[music] Good afternoon, dear journalist friends. Thank you, thank you for attending this appointment. We have important information for the entire country. Thank you so much. First, I want to update you on the current situation according to the latest UNRD report. We have 25,872 affected families, 53,816 people, sadly 265 dead, 3494 injured and the number of missing has risen alarmingly to 496. Our main efforts are concentrated on the missing. That's why we are acting with all our capabilities and also making use of the international aid that is beginning to arrive in Colombia. We have 11,347 homes destroyed. We have 53,526 damaged homes, 140 collapsed buildings, 1,819 damaged educational centers, 631 affected community centers, 179 health centers with structural failures, one fallen pedestrian bridge, 20 affected vehicular bridges, 203 affected roads, 44 compromised aqueducts and five affected airports. It is undoubtedly a tragedy of great magnitude, but it is precisely in these dark and complex times that we must unite under one flag, which is the flag of Colombia, and the government's efforts are focused on this. Before making a very important announcement, I would like the First Lady to tell us about the humanitarian aid that has been processed through her office to reach the affected departments and municipalities . And I would also like the country and the world to know that we continue to receive at the collection points the aid that our compatriots need. Good afternoon. Following the magnitude 7.4 CU earthquake that struck the country, thanks to the Colombia One Heart campaign and the support and coordination of the national government, the private sector, social organizations and all Colombians, and with special recognition of the leadership of the Tigresses of the Homeland. In conjunction with the Food Bank and the Minuto de Dios Foundation, we have managed more than 15 tons of food and humanitarian aid, thanks also to the support of Ara stores, Uno supermarkets, Nestlé and Purina. Well, we have already transported some of those tons to the affected territories through the airlines Avianca, Latam and also through private flights that we have managed with the support of private initiatives. We have also made our presence felt in the territories with more than 120,000 1000 L of water distributed between bottles and tank trucks. We have also arranged support with fuel tankers in conjunction with organizations such as Terpel and Petromil. We have also managed power plants, Starlink equipment, electric generators and refrigerated containers over 40 feet long to support the work that Legal Medicine is currently carrying out, especially in the department of Risaralta. We have also received donations of medicines. We have managed this thanks to Farmatodo, Cruz Verde and other pharmaceutical companies. We have delivered medicine support to various hospitals and we are currently providing support to the Colombian Red Cross . Amidst the humanitarian aid efforts, we are also delivering blankets, mattresses, and tents to the shelters set up by the various municipalities, in order to support all the families being cared for in these different shelters at night. We also have and have managed medical and psychosocial support, as well as completely free funeral support for the affected families who have lost their loved ones. Additionally, more than 150 tons of emergency kits were sent to support rescuers. McDonald's has also supported us with food so that the rescuers can continue their work. All this aid has been distributed in the municipalities of the areas most affected by the earthquakes, because we have been in constant communication with the municipalities and with the first ladies of each of them, especially with the first ladies of the departments of Risaralda, Quindío, Caldas, Valle del Cauca and we have also been in direct communication with the governor of Chocó. So, Mr. President, we are still here with the Colombia One Heart campaign. We have the points , they are distributed throughout Colombia, and they are still open. We also have points in Miami and New Jersey, and we are directing all this aid directly to the Cali airport, and from there we are directing the aid to the different municipalities. Thank you. Thanks my love. Dear friends, as you can see, everything that needs to be done in technical matters has been done. International support has been received, humanitarian aid has been delivered through the First Lady's office, and considering the seriousness of the circumstances that Colombia is currently facing, a tragedy like this definitely compels us to take exceptional measures to confront this crisis. generated by nature. According to the latest official report that I just read to you, the impact is enormous and requires great determination and political will on the part of the government to, on the one hand, make the necessary investments in those territories, rebuild the homes, support the victims and provide relief to so many Colombians who are suffering today. The earthquake, as you know, mainly affected the departments of Chocorra, Saralda, Quindío, Caldas and Valle del Cauca. This crisis, generated by this tragedy or natural phenomenon, has an absolutely terrible impact on our country and catches us at a difficult time in the midst of a fiscal crisis, the most complex in the entire republican history of our country, because we have the highest level of indebtedness, a total lack of resources in the treasury and an absolutely unfunded public budget. Consequently, after evaluating all these circumstances and weighing them with the economic team, we are structuring a series of measures that are, undoubtedly, temporary reliefs, but that help, which have to do with the payment of public services for the affected families by the government. Rental subsidies for those who lost their homes. Tax and financial relief measures , economic support for the most vulnerable families, and support mechanisms for merchants and small business owners affected by the earthquake. Also, as I said before, it is absolutely necessary, fundamental and crucial to expedite the reconstruction of the affected areas. Therefore, I inform the country that I have decided to make use of the economic emergency, a mechanism provided for in our Constitution, in order to face this crisis appropriately. The emergency I am proposing will create a miracle fund, an entity that will channel national and international contributions that will be allocated to the reconstruction of hospitals, educational centers, buildings, roads and airports that suffered damage from the earthquake. The emergency, dear journalists and fellow citizens, must also include economic reactivation measures that stimulate investment, reduce obstacles to project development, and generate more jobs in the affected areas. With the declaration of emergency, the national government sends a clear message of commitment to the priority and effective attention to the needs of the victims and the reconstruction of the territories hit by the disaster that today brings grief to the nation. Our hearts and our feelings of solidarity are with the victims. They are not alone. Here is a government that will help you and lend you a hand. I want to give special thanks to our national heroes who have stood firm here helping to resolve this tragedy in some way and in the best way possible. To the police officers, soldiers, members of the Civil Defense, firefighters, volunteers, and members of the Red Cross, you are heroes and we are grateful to you for the work you have done. I also want to thank all the international aid that is arriving to address this emergency which, I insist, is causing grief to the entire Colombian people. Rest assured that we will do whatever is necessary within the framework of the Constitution and the law, as is appropriate in a state governed by the rule of law, to address this emergency in the best way possible and, at the end of this ordeal that we have had to face as a society, to ensure that in the midst of this crisis and this tragedy we can rise again as a country and as a society. A hug to all the victims and their families. Our hearts and feelings are with them, and I want them to know that I will work as long as it takes. I will do what is necessary to address this emergency in the best way possible. And I want you to never forget that today more than ever I stand firm for the homeland. May God bless Colombia. Thank you, fellow journalists. [music]