Bacalar Residents End Highway Blockade After Officials Agree to Dissolve Oversight Committee

Bacalar, Quintana Roo — Residents of the La Pantera community lifted a two-hour blockade of the Chetumal-Mérida highway Tuesday evening after municipal authorities agreed to dissolve the oversight committee of a federal infrastructure fund they accused of mismanaging.

The protest began around 8 p.m. when community members blocked the road with logs, stones, and improvised barriers. Demonstrators carrying signs demanded that officials address alleged irregularities in the handling of resources from the FAISPIAM, the federal fund for social infrastructure for Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples and communities.

The blockade caused long lines of vehicles on the highway. Guillermo Tun Ruiz, general secretary of the Bacalar city council, arrived at the scene and reached an agreement with demonstrators: the committee’s dissolution would be put to a vote at an assembly scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday. After that, residents cleared the road.

During the assembly, ejido members will request a detailed report on the projects carried out and funds spent. A new committee will then be formed to continue implementing FAISPIAM resources.

In April, the federal Social Welfare Department allocated 995,000 pesos to the community through FAISPIAM for projects including electrification, drinking water, drainage, bathrooms, road repairs, health, and education.

Last Monday, at a community meeting, a majority of residents denounced alleged irregularities in the use of those funds, claiming that projects were being directed to relatives and close associates of committee members. Since then, residents had warned they would block the highway if their demands went unheeded.