People’s Mañanera August 17

ByPedro Gellert

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Protecting Youth Means Building Safe Digital Environments
The Ministry of Public Education (SEP) will bring the debate on cell phones and social media to more than one million teachers in 200,000 schools. President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that 16 states already have regulations in place and added that “not everything is decided by the government. It has to be discussed within society.”

More Spaces in High Schools: Education Is a Right
Mexico will double the number of spaces in high schools to 400,000, increasing coverage from 80% to 90% of the school age population. With 485 schools and more than 10,000 million pesos (US$590 million) in investment, the President explained that “we have to give young people the opportunity to finish high school.”

Digital Sovereignty Against Bots and Fake News
Sheinbaum warned about financed disinformation campaigns designed to manipulate the digital conversation using bots and AI. “There is fake news spreading on social media with money behind it,” she noted, calling for people to recognize when a narrative is being artificially amplified.

Mexico Maintains Its Solidarity with Colombia
The Mexican government continues to send food and aid to Colombia following last week’s earthquake. The deaths of two Mexicans were confirmed, and Sheinbaum noted that the Ministry of Foreign Relations is in contact with their families to provide them with support and assistance.

Recovering the Years Lost to Neoliberalism in Healthcare
In two years, 32 hospitals have been inaugurated, and the goal is to add 9,000 hospital beds to the system’s total. Sheinbaum noted that in the 36 years of neoliberal administrations, only 4,000 beds were added. “The neoliberal period was very damaging, particularly for public health,” the President explained.

Billions in Oil Surpluses—But Where Are the Public Work Projects?
Sheinbaum recalled that during the Fox and Calderón administrations, billions of dollars in oil surpluses were collected, but no corresponding public work projects were built. “What was done during the period of the largest oil surpluses? […] No one remembers,” she said.