DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER 2011

MONTEJAQUE TO HAVE INDEPENDENT WATER SUPPLY


David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The residents of Montejaque and Benaoján have been able to use their water supply again since last Wednesday. The regional government had halted the use of water for drinking from the Molino del Santo well because of contamination.

Since then Montejaque has been looking for an alternative supply of potable water that would not leave it dependent on its neighbouring municipality. Now Málaga province has come up with the answer through its delegate for the environment and sustainability, Juan Jesús Bernal.

Bernal has proposed a new water deposit for Montejaque. This will increase its reserve capacity and store around one million litres. The deposit will have a capacity of 500 cubic metres and will supply the municipality alone.

The funding required for the water deposit will be 250,000 euros plus 3,000 euros more to improve the filter system. The water will come from a source in Benaoján that is currently not utilised and a pipeline four kilometres long will have to be laid to bring the supply to Montejaque.

Málaga province will provide the funding for the new deposit. It will mean the 2,600 residents now have an independent water supply. It will also be important for Montejaque’s large meat industry and the developing rural tourism.

GROWING UP

According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics the population of Ronda has increased by 1073 people between 2006 and 2010. Hence the population has risen from 35,836 to 36,909. However the councillor in charge of statistics, María del Carmen Martínez, says because so many people have not registered on the padrón the true figure is nearer 50,000 drawn from nearby villages.

HOUSE BREAKERS

The Guardia Civil in Cortes de la Frontera have arrested two people aged 29 and 32 years of age accused of forced entry in to properties. In addition officers arrested a 21-year old who is alleged to have received stolen goods. The arrests were made after officers stopped the 29-year old, a known criminal, who had a large bag with stolen items in.

LESS OLIVES

The harvest of olives in the Serranía de Ronda has dropped dramatically this year. Overall the crop is down by 15 per cent but the co-operative stresses the actual size of the decrease varies between areas. It’s estimated that 6.5 million kilos of olives will be gathered, over half a million kilos less than last year. The picking has been delayed by rains.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2011

AVE LINK REPORT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The ministry of public works has announced through the State Bulletin (BOE) that it is making public the findings of its study on bringing the AVE high speed train connection from Antequera to Ronda.

The objective of the study has been to select the best route for the track to run from Antequera-Santa Ana to Ronda at La Indiana. Those involved had to take in to account the geography along the possible routes, technical conditions, planning implications and any adverse affect on the environment.

The current line to Ronda and on to Algeciras is used by diesel trains. The AVE would require dual electrified tracks with dual use for the existing diesel freight train service to the busy port.

The proposals are the line should connect with the service at Bodadilla as it currently does. It would then follow the exact same route as the current line to Ronda. From there it would go to La Indiana where the future AVE station for Ronda would be constructed. The plans are open for public inspection for 30 days during which time suggestions or complaints can be lodged.

The cost of bringing the AVE to Ronda is set at over 711 million euros. It will mean the town of the Tajo will be connected with Ronda in two and a half hours. It is also proposed the service will be extended to Algeciras. The project would open up Ronda and the Serranía and bring increased economic and tourism activity to the region. Via the AVE network Ronda would also have improved access to other cities in Andalucía.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR BIRD WATCHING TOURISM

Málaga has allocated 214,000 euros to the provincial network of ornithology tourism. Bird watching is seen as a popular activity that can be offered alongside traditional tourism and will help boost the current static market on the Costa del Sol.

The network of bird watching zones is being coordinated to promote the pastime with 43,000 euros being spent on information panels throughout the Serranía de Ronda. Another 60,000 euros is being assigned to the migratory zone to be found at Ventorrillo de las Corchas in Benarrabá, 42,000 euros for a viewing zone in Cortes de la Frontera and 70,000 euros for observatories in Villaneuva del Rosario’s Laguna de Hondonero, Cuevas de San Marcos on the Genal river and the artificial Laguna at Cuevas Bajas.

Major investment is also destined for Cañete la Real which sites on the major migratory routes from the Straits of Gibraltar. Here there is to be a viewing platform to see the Leonardo Vultures which have nearby one of the most important breeding sites in the south of Spain. This viewing area is handily placed as it is alongside the Cañete slaughter house and the carcasses can be used for feeding the vultures.

Also nearby are the breeding ground for a species of eagle that is protected and highly valued by bird watchers. Numerous small birds live in the woodlands around Cañete with other habitats including the Royal Eagle and Eagle Owl amongst a number of noteworthy predators.

TOURISTS ROBBED

Guardia Civil arrested two people who broke into a car and stole items whilst the vehicle was parked at the Cueva de la Pileta, Benaoján. Officers were alerted by a neighbour who’d seen the pair acting suspiciously around the car. Sadly this is not an uncommon occurrence at the popular caves and visitors are advised not to keep any valuables in their vehicle.

OLIVE JOY

For the last three years the harvests of olives have been very poor indeed. This year it is the turn of the chestnut crop to suffer but the expectations for olives is a high yield. No figures have been given for Serrania de Ronda but the co-operative predicts the total crop for Málaga province to be 65,000 tonnes, 11,000 more than in 2010.

LOW BUDGET

Ronda held an urgent council meeting to set its budget for 2012. The councillor for the economy, María del Carmen Martínez, set the total at 25.5 million euros which is over seven million euros less than this year hence major cuts in all departments. In addition the town hall is paying out 1.3 million euros to suppliers thanks to an ICO government loan.

WINE CENTRE

The project has been aging like a mature wine but work is now underway on a wine centre for Ronda to be created in the buildings of ironically the old water deposits. The scheme has a 1.2 million euros budget; should take 18 months to complete with a bodega plus an information and exhibition area and will be used to train wine professionals.

BLIND THEFT

Police and Ronda court is investigating the case of the former president of the ASSER association dedicated to helping the blind over the misappropriation of 17,000 euros between 2007 and 2008. It is also believed monies may have been taken from 1997 to 2000. The accused was president from 1997 to 2008 and investigations are remaining open whilst the exact amount is calculated.

QUALITY TOURISM

The plan to promote quality tourism in the Serranía de Ronda has seen 4.5 million euros invested in the past four years with the financing of over 100 projects. These include the creation of visitors’ centres in Pujerra, Cortes de la Frontera and Júzcar. The working group also studied 65 establishments; if they meet quality standards they receive major promotion nationally and internationally.

GETTING THIRSTY

Anger is mounting in Benaoján and Montejaque where residents still cannot drink the potable water. The mayor of Benaoján is considering issuing an official complaint against the health delegation saying the situation is damaging tourism and the pork product industry. PSOE claims the contamination of the Molino del Santo well has been caused by sewage. Drinking water is being supplied by the Legion.

PAY DAY

Mayor of Cortes de la Frontera, Antonio Granero, has confirmed all the municipal workers have been paid for July including those involved in collecting the cork harvest. This still leaves August, September and October to be settled. Cortes banked 1.2 million euros from the cork sales and Granero says the due salaries of the 100 town hall staff will be settled this month.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2011

FORMER GAUCÍN MAYOR GUILTY OF TOWN PLANNING OFFENCES


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The former mayor of Gaucín, Francisco Corbacho, who had first sat as an independent then as a member of the Partido Andalucista, has been found guilty of town planning offences. He was in the dock along with the municipal architect, three current councillors and two ex-councillors. They were accused of between 2000 and 2003 granting planning licences for land which in some cases was protected.

All the accused except one councillor were given a fine of 12 euros a day for 21 months plus are barred from holding public office for nine years. The other councillor has a lesser sentence of 12 months of fines plus seven years ban from office because he only participated in one of the cases involved with the licences.

This is one of the first cases that has involved a municipal architect. Francisco Arenas had worked at the town hall from 1988 and had given permission for the projects to proceed whilst fully aware that to do so was against the planning law. The plans had been signed by his daughter.

The three sitting councillors barred from office are Francisco Medicina, Francisco José Macías and Carmen Cantudo. All currently are independents but had previously been associates of Corbacho in the Partido Andalucista. The two former councillors also represented the PA.

Ex mayor Francisco Corbacho already has a previous conviction for embezzlement and obstructing justice plus planning to misappropriate public funds dating back to 2008. The Supreme Court had suspended his employment in public office, handed down a nine month fine and also barred him from office for seven years.

BENAOJÁN AND MONTEJAQUE HAVE NO DRINKING WATER

Málaga province has stepped in to give urgent aid to the 2,600 residents of Benaoján and Montejaque who have no drinking water.

The Serranía de Ronda villages discovered last Friday that their water supply was not fit for human consumption. The president of the Málaga province authority, Elías Bendodo along with the deputy for the environment, Juan Jesús Bernal, met on Monday with the mayors of the two communities.

The regional government says that three tests have been carried out in recent days on the Molino Santo well and serious contamination was found. At present this contamination has not spread to the water supply.

Whilst the problem is sorted out the residents are thankful that their neighbours are the Spanish Legion whose barracks are nearby. The military have offered three vehicles that can carry 2,000 litres of water each to supply the 1,600 people in Benaoján and the 1,000 in Montejaque.

GHANA VISIT

The Ambassador of Ghana in Spain, Fidelis W Yao Ekar, last week visited the town of Ronda and met with the mayor Marípaz Fernández. He had travelled to the town of the Tajo with his wife to offer thanks for the work of the Associación de Cooperación Internacional Solidaria ‘Sierra de las Nieves’ which gives aid to hospitals in the West African country.

WORKER BATTLE

Ronda recently declared war on its workers in the municipal companies cutting their budgets, suspending agreements and withdrawing social help. Now it is the turn of those employed at the town hall to feel the heat as the Partido Popular –PA administration attempts to slash costs. The unions are furious at the announcement that municipal employees either accept cuts or will be sacked.

DRUGS TRIO

Guardia Civil from Ronda have seized over 30 kilos of marijuana found at three dwellings in Benaoján. Officers have also arrested three people from the village who have been charged with owning the drugs, cultivating the plants, preparing them for sale and trafficking. They also confiscated 800 euros in cash and the equipment used in weighing the marijuana and running the sales outlets.

POOR HARVEST

Lack of rain and the summer heat has badly affected the chestnut harvest in the Genal Valley and elsewhere in Málaga province. Growers predict they’ll only gather half the crop of chestnuts this year compared with last of 3.9 million kilos. The chestnut is a major source of income in Igualeja and 70 per cent will be exported to Italy, Germany and France.

A CORKER

Celebrations amongst the 210 town hall workers and those employed in gathering the annual cork harvest in Cortes de la Frontera. Their last pay packet was for June but now the town hall is to settle the salaries owed for July, August and September. This has been made possible as 1.2 million euros has been banked from the sale of the cork collected.

WAR HOMAGE

On All Saints Day families visit the cemetery to pay tribute to their deceased relatives. However in Ronda it was also the day the Asociación Memoria Hístorica paid homage to those who were killed during the Civil War. The association is campaigning for all those buried in common graves in Ronda to be identified and then given the dignity of a proper burial.
HURRY UP
The mayor of Ronda has called on the regional government to speed up the process of making Serrato and Montecorto the 102 nd and 103 rd municipalities in Málaga province. In May the green light was given for the villages to pass from ELA self administrating entities to full municipalities but it could take up to two years them to become totally independent.
CHURCH THEFT

On Saturday night one or more thieves broke in to San Antonio’s church in the Dehesa area of Ronda and stole 200 euros. Damage was also caused to the church building. The raid was discovered on the Sunday morning when the priest arrived to say mass. Police are investigating and believe the culprits tried to make off with some of the religious images.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER 2011

PICUDO ROJO ARRIVES IN SERRANÍA


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The Picudo Rojo beetle that has caused devastation amongst the palm trees on the coastlines of the Mediterranean has arrived in the Serranía de Ronda.

Ronda biologist Andrés Rodríguez says temperatures of around 30 degrees have attracted the beetle to the zone as they are cold blooded and need heat to survive.

He has found examples of the insect at the Cerro del Almendro urbanisation on the Ronda to Campillos road just five kilometres from the centre of the town of the Tajo.

The first red beetles were found in a privately owned palm tree after it had been pruned by specialists to treat it against the plague. Now Ronda’s delegate for the environment, Rafael Flores, has confirmed the same specialists have traced other examples of these beetles on the urbanisation.

The owners of the trees have now been advised of what courses of action they should follow and the required treatment for each of their palms. The treatment has to be applied to the centre of the palm where the beetle’s larvae attack and the removed fronds have to be burnt.

It is not believed that the deadly beetles have yet infected the palm trees in the urban areas of Ronda. However it is suspected some of the palms in the historic centre have been attacked and new methods of prevention are being examined.

THIRTY YEARS OF THE LEGION IN RONDA

The Unicaja foundation along with the Tercio ‘Alejandro Farnesio’ Cuarto of the Spanish Legion has inaugurated an exhibition in Ronda dedicated to the 30 year of the military force in the town of the Tajo. It features over 120 photographs showing the life and times of the Legion between 1981 and 2011.

Chronicled in images are the Legions' participation in a large number of social, political and cultural events in the town as well as the traditional festivals such as the Semana Santa parades. The activities at the barracks are also shown as well as the force’s work on numerous peace keeping missions overseas.

The exhibition is part of the celebrations for the 30 th anniversary of the re-founding of the Tercio de la Legión and is open to the public in the Sala de Exposiciones Fundación Unicaja. Opening hours are 10.00 – 13.30 and 18.00 – 21.00

ANGRY WORKERS

Discontent at bankrupt Ronda town hall where officials and employees have been told they face cuts in their productivity payments and social help. Unions have threatened protests in the coming weeks. Those employed in the sports delegation are the worst hit and have been told there will be no extra payments for October and their November and December salaries are not guaranteed.

TAX FREEZE

Ronda’s to freeze its local taxes and charges for 2012. The move was announced by the mayor Maripaz Fernández who says it will be put to the vote this week. The mayor said that at a time when many families were suffering from the economic crisis it was not right to increase their burden. Her administration hopes to improve management to save costs.

RONDA MOTORWAY

One of the main proposals in recent years from the Partido Popular has been a motorway to connect Ronda with Antequera. PP president in Andalucía Javier Arenas was in the town of the Tajo last week and said there was a lack of access and communication in Ronda. He also pledged his support for Ronda’s application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

PLANS CRITICISED

Izquierda Unida has roundly criticised the announcement of two plans for tourist reception centres in Ronda. IU councillor Rafael Ruiz says it was hypocritical to ask the regional government to declare Ronda a natural monument and at the same time present it with these proposals. Ruiz said there are far better locations for such a centre which the IU says is certainly required.

RESIGN CALL

The Partido Andalucista in Cortes de la Frontera has called on the mayor, Antonio Granero, to resign. Granero is a member of the PA but the party says it no longer has any confidence in him. Cortes is in financial crisis, Granero has sacked two councillors and there are court cases against him. He may stay as mayor and join the non-aligned councillors.

NO INTERNET

Andalucía PP MP, Mayte Domínguez, has protested that the school in Jimera de Líbar does not have an internet connection despite numerous complaints. The mayor has offered to pay for the service herself and also offered the facilities of the Guadalinfo centre. Domínguez said it should have been a minor problem to solve but the lack of action has created a major headache.

PAY DAY

The PP mayor of Gaucín, Pedro Godino, says he has now paid the 34 municipal workers their salaries for July of 47,000 euros. This still means he has to find 85,000 and 90,000 euros for August and September. Godino said he did not know the total municipal debt but the town hall’s main problem in making the payments was the lack of liquidity.

BLOCKED PAYMENTS

Many of the small town halls in Málaga province are now in crisis with Gaucín and Cortes de la Frontera being the first to leave their workers unpaid. Worse news is on the way as the tax ministry in Madrid has blocked the October payments to Gaucín, Cortes, Atajate, Genalguacil and Ardales because of the money they all owe to the central government.

GOING SWIMMINGLY

Málaga province is funding two projects in Serrato and Montejaque. Serrato will have a municipal swimming pool. Work has already started and it will be finished by the end of the year co-financed by the province, regional government and the municipality. Next year a day centre for both handicapped and elderly people will be built in Montejaque again financed on a three-way basis.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER 2011

JÚZCAR COULD STAY BLUE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Júzcar is one of the famous small white villages of the Serranía de Ronda. However all that changed earlier this year when Sony Pictures selected the hamlet as the Smurfs home. In Spanish Júzcar became the “Pueblo Pitufo” and was transformed with 9,000 litres of blue paint as part of a worldwide publicity campaign for the latest Smurfs movie.

The painting of the homes was meant to be a temporary measure but it has been such a success for the village that the residents are going to vote after the general election whether to stay blue or revert to white. The odds are on staying blue because whilst the hamlet has just 221 residents over 3,000 people now visit each weekend.

The world media descended on the Smurfs blue village and they were followed by thousands of people, of course including many children, who wanted to see where the Smurfs lived. This has resulted in an economic boom for Júzcar; the town hall has even had to recruit three local police officers to control the traffic.

A Merca Pitufo now opens at weekends and sells the products that Júzcar and the wider Valle del Genal have always been famous for. In addition there are souvenirs produced by Sony Pictures for the Smurfs movies and enterprising people have even organised Smurf tours of the locality.

Iván Sastre, owner of the Hotel El Bandolero, has welcomed the increase in trade both in staying guests but also to his restaurant. He said the large majority of juzcareños want the village to stay blue – after all he says all the Andalucía villages are white, so there is no problem if one is blue.

HAPPY ENDING TO SEARCH FOR 82-YEAR-OLD MAN

A search was held over the weekend in the area around Cortes de la Frontera after an 82-year-old man, Isidoro Vázquez Vega, went missing on Friday.

The alarm was raised at 15.45 when a family member called the 112 emergency number. The search over 100 strong was led by the Guardia Civil, Protección Civil plus Infoca fire teams and centred on the zones of La Perdiguera and La Retamar.

Isidoro was finally found at 17.30 on Sunday at Llanos de Líbar. He was disorientated, very thirsty and showed signs of dehydration but otherwise was in good health after his ordeal. He was taken to the local health centre for a check up and later discharged in a wheelchair to the care of a relieved family.

They described his discovery safe and well as a “miracle”. He had been found on a mountain side by a goat herder. Isidoro story is on Friday he had bought a small bottle of water and then set off on his walk but couldn’t find his way off the mountain and got lost.

TOURIST WELCOME
Last week two consortia presented plans for visitor reception centres to Ronda town hall. The first would see an investment of 17 million euros in the castle area involving an escalator to take tourists up into the historic town. The second of 37 million euros would be by the San Francisco quarter petrol station. Both would involve parking for cars and tourist coaches.
INSTALMENT PAYMENTS
Ronda’s former mayor, Antonio Marín, has now paid the 150,000 court bail fee in instalments including a charge on his own house. His two co-accused PSOE councillors Rafael Lara and María José Martín de Haro have also lodged their 50,000 and 80,000 bail monies. Marín and three councillors have resigned their seats and also from PSOE in the Acinipo town planning corruption case.
FEW LOANS
Ronda’s new PP – PA administration has been criticized for only seeking 2.4 million euros in loans since it took office. The coalition has complained the coffers are bare and the money borrowed will be used to pay off suppliers. However the regional government has made it clear it will only offer large scale finance if the town hall has an economic rescue plan.
I’M INNOCENT
The former police chief of the National Police in Ronda has protested his innocent in the corruption trial involving him, three fellow officers and a Guardia Civil. Between 2003 and 2007 they are alleged to have offered protection, indulged in sexual activity and taken drugs at three local brothels. The police chief says he was manipulated and the protected witnesses have framed him.

DEFENCE DEAL
Marípaz Fernández, Ronda’s new mayor, has opened contacts with the Ministry of Defence in an effort to acquire the lands of the now demolished La Concepción barracks which are being used as a car park. The ministry wants 3.6 million euros which Ronda says it cannot afford. The plans drawn up by the previous administration include underground parking, a plaza and cultural centre.
MILL HOSTEL
There are plans to convert the old mills of Ronda’s Tajo gorge into a tourism complex with a hostel for visitors which would be the second in the town as the youth hostel near El Fuerte will be finished next year. The mill buildings are being restored by various workshop schools. It’s hoped also to create a visitor’s centre, hotel plus country restaurant.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER 2011

FILED CASES AGAINST MARÍN TO BE RE-OPENED


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

When the former mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, was released after his arrest for alleged corruption in the Acinipo case he proclaimed his innocence stating he had seen off numerous other court challenges in the past and would this one too. However his confidence may have been misplaced as those very same cases are now coming back to haunt him.

The prosecutor and investigators in the Acinipo enquiry are now to re-open the files of all the cases brought against Marín that were filed by the judges. There were numerous official complaints over the years and although Acinipo is primarily linked to irregularities in the construction of the proposed Eroski commercial centre it has been anticipated that the investigation would be widened.

The Efe news agency has been reporting that all these past cases will now be looked at anew by the Acinipo team. Officers of the organised crime squad (Udyco) will be examining at all the documentation relating to town planning projects approved by Marín whilst mayor along with the terms of the contracts and payments.

Little is likely to emerge in the near future as the judge in the case has imposed a veil of secrecy. Marín and the others accused including three former PSOE councillors and two executives of Eroski face charges of obstructing justice, bribery, trafficking in influence, misappropriation of public funds, forgery and money laundering.

The trawl through past cases will go back to 2003. Almost certainly under close scrutiny will be the accords drawn up for Los Merinos development of 800 luxury homes, golf courses and luxury hotels which was given the green light only after Marín issued a mayoral decree. The former mayor is already in the dock over permission being granted for a development in the protected Tajo gorge and no doubt investigators will take a close look at those proceedings.

NOT STANDING

The resignation of the ex mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, plus three other PSOE councillors because they are implicated in the Acinipo corruption investigation has led to their former fellow Partido Andalucista colleagues who defected to the socialists opting not to take over their seats. These include Josefa Valle the wife of Marín. Instead PSOE candidates new to the council will be co-opted.

TWENTY ROBBERIES

National Police in Ronda backed up by a forensic team arrested three people who are alleged to undertaken a wave of forced break-ins in the town. Twenty official reports to the police were made in one week involving homes in the town centre, industrial units and other businesses. The trio forced the locks with break-in equipment and stole various items especially agricultural machinery.

MURDER TRIAL

Málaga’s juvenile court will start the trial in November of the 17 year-old local youth accused of murdering 13-year-old María Esther in Arriate on January 19 of last year. He has been held in detention since his May arrest. The trial has been slotted in for November 2, 3 and 4. The prosecutor and her family are seeking an eight year jail term.

NO WORK

The jobless total rose in Ronda in September over the previous month by 201. The total for the town of the Tajo is now 4,562. Of that total, the majority 2,360 are women, but just 80 women and 121men joined the jobless queue in September. The PP – PA coalition at the town hall has agreed an IU proposal giving work to 35 people.

SIXTY PERCENT

The Andalucía health authority reports that the work to construct a new regional hospital in Ronda is 60 per cent completed. The 40.8 million euros project is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2012. It was due to be finished next April but now the end of the year seems more likely. When operational the hospital will have single room occupancy for patients.

PROTEST MARCH

La Plataforma en Defensa del Tajo and environmental groups in the Serranía de Ronda held a protest march on Sunday against plans to build 22 homes and a luxury hotel at Casa Rúa at the foot of the Cornisas. The land is meant to be a protected site and the protestors argue the construction would harm Ronda’s bid for UNESCO heritage site status.

NO OFFERS

Ronda’s plan to sell off the Cortijo San Juan to raise badly needed funds has fallen flat on its face. The cortijo covers 80 hectares given over to vines and is located on the Sevilla road. Ronda was seeking bids of two million euros but none were made and there may be a second auction or the land may be rented out instead.

TOP MAN

The Consorcio Genal – Guadiaro - Serranía de Ronda, the association of the 21 municipalities covering this region, has elected the mayor of Júzcar, David Fernández, as their president. The mayor of Benarrabá is his deputy and those of Algatocín and Benalauría make up the commission. Fernández said the consortium was entering a new era with fresh ideas for creating jobs and promoting tourism.

PAYMENT PLAN

The demonstrations in Cortes de la Frontera, Cuevas del Becerro and Gaucín continue over the non-payment of municipal employees because of the lack of town hall funds. Now PSOE on the Málaga provincial delegation is proposing these authorities could be given interest free advances on allocated funding as long as it was used to pay salaries and paid back in a set period.

GOING DIGITAL

Málaga province has presented 15 town halls in the Serranía de Ronda with the models for creating a digital administration. This means that from next year the residents of Alpandeire, Arriate, Atajate, Benaladid, Benalauría, Benarrabá, Cartajima, Faraján, Gaucín, Igueleja, Jubrique, Júzcar, Montecorto, Parauta and Pujerra should be able to access their town halls online to make enquiries and to enact licence applications 24/7.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 6 OCTOBER 2011

PSOE AT WAR


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Whilst the arrest of Ronda’s former mayor Antonio Marín with three of his fellow PSOE councillors was all about town planning corruption there is now a major political fallout. Indeed the socialist activists in the town of the Tajo have demanded the resignation of Málaga province’s two PSOE chiefs. Not the news the party needs in the run up to the general election.

For Antonio Marín his political career is over whether found innocent or guilty. He had been elected Partido Andalucista mayor but then after being in coalition with the Partido Popular broke the pact, signed a new one with PSOE, abandoned his party and led his PA councillors in to the socialist ranks. He headed the PSOE list at the last election.

However although PSOE secured the most votes a coalition was formed between the PP and PA to keep Marín from power. Also there was anger in the PSOE ranks as the PA newcomers had bumped many long term socialist councillors off the list. Marín has now been suspended by PSOE and the PP, PA and Izquierda Unida, who have brought many court cases against him, would not touch him with the political barge pole.

All this has led to 52 of the PSOE activists in Ronda to demand the immediate resignation of the provincial secretary Miguel Ángel Heredia and the secretary of the party’s organisation, Francisco Conejo. The letter was signed by six former PSOE councillors including Briton Charlotte Wilmot and the current PSOE MP Ana Fuentes. They are furious the pair did not listen to their unease over Marín and his fellow councillors acceptance into the party and point out that had they done so these sad moments for Ronda could have been avoided.

Back at Operación Acinipo itself former mayor Marín, who was arrested last Tuesday along with fellow PSOE councillors Cañestro, Lara and Martín plus two advisors to Eroski, was released by the court on 150,000 euros bail two days later. Martín has to find 80,000 euros and Lara 50,000 in surety. The four councillors have all resigned their seats on the council and been suspended by PSOE.

The wide ranging charge sheet includes obstructing justice, bribery, misappropriating funds, money laundering and trafficking in influences. Acinipo revolves around the development of a site for the proposed Eroski commercial centre but could well yet encompass the controversial Los Merinos golf development and other town planning developments.

CORTES DEMO

Around 200 people demonstrated outside Cortes de la Frontera town hall last Friday demanding the salaries owed to municipal workers be paid. The wages for September are due but they still haven’t been paid for July and August. The cork harvest will generate 1.2 million euros for the town hall’s coffers which can be used to pay workers. muleteers and cork harvesters.

ROAD WORKS

Cuevas del Becerro is carrying out major improvement works to the calle Nueva. The 63,400 euros project is being financed by an agricultural workers employment scheme giving work to three managers plus 25 labourers. The work will start at the beginning of September and continue for four months. It will see the road surface and pavement renewed plus water and sewage piping replaced.

MOVE ON

The Partido Popular president in Málaga province, who also heads the provincial authority, Elías Bendodo, visited Ronda on Saturday backing PP mayor María Paz Fernández in the wake of the arrest of the former socialist mayor Antonio Marín on town planning corruption charges. He offered his unconditional support to Ronda and promised to introduce measures to help it achieve its true tourism potential.

HASHISH BUST

Guardia Civil in Cortes de la Frontera have carried out a series of raids, one at a person’s home and another two on rural farms. They confiscated 24 marihuana plants of a very large size. Two locals aged 19 and 34 years were arrested. In another operation 225 medium sized plants being dried in a house in Cuevas Bajas resulted in two arrests.

NO MOVIES

Ronda has cancelled this year’s political film festival due to lack of funds. The festival, on a theme unique in Europe, was the brainchild of former mayor Antonio Marín. The first festival honoured British director Ken Loach but the town hall says none of the prize monies have yet been paid. Oliver Stone and Julian Assange were due to take part this year.

TWO BLAZES

A fire broke out on Montemayor in Benahavís on Saturday covering 30 hectares and because of the strong winds took six hours to bring under control. The presence of irrigation lakes in the area made the fire fighters task easier. On the same day another blaze in Cortes de la Frontera was quickly contained as fire crews have been assigned to the area.

BABY CARE

The Serranía de Ronda health authority has carried out improvements in the premature birth unit at the hospital covering the region. The Ronda hospital has seen a 15,000 euros investment which has been spent linking the specialist feeding unit with that housing the incubators. It guarantees a more intimate and comfortable space for the babies, mothers and families and also ensures greater security.

RONDA GOURMETS

The Gourmet Food and Wine fair was held in Paris at the end of September. Two Rondeños took part on the stand of Casa Pedro Ojeda, a local company dedicated to fine foods. One was Alberto Corbacho who is one of Spain’s master jámon Serrano cutters. Antonio Ojeda presented a wide range of high quality wines and foods from the Serranía de Ronda.

MARIN’S WIFE

The resignation of four PSOE councillors from Ronda’s council because of corruption charges has left the party in chaos. Four on the PSOE list will now move up but one of those is the wife of the former mayor Antonio Marín, Josefa Valle. It is yet to be determined whether she will take the post as her husband is one of the accused.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

To Malaya, Ballena Blanca and Astapa can now be added Acinipo – the Roman name for Ronda. An apt choice by the police leading latest municipal corruption case that saw a wave of arrests on Tuesday including the former mayor of Ronda Antonio Marín Lara.

Roads were sealed off as at least three police raids swept in to operation at the town hall, municipal offices and the homes of those involved. Yet it caused little commotion in the town of the Tajo because after years of rumour few would have been surprised that arrests had now been made.

As in Marbella and Estepona the case revolves around town planning corruption. Apart from the ex mayor who in turn was Partido Andalucista then socialist, three other PSOE councillors were also detained plus former associates of the previous administration.

Having their collars felt were Francisco Cañestro, the secretary of the local PSOE who is also a provincial deputy; María José Martin de Haro, the former town planning councillor and Rafael Lara who was in charge of local contraction and security. According to judicial sources the others detained were a lawyer and people associated with the Eroski commercial centre development to be built on the former football ground. A seventh person also involved in this project has been questioned by police. Two of these latter arrests were made outside of the province.

The anti-corruption prosecutor Valentín Bueno, who was the mover behind the Astapa and Arcos cases, ordered in 20 officers of the Udyco organised crime unit from the Costa del Sol and a dedicated group dealing with money laundering. The judge of Ronda’s number 2 court is in charge and sources say those involved have been under investigation for around 12 months. Indeed if the charges are proved then the ecologists in Ronda deserve much of the praise because it was they who prodded the forces of law and order in to action.

Taken by surprise was the new Partido Popular mayor of Ronda, Mari Paz Fernández, when the secretary of the court, the anti-corruption prosecutor and plain clothes police all entered her office. They had arrived at the historic town hall located in the plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent in silence.

Then started a search of the mayor’s suite previously occupied by Marín, the various former municipal departments of the other councillors arrested in this case and their private homes and offices. Taken away were town planning documents, various files and the hard discs of computers. The operation that had started around 9.00 finished at 18.00.

The charge sheet against those involved is lengthy but now all too familiar in such cases. Corruption, bribery, embezzlement, falsifying documents, money laundering, traffic in influences and obstructing justice.

Police are said to have taken away a large amount of documentation relating to the sale of the former football stadium on which is to be constructed a mega commercial centre under the name of Eroski. They were also looking for information on the construction company involved Ruiz Jurado.

Both the ecologists and Izquierda Unida had brought a number of cases against the then mayor Antonio Marín. These centred on the controversial Los Merinos golf development close to the boundary with Cuevas del Becerro in the Serranía. Although the development is halted because of the economic crisis the plans are to build 800 luxury homes, a golf course plus hotels and the company involved has paid millions of euros to the town hall on and on-going basis as laid down in its town planning agreement. There are also current cases before the courts involving illegal construction in the Hoya del Tajo – a supposedly protect zone. Whether these make up part of the Acinipo investigation remains to be seen.

Marín and the others arrested in Ronda were taken from their homes and offices to various municipal locations, all were looking very nervous. They were then transported to the police HQ in Marbella and spent the night in police cells in Málaga. Their respective wives, including that of Marín who had been a fellow councillor in his administration, were not seen.

The anti-corruption prosecutor is understood to have ordered the tapping of the phones of those involved for some time. There have also been rumours circulating around Ronda for the past week that something was afoot. However all were surprised when Valentín Bueno swept in to town with the police raiding parties.

NO PAY

The neighbouring municipalities of Cortes de la Frontera and Gaucín cannot afford to pay their workers. Thirty-four employees are involved in Gaucín they have not paid for July and August and the total is around 75,000 euros. Over the same period 224 workers have not been paid in Cortes nor have those collecting the cork harvest. Cuevas del Becerro is also in arrears.

JEWELLERY THEFT

The Guardia Civil in Cortes de la Frontera have arrested a 28-year-old local man accused of stealing jewellery from another person in the village. After an official report was made of the theft officers found the items being sold in a gold dealing shop in Cortes. It appears the culprit was known to the victim and even had a key to the property.

BRIDGE REPAIR

The small dilapidated road bridge at Llano de la Cruz which marks the boundary between Ronda and Arriate is to be repaired. It was recently visited by Manuel López the Ronda councillor responsible for outlying areas. After requests from local residents the town hall is to completely replace the crash barriers and upgrade the structure with work starting within the next 15 days.

GOING ALONE

Residents of El Colmenar – Estación de Gaucín are to be granted a degree of autonomy. Currently the area is part of the municipality of Cortes de la Frontera. Local people have been campaigning for independence and Málaga province has now granted them ELA status which means they will have management of local affairs. El Colmenar will be the fourth ELA in the province.

TOREROS WAY

Ronda has inaugurated the Paseo de los Toreros, a walk way in the Blas Infante zone by the bullring. There will be spaces dedicated to the famous bullfighters Pedro Romero, Niño de la Palma and Antonio Ordóñez. It will honour people closely associated with the world of bullfighting with one being immortalised each year by being commemorated along the route of the pathway.

PARK RESTORED

Ronda is to restore the urban parkland in La Dehesa. The large wooded area has been neglected in recent years. The councillor for the environment, Rafael Flores, has announced a major clean-up operation involving collecting the accumulated rubbish, replacing damaged equipment in the children’s play area, installing new access signs to show entry points and there will also be a track for cyclists.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2011

WORLD HERITAGE BID UNDERWAY


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Ronda’s application for UNESCO World Heritage status will get underway shortly. The architect José Seguí, who is developing the local development plan for Ronda (PGOU), will be in charge of drawing up the documentation to be presented to the UN organisation.

Last week the regional government’s minister of culture, Paulino Plata, visited Ronda and indicated that the starting of the process was “imminent”. Indeed the Andalucía authority and Ronda town hall had already begun the task of planning the documentation.

Ronda will be making an application along with Antequera. In Ronda the Plataforma Pro Ronda Patrimonio Mundial is representing the various local associations and political parties supporting the project. The ministry of culture has offered to pay the costs of both towns making their applications which are estimated at least 90,000 euros each.

The Partido Popular, which now governs Ronda in coalition with the Partido Andalucista, had presented a motion to the Andalucía parliament in support of the World Heritage recognition. It was passed unanimously.

In its submission to UNESCO Ronda will present the Roman ruins at Acinipo, the world famous bridge over the Tajo, the Arab bathes which are the best preserved in Europe, its churches and palaces plus the oldest bullring in Spain. In addition it will highlight the rich and stunningly beautiful natural environment of the three nearby national parks, the Genal Valley plus the 21 villages to be found in the Serranía.

Plata called for the people of Ronda to get behind the application. Once the documentation has been drawn up it will be open for public inspection and people can then register their support. The granting of World Heritage status will bring employment and wealth creating opportunities to Ronda and the surrounding area.

MORE AID

The number of families that need basic foodstuffs and supplies to survive in Ronda has increased by 40 per cent since the new PP –PA coalition came to power in May. The councillor for social welfare, Antonio Arenas, said there were now 160 families receiving this aid whereas in May the figure was 60. The continuing economic crisis had led to the increase.

CHESTNUT ACCOLADE

Chestnuts form the main source of income for many families in the Serranía de Ronda; four million kilos are expected to be gathered. Expectations are the harvest will be the same as last year but the quality is exceptional. Valle del Genal has suggested a denomination of origin is sought to distinguish the high quality of its chestnuts from others on the market.

ASSET STRIPPING

The controversial decision by Ronda’s PP – PA administration to sell municipal assets to raise cash is underway. Last week the provincial bulletin (BOP) carried the conditions for the sale of the Cortijo San Juan 18 kms from the town centre. Also up for grabs is the building housing the wholesale market although the town hall says another will be built to replace it.

TIMELY ARREST

Ronda’s National Police arrested a 38-year-old local man accused of stealing a watch and wallet. His victim reported to police that at 23.20 on September 4 he was robbed at knifepoint in the calle Zahara de la Sierra. Officers took a couple of days to identify the culprit who is said to have 21 previous convictions, 10 of them for robbery with violence.

LEGION ANNIVERSARY

The Spanish Legion celebrated its 91 st anniversary on September 20. To commemorate the event the Tercio Alejandro Farnesio 4 de La Legión based in Ronda held a parade last Thursday followed by a concert. In addition an exhibition was held at the Unicaja gallery displaying material from missions in the Congo, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan amongst others since its inception in 1920.

FERIA FIGHT

Ronda’s councillor in charge of security, Fernando Corrales, has been giving the facts about police action during the period of the Pedro Romero feria. The worst incident was at 06.00 on the final Sunday when a fight at the fair ground led to the arrest of ten people with one person receiving a serious knife wound. There were 16 arrests for drunk driving.

IBI ANGER

Fury in the Serranía de Ronda village of Igualeja where a revision of the land values by the Ministry of the Economy means a 700 per cent rise in the IBI tax in stages up to 2017. The council is made up of five PP and two PSOE councillors and they were united in passing a motion demanding the IBI rise be reviewed.

NO ADMITTANCE

Around 56 per cent of the operations carried out at Ronda’s regional hospital in the first six months of this year did not require the patient to be admitted to the medical centre. It is thanks to a scheme Cirugía Mayor Ambulatoria which saw 1,198 minor operations performed on out patients which in turn provided a more rapid recovery rate at their homes.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2011

RONDA WANTS TO BUY THE CORNISAS


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The land of the Cornisas del Tajo make up one of the most embolic sights in Ronda yet they are under constant threat from developers. One such project that has had to be approved after court rulings are for 16 hectares known as Casa Rúa where a luxury hotel and 22 houses are scheduled to be built.

This case involving the Sánchez Robles family goes back to 1980 and after modifications were made a revised construction plan was approved as it had been backed by the courts on the basis of the local development plan (PGOU) that was in force at that time.

However the scheme has met with stiff opposition from ecologists who are angry at the negative visual impact it will have on one of the most famous scenic areas in Ronda. The Partido Popular –Partido Andalucista administration agrees and is now hoping to purchase the lands from the Sánchez Robles family.

The development project for the Cornisas was always opposed by Izquierda Unida and Silvema – Ecologistas en Acción and support has now also come from the Plataforma en Defensa del Tajo. They all argue the construction of the hotel and houses will have a major negative impact on a rich natural zone much of which is meant to be protected.

This has led the Ronda administration to open negotiations with the Sánchez Robles family to see what can be agreed. Mayor María Paz Fernández says purchase will be difficult because the town hall is deeply in debt. However it is hoped the Spanish or Andalucía governments may step in or indeed the EU to protect one of the most valued historic landscape scenes in Spain.

In past years the town hall had sought to purchase the lands to prevent the development going ahead and nine million euros had then been mentioned. Negotiations are now proceeding between the mayor’s team and the family which are said to be carried out on good terms with the preserving of Ronda’s natural beauty as the objective.

WON’T PAY
A shock for companies who’ve provided services for the former administration in Ronda and are waiting for their bills to be settled. Many have received letters from the town hall saying they’re not paying the invoices which were not authorized by the PP. The companies have carried out the work or supplied the goods and are now taking the town hall to court.
BIKER DEATH
A 34-year-old motorcyclist was killed last Sunday on the A-397 San Pedro de Alcántara to Ronda road. The tragedy happened at km 19.5 in Igualeja around 11.00. The Málaga 112 emergency centre reports the Guardia Civil and ambulance service attended the scene but could do nothing to saver the biker’s life. The road is the major black spot in the province for motorcyclists.
TOUT ARRESTS
Police arrested an employee of one of Ronda’s leading hotels for re-selling tickets for the Pedro Romero Corrida Goyesca on the black market. Three different guests at the hotel reported his activities to the police. When detained by officers he had 14 tickets he was trying to sell. The popular bullfight is sold out every year but it is illegal to re-sell tickets.
MAYOR ACCUSED
More controversy in Cortes de la Frontera where PA mayor Antonio Granero recently sacked his deputy and another councillor. Now Granero has been denounced before Málaga court by a PA supplementary candidate accusing him of cheating and fraud. Manuel Gallego says he has a signed letter in which the mayor promises him the post of delegate for security but he was never appointed.
PACT BROKEN
Málaga’s Izquierda Unida has broken the pact with the Partido Andalucista under which both governed Cortes de la Frontera. This follows the sacking of an IU councillor by the mayor after he accused his PA deputy of signing contracts in his name, one of which favoured his son. The IU councillor protested his innocence and the PA could face a no confidence motion.
DOCTOR’S DEATH
Recently the researcher and scientist Dr José Manuel Rodríguez Delgado died at the age of 96 in San Diego, Texas. The Ronda-born doctor moved to the USA accepting a scholarship at Yale in 1946. He dedicated his life to the study of the human brain and has an institute named after him. Ronda is now to honour him posthumously as a favoured son.
ON FOOT
Following on from its famous Pedro Romero feria Ronda has been celebrating another major tradition its annual cattle market held on the same fair ground. Around 500 mules, horses and donkeys were at the event which attracted 5,000 people from throughout Andalucía and Badajoz. This year 100 animals came from Pruna in Sevilla province accompanied by the local mayor all travelling on foot.
SEED EXCHANGE

Genalguacil in the Serranía de Ronda celebrated last weekend a special event in which plant seeds were exchanged between residents of the rural municipality. Under the banner ‘Enzemillate Canijo’ the objective is to preserve the traditions of the Serranía and the rural culture by swapping plant seeds plus holding a series of events including workshops, a craft market and activities for the children.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2011

SPAIN UNBLOCKS GADAFI’S SERRANIA ASSETS


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Last Thursday the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, announced that his government is putting at the disposal of Libya’s interim government, the National Transitional Council, 16 million euros for humanitarian aid and also 18 tonnes of medications.

Government sources said the 16 million euros was an advance on the Libyan States assets held in Spain which would be returned when the UN authorises it.

One of the prize assets that the Libyan dictator holds in Spain is an estate in Benahavís valued at around 45 million euros. One of Gadafi’s sons also has an account in Spain with half a million euros. In addition Aresbank is owned by Gadafi’s regime and has assets of 300 million euros including deposits owned by private individuals. The activities of the Spanish oil company Repsol in Libya remain blocked for the time being.

Back on March 2 the Spanish government blocked the town planning projects Gadafi has had in this country since 1969. There exists an estate of 7,200 hectares in Málaga province that is owned in the name of the Libyan Foreign Bank and Banco Exterior Libio but which are in effect State owned. The land covers five municipalities: Benahavís, Estepona, Igualeja, Júzcar and Pujerra.

The largest part is in Benahavís with 3,500 hectares where the Spanish representative of the Libyan bank requested planning permission in 2007 but has never followed up the development project. The plans were for a hotel, golf course and 1,915 homes spread over 1,915 hectares.

The initial request for planning permission was denied by Benahavís town hall as according to the 1993 local development plan part of the land is zoned for urban use but the proposals put forward would have amounted to over building on the area designated.

Since then the Libyan bank has authorised 60 kms of fencing to be placed around the entire estate of 7,200 hectares. The main entrance to La Resiner as the estate is known has two notices one saying it is private property and the other a hunting zone.

WOMAN RESCUED

At 8.45 on Friday a 29-year-old woman skidded in her Peugeot 206 60 metres at km 21 on the A-374 Ronda to Sevilla road. The vehicle went off the road and down a rocky slope towards a dry river bed. The Ronda fire brigade had to free her from the car then carry her to safety on a stretcher to receive medical attention.

MERINOS ROW

Merinos golf development currently on hold is controversial enough but now Ronda has been arguing over what to do with the latest 700,000 euros payment. The previous PSOE administration had allocated the funds to development projects, now the PP and PA governing team, backed by the IU, say it will be used to pay salaries and social security instead to the socialist’s ire.
HORROR CRASH

Three people were killed at 4.45 last Wednesday when their BMW crashed against roadside works with the impact splitting the vehicle in two with one woman being decapitated. The tragedy happened on the normally safe A-371 between Villamartín and Las Cabezas de San Juan. The man was from Las Cabezas and two women were Moroccan: one of the women was resident in Ronda.
DEPUTY FIRED
Cortes de la Frontera PA mayor Antonio Granero, has fired his PA deputy Antonio Guerrero Márquez plus an IU councillor Manuel Carasco Ríos. Granero says his deputy signed two contracts one favouring his son in the mayor’s name without authority. The councillor is accused of being implicated in the signing although he says he was assured it was authorised. Guardia Civil are investigating.
CHESTNUT DAYS

The Serranía de Ronda village of Júzcar depends in a large part for its financial viability on the annual chestnut harvest which provides many families with their incomes. On September 9 – 11 Júzcar’s holding a conference on the development of the chestnut industry in a biosphere reserve. Many national and international experts are taking part and full information is on the website http://www.castanardelgenal.com/

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 25 AUGUST 2011

SERRANÍA TO BECOME A CULTURE PARK


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Málaga province has come up with a plan to boost the economy of the Serranía de Ronda by declaring the area a culture park and boosting its promotion by giving it preferential status.

There are over a 100 projects that will give the Serranía prominence at a national level and the culture park would be co-financed equally by the central and Andalucía governments as well as the province. The Málaga deputy for tourism and the promotion of the area, Jacobo Florido, believes that now is the moment to invest in the resources of the Serranía and to include it in promotional packages as well as in its own right.

The cultural park will include zones dating back to the Neolithic age, the Romans, the Nazari Muslim influence across to the 19 th century and the War of Independence. The idea has already received previous endorsement from the regional government.

The plan to boost tourism in the Serranía would be actively supported by museums and interpretation centres as well as the tourist offices and various scenic viewing areas in area. Florido said the Serranía can be declared a cultural park now and all the resources required for its management can be generated.

Amongst the attractions that would make up the park is the chestnut museum in Pujerra (in its final phase), the Nazari interpretation centre in Cortes de la Frontera, the interpretation centre of the War of Independence planned for Gaucín, a culture and wild fungi centre in Júzcar plus another cultural centre in Cartajima. These various centres would join such existing attractions as the Roman ruins at Acinipo and Montejaque’s Cueva de la Pileta.

URBANISATION AT WAR OVER DOG OWNERS

A number of the residents at the Arenal 2000 urbanisation in Ronda are on a war footing over some of the dogs and their owners who reside there. They claim that the pooches are allowed to do their mess in the streets without it being cleared up afterwards. In addition they insist some of the dogs are aggressive, including those officially classified as dangerous breeds, and they fear being attacked.

The angry residents insist these dogs are a danger to the children playing in the streets and to the older people living on the urbanisation. One resident claimed: “We are scared to take out the rubbish.” The concerned property owners say they have given up asking the dog owners to control their animals and have now reported them to the town hall.

FAIR COUNTDOWN

Ronda’s busy preparing itself for its annual Pedro Romero fair. The pavilions have been erected on the feria ground and visited by mayor María Paz Fernández. What’s more the famous Damas Goyescas have been presented for the first time in their dresses based on the style of the Goya era. The ladies of the court preside over all the events and Goyesca bullfight.

MAGHREBI COURT

A 14-year-old Maghreb was caught in Ronda after a coach carrying Portuguese tourists stopped outside the Berlanga Hotel because the driver detected a problem with the steering. The coach had come from Tarifa heading for France; the lad had hid himself in the space above one of the wheels. He was detained by the National Police and transferred to a youth care centre.

SAHARAN FAREWELL

Every summer towns and villages throughout Spain take in children from the refugee camps of the Sahara so they can enjoy a holiday away from the stress of their home environments. The mayor of Ronda and her deputy were both present when the town bid an emotional farewell to the 16 children at a special party held at the Padre Jesús swimming pool.

BETTER MILK

Milk producers in Ronda and the Serranía will benefit from a 700,000 euros Andalucía government project to improve the quality of diary produce. Healthy livestock are a vital element in ensuring the improvement of the milk produced and cattle farmers will have access to advisers who can guide them on instituting best practices. Twenty three milk producers will be involved in the scheme.

PAY PROTEST

There have been fresh protests in Estacion de Gaucín – El Colmenar where previously residents have demanded to break away from Cortes de la Frontera. The latest demonstrations have been in support of two workers who are to be laid off by the PA – IU coalition at Cortes town hall. This has led to renewed demands for democracy and autonomy for the two enclaves.

PAEDOPHILE JAILED

A 42-year-old man from Ronda has been jailed for two years by the Málaga provincial court on charges of being a paedophile. He was found guilty of owning and distributing pornographic material which he had made available over the internet to others. One of the sets of images was of a minor who was being subjected to various forms of sexual abuse.

CAVE MASS

Ronda’s Virgen de la Cabeza has its own confraternity; the statue is housed in the Iglesia Rupestre a cave on the rural outskirts the town. Last Saturday a special mass was held at the shrine which for the first time was attended by “Las Goyescas” – the Damas Goyescas who will preside over the coming fair. The revered Virgin represents the women of Ronda.

SUMMER FIRES

Information has been released by Infoca of two recent forest blazes at Casares and Parauta last Friday. Both fires started in the early hours at 1.25 in Casares and 1.55 in Parauta and both were finally brought under control by the morning. In Casares around half a hectare of scrub was destroyed although no information on the area damaged in Parauta was released.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2011

STILL NO ARENAL 2000 ACTION


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The organisation secretary of PSOE in Ronda has visited the Arenal 2000 and nearby Planilla urbanisations which have still not had repairs made, various infrastructure brought up to scratch or the green zones completed.

At the last session of the PSOE administration on May 6 an order was passed taking in to the town halls control the common areas of the urbanisations. Also under PSOE there were some improvements to traffic flow and the sporting facilities.

Now a Partido Popular – Partido Andalucista town hall is in power and PSOE says that over the past four months nothing has been done to improve the problems on the urbanisation. Of course the new administration insists Ronda is broke so no actions are being sanctioned.

In the specific case of the Arenal 2000 urbanisation the property company was meant to make good the faults in the homes, the street lighting and gardens. The threat was that if the company did not carry out the work it would forfeit the 3 million euros it had deposited with the town hall which would then fund it.

A meeting was held between the Partido Popular mayor, María Paz Fernández and Arenal 2000 in July when the company was given 15 days to start work. The 15 days has passed and nothing has happened and PSOE is now calling on the PP to start the process to seize the funds.



SEPRONA RESCUE INJURED VULTURE


Officers of Seprona, the environmental arm of the Guardia Civil and two firemen from Ronda have rescued a Leonardo vulture found injured in Cortes de la Frontera. Another vulture at the spot had already died.

The Seprona patrol based in Ronda was recently alerted one afternoon that there were two injured Leonardo vultures in a zone known as Cañón de las Buitreras in Cortes de la Frontera.

The Seprona officers called on help from the Ronda fire brigade to assist them in rescuing the birds which are a protected species. Due to the difficult terrain it was necessary to use specialist equipment that was set up in the Guardiaro river so the vultures could be reached. Sadly one of them had already died.

As night fell the surviving vulture was recovered and sent to the Centro de Recuperación de Especies Amenazadas (CREA) that is run by the Andalucía government. Once it has recovered it will be released back in to the wild.

LOWEST DEBT

Government figures show Ronda owes the banks 13.4 million euros and suppliers 10.7 million euros a total of 24.18 million euros. However that is far lower than Torremolinos (70.4), Marbella (72.5), Estepona (73.2), Fuengirola (76.9) and Benalmádena 174,6 million euros. Ronda town hall says coffers are empty placing debt at 29.5 million euros when social security, the regional government and others are added.

TOURISM KEY

Ronda’s deputy mayor and delegate for tourism Isabel María Barriga says tourism is the key to dragging the town of the Tajo out of the economic crisis. The tourism office is being reorganised and a number of promotions are being organised. One sign of progress is the tourism website received 23 per cent more visits in July than the same month last year.

RED PERIL

The ‘picudo rojo’, the beetle destroying palm trees along the Med coast, has made its way in land to Ronda. The town hall has put into operation a plan to prevent the beetle taking hold and private property owners are being asked to be on the lookout and contact the environment department on 952 873 240 or email: mambiente@ronda.es if they are concerned.

ON TELLY

Ronda is the latest location to be featured in the Canal Sur TV programme ‘Andalucía a hierro’ that will be broadcast in coming weeks. Filming has taken place throughout the region and Canary Islands. In each episode six couple take part and have to undertaken tests which aim to promote the natural resources and culture of rural areas to show their outstanding beauty.

NATURAL MONUMENT

The regional government has given the green light to the Málaga provincial delegate to declare the Tajo de Ronda and its cornices as part of the natural monuments of Andalucía. The Tajo defence action group has for some months being carrying out a campaign to have this unique corner of the province recognised and once given this status it will enjoy added protection.

FIRE INVESTMENT

The Málaga fire consortium has invested 20,000 euros in upgrading the facilities at the fire station in Algatocín. These included better working and leisure accommodation for fire teams plus administration and training facilities. Algatocín along with Ronda, Benahavís and Manilva covers 27 municipalities in the Serranía de Ronda and western Costa del Sol with its 82,828 residents all spread over 1.831 square kilometres.

MILK AID

Over 22,000 litres of milk has been delivered to Ronda from the Bancosol food bank that serves the Costa del Sol and inland areas. Ronda’s councillor for social welfare, Antonio Arenas, said the milk would be distributed to needy families in the town and surrounding municipalities. Another 20,000 kilos of food stuffs have also been delivered over the summer from the food bank.

MARÍN FINED

The controversial former mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, has been fined 600 euros by the election board for publishing in a municipal magazine the programme Ronda 2015. The board ruled that Marín had violated electoral law by allowing a campaign for PSOE to be included in a town hall publication. Marín has appealed insisting the supplement appeared before the election campaign had started.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 11 AUGUST 2011

NINETEEN YEARS FOR RONDA MURDER


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The young gypsy who was found guilty of shooting to death José Muñoz Soto, the senior brother of the Gitanos confraternity in Ronda, has been handed down a 19-year jail term.

Eighteen of the years are for the murder itself with a further year for the possession of the murder weapon for which he had no licence. He also has to pay to the family of his victim over 172,000 euros in compensation.

It was at around 14.00 on September 8 2009 that José Muñoz Soto parked his Land Rover car on the perimeter road of the Spanish Legion barracks in La Indiana, Ronda. In the vehicle with him was his assassin who had just reached 18 years of age. It is believed they had an argument over a business deal probably involving horses when the youth pulled out a Glock automatic pistol and shot him three times at point blank range.

Death came almost immediately. José Muñoz Soto only had time to open his car door, take two steps then collapse dead. At 14.20 his killer was at the Hotel Don Benito nearby and summoned a taxi to take him along the Sevilla road to Algodonales. At 15.10 he was detained by the local police in Algodonales and handed over to the National Police homicide unit.

The shots were clearly heard in the Legion’s barracks and Legionnaires on duty witnessed the slaying. He was unanimously convicted of murder by a jury which also took the view he suffered from no mental illness or had a limited capacity or intelligence.

José Muñoz Soto leaves a widow and three children. He ran a furniture business in Ronda and only the year before had been elected as the senior brother of the Gitanos confraternity, one of its most popular and respected in the town. Such was the dismay in the confraternity that in the following Semana Santa the guild did not partake in the traditional parade on Palm Sunday.

RONDA RESIDENT ARRESTED FOR TRAFFICKING IN ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Guardia Civil have arrested two people, a Ronda man and the owner of a zoo in Cádiz province, in operation Mollo. They are charged with various offences of trafficking in protected species of animals, fraud and issuing false documentation.

It is believed that in recent years the pair had trafficked in over one hundred species including primates, marsupials and exotic birds. Officers from Seprona, the environmental arm of the Guardia Civil, started the investigation in July when they were alerted that a resident of Badajoz was keeping a Capuchin monkey in his home that he had bought over the internet.

It emerged the seller was a man living in Ronda who had offered the animal on the internet with documentation that was not valid for the ownership of the monkey by individuals. Later the officers arrested the owner of the zoo who is suspected of supplying the animals and documentation to the Ronda man so he could offer them for sale over the internet.

None of the documentation sold with the animals that originated from the zoo had any validity and hence the buyers had suffered a fraud. The animals had been bred in the Cádiz zoo and the documentation related to them being kept there or sold to other zoos and not individuals. Private ownership was prohibited for sanitary reasons and indeed the animals could endanger the public health. Primates cannot be owned by individuals only research centres and authorised zoos.

TAJO WALKER RESCUED

The Málaga fire consortium based in Ronda rescued a man on Monday from the Tajo gorge. The 67-year-old from Badajoz had suffered a fall whilst out walking.

The fire brigade received an emergency call at 12.50. Two teams were sent to the Arco del Cristo zone where the man had fallen and in the process broken an ankle bone.

The rescuers prepared an evacuation stretcher to take him from the rough terrain of the gorge. With the help of the National and local police he was carried to a safe spot where he could be attended to by a medical team.

WORDS WAR

The Partido Popular mayor of Ronda, María Paz Fernández, has sent a personal letter to all residents of the town explaining the economic situation and how the PP-PA coalition has inherited a 29.5 million euros debt from the outgoing PSOE council. An angry PSOE says it will send out its own letter pointing out this debt was largely inherited from previous PP administrations.
CHOPPERS GALORE
Infoca, the specialist summer fire prevention team, base in Ronda has been visited by the regional government’s environment minister Juan José Díaz Trillo. Nearly 900,000 euros has been spent on upgrading the facilities creating a purpose built heliport which has a capacity to handle 10 fire watch and fighting choppers covering the Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra Bermeja, Los Alcornocales and Genal valley.
SEWAGE WORKS
The Andalucía water agency has started a million euro project to repair the collector that serves the new water treatment plant in Ronda. The problem has largely been caused by the heavy rains of recent winters which have flooded the area at La Muela and displaced the pipeline. The land is being reinforced to prevent future slippages and the dangerous, collapsed road repaired.

SAFE SPRAYING
The campaign to spray the olive groves in the Serranía de Ronda starts anew. Ecologists, bird protection groups, the environment and agriculture ministries have all negotiated an agreement ensuring an environmental spray will be used that cannot damage the flora and fauna. The aircraft will be guided where to fly by GPS systems and no fumigating will be carried out in residential areas.
PARK KEEPERS
Britons of a certain age will remember the park keepers that patrolled and kept order in the local green zones. Now three vigilantes have been appointed by Ronda to ensure the local parks and gardens are used correctly. Notices have been erected banning dogs from fouling the parks and listing other prohibitions. The service runs till September but will be extended if successful.

EIGHT ROBBERIES

Guardia Civil in Cortes de la Frontera have arrested a local resident who allegedly carried out eight break-ins in both the village and nearby Benaoján. Officers started an investigation after numerous reports of the thefts which all had the same modus operandi. The 46-year-old is said to have been active at exactly the same times and days of the week at each location.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY JULY 28, 2011

GUILTY OF MURDER


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

A jury has found a gypsy youth guilty of the murder of José Muñoz Soto in a shooting by the Spanish Legion barracks in Ronda on September 8 2009.

Soto was a respected businessman in the town and also the senior brother of the Gitanos brotherhood that carried one of the thrones during Ronda’s Semana Santa parades.

The nine-member jury were unanimous in their guilty verdict after a week long trial. The prosecution alleged the youth, who was 18-years-old at the time, was sitting in the passenger seat of Soto’s car parked by the barracks when the murder took place. It was claimed he drew out a Glock semi-automatic pistol and fired in to his victim’s side killing him instantly.

For his part the assailant would not admit he was in the car when the murder took place and denied there were any differences between them. However he did arrive at the nearby Hotel Don Benito shortly after the shooting then took a taxi to Algodonales but it was intercepted by police.

The court has yet to hand down a jail term. Both the prosecutor and the lawyer acting for the Soto family are seeking 18 years for the murder and two years for the illegal possession of the weapon. Now the guilty verdict has been returned the defence is pleading for 15 years. There are also demands for indemnity payments to his widow and children.

The youth is a member of a well-known Gypsy family in Almeria that has a string of previous convictions. It is thought the argument may have been over a debt involving horses. Soto had a furniture business in Ronda and was highly regarded in the community.

He had been elected as the senior brother of Los Gitanos at the beginning of 2008. The famous fraternity traditionally takes its throne out on Palm Sunday. Such was the impact of the shooting on the members that they withdrew from the 2010 procession. There was widespread mourning in Ronda after his death and a huge turn-out at the funeral including representatives of all the fraternities in the town.

SMURF WEEKENDS IN JÚZCAR

The small Serranía de Ronda village of Júzcar has been propelled to international stardom after it was painted blue and presented to the world as the village of the Smurfs.

It is all part of Sony Pictures promotion of its film The Smurfs in 3D – the Smurfs are Los Pitufos in Spanish – which saw Júzcar chosen as the typical Smurfs’ home.

This has led to Smurf weekends being held over the summer at Júzcar. The “Aventura Pitufa” has seen dozens of children take part as they travel to the village from all over Andalucía.

The adventure has been organised by a local company and is open to all children aged over two years. They follow a route around the village looking for the Smurfs’ mushrooms, treasure, take part nature orientation, in the search for water and spiders and they meet personalities and encounter magic.

The adventures start on Saturdays at 11.00 and 20.00 and at 21.00 on Sundays. Mayor David Fernández said the aim was to maintain the expectations of the young visitors to when they arrived in the Smurfs’ blue village there were related activities for them to do. Adults haven’t been forgotten because in addition to the adventure there is a craft market.

YOUR DEBT

The new Partido Popular – Partido Andalucista administration says Ronda town hall is bust and has ordered an audit to ascertain where the money has gone. The PSOE opposition led by former mayor Antonio Marín has demanded the audit goes back to 1999. The socialists insist the debt is historic, was run up by previous PP administrations and should be compared with compatible municipalities.

HALF FAIR

With the economic crisis and a new cost cutting administration Ronda’s famous Feria de Pedro Romero is having its budget cut by 50 per cent. It runs from August 30 to September 4; includes the Goyesca bullfights, international folk festival, parades plus day and night fairs. The town hall hopes much of the cash shortfall will be made up by clubs and businesses.

PROTECT TAJO

Recently Ronda council voted to allow the building of a five-star luxury hotel and 22 homes in the protected Cornisas del Tajo after a lengthy legal battle with the family that own the site since 1980. Now it’s back to court as Ecologistas en Acción, backed by IU, want the scheme halted saying residents shouldn’t be penalized because past administrations have made mistakes.

UNESCO BOOST

Ronda’s PP mayor and her PA deputy have met with the Plataforma Pro Ronda Patrimonio Mundial which is promoting the bid to have the town of the Tajo recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. They voiced their backing for the project being launched by the regional government and have promised to allocate a heritage expert, David Becerra, to the action group.

WINE TRAINING

The wine industry in the Serranía de Ronda is growing fast hence the need to train young people to handle the vines and to work in the bodegas. Ronda town hall has signed an accord with Lecharry which will see nine students given work experience at the company’s Cortijo de San Juan and its wine making centre – they will receive certificates on completion.

VIVA COLMENAR

Residents of El Colmenar – Estación de Gaucín live in the municipality of Cortes de la Frontera. The zone is now demanding to be an ELA giving it local autonomy, then take the next step and become an independent municipality. The administration in Cortes is a PA - IU coalition and residents of El Colmenar believe they will back and promote their separation interests.

DIGITAL JIMERA

Málaga province through its technology development department has installed its MOAD digital town hall system in Jimera de Líbar. MOAD allows local residents to carry out a lot of business with the town hall on-line so saving the need to visit the offices. With a digital certificate or electronic DNI residents can access on a 24-hour basis all the municipal services and departments.

GENAL DESTRUCTION

The Genal Valley working group reported the Andalucía ministry of the environment to the environment prosecutor and the EU over the cleaning of the river in the Puente de Gaucín area. It claims the flora and fauna have been destroyed by heavy excavation machinery moving earth. The Genal river has LIC status making it a place of environmental importance giving it European protection.

EAST WEST

On July 30 at 21.30 in Ronda’s bullring the internationally celebrated conductor and musician Daniel Barenboim brings his West Eastern Divan Orchestra to perform. The orchestra brings together young people from Israel and various Arab states to prove they can be united through music. They will play Beethoven’s 4 th and 7 th symphonies then play Mozart with the Al Andalus orchestra.

SHEIK ACADEMIES

Sheik Adbullah Al-Thani has taken Málaga football club by storm investing in numerous big name players ahead of the new season. However he is also supporting the game at the grass roots level with the opening of five academies. There is much excitement in Ronda at the establishment of one of the academies there as well as in Marbella, Benalmádena/Mijas, Vélez-Málaga and Antequera.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY JUNE 30, 2011

SUMMER DEATH TOLL OF WILDLIFE ON SECONDARY ROADS


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Officers of Ronda’s Patrulla Verde have stated that every summer many wild animals perish on the tarmac of the Serranía’s secondary roads. The environmental patrols on one recent morning found the remains of a badger, jennet wild cat and a squirrel on the road that connects Ronda with Los Montes de Propios in Cortes de la Frontera.

Juan Gutiérrez, one of the officers who makes up the patrols, explained that the majority of the accidents happened at night. This is the time the wild animals are hunting or looking to drink in the mountain streams. He said the younger animals are less experienced when it comes to the hazards of the roads and tragically are run over.

The Patrulla Verde accepts that the majority of these accidents are impossible to prevent as the driver has no time to react. The death toll is at its highest amongst snakes, owls, badgers, jennets and foxes. Either they are killed outright or suffer such serious injuries there is little chance of recovery.

The wild animals also present a danger to drivers because suddenly they see something in their headlights and in attempts to avoid hitting the creature they can find their vehicle going off the road.

The environmental patrols ask all drivers who use the secondary roads late at night during the summer to take the maximum care for both their own and the wildlife’s safety. The roads are not the only threats to these creatures with electric pylons and illegal poisoning also taking their toll.

LYNCH MOB

The former mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, who is now the PSOE spokesperson has denied claims by the new Partido Popular mayor, Maripaz Fernández, that he left the town hall in financial ruin after she called for a State audit. Fernández says debts amount to 30 million euros without any liquidity. Marín says it is all part a campaign to lynch him politically.

EX CHIEF

A new administration comes in at a town hall and officials exit. One is the local police chief in Ronda, José Carrasco. He served with the new mayor Maripaz Fernández when as part of the PA-PP coalition she was the councillor for fiestas. Now seemingly he has lost her confidence and his departure is explained by a need to improve to police service.

PSOE DIVIDED

Divisions have opened up in Ronda’s PSOE over the party losing the mayorship after the recent elections. The party’s local secretary Francisco Cañestro survived a vote of confidence. However there has been anger amongst activists over former PA mayor Antonio Marín being absorbed along with eight of his councillors. This has meant long term PSOE councillors being dumped or moved down the list.

TRACTOR THEFT

Guardia Civil have arrested a man after a tractor was stolen in Pujerra in the Serranía and was later found in Cartajima. The alleged thief is said to have changed the tractor’s colour from blue to deep red and also erased the chassis number. The local man is accused of robbery with force. There have been numerous recent thefts of heavy farm equipment.

CORK HARVEST

This year’s cork harvest is underway. Ronda’s environment department has started its campaign in Los Montes de Propios and expects to collect 7,000 Spanish quintals of high quality oak cork. The municipal plantations run up to the border with Cortes de la Frontera. The town hall expects to bank around 600,000 euros although sales have been hit by the use of plastic corks.

EIGHT YEARS

There are reports the prosecutor has sought an eight year detention term for the 17-year-old youth who is alleged to have murdered María Esther Jímenez in Arriate on January 19. In addition he would be subjected to another five years of supervised detention. He is said to have battered her to death with a four kilo brick but he has pleaded not guilty.

STAY PUT

Ronda is to enlarge its industrial estate by 500,000 square metres in an effort to prevent companies leaving the town. It is an interim measure as once the new local development plan (PGOU) has been passed a new industrial zone and technology park will be created off the El Burgo road. However in the meantime land is being allocated between Torrecilla and Cuco.