happy like a worm and let others be happy. Leave your bitterness, because Venezuela has the right to happiness and sovereignty. Bitter people of the world, of the empire, leave your bitterness and don't worry, be happy. No crazy war, no blood for, is our message to the dear people of the United States of North America. From, signed by the people of The People of Republic Bolivarian, no, sorry, it's signed by the People of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
On Thursday we had a beautiful week because I like it, it's the happiest day I have. When I go out, not to party, I go to a commune. We were there in the Amalivaca commune. Truly, in Pinto Salinas, works were voted on, works here, works there, organization, neighbors in the streets, there was an overflow of people. We had international delegates, more than 500 delegates from 44 countries who came to the solidarity meeting with Venezuela here, public opinion leaders from 44 countries. So on Friday, I had to celebrate the anniversary of the very modern, very advanced, world-vanguard, Humberto Fernández Morán University of Sciences, there in the Miranda highlands, in the mountains they call Altos de Pipe. De Pipe, not del Pipe, de Pipe. And because there was a gentleman who lived there, Mr. Pipe Fernández, that's what he was called. We were there, look, with a bunch of kids, 18,000 students. 2,800 more will now enter. So that university of science that offers 16 careers is just going up. Then the kids stayed and fulfilled the order with that cold weather. They ate their 'ayaquita,' drank their broth, and woke up dancing, dancing tirelessly. They are at the age of partying, of partying. And they have to be scientists, patriots, committed to Venezuela, creative, innovative, but happy. They can't be bitter scientists, they have to be happy scientists.
On Saturday I had a contact with a very powerful meeting of the communal think tanks that are being organized in all the communal circuits, the communal think tanks, the TPC. And well, that gets lost from view because for us, the think tanks they call 'think tanks,' the first time I saw that was in Washington. The first time in my life I went to Washington was January 2nd, 2000. Some institutions there invited me. I remember I went with Alfredo Peña, who may he rest in peace, who later became an opposition figure. He was a constituent, I was also a constituent. And we left on the first of January, on the second of January with 10 degrees below zero, we were arriving in New York, and from there in a little Delta plane that was shaking, we landed almost in an emergency at Reagan Airport in Washington. I know Washington very well, very well. I was telling some people these days, people I spoke with in the United States. I said, 'I really like Washington, a lot, Constitution Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, and there is the majestic statue of the Liberator Simón Bolívar. I really like the Lincoln Memorial that is around here, the Capitol is around here. I know the Capitol very well, completely, because, well, I had many friends, congressmen, senators, quite a few. I was a founder of the Boston group in 2003, a founder. We were in Nantucket, in Boston, in Massachusetts, well, I know it completely. I have driven, I was telling a friend I have there, I have driven myself. I remember it completely because once I drove from Boston, New York, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, the whole East Coast. Miami, needless to say. If I run for mayor of Miami, I win. Miami, Silita and I knew it well. We were there in Weston, which they call Westonzuela. Have you been there? Westonzuela. Some very beautiful houses. They invited me once to a pool, a joke, we were there bathing. Ah, once there was, Silita, a hurricane, remember? Afterwards we couldn't leave Florida because there was a hurricane. We had to stay like three days there, and we had a lot of work here. I also know New Orleans, I forgot, Bourbon Boulevard. It's a very long boulevard, in the style of the era, because that was part of Spain, of the Spanish colonies. I know the United States very well, and I love it a lot too, and I appreciate the people of the United States, and I know that the United States loves us a lot, and I know that the people of the United States are going to tie the hands of the warmongering crazies who want to impose an oil war in South America. I know it, I know it.
The people of the United States, social movements, Christian churches, the Catholic Church, trade union movements, many political leaders, many, many have full awareness. Many opinion leaders have full awareness, they have a lot of awareness of the value of peace in America and the value of respecting Venezuela as an exemplary country that respects the United States, international law, and is a peaceful, pacifist country, right? Well, worth the comment, yesterday Sunday we were almost 4 hours at the historic summit of the 21 years of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America. ALBA has no waste, the ALBA debate. The firm positions of President Díaz-Canel, an intelligent, fighting, and honest man, of the great Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra of Nicaragua, of the first ministers, Roosevelt Skerrit of the Commonwealth of Dominica, of Pierre of Saint Lucia, the interventions of the foreign ministers, the one from Grenada who really put everything in its place. Truly, ALBA is an extraordinary space for true integration, for true advancement of the ideas of union, solidarity for the joint emancipation of our people. And from ALBA, yesterday they gave me, I couldn't show it, with your permission I'm going to show it. They gave me this symbol, this symbol of the victors of Ayacucho. A majestic symbol. The flag of the Hussars Battalion of the Honor Guard of the Liberator Simón Bolívar. With the CDI, it is the original coat of arms of Gran Colombia, and it decreed the Hussars Battalion of the Honor Guard, it decreed it victor of Ayacucho, Liberators of Peru. Here we are. For anyone who has a doubt in this hemisphere about where we come from, what our flag is, what our commitment is, and why we are completely loyal to our people, here it is. This is the original flag, and we are the original Bolivarians who were born to win and not to be defeated, and we are winning. Well, thank you for this beautiful gift, and we go directly to Digital Zone with Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela, because what's coming is serious. Go ahead.
Well, President, here we are again in Digital Zone in the last program of the year, I say, for now. For now. And we start as always with economic news. A lot to talk about. The hemisphere is very active, to use the words that are in vogue. They estimate that the trade balance between Venezuela and Colombia will have a growth between 10% and 12% in 2025. This is said by the president director of ProColombia in Venezuela, Carlos Luna, and he highlighted, he quoted verbatim, that there are many challenges and much more to do. And this consideration with that of the National Assembly that just approved the budget precisely for the Central Bank of Venezuela for 2026 for more than 150,000 million. The economic theme in this last quarter of the year is, as always, protagonist, right? And more so if it's the regional trade balance. This week, as we were remembering now in the segment of the presidential agenda, we had a meeting at the National Council of Economy, and well, there you could see live and direct on the national chain, you could see how the entire business sector of the country, all of it, is united in the plan and the productive effort we have been developing. We have achieved a very high level of consensus in what should be the development of the plan of the 14 engines. Now it's the plan of the 14 engines that allows the harmonious development of all productive capacities with great goals for 2026, 2027, 2028. You know I'm quite impatient, well, in general we are all a little accelerated, we want the things we've already identified we need to achieve, we want them for there, right? And we have a great goal which is 100% import substitution. To produce everything, all goods in Venezuela, everything, in a maxim that I have been insisting on, which I have taken from the Venezuelan social, scientific, economic process itself: learn everything from everyone, doctors, do everything with our capacities in Venezuela, and never depend on anyone, for anything. They are three components of a perfect equation. Result: total independence, happiness, tranquility, stability, and also great capacity. To live from our efforts, from our capacities. And in the economy I have proposed that, 100% substitution of all imports, right? Raise to higher levels the exports, facilitating the export mechanisms in more than 90 products that we are already exporting to the whole world, because the great markets of the world, China, India, Russia, Iran, Turkey, etc., the great markets are receiving our products in a growing way, with great quality, our products, and maintain harmonious growth with investment, a circulation of credit, the democratization of credit and its expansion, harmonious growth of each of the national engines. Now, this question about Colombia also tells you, because you can say a figure, trade between Colombia and Venezuela will grow 12%, but you have to see the quality of the trade we are having now, right? Today Venezuela produces more and exports more to Colombia, and we are importing goods necessary for internal productive processes fundamentally. In the past, when the trade balance between Colombia and Venezuela reached 11,000 million dollars, in times when the president of Colombia was Mr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, who traveled a lot to Venezuela at the time, I was chancellor, I received him a few times here. Can I tell you a joke? Of course. How do they say? How does it say, Marcigo? A 'brollo,' a 'brollo.' Tell me a 'brollo.' Once I went to pick him up, Commander Chávez was in Miraflores waiting for Uribe, and I went to pick him up at the airport. Then we got in the caravan, and when we entered Plaza Sucre in Catia, you know you enter like this, cross to the left to take Avenida Sucre, and there was a huge line, and on the wall that was there, a slogan was painted that said 'Uribe, paramilitary assassin, signed by Colombians in Venezuela.' And he was in the right window, in the back, I was here on the left. So he was looking, 'How beautiful everything is,' he said, 'this is beautiful, Nicolás, looking at everything. How many people here?' Because you know in the plaza area there are a lot of people. 'How many people here, Nicolás?' So when I saw the slogan, 'No, President, look at this,' I started showing him a folder, a joke there, and the car wasn't moving, guys. Until we got out of there. I said, 'Don't look back now.' He didn't even know there was a huge slogan that said 'Uribe paramilitary and assassins' and it said 'Colombians in Venezuela.' Well, in Uribe's times, in that era of Uribe's 8 years, we reached a trade balance, it's called the trade balance, the trade exchange of 11,000 million dollars, but it was unbalanced. Right. Colombians sold us 10,000 million, we sold about 1,000 million and we only sold them some rebar, aluminum, a few little things. The rest we brought everything, everything, everything, everything. The milk, the meat. Sometimes the meat was taken from here, from Apure, and they didn't sell it. As Colombian meat, and it was our meat, milk, the eggs came from all that area of Bucaramanga, trucks full of eggs, everything was brought from there, everything, everything, everything. Now we have a more balanced balance, and what is growing is a healthy balance, and I am sure that if we maintain, as we must maintain, relations of respect, of peace, and open borders, everything that is economic development, investment, trade, and border functioning will be for mutual benefit. So it's great news that what we started with President Petro when he came to government continues to grow. There, the first step was taken to open the border, because in the time of Iván Duque, you all remember, right? Iván Duque, how he promoted paramilitary invasions, conspirations on the border, and a number of elements that greatly affected the life of the border population, and the border population on both sides, for example, that very active border of Cúcuta, Pamplona, Bucaramanga, San Antonio, Ureña, Rubio, Capacho Viejo, Capacho Nuevo, San Cristóbal, they applaud that that border is more and more alive, more open, and functioning as it should.
President, following up on the economic theme and with just a few days left to close this 2025, do you believe that the most important achievement of this year, or at least the one most talked about this year in economic terms, is this total supply of Venezuela, but above all this self-sufficiency, this production of practically everything we eat? I believe it is the consolidation of that achievement that we already started to obtain in the year 2023, right? And that is fully consolidated today because it is a virtuous relationship between the government, the workers, the entrepreneurs, and also with a plan. So much so that I ordered an offensive of food saturation to the Minister of Artillery through the fairs of the sovereign countryside, of the fish fairs, of the opening of the Mercal with the new Pedeval scheme, and it is impressive, we are taking 34,000 tons on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to thousands of communities. I ordered that this be maintained at least until the last weekend of December. After that, we'll see. And that has allowed people to have in their own community, in addition to the purchases they can make anywhere, fortunately, access to high-quality products, very fresh, and between 40% and 70% cheaper than what they get out there in the capitalist market.
Okay, President, let's change. Let's go a bit to the polls. I have a question here, but I'm going to leave it for a bit later, right? Correct. Ah, look, we are going to combine this with some segments we are waiting for because today the 'obratón' started. Say it there. Ah, Ernesto Villegas has arrived. Okay, greetings Ernesto Villegas. Ah, first time I've come to the program. The Benjamin, a Nobel. Ah, the Nobel. You are the Nobel of the program. Ah. We are waiting, they'll let me know, right, President? Venezuelans take to the streets this Saturday, this Saturday and all week against the theft of the nation's oil by the United States. And I take this opportunity to link it with a hot poll from the firm DataViva. It says that 96% of Venezuelans are against any military action by the United States against Venezuela, and 88% consider the forced sale of CITGO to be a theft of the nation's assets.
Look, at this hour that we are speaking, more than 300 night marches are taking place in 300 territories of the country. At this hour, if we look out from the balcony of this enormous 17-story building where this flamante and beautiful headquarters of the Latin American School of Medicine Salvador Allende is, tremendous, look, we hadn't said it, tremendous auditorium, beautiful, with wood decoration. It has this effect that Villanueva sought in the Bula Magna. No, the Bula Magna has this effect that allows an echo, a muffled echo for communication without the need for a microphone. See, my thing. At this hour, tremendous mobilizations are taking place, and I want to thank the people, the entire Venezuelan population, for their forceful and accurate response to the US aggression, to the fascist manipulation, to the call of Leopoldo López, Juan Guaidó, Julio Borges, La Sayona, David Smolansky, and the list goes on, to militarily invade our country. To what La Sayona said there, I generally don't pay attention to anything she does because she is crazy, in mind, in hatred, but I cannot be silent. Before this, I cannot be silent. And that is why that same poll, which is one of the most prestigious internationally, worldwide, that poll I think is called DataViva. DataViva says that 89% of Venezuelans repudiate this infernal demon, this criminal who calls the Venezuelan people drug traffickers, this criminal who calls for an invasion and the killing of Venezuelans in a gringo imperialist invasion. And a number. You are an expert in communication and public opinion statistics. You know, and the experts who are watching me nationally and internationally know, because they analyze everything I do everywhere. If I do this, 'Oh, Maduro did this, what will happen to him?' If I do this, 'Maduro is falling asleep now. Maduro falls asleep at events,' etc. Anything I say, 'Maduro scratched here, oh, he has an illness, he has a flea.' What's it called? Louse. He did this. 'Oh, Maduro is lousy.' Everything I do, they analyze it. They made me famous. That's right. You are very famous. More famous than Taylor Swift and Karol G. They call me Nicole G. Now, the experts in this matter know that never in any country in the world, in any, a question, an answer, a question from a poll reaches the value of 96%. 96% of the citizens of this country, regardless of their religion, ideology, political position, socioeconomic situation, repudiate the act of piracy that the United States government committed against a ship with Venezuelan oil, which flagrantly violates all international public law and takes us back to the era of pirates and corsairs. The pirates who always existed in antiquity, who were criminal gangs dedicated to looting ships at sea, looting towns, they would pass by some town, see it unprotected, and get into it. Well, the history of piracy in the Caribbean is legendary. And the corsairs, what's the difference between a pirate and a corsair? That the corsairs were pirates authorized by the letter of marque, a document that an empire gave them. So, the British Empire had its famous, legendary, criminal corsairs. And they had a letter. Who did the corsairs of the British Empire attack? The enemies of the British Empire, and they looted cities, ships, etc. The Spanish, the Spanish Empire, had its corsairs. Who did they attack? Who gave the title of letter of marque to the corsairs who were state pirates? The Guipuzcoana Company, all this must be studied and remembered. The Guipuzcoana Company gave the right to attack any ship that carried the riches of Venezuela's oil 250 years ago. From 1730 more or less to 1784, 85, the Guipuzcoana Company operated. But the Spanish corsairs of the Spanish Empire attacked coffee, cocoa, cotton, indigo, which was the oil of Venezuela in the 17th century. And from there began to arise that feeling among the mantuanos, among the white Creoles, of hatred, of revenge, of rage, of impotence, of indignation, from where arose the golden generation of Simón Bolívar, José Félix Ribas, Rafael Urdaneta, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi, Josefa Joaquina Sánchez, and the list goes on, and not just here, also on the continent, but here we have the example of the Guipuzcoana Company that humiliated. If you were from the Palacio family, the Bolívar family, and you produced coffee here in the mountains of El Ávila, as it was called, you would take out your coffee ship and the corsairs would come, assault you, kill you, and take the stolen coffee and sell it in European markets, starting with the Spanish market. That is the history of the pirates, the corsairs, and the 96% of the people of Venezuela, in whose blood runs the libertarian blood, repudiates the corsairs of today and says, 'No one has a letter of marque, and Venezuela will make itself respected.' Here no one has a letter of marque, so it is a poll that ran hard, it impacted the world, because it is the reaction not only of public opinion, but it is combined with public opinion with the immense mobilizations of the people in the streets. On Saturday, there were more than 500 in the neighborhoods, barrio adentro, comunidad adentro, the empowered people expressing their truth and telling the world, 'Alert world, alert, because this points not only against Venezuela. Today Venezuela is defending its rights. And we will do it, we will continue to do it by all the means we have to defend our rights to free trade, to respect for international law, and in the defense of the rights of Venezuela and the international law that protects us, that covers us. We are defending the right of all humanity to not have imposed again...
The world of colonial pirates, corsairs who for centuries plundered noble peoples who were enslaved at the time. So we are giving a very beautiful stellar fight. This fight is writing glorious pages of history, and it is being written by the common man, the common woman, the simple people who in Venezuela have a gigantic tradition.
Well, President, today we woke up with a headline that catches the attention: Ultra-right wins elections in Chile. Speaking of this gentleman, Kast...
This gentleman based his campaign on that, and that's why he touched it. [laughter] President, he based his campaign on the stigmatization and persecution of us Venezuelans. And today, connecting with the previous question, people like María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia publicly congratulate him, who support and continue this persecution of Venezuelans that is no longer just in Argentina, not just in Peru, but now also in Chile. That is precisely what he based his campaign on.
Look, there are many elements, right? There are many elements that explain this and that have made the so-called progressive process of Mr. Boric create the conditions for a Nazi, a Pinochetist to arrive at La Moneda. La Moneda, there bombed and where Salvador Allende, the greatest president Chile has had and one of the greatest presidents in the history of Latin America, was assassinated on September 11, 1973. To whom we dedicate all this effort of this medical school. I saw the image today, the Nazi, raised in a Nazi and Pinochetist family, a self-confessed convict, defender of the greatest criminal in the history of Chile and perhaps Latin America in the last 100 years, a self-confessed Pinochetist. I saw him entering the La Moneda office, where they killed Allende. Boric was waiting for him without a tie, and this gentleman entered with a 'flujo', as we say in Venezuela, his suit and his tie. And I said, the only change is that one didn't have a tie and the other has a tie. Because in the end, the so-called progressivism of Boric, which was no progressivism at all, ended up governing, turning on the left turn signal and always turning right. It is the result of the lukewarm, of the fence-sitters. We already saw it in Argentina too. They are results of the frustration of the constituent forces that nested in the Chilean people in the social explosion of October 2019. Manipulated, betrayed, and frustrated by this gentleman Boric. So now the Chilean people have a great challenge. The Chilean people are a noble, progressive people, a capital people that saw the giants of Latin America born. Bernardo O'Higgins was alongside Bolívar's army, he presented himself there in Peru and said to him, 'At your service, my general.' And Bolívar said to him, 'We are brothers.' And they went to battle together. The times of Bolívar and Sucre will return, the times of the United Liberation Army will return, and O'Higgins will return with us. To the Venezuelan migration, once again betrayed, threatened in Chile, they gave them a deadline. Yes. Good people who work in Chile, who produce in Chile, who contribute to Chile, who pay their taxes in Chile, hardworking people, good people who went there, many medical professionals, they are the best doctors in Chile. Our doctors are the best in Chile. Then out comes the 'Sayona' Leopoldo López, this old man González, to support that Mr. Kast threatens the Venezuelan migration, gives them a deadline and says that if not, he will detain them, take away their car, their house, bank accounts, and expel them as if they were criminals. Mr. Kast, be careful. Leave alone who is alone. The Venezuelan migration has rights. The Chilean Constitution must guarantee them. And the only thing I could tell our compatriots in Chile, if they accept it, well, I only say it if they accept it with much respect, as Ernesto used to say when he was a reporter, with much respect I say it to the Venezuelan migrants, regardless of the region they come from, regardless of how long they have been there, regardless of ideology or political positions, those are the least of it. The only thing I can tell you, and if I can give you a recommendation with humility, is to return to the homeland. This is the homeland of opportunities and of perpetual happiness, and together we can recover this country more quickly. No one will persecute us here. Welcome to the homeland. Everyone who wants to come. Great Mission Return to the Homeland. If I could, as the song says, if I could send 100 planes to bring them all back on a free ticket, I would do it tomorrow. I would do it tomorrow. Just as we are bringing back all the migrants from the United States, freeing and rescuing them from prison in the United States. So, well, count on all our support. And I have already ordered the Executive Vice President, I have ordered Dr. Camila Fabri, president of the Great Mission Return to the Homeland, to make a special plan of support, legal, diplomatic, and logistical backing for the entire Venezuelan community in Chile. And everyone who wants to return will have our decided support for the protection of the Venezuelan family that might be there.
Let's make the first cut, if you allow me? Caracas, I have your authorization. Go ahead, President.
Let's see, [laughter] the usual signal. Approved. We're going to Caracas. Neguara. There it is. Look, they're going to go crazy. This is a special program, that's why we cut the interview and now it will continue, right? There we were, look, here in the Sucre parish, in the Socialist Commune Explosion of Popular Power, there in Ruperto Lugo.
Ah, a very dear area in the west of Caracas that is almost on top of the Gato Negro station. There, a comprehensive, beautiful rehabilitation was done of 21 buildings, five towers, and 10 modules in the Ruperto Lugo sector. Thanks to the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation, everything is possible. It's hitting home runs with full bases throughout the country, and it's only been a few months since the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation was born. It already has more than 1,000 works planned with the commune throughout the country for the entire year 2026. You're going to go crazy. But you're going to go even crazier when you see this beauty. The mayor of Caracas, Carmen Teresa, is there with Naún Fernández, the favorite salsa singer of the fans. Walter Gavidia, president of 'Juntos Todo es Posible'. There is Sara, spokesperson for the commune. Also there is Quijansis Guinam. It's an old surname from Caracas. Guinam. Liliana is there, and the community of Ruperto Lugo. And for me, it is a joy to deliver today, starting the 'obratón' with more than 2,000 works that we are going to deliver from today until the 21st. First work, Ruperto Lugo, Caracas. Go ahead.
A greeting to all of Venezuela and to all the people of Caracas, my commander-in-chief. Here we are happy with this community of Ruperto Lugo. 21 buildings rehabilitated, and we are going to cut the ribbon of 'Juntos Todo es Posible', which is a miracle that arrived in Venezuela. 'Juntos Todo es Posible'. One, two, three. Here, a comprehensive rehabilitation has been done, eight courts, the children's park, look how they are enjoying their park, and we continue working with our spokespeople, with Sara, with Quijansis, and Liliana, who will explain everything that has happened here in this comprehensive rehabilitation. My commander, this is a beauty, a beauty. And like the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation is throughout Venezuela, well, here in Caracas we thank you for that little heart of Caracas for all the works, well, all week special works are being inaugurated by the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation. Well, let our comrade Walter Gavidia, president of the corporation, tell us how this miracle happened, that the people here in Ruperto Lugo, from these Simón Bolívar and Guinán buildings, Carlos Guinán, are happy. Walter.
Amen. Commander. Look, I'm going to tell you something because, President, to understand the present, what we are living, you have to know the past. I'm going to tell you a little bit of that past, why we are here. Exactly. In March, in March of this same year, well, I met with you and I had here under my arm a folder because I had come to visit this community and here we had left a record in photos, photos, Naú, how all these buildings here in Ruperto Lugo were completely deteriorated. They were falling apart, the frieze, the paint, everything was very ugly because there were no courts, they were ugly, the walkways were all broken, well, there was no lighting, the sports courts were all disabled, well, and you managed to see, you saw that photograph, and I say it with feeling, but so that you know, you said, 'The time has come for Ruperto Lugo,' and you ordered us, you ordered us, commander, and Naú, and boys and girls, and everything, and we arrived here exactly in April, that was the end of March, we started in April, and we held a tremendous assembly, and here the concrete action agenda was born, and here is the result, President. 21 buildings have been completely recovered, and the community was always alongside the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation. Many of the people here also worked with the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation, here are our brigades. We have recovered all the spaces, well, the parking lot, waterproofing, more than 100,000 square meters of recovery of the entire facade of all that number of buildings. 21 buildings. There are many here, look, leaders of the Sucre parish for a long time that we have met here. You remember that I was born in Ruperto Lugo, well, since I was a child, well, I knew, I was born here, here I was part of my life and I have part of my heart here in Ruperto Lugo. I truly feel pleased, and this community, look, one thing is to say it and another thing is to see it. Here people are crying, but crying with joy, crying very happy about all this work that you have ordered us to build. Remember that the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation, you created it and you are the one who directs it. We, right, thank you and bless you and may God take care of you to continue facing North American imperialism, which is the enemy of humanity.
Mayor, please. Naú, here is the spokesperson Sara. Sara, they call her the mayor of Ruperto Lugo. Sara, go ahead.
Good evening, President, from this community of Ruperto Lugo, combative, warrior, it resists and resists. We thank God first, and you as our president. God blessed us with having a warrior president, a president of peace, a president who has withstood all the blows we have had in this country and is still here with this people, accompanying us, who does not abandon us, has even allowed us to have this blessing which is the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation with our comrade Naú, who I would even like to make a little history. We started with the attention in Ruperto Lugo, starting with comrade Naú through the government of the Capital District with the rehabilitation of the Cútira blocks, waterproofing. That is important to highlight. Then we had the blessing with the popular consultations, where we had the opportunity as a people to choose our projects and be part of their execution, to say what we want and what we don't want. And so it has been done through our Bolivarian government. We also want to thank our mayor Carmen Meléndez, our godfather Francisco Quevedo, who has not abandoned us at any moment and accompanies us. In short, one government. To explain a little how the arrival of 'Juntos Todo es Posible' has been in our territory. We started in October, even with doubts we said, 'Will it be true, my God, that they will attend to us?' Because these housing complexes had almost 50 years without being touched. 'Juntos' arrives and the hope of our inhabitants is reborn. Our community saw a little light, [applause] a little light on the path and we said, 'Well, will they attend to us?' Look, today, President, we tell you with our hearts, it is a dream come true and even exceeding the expectations of this people. We knew that this housing complex was going to be beautiful, but not like this. This is beautiful thanks to the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation, to the team that accompanies it, qualified personnel, who work with mystique, with good quality materials, which allows that empathy between people and government for us as a community. That is, look, we would like it like this, we would like it this way. We are heard, our proposals are taken into account. What more can I tell you, President? We are happy.
Very beautiful. There they took what are called support images when it was still day, and the courts are impressive, the sports courts for the youth, so important. What Sara said is true, many years have passed without giving a little love to the legendary blocks of Ruperto Lugo, which are in front of the 23 de Enero. They are housing complexes that were born in the same period as Marcos Pérez Jiménez, in the same architecture, same concept, and they are gigantic blocks. That type of block is no longer recommended to build, but rather single-family homes or three or four-story buildings so that public services are easier to manage. I want to greet the 15 communal councils of the Ruperto Lugo commune. Look, there are the images, see? Look what a beauty. Courts for an Olympics. Sara, do you hear me? Go ahead, I'm watching you.
Of course I hear you, President. I hear you. Look, this is a community made up of 9,692 families, but we are a long-lived community. Mostly older adults who feel happy today to see their spaces rehabilitated for them to walk, for them to move. Look, President, truly, grateful. Thank you very much, President. We admire you, we respect you. And here we are, on our knees on the ground. Despite the blows, despite the empire trying to attack us, we remain firm with you at the front, at the front of this ship called Revolution. Thank you, President.
Look Sara, let's also, President, from here we have Quijansis, who it's good for the young person from this territory to tell us, and I also have here a justice of the peace. President, you know that when we arrive at the community, the first thing we find is the justice of the peace. Tell us, inform the President how you have experienced it.
Well, good evening. First of all, thank God and the President for this great beautification. Look, we have had many things, it's huge, I mean, there are no words to encompass all this beauty that the Corporation and the President are giving us today. The commune has approximately 2,774 adolescents who today live in all these areas that the Corporation recovered. It has been a job of hard work, it has had its ups and downs, it has had its blows, but here it is, huge, beautiful, grateful for all this that has been given to us, truly.
Well, President, and also here with us is the justice of the peace who is celebrating her birthday because today she has been elected for one year. What do you say, Lauria? Inform the President, justice of the peace, looking here.
Good evening. Popular power. Popular power always present and consistent at the front. My President Nicolás Maduro, here wishing you always blessings, the best, and thanking you for this beautiful gift you gave to this beautiful community. We will always be grateful to you, on our knees on the ground, and wishing you the best in this world. Well, my President, how are you going to be able to handle us with this love that this people has for you, with this respect that this people has? Here is the other communal spokesperson. We are listening to the people here.
Good evening, President Nicolás Maduro. To the first combatant, a revolutionary greeting from here in Ruperto Lugo. Cilia Flores, doctor, thank you for all this. And to all those who have made it possible for there to be rehabilitation in Ruperto Lugo. I belong to the Simón Bolívar residence, self-construction from the 80s, where it was truly a struggle, where we are today on our feet. Thanks to all your intervention at this moment of rehabilitation, the beautification is something impressive. We have the dossier, the before and after. Here we are. Thank you, President. Thank you to everyone. To the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' team, to the mayor here, to my president Walter Gavidia who has made it possible, here to the chief Naú Fernández, everyone, everyone in battle, we are a fortress. Thank you, thank you for believing in us. Ruperto Lugo is celebrating, there is no other. Ruperto Lugo, we have the sky blue in the Simón Bolívar. We are the sea and the sky. You are invited, President, to have a coffee at the Simón Bolívar residence. There are the cameras. Look, here we have a child, President, who wants to send you a message from here to there. Also the children here, everyone is excited because they are happy. This one plays soccer. This one plays soccer here on the brand new courts of Ruperto Lugo. Go ahead.
Your name first. Your name. Good evening. My name is Tiago José Ivarra Guinán Alviares. We are very, we are very grateful for the court. We have been waiting day and night for them to open it. The biggest gift you have given us is this. Thank you very much, Nicolás Maduro.
Well, President, with this joy that we have over there, I sent you the schedule, President of the salsa in Caracas. There's going to be a 'Retumba, Retumba en Caracas'. In Caracas, a party for the people. Here what you are going to see is joy, and the haters and the unpatriotic, well, over there they are going to burst with ulcers and bad things. But here, for you, President, and for this people, the blessings of God, joy, and happiness. Go ahead, President.
Long live peace. Look, I was talking about what Liliana, the compatriot Liliana, said. She said an expression. I am attentive to the expressions, the words of the deep feeling of the people, because in Venezuela, in the Bolivarian Revolution, the people are the vanguard. You have to know how to listen to the people. One cannot be a president who hides in a palace and forgets the people. One has to be with an ear attentive to the people, the heart with the people, and on the ground. That is why I am happy when I see these communes working and soon, Liliana, I will be there. Sooner than you think, much sooner. But Liliana said an expression, 'In battle, we are a fortress.' And in battle, in these 25 weeks of aggression, imperialist threat, we have become an impregnable fortress. We have become, from the territorial, political, diplomatic, human, psychological, ideological point of view, from every point of view, but above all from the popular point of view. There we have a strengthened, empowered people, governing, and nothing has stopped us. I could have an excuse, Miguel Ángel. No, that they have threatened me. What's wrong with you, Maduro? I'm scared. Well, you have that face. I'm scared. But look, it's not over yet. This hasn't ended. But what happened? I got scared. And anyone could have complained. The same when they took away 99% of our oil revenue, and here no one chickened out. Not only did we not chicken out, we will never chicken out. And what we are doing is moving forward, building works for the people, because we care about the life of the people, that children have their homes, sports for the kids, music, culture, education in schools, we care about people's housing. There are presidents in the world who want to rule the globe, but they are not capable of building a humble home, or a humble man. They are not capable of fixing a school or fixing a court. They are not capable of attending to the life of people, of guaranteeing children their perfect, quality classes. That is why what Liliana said is a slogan. In battle, we are a fortress. And what Tiago said, Tiago looks like he's going to be a tremendous soccer player, you hear. He was waiting day and night for them to open the courts. I would have been waiting too. So Tiago, well, give him some basketball and soccer balls, right? To go play very soon. Tiago, we'll see you there. You hear. Well, 'Retumba Caracas', Naún said. There are tremendous concerts. Get me there. When are the 'Retumba Caracas' concerts to invite our people, right? And now we are saying goodbye to Ruperto Lugo with the desire to go to Ruperto Lugo to have a coffee today or to play soccer with Tiago. We are going to La Guaira, La Guaira in Los Caracas, because a miracle has been worked there. Vacation City of Los Caracas. Come here. Look, I have my buddy. Look at the people from Miami, my neighbors from Miami. Look, there isn't a beautiful resort in Miami like the Vacation City of Los Caracas that we are delivering. Look at this saltwater pool, seawater. Have you ever bathed in a seawater pool? I think only once in my life. Look, look at this pool. Naú. Ah, and who is this for? For the multimillionaire mandates. No, never. This is for the working Venezuelan family, for the working class in the Vacation City of Los Caracas. Advancing in its recovery, comprehensive reconstruction. This is a beauty, okay? No, and it's all over the mountain. The only thing there is to be careful of are the snakes that come out there from time to time at night. Lie, lie. There are no snakes there. Look at this. This, look, looks like the French Riviera where we used to go on vacation. Remember? [laughter] There, look at this beauty. The Venezuelan Caribbean Sea. Look, it's a tremendous restaurant. Ah, truly, a beauty. And they have already started to install these cabins that we are bringing from China. See, impressive. You get into this cabin, enjoy with the family, and there you have the river, there you have the sea, you have the restaurants. To enjoy, to enjoy, to enjoy. We are the envy of Miami resorts, Vacation City of Los Caracas. And we are going to La Guaira with the ambassador, sorry, with the governor. Now they are going to say Maduro takes out Terán and sends him as ambassador. He announced it at the last minute with the governor of La Guaira, José Alejandro Terán, with the Minister of Public Works, who is the maker of this miracle, Juan José Ramírez, and with the entire management team of the Vacation City Los Caracas. 2,000 works, 'obratón', marathon of works starts today until the 21st, second work. Go ahead.
A fraternal hug, President. From this miracle of the Bolivarian Revolution, we are in this beautiful Vacation City Complex Los Caracas, specifically from the El Botuco pool, President, this saltwater pool that is the second largest in all of Latin America, right? It has half a hectare, this pool where we are at this moment. And as the word of God says, works are loves, and by their works you will know them. You, President, your love for the Venezuelan people is infinite, for the workers of the homeland is infinite, with all these works that truly demonstrate the will to fight that you have in the leadership of the revolutionary government and that is capable of providing these spaces for family gatherings, for recreation, for happiness. This tourist complex is no small thing. There are 75 completely rehabilitated cabins, very beautiful, that have accommodation capacity for up to 10 people each. About 12 capsules already installed of this model that you explained they have brought from China. Five large hotels, restaurants, shops, three enabled beaches, a whole infrastructure in the middle of a coast that is also accompanied by a mountain range. Extraordinary, it has jungle, rivers, beach where, well, it also has a very beautiful history. Well, who doesn't remember the Vacation City Los Caracas? And you have made this miracle possible, President, thanks to your love for the Venezuelan people and above all for the working class from which you come as a union leader. You promised it and in the midst of adversities you have fulfilled it with flying colors. This city is much more beautiful than it surely was when it was inaugurated. Here I am accompanied by precisely the engineer Juan José Ramírez, our Minister of Public Works, also of the 'Juntos Todo es Posible' Corporation that you created, that corporation has not stopped. He comes as Vicente Campoelí accompanying José Félix Rivas in the battle of victory, well, in a perfect finish building wonderful works for the people. Also here with us is the architect Dulce Medina, who is also the main person responsible for the architecture of this entire great project. And of course the management of Benetur Caracas, who also gives us extraordinary news. We were finishing some cabins and already, due to the pressure from the workers and tourists who wanted to enjoy these spaces, it was so great that from March until now, more than 28,000 people from the working classes of our country have been staying, our people who come to enjoy these spaces. But let our Minister of Public Works offer more technical details about the scope of such an important work done in the revolution and this wonderful gift that you give us, especially on a day like today, President, where we feel emotional contradictions. We give the joy of delivering this work in your name to the Venezuelan people from the state of La Guaira. But today we remember that a day like today, 26 years ago, we also experienced the biggest natural disaster in the history of this country, which was that tragedy of 1999, which left this state completely destroyed, President, as you know, and thanks to the Bolivarian Revolution, to Commander Hugo Chávez, to Jorge Luis García Carneiro, and to you. Today La Guaira is a showcase that, as you say, gives three kicks to Miami. But let Juan José Ramírez, our Minister of Public Works, specify the scope of this important work. Go ahead, Minister.
Good evening, my commander-in-chief. Well, here we are. This work, as you well know, began in 1945 and was completed in 1955, led by the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, who developed this entire project on a total of 111 hectares of land. Subsequently, when you gave the instructions for the modernization and reconstruction of these spaces for the service of the people, well, a master plan was immediately designed. Who, by the way, I must highlight, was at the forefront at all times in this entire operation, directing the technical teams of both engineers and architects of our Vice President, Dr. Delcy Rodríguez, who was at the forefront of this entire design and selection of each of the spaces for its reconstruction and remodeling. And well, precisely with this 'Juntos Todo es Posible' team, Ministry of Public Works, we made this reconstruction of these facilities a reality, which provides service with a total of 917 rooms that are beds available for this entire vacation complex. Likewise, more than 10,500 tons of asphalt were placed for the total and complete rehabilitation of the tourist complex. All public services were activated immediately to cover all the needs of these facilities. And likewise, a total of 20 cabins are currently under construction that continue in the process of reconstruction, remodeling, and four apartment hotels that are part of this important vacation complex. Mr. President.
Yes. Also important to highlight, Minister and President, that thanks to that articulation of Benetur, our Minister of Popular Power for Tourism, Leticia, this vacation city also becomes an open-air university for all the careers that are given in the central coast linked to the tourism area, to the area precisely of the creation of recreation spaces. That is why, President, well, words fail us. I speak on behalf of all the people of La Guaira, of all the working classes of the country who come to enjoy. Beyond La Guaira, the people of Caracas, the people of Miranda, from all corners of the country are going to come to the Vacation City Los Caracas, and today you are also fulfilling an order from Hugo Chávez. So I congratulate you, President Nicolás Maduro. I congratulate you for your dedication, for your commitment, for your loyalty, for your courage, for your bravery, for your technical and political capabilities to lead this nation with great dignity towards greatness. God bless you, President. Go ahead.
Well, amen. The images are impressive. We still have to complete the entire vacation city and continue working on the complete project. There, a very good idea to transform all the spaces we inaugurate into university spaces, well, there is the University of Tourism and the professional tourism degree that is graduating. There is space, look, for mountains, there is for hiking. All that mountain there is beautiful. There is a river from the waterfall above to the river that then expands and reaches the sea. There are the beaches. There is a zone for surfing. You surf. No, you can learn to surf. There is a good surf school there. Copy that, President. [laughter] All that area there up to there are good. I'm going to be a surfer sometimes in the morning to de-stress, [laughter] you know? To leave the stress a little bit there more to see the Caribbean. If the bugs arrived there. Ah, [laughter] then it's impressive. Besides the hotels, the apartment hotels, the new 'hogies', these that we are putting there. The restaurants are delicious. Well, they make some pizzas there with dough. Very good, I recommend it. And it's the tourism there in Los Caracas, the path to the beautiful towns of Todasana, La Sabana, Chuspa, Caruao. And if you go that way, then you head towards Barlovento. Zone of 'cimarrones' or 'cimarrona'. They were the 'cimarrón' towns. And if you go towards Catia La Mar, you find the Gran Hotel. That is a great hotel. Gran Hotel Cacique Maquetía that we inaugurated, we did a program, 'Yao'. We inaugurated it two months ago. So, works are loves. Second work of the 'obratón'. Tourism for the working class. The best resort in Miami. Leave the envy. Impressive data here, showing everything that are the services, and we have to continue filling the country with tourist spaces. You know that national tourism is growing in accelerated expansion right now. International tourism of reception has not stopped, it continues growing, it has not stopped, and international Venezuelan tourism to the world is impressive. The number of Venezuelans who are going out to do tourism right now is impressive. That is called the payment capacity of a middle class that has been improving its capacity through work and effort, and now they are going out again to do tourism abroad. So, do you have any question there? We are here in a special program, number 99, December 15, 2025, 'Con Maduro Más', where the 'obratón' has started. So, we are combining the 'Con Maduro Más' format of questions, debates, digital zone with the 'obratón' delivering 2,000 works. We already have two. [laughter] Well, President, speaking of impressive figures, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces just destroyed two more aircraft used for drug trafficking during the development of Operation Vuelvancaras 2025, but with this one, since 2012, they now total... 421 aircraft destroyed. Yes, because Venezuela is a victim of international drug trafficking, of Colombian drug trafficking. We have more than 2,200 km of border with Colombia, 2,200 km, and that is land border and air border. And fortunately, the country has perfected its entire system with a law behind it. Here everything is done based on the law, legality, and respect for international legality. Everything. There are no extrajudicial executions of any kind here. That is the great difference in Venezuela's fight against drug trafficking with its law, its Constitution, and its Bolivarian National Armed Forces, its military aviation, 24 hours a day watching over the country. That law we approved in 2013. We already have 421 aircraft from drug trafficking that come from Colombia, that come from the Caribbean, that come from Central America, and well, we look for them. Many are made to land, they are destroyed, others are dealt with the interception protocol and boom, done. And our military aviation, to our boys, officers of our glorious Bolivarian military aviation, the recognition of an entire country, because they are an example of defense of Venezuelan air sovereignty and an example of the fight against drug trafficking that many countries should imitate.
President, here there are several international news items. For example, a few days ago the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter, the UN, denounced the grave aggression perpetrated by the United States government by using military force to intercept an oil tanker and steal its cargo. We are talking about Venezuelan oil, despite the fact that legitimate and lawful commercial activities were being carried out, according to what you are precisely mentioning, international law. Besides, it seems like something very Hollywood, right? An absolutely recorded attack, a mea culpa by those who perpetrated it, etc.
Correct. We have the support of the world, including the complex American public opinion, which is closely observing all the events. There has been a worldwide repudiation of this act of piracy by these corsairs who have stolen and kidnapped a ship with its crew. At this point, at this hour that we are here talking, the crew of that ship is kidnapped and missing. That is where one says, where is the International Criminal Court? Where is the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court? Where is Volker Türk, who is the High Commissioner for Human Rights? Volker Türk, where are you? Where did you hide? Because they claim to be defenders of human rights to attack Venezuela with lies. But here there is a case of piracy. Some corsairs assaulted with weapons a private ship that was carrying Venezuelan oil. They publicly assumed responsibility for the assault, the kidnapping, and 5 days later the crew is missing. Did they kill them, throw them into the sea, are they torturing them? What are they doing? So the penal, judicial, and human rights system at the United Nations is getting worse and worse, more and more questioned. It has already been questioned for the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, for the murder of men and women in Syria, in Lebanon, in Yemen, but now they have truly lost any moral authority or credibility they might have had. It will have to be rescued in the future, but in the battle we are fighting right now, they simply became self-exiled from international public life. In broad daylight, a crew is kidnapped, a ship is stolen as in the times of the corsairs. There was Captain Hook, right? It was like the time of the corsairs. And what do they do? What does the United Nations system do? Let's see. For now, it hasn't done anything, but we do have to do something and we are going to do a lot. So I thank the support of the countries of the United Nations Organization, of the Group of Defenders of the United Nations Charter, which has been great, powerful, and also very clear.
President, in this sense, several countries in the world, allies and non-allies, have raised their voices in parliaments like, for example, the British one, to name one. But also Iran. Iran described as state piracy the theft of the oil tanker by the United States. That expression, state piracy. I am talking about the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Baghaei.
Yes. He has had a very clear position because they were victims for a long time of state piracy that tried to infect the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and that entire key region where almost 60% of the world's oil transits. And Iran prepared, reacted, and today Iran has guaranteed complete trade, being a country also illegally attacked and with unilateral coercive measures. So Iran is an example of the fight for international legality, and I thank President Pezeshkian. I spoke with him last Tuesday, he expressed all his support to me and transmitted to me from Ayatollah Khamenei and the people of Iran all the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran. When I say all, it is all for the fight for peace, sovereignty, dignity, and stability of Venezuela today, tomorrow, and always. That is what President Pezeshkian told me. A greeting to the people of Iran.
And speaking of solidarity and integration of peoples, yesterday we saw you active on Sunday at the 21st anniversary of ALBA, a high-level Caribbean commission was approved to support, among other things, Cuba, especially on the issue of electricity.
