Pablo Fresneda in the government's analysis of transportation in Cuba in 2024.

Last week, a government meeting was held to analyze the Ministry of Transportation's results for 2024 and, above all, the outlook for the current year. Officials and specialists from the ministry, numerous companies and institutions, and, via videoconference, transportation delegates from each of the country's provinces, provincial government officials, state and non-state business owners, specialists, and workers directly linked to production or services participated in the meeting.

In future publications, we will address the central topic of the meeting, which was, of course, quite complex, with results that fell far short of what was desired.

But now we want to share with you the experience of one of the attendees at that meeting, Pablo Fresneda. He worked as a stevedore for 20 years at the Andrés González Lines port terminal in Havana. Pablo, who, like many other Cubans, suffers from the difficulties faced by public transportation in the country, took the opportunity to express his concerns and propose solutions. A Desafío team had the opportunity to speak with him during a break while he was loading sacks at the port of Havana.

“As a good Christian, I blessed everyone present and asked God to put a message in my mouth that would have some impact. It's not every day that you have the opportunity to speak directly to the President of the Republic,” he told us, still grateful for the opportunity to address the country's highest authorities in a frank and open dialogue.

His message, full of sincerity and concern, addressed the importance of port activity for the country's economy and how recent months have seen an increase in port workers' wages and an improvement in food conditions in Cuban ports, a task that is so hard. I was pleased to hear his recognition of Deputy Prime Minister Jorge Luis Tapia and other executives for achieving this transformation. And these words become especially meaningful when we consider that Pablo is, until now, one of those anonymous figures who, literally, carry part of a country's livelihood: hundreds and hundreds of sacks full of basic food basket products pass on his shoulders month after month.

He also emphasized in the interview with our Desafío team the need to follow the example of the aviation sector, which has made several of its buses available for public transportation. "We should expand these initiatives. If other entities, if other sectors did the same, we could ease the burden on Cubans who depend on this service daily. I think it shouldn't be so difficult," he stated.

During the meeting, he addressed this topic, and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz reiterated the issue's top priority, so that we can have a greater contribution from state vehicles to public passenger transportation in the country. For me, and I'm sure for the rest of the Ministry of Transportation's executives, it was a privilege to be able to share that meeting with Pablo Fresneda.