ACP as a source of information
Source: Portafolio – National
Date: June 16
Headline: Primax is targeting Petrobras service stations
A movement in the wholesale fuel distribution market in the country could occur in the coming weeks. It would involve the possible acquisition by the Primax brand of more than a hundred service stations (EDS) that the Brazilian multinational Petrobras put up for sale a few months ago. (…) In addition to the subsidiary of the Romero Group, Terpel, Biomax, and Chevron (Texaco) are part of the pie, along with retail companies that do not exceed 6% of the business. “This sector represents 1% of the national GDP and is what drives Colombia, supplying the fuels it needs for the mobilization of people, transportation of goods, the operation of industries, agriculture, among others; that is why we view these signs of recovery recorded and the forecasts for the remainder of the year with optimism,” said Francisco José Lloreda Mera, executive president of the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP). It was reported in: portafolio.co (June 15).
Source: Vanguardia Liberal – Regional
Date: June 16
Headline: During the quarantine, fuel sales decreased by 50% in the city
No one is spared from the economic losses that COVID-19 has brought due to mandatory preventive isolation. Another sector that is seeing its low cash flow is that of fuels, which in these almost three months of confinement have had a 50% reduction in sales for the case of Bucaramanga. However, analyses from the Colombian Petroleum Association indicate that the reduction and impact on sales at service stations is 70% for gasoline and 50% for diesel. Myriam Sanabria, regional manager of Terpel in Santander, assures that in the comparison of February of this year, a month when the pandemic had not yet reached the country, against April, when confinement was already in place, sales dropped from 2.7 million gallons to 1.3 million in the capital of Santander. It was reported in: vanguardia.com (June 16).
Source: El Tiempo – National
Date: June 14
Headline: First signs of the economic rebound
After the abrupt halt that the country had to apply to its economy to contain the speed of the coronavirus's expansion, little by little the reactivated sectors continue to show improvements as one hundred days have passed since the confirmation of the first case in Colombia and 82 days after the start of mandatory isolation, (…) And as more people have been able to go out to exercise their activities, fuel consumption has already begun to rise. In May, it closed at 86 million gallons for gasoline, whose volumes dropped to 55 million gallons in April, while in the fifth month, diesel consumption was 119 million gallons against 89 million from the lowest point in April, according to the Colombian Petroleum Association. (…) Ecopetrol already has more than 156 active work fronts, representing 6,221 job positions. It was reported in: eltiempo.com (June 13), buenaventuraenlinea.com (June 14).
Source: El País – Regional
Author: Francisco José Lloreda Mera
Date: June 14
Headline: The disobedience
The discussion should not revolve around the police officer who refused to evict families that invaded the riverbank and sparked enormous solidarity on social media and among politicians who relativize the application of the law based on their convenience. The discussion is whether a uniformed police officer, regardless of their name, is allowed to disobey a legitimate order from a superior also supported by a court order. Evictions are harsh and painful, regardless of whether it involves a tenant, a street vendor, or someone who invades a property to build makeshift walls with the illusion of one day having public services and being a homeowner. It was reported in:elpais.com.co (June 14).
Source: Portafolio – National
Date: June 13
Headline: 100 days of covid-19 in Colombia
This Saturday marks 100 days since the first case of coronavirus was reported in Colombia. The event confirmed that the country was beginning to experience a situation similar to what China had been facing since December 29, and that many saw as something that did not have the capacity to reach national territory. However, on March 6, a long era without health shocks for Colombians came to an end, and the arrival of the dreaded coronavirus was confirmed, which was already advancing rapidly through Asia, Europe, the United States, and Latin America. (…) Francisco José Lloreda, Executive President of the Colombian Petroleum Association, says it taught the sector that it is possible to quickly adapt to new realities. “We learned that biosecurity protocols are now part of the processes for the well-being and safety of workers.” It was reported in: portafolio.co (June 12), buenaventuraenlinea.com (June 13).
GREMIO
Source: El Nuevo Día
Date: June 16
Headline: “Intervention is only while the crisis lasts”
Under this suggestive title, the journalist and columnist of this newspaper, Guillermo Pérez Flórez, has invited the former Minister of Finance and former president of Ecopetrol, Juan Carlos Echeverry, to a live conversation, which will take place through the website www.elnuevodia.com.co this Wednesday, June 17 at 6:00 PM. Former Minister Echeverry has been very active, participating in forums and expert talks, analyzing the various factors at play in the economic crisis triggered by the lockdown.
Source: BLU Radio
Date: June 16
Source: Caracol Radio
Date: June 16
Source: Caracol Radio
Date: June 16
Source: eltiempo.com
Date: June 16
Headline: Kidnappings and disappearances have returned on the border with Venezuela.
The kidnappings of a rancher, three young people who were going to distribute food, two workers from an oil company, and two other people, as well as the disappearance of three brothers, which occurred in the last two months, are part of the resurgence of crimes that seemed to have been forgotten in the border departments with the neighboring country. (…) The kidnappings of the two workers from the contractor company Occidental de Colombia, carried out since May 2, are joined by those of two other people, which would have been executed by the Eln in Santander, according to the Peace Commissioner, Miguel Ceballos.
Source: eluniversal.com.co
Date: June 16
Headline: Plastic: an ally for the heroes of health and medicine.
Currently, health heroes are on the front line of defense against Covid-19 and urgently require various elements that protect them and help them combat the pandemic, such as masks, face coverings, medical clothing, protective glasses, among other medical supplies. (…) Several specialized websites highlight that the most common resins used in plastic parts for the health sector are “PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene.” Cartagena plays an important role in the production of medical protective elements, as the city is home to the Esenttia plant, a company of the Ecopetrol Group that produces plastic resins used to make important supplies to combat the pandemic: such as face coverings, medical protective suits, sweat sheets, valves for respirators, sampling parts, among others.
Source: llaneraradio.com
Date: June 16
Headline: The strengthening of agricultural activity in Hato Corozal Casanare has the support of Parex.
Parex Resources Colombia Ltd Branch, through activities associated with the Tautaco Project and a concerted process with the community, strengthened the agricultural system of the Altamira and El Sarrapio villages in Hato Corozal, Casanare, executing an investment close to $350 million. 154 families benefited from the delivery of equipment, sickles, electric pumps, and fumigation motors, in order to apply technology that contributes to productive efficiency and the diversification of the local economy, with the agricultural sector being one of the most important areas in the Municipality.
Source: prensalibrecasanare.com
Date: June 16
Headline: There is a deficit of 60 thousand food baskets in Yopal according to Mayor Luis Eduardo Castro.
Despite the efforts, support, and social work of public and private entities, there is still a large deficit of food baskets to meet the situation that families in the municipality are facing due to the Covid-19 crisis, said Yopal Mayor Luis Eduardo Castro. He indicated that nearly 30 thousand humanitarian aids from different sectors have been received to date, which are very valuable to benefit the population, although they have not been sufficient to mitigate the hunger recorded in the city. (…) Castro assured that every donation made to the municipality, such as from the National Government, the Casanare Governor's Office, the National Risk Management Unit, Parex Resources Colombia, Ecopetrol, HidroCasanare, among other institutions with social significance for the communities, is fundamental and worth highlighting.
Topics
Source: La República
Date: June 16
Headline: Analysts predict that the dollar will remain above $3,700 this week.
Last week, the dollar increased $192 and the Representative Market Rate (TRM) for today reached $3,758.15, breaking the downward trend it presented at the beginning of June, which brought it to levels close to $3,500. Analysts consulted by LR projected that the currency will continue at levels close to the current one and will be quoted, on average, at $3,744 during this week. (…) “The uncertainty regarding the evolution of the virus and the possibility of a second wave of contagion caused a significant devaluation of stock markets worldwide, a strengthening of the dollar, and a drop in oil prices, despite the OPEC agreement to extend its production cuts for an additional month,” he said.
Source: Portafolio
Date: June 16
Headline: Volatility returns to the market.
Although last Friday the markets ended the week on a high note, Thursday recorded another black day, a behavior that was seen again yesterday, as while Wall Street and oil ended positively after announcements of new stimulus from the Federal Reserve, almost the entire session saw declines, confirming the return of volatility. (…) These and other cases around the world have sparked a new wave of pessimism in the markets, as alerts have been raised that a new expansion of the coronavirus could complicate the global economic recovery and extend the recession.
Source: Portafolio
Date: June 16
Headline: Is it time for Colombia to have a universal basic income?
Amid the challenges faced by the National Government to gather a sufficient volume of resources in order to address the growing social needs arising from an increase in unemployment and greater labor inactivity, the proposal to deploy a universal basic income equivalent to a minimum wage -driven by 54 senators- has occupied part of the discussion amid the pandemic. (…) In turn, the former co-director of the Bank of the Republic, Carlos Gustavo Cano, highlighted that “at this moment, with this impact on public finances, I do not believe there is additional space to establish this vital minimum. Oil revenue is virtually gone and the fiscal gap is large. Furthermore, the debt -which was close to 50% of GDP- will exceed 60% of GDP.”.
Source: El Colombiano
Date: June 16
Headline: Oil rebounds due to OPEC+ commitments
The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reference for oil saw an increase of 2.37%, reaching up to 37.12 dollars per barrel during yesterday's session, after the Ministry of Energy of the United Arab Emirates assured that OPEC countries and their allies (OPEC+) will meet their quota of agreements until July, according to EFE.
Source: El Colombiano
Date: June 16
Headline: Oil price rises despite uncertainty
Oil rose but remains trapped by fears of a new wave of COVID-19 infections that could weaken demand again. In London, the Brent barrel for August delivery closed at 39.72 dollars; which means an increase of 2.61% compared to Friday. In New York, the WTI barrel for July rose 2.41% and settled at 37.12 dollars. “The market is wondering how quickly demand will recover with the economic reopening and how the OPEC reduction agreement will continue,” said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates.
Institutional
Source: La República
Date: June 16
Headline: And what did Perry tell us? By: Sergio Clavijo
Guillermo Perry shared details of his interesting life serving the Colombian public sector and his experiences as a budding politician. And he himself concluded that he had been deceived in “his technical-political innocence” at the hands of a Samper who betrayed (by allying with drug traffickers) the principles of social democracy that they believed they were building since the mid-seventies. (…) Guillermo was a prominent Uniandino engineer, with a mathematical vocation. But from a very early age, he detected that his calling would be public policies: i) he started with tax policy (Dian director, at a young age, under López-Michelsen); ii) followed by mining-energy policies (Minenergía under Barco); and iii) multiple facets of the public budget, in social issues (head for Latin America, World Bank, 1996-2007), infrastructure (FDN) and fiscal matters (Fiscal Rule Committee).
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: June 16
Headline: Protagonist of the day. María Fernanda Suárez
The bet in Colombia for renewable energies continues. With the issuance of Decree 829 of 2020, the National Government facilitates access to the tax incentives defined in Law 1715 of 2014 by delegating the Mining-Energy Planning Unit (UPME) as the sole entity to evaluate and certify projects for Non-Conventional Energy Sources and energy efficiency that opt for these benefits. This means that these projects will no longer have to undergo the process that took 3 months before the National Authority of Environmental Licenses (ANLA), so the time for companies to access these tax benefits will be reduced to just 45 days.
Source: Extra Bogotá
Date: June 13
Headline: Measures to prevent fuel shortages
The Ministry of Mines and Energy announced that the National Government has taken some measures to financially support small fuel distributors. The Deputy Minister of Energy, DIEGO MESA, said that the entity authorized the partial allocation of resources from the Soldicom fund to support retailers in this contingency, allocating an initial budget of 7.3 billion pesos.
Source: El Nuevo Liberal
Date: June 12
Headline: Delays in the disbursement of liquefied gas subsidies in Cauca.
There is concern within the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector due to the national government's delays in disbursing the resources allocated for subsidies intended for users in strata 1 and 2 in five departments of the country: Nariño, Cauca, Putumayo, Caquetá, and San Andrés and Providencia. (…) Since December 2019, the Ministry of Mines and Energy has not disbursed these resources, awaiting the issuance of the decree. “The amount exceeds $25 billion pesos, which has generated cash flow problems for companies, putting the operation of the service at risk. Meanwhile, subsidies for natural gas and electricity have already been disbursed,” Martínez pointed out. (…) “Ecopetrol has delivered 94% of the national supply this semester and other producers the remaining 6%,” stated Martínez V., and assured that the sector will continue to have national supply to meet the LPG market for the remainder of the year.
Source: larepublica.co
Date: June 12
Headline: Campetrol changes its statutes to Colombian Chamber of Oil, Gas, and Energy.
Campetrol announced that the change of the Chamber's statutes was approved, allowing the opening of doors to energy service companies. With 32 years of experience representing oil goods and services companies in the country, the guild reported that it will now be the Colombian Chamber of Oil, Gas, and Energy. This is a milestone in the history of the guild, which evolves alongside the energy transition that the sector is experiencing, explained Campetrol, a guild that brings together 117 companies. (…) «In addition, the Ministry of Mines and Energy has estimated that $7.5 trillion pesos will arrive in the country with the incorporation of these unconventional renewable energy sources,» they said.
Colombian Association of Oil and Gas