People’s Mañanera August 29

ByMexico Solidarity

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 Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Meeting with Gianni Infantino and the 2026 World Cup

President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that on August 28 she met with Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, to discuss the organization of the 2026 World Cup. She noted that Mexico City will host the opening of a World Cup for the third time and mentioned that she is considering giving the inaugural ticket to a child soccer fan.

Exorbitant pensions in Luz y Fuerza del Centro and Pemex

Raquel Buenrostro, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Minister, presented a report on pensions considered excessive in Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LyFC) and Pemex, mainly granted during previous administrations, particularly under Felipe Calderón’s government.

In the case of LyFC:

• One former public servant receives more than 1 million pesos monthly (US$53,530) as a pension.
• 9,457 former employees (67% of the total) receive between 100,000 and 1 million pesos (US$5,352 and US$53,530) monthly; among them, 3,504 receive amounts greater than the President’s net monthly salary.
• Some LyFC retirees receive up to 140 times more than the national average.

In Pemex:

• 544 pensioners receive amounts higher than the President’s salary, representing an annual expenditure of almost 1.83 billion pesos (US$97.80 million).
• On average, Pemex pensioners receive 39 times more than the national average.

Calling them “exorbitant pensions,” Buenrostro announced that working groups have been established to review their legality, coordinated by the Legal Counsel of the Federal Executive Branch (CJEF) with participation from IMSS, ISSSTE, INDEP, Pemex, CFE, and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP).

The President considered it offensive for an individual to receive 1 million pesos monthly from public funds.

Investigation of Bribes and Contracts in Pemex

It was reported that the U.S. Department of Justice filed charges on August 11 against seven U.S. companies and business magnate Ramón Rovirosa (detained in the U.S.) and Mario Ávila, former PAN candidate for governor of Campeche, currently a fugitive.

In relation to the contracts under investigation for suspected bribes in Pemex, Sheinbaum pledged that no company or former official involved in corruption will be protected from prosecution.

Two of the contracts were signed during the Peña Nieto administration and are now closed. Of the other two, one was canceled before its scheduled deadline and another was never executed. In addition, the government requested information from the United States about 19 individuals linked to alleged acts of corruption involving Pemex contracts.

Upcoming International Meetings

Sheinbaum announced that on September 3 she will meet with the U.S. Secretary of State, who will be visiting Mexico.

She also reported on her meeting with Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President of Brazil, in which agreements were reached to:

• Establish ties between the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) and the Brazilian regulatory agency to facilitate the import and export of pharmaceuticals.
• Provide advice to Mexico on the production of ethanol as fuel.

Pharmaceutical Supply

The President indicated that IMSS reports nearly 96% availability of medicines, while the ISSSTE reports 92%.

First Government Report: Continuity and Results

President Sheinbaum highlighted that her government is consolidating social programs and advancing public work projects as part of the Fourth Transformation. She noted that several of her administration’s 100 commitments have already been fulfilled and reiterated that there will be no unfinished projects or “white elephants” when she leaves office.

“What is most important is that people value it,” she affirmed.

The President charges that 90% of messages against Noroña are bots

Sheinbaum denounced a smear campaign against Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña and revealed that 90% of posts on social media against him are generated by bots.

She also questioned the stance of some analysts who have justified the physical assault experienced by the legislator. “We may have a different opinion on one or another issue, but a physical assault on a Senator? And he did not respond to the aggression because he could have, and also the aggression against a young person […] but this is not being criticized; on the contrary, it is praised. And what is most hypocritical is that the government is accused of being authoritarian; the world is turned upside down,” she said.