Thank you. The authorities inaugurated it in this way. And after 30 minutes, I was there to take it and it was almost 10 o'clock, starting this as the protagonist here. Last year she was going to dance and speak. Good evening. his entrance to Higgins Park in the commune of Santiago, capital of Chile. His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. José Antonio Cast, together with the First Lady, María Piadre Sola, and tonight's host, the Mayor of Santiago, Mario Desbordes Jiménez. They traditionally to the European authorities. They're going to dance on the ribbon, the president's authority here will be in that state through the Good night. The illustrious municipality of Santiago extends a warm welcome to this official opening ceremony of the 2026 Santiago fondas under the motto "A song to what you love," alluding to the poem by our illustrious Chilean poet Gabriela Misral. This significant event brings us together around our traditions, our culture, and our identity as a nation. We wish to greet and thank His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. José Antonio Cast, along with the First Lady, María Padrezola, for their presence. To the host of this event, the mayor of Santiago, Mr. Mario Desbordes Jiménez. To the Ministers of State, Your Excellencies the Ambassadors, and representatives of the diplomatic corps. We salute the commanding general of the Metropolitan Region Army Garrison , Division General Sebastián García Guidobro Elso. To the head of the Metropolitan Zone of the Carabineros of Chile, Inspector General Manuel Cifuentes Quesada. Honorable members of parliament , undersecretaries of state, the governor of the metropolitan region, Mr. Claudio Orrego Larraín, and the presidential delegate of the metropolitan region, Mr. Germán Codina Powers. To the mayors of the metropolitan region, to the council members of the Santiago commune, to the Council of Civil Society, COSOC, local authorities and representatives of the Santiago commune, municipal directors, representatives of social, cultural and religious organizations of Santiago, tenants of the food stalls and restaurants of Ojigin Park. and especially to our neighbors in the Santiago commune. To begin, the National Choir of the Carabineros of Chile, officially founded in 1929, is an emblem of the country's music and institutional tradition. Under the direction of outstanding teachers, he has brought Chilean music to official ceremonies, cultural activities and international stages, proudly representing the Carabineros of Chile. It currently brings together more than 200 members organized into various instrumental groups, ceremonial band, chamber orchestra, brass band, big band and strings. To begin this ceremony, we invite everyone present to stand and sing our national anthem performed by the National Choir of the Carabineros of Chile. Fegoo Spirit. With our national anthem. We thank the National Choir of the Carabineros of Chile for joining us in this ceremony. We invite you to take a seat. In this official opening ceremony of the Santiago 2026 food stalls under the motto "A song to what you love", we invite the host of this day, the mayor of Santiago, Mario Desordes Jiménez, to address those present. Well, good afternoon, good evening. I now adopt the vocatives that were just read, with one exception. Welcome, Mr. President. Welcome First Lady to the Santiago inn, to our Ojigins park. We are in Ojigis Park, a place full of historical significance. This property, formerly known as El Conventillo, belonged until 1823 to Rosa Rodríguez Riquelme, sister of Bernardo Higgins, father of the nation. In this country house, Ojigins visited his family and perhaps also celebrated the holidays with chicha and empanadas. Perhaps she also danced a cueca step. How joyful must have been Don Bernardo Higin when, in exile in Lima, he learned by letter in 1832 that here on these lands that now belonged to the treasury, the land had been subdivided so that ramadas and games could be set up for the celebration of the national holidays between September 16 and 20, just as we do today . This is the tradition we honor by inaugurating here the grand official fonda with the same fervent patriotic enthusiasm with which fondas are inaugurated these days, for example, in so many places in Chile. I want my first words today to be to send, of course, a warm greeting to all the mayors and mayoresses, and to the residents of the communities that have been seriously affected by forest fires in January. And also a warm embrace to those who suffered the onslaught of the July storms. To the people of the Atacama and Coquimbo regions, taking special advantage of the fact that these words reach all of Chile, may these celebrations revive the spirit of national solidarity to undertake together the necessary task of rebuilding and helping those who lost everything. This is Chile, a country forced to rise again and again, and perhaps it is these difficulties that make our celebrations such enthusiastic festivities, difficulties that High himself experienced firsthand, not only the war of independence, but also the earthquake of 1822, but no less important, difficulties such as incomprehension and what Gabriela Amistral called the payment of Chile. But even in the face of these difficulties, such as being forced to be away from their homeland, they did not overshadow their joy and festive spirit. Historians recall that a few months before he died, he celebrated the national holidays in Lima with General Manuel Bulnes, who would later become president of Chile, with whom they say he celebrated even beyond the closing time of these same fondas. It is important to celebrate what unites us, but also to do so responsibly. Last year was a quiet year and we are convinced that this year will be even better because together with the Chilean police and the production company, we have taken all the necessary security measures. There is now a significant provision of private guards, access gates, metal detectors, surveillance cameras, in addition to the police presence recently inaugurated by the General Director of Carabineros, Mr. Marcelo Araya, who installed more than 200 Carabineros in the temporary police station. If last year we aimed to be the safest food stall, this year we also want to be the greenest food stall, because during the holidays waste generation can increase up to seven times. And to prevent that reality, we are incorporating new measures that will reduce waste generation, increase its value, and also promote environmentally friendly practices among tenants and visitors. Just as important as getting together and knowing how to celebrate responsibly is remembering what we are celebrating. Today we commemorate and begin to celebrate nothing less than the independence of Chile. To paraphrase an Enlightenment philosopher, we celebrate the conquest of our coming of age. What is it, and nothing else, that we affirm when we say that Chile is a sovereign country, and that sovereignty cost so much effort during the independence process? It is the gift that we must cherish and cultivate. to future generations. It was that sovereignty that Oigins had in mind when, on his deathbed, he said his last words, his last longing, his last concern for the homeland. Magellan, Magellan, Magellan, marking a group that should be a source of unity for all of us. A sovereignty that is expressed in the regular functioning of our institutions and that is exercised by the people through periodic elections and that together are the basis of our democracy and our republican system of freedoms. Today, sovereignty, and therefore our independence as a nation, is under threat. threatened when we do not have full control of our borders and territories, which then fall into the hands of organized crime. That's why we must n't get lost. This is the first and most threatening emergency that Chile has faced, the one that led more than 7 million citizens to elect President CAS to take charge of it. This is the emergency that we mayors face daily throughout Chile, and which Mayor Christopher White of San Bernardo, who is with us today, is facing with such courage. He has brought to light a reality that affects many others and that the rule of law cannot allow. Christopher, a big hug to you and your family. You have my respect and all our support whenever you need it. When the mayors come to Santiago, many of them come to see me and tell me so. We also discussed it in the associations of municipalities and the truth is that there are no two opinions here. The security crisis is the main concern in all municipalities of Chile. The crisis transcends geographical and social realities and has no political colors. That is why I said at the opening of the grand celebration last year that whoever assumed the presidency of Chile would need the collaboration and patriotic commitment of all of us, that whoever managed to obtain the highest office should detach themselves from entrenched political positions to become a statesman, because the task would be arduous, because restoring security requires mobilizing enormous economic and human resources, as we did during the COVID-19 pandemic, because the security crisis is a true pandemic. It is certainly not easy because it requires legal modifications, cutting expenses and giving up resources. This is what we have been doing in Santiago for a year and a half, which allowed us to triple the number of security agents in the commune, beginning to recover neighborhoods and the safety of our neighbors. These measures, among many others, have allowed Santiago to be one of the municipalities where the victimization rate decreased the most in the last year, according to the USO survey. This has been the main cause of the increase in real estate investment, also leading the volume of apartment sales in the region in the last year. The same is true for tourism, which from 2024 to date has gone from 40% to 80% in terms of hotel occupancy and which in recent months has allowed the municipality of Santiago to grant 2300 new commercial licenses, that is, 2300 new businesses, among other indicators that show that commercial activity is recovering in the capital city. Greetings to José Paco, my friend from the Chamber. of commerce, national of commerce. I don't want to go into specific details. Today I want to ask that we not abandon our police forces, that we not abandon the municipalities, because restoring security to our cities requires substantial resources that we, the municipalities, do not have, because nothing we have done in Santiago has been done with resources from the central government, and that is why we ask the government and especially Congress not to tie our hands, not to limit our continued investment in security, not to establish provisions that inhibit, impede, or further hinder the difficult task that we mayors have . Given this consensus we have throughout Chile, I want to ask the government and the opposition, the executive branch and Congress, to move forward on what Chile demands, to make the patriotic effort to dialogue and reach agreements in the timeframe that the citizens require, to make this effort a common task, because only with unity will we defeat organized crime, because that and no other is the enemy of Chile. Because the emergency, because the emergency is not just about fear, where the State withdraws, someone replaces it and disputes its sovereignty. I want to ask you to face this emergency with the conviction that what is at stake is the sovereignty of Chile, and that when it comes to it, there is no room for pettiness. When it comes to our independence, we cannot spare any effort or resources. Without security there is no freedom. Without security there will be no stable economic recovery. Without security, it doesn't matter how much we invest in culture and heritage, it won't last. The security of our border, the security of our fields, the security of our seas, the security of our streets, our homes and neighborhoods, is not just another private agenda. No. Security cannot be treated as part of a general fiscal adjustment because there is no budgetary objective that can supersede our existence as a nation. Because, as Mario Góngora argued, it is the state that has shaped our nationality, and when sovereignty is lost, it is the ideas of state and nation that falter, and without them it is not possible to build any national project, any democratic project. Today is the time for unity, to reinforce the sense of authority and the cohesion of the State in the face of the opportunism of organized crime that seeks to kidnap the youth with the scourge of drugs. We are a free, open, and welcoming nation, multicultural, and it is up to each generation to shape that unity. This is not possible without the awareness that together we are part of the same body. This is not possible without laws and institutions to enforce them. That is why today's task, the emergency we must face, is as great as that faced by past generations. To restore security and the capacity and authority of the State to act with legitimacy and efficiency for those who inhabit this territory and to ensure that its inhabitants continue to believe in that noble dream shared by Carrera, Oigins, Bullness, Mont and all those who throughout history have contributed to and made this homeland great. Let's celebrate, but above all let's continue to believe in Chile, let's be optimistic and believe that together we will win. Long live Chile. Thank you so much. We appreciate the words of the mayor of Santiago, Mario Desbordes Jiménez. In this significant act that calls us to our traditions, our culture, our identity as a nation. We would like to invite His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. José Antonio Cast, to address those present. R. This is my first speech and with the Thank you very much. Very, very good evening. Good evening, Mr. Mayor. I congratulate you on everything you have done, on how incredible the start of the national holidays looks here in Santiago. I also greet the governor and the delegate; I see them there together, one with a blanket, the other well-dressed in a suit and tie. To the ministers, thank you very much for joining us. To each of the councilors who are accompanying the mayor today, thank you for allowing us to share this with you. To the mayors, the mayor of San Bernardo, Christopher White, and to the mayors who are with us here and who are also working in their municipalities to prepare for these national holidays. To each of the ambassadors who are with us, thank you very much for being here and I ask for a round of applause so that you know how much we love our friends in Chiloé, even when they are foreigners. Thank you so much for being here with us. our national holidays. It is a joy for me to be here in Oigins Park inaugurating the food stalls and starting our national holidays together . The mayor told an incredible story about Bernardo Higgins and how, from a distance, he uttered those words you mentioned as his final words: Magellan, Magellan. And I want to greet, just as I greeted our special guests, foreigners, those who have made it possible for us to be here today, those who will make it possible for this not only to be the safest fondas, but the most entertaining fondas, the fondas with the best empanadas, the best anticuchos, those who will have the kitchens, those who will delegate to us with their music, those municipal workers who have given everything so that it is up to the standard of this celebration. This big, spontaneous applause is for all of you from those of us who are here today. This is the result of the effort of many people. There is a lot of effort from many people in every ramada, in every fonda throughout our country, who always hope that people will visit, enjoy themselves and be able to share with their families in a healthy way during this springtime season when the trees begin to bloom, the afternoons get longer, and our houses are improved— a tradition in the more rural towns. where you can see how they paint the facades. We always encourage each neighbor to improve the facades of their house, to raise our national flag, to enjoy this time with family and see how winter is leaving us behind. The difficult months are now behind us. Hope, which the mayor spoke to us about, is characteristic of spring. The certainty that after difficult times everything begins to improve . Our country has also gone through difficult times, that much is clear, but we are doing serious, responsible work and the first signs of progress are already emerging. The mayor mentioned it, the municipalities do their job, but the state as such is also doing its job and things are starting to improve in terms of security and we see the statistics. We hope that things will soon begin to improve in the economy as well, and that will reflect that by doing the work in an organized way, well done, and working together, we will move our nation forward. Today we are gathered to celebrate the joy of Chileans in having their national holidays, in having our national holidays and doing it here in Oigins Park with a well- stomped cueca. We are all eagerly awaiting to see how the mayor will dance. All eyes and cameras are on you, Mr. Mayor. That's to divert attention. We're happy to make them here. enjoying ourselves as we mentioned, and this joy is felt throughout Chile. In every region of our country, the atmosphere is being prepared for this celebration in those ramadas and in those fondas. And Chile has a special seal, it is a seal of welcome and those who as tourists today are beginning to return to the capital of Chile, to Santiago and to all of our country know it well. And that's why we have to show them that we proudly sing our national anthem, that we enjoy our folklore, that we rejoice in seeing how hope is cultivated in the countryside, how our history is cultivated. That story that some people prepared for us more than 200 years ago when we regained our independence. all those generations that came before us, who made a tremendous effort to have what we have today. Chile has gone through difficult times, yes, but together we have moved forward. Beyond our legitimate differences, when we have had problems such as the pandemic, an earthquake, a tsunami, united we have moved forward and today, faced with these threats that the mayor spoke to us about, united we must move forward. We hope that these holidays are enjoyed well, and that once again we can thank our Carabinieri, our police, for taking care of us. But we have to help them with that, we have to respect them, we have to make their job easier. I invite you to enjoy these holidays with joy and responsibility, to take care of our children, to accompany the elderly, to accompany those who are alone, and to warmly welcome those who visit us. And if someone is going to take it, they should hand over the keys. We want everyone to return home safe and sound, and for no one to have to mourn a tragedy due to any kind of irresponsibility. May Chile be reborn during these national holidays, let us joyfully inaugurate these fondas. May God bless Chile, may God bless Santiago, and long live Chile. And there is a tradition along with the much-anticipated cueca dance , which is the palla. And I have something here that we've been discussing. I raise a toast to our flag for September and to the joy from Visri to Antarctica, passing through Araucanía. I also raise a toast to our seas, fields, rivers, lakes and volcanoes. Also through the island territories and through our Strait of Magellan. They say we 're boring and they may be right, but we weren't elected to tell jokes, but to fix our nation. Oh dear . They told me it was a different story with a guitar, and boy were they right, but governing becomes easier when we put our heart into it. Day after day without rest there is a lot to organize. We want a safe Chile that takes off again , where jobs return strong and we can progress, where families can dream again at peace. I want to finish my palla with hope and love. And I say to all of Chile, stay calm, not only are we going to be okay, but we're going to be much better. So I raise this handkerchief that I have been given, Minister, thank you very much for giving it to me and for bringing the work of those who are in rehabilitation. I raise my handkerchief and say it with emotion. Long live Santiago, long live the regions, long live Chile today and always with all our hearts. Thank you so much. Thank you very much, Mr. President. We invite you to remain on the stage and we now invite the mayor of Santiago, Mr. Mario Desbordes, to come forward and join us on stage, because the time has come for the traditional ribbon cutting. We also invite Isabela Jiménez Manríquez and Santiago Jiménez Manríquez, members of the Hilde Telier Huasos Club , to the stage, who will accompany our authorities. With this ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Santiago 2026 Olympic Games are officially inaugurated. Charm what you love. Let's give a big round of applause for this important moment we are experiencing together with the President of the Republic and our mayor of the Santiago commune and of course the children of the Hilelio huaso club. And as befits any good start to the festivities, we invited to the stage representatives of the Giletelier huaso club , who for more than 67 years have preserved and disseminated the traditions of the Chilean countryside, bringing to life various patriotic events, including the grand military parade. Next, the president of the Hilelier Horsemen's Club, José Navarrete, along with Lucino González, will offer our authorities the traditional chicha en Cacho, from the town of Almendral, San Felipe commune, from the cellars of Mr. José Toro. We invite His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. José Antonio Cast, and the Mayor of Santiago, Mr. Mario Desbordes Jiménez, to toast our traditions and of course, Chile. For this traditional moment and after this toast to the homeland, the time has come to bring our national dance to life. We are preparing because together with the musical group Sentimiento Chileno from the Club de Huasos Hilelier, we will dance this first cueca dance at the opening of the Santiago 2026 fondas . The Rose and the Carnation. His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. José Antonio Cast and the Mayor of Santiago, Mr. Mario Desbordes Jiménez. We invite the First Lady, Mrs. María Pía Adriola, and the Director of Community Development of the illustrious municipality of Santiago, Mrs. Eleonora Espinosa Hernández, to join us on stage. We greeted them with loud applause. Sun. No. Take off your gloves. Take off your gloves. Listen. Rosa, the pink bunny made a pimple. My life they made, they made a vow from here their feet and put needs. To live a jasmine, a jasmine and a thought. My life the rose, the rose with blacks with roses already with what they are don't throw with roses. There you go, you have life. So there with my little black boy, go away, don't go, do n't go. A big round of applause for our authorities. We invite you to stay on stage and joining this dance are the governor of the Santiago Metropolitan Region , Claudio Orrego la Raín, and the presidential delegate of the Metropolitan Region, Germán Codina Powers. They are accompanied by Carolina Curiche and Isidora Poblete from the Hilier Guasos Club. A big round of applause for our authorities because the second day of cueca is coming, so put on the gloves. protected the army, protects from being the command is sacred. Its owner will come to us from the heavens. My homeland, my patriarch, my mother of the most shameless queen of misery. My Mother of the burden, my sovereign, my virgin mother. With your glass and queen for this flag and a big round of applause for our authorities. We thank the President of the Republic for these cueca dances, we thank the Governor and the Presidential Delegate, but the Mayor of Santiago remains. And we now invite you to join in this third, this third foot of cueca. We invite the Minister of Science and Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Jimena Lincolao, and the Minister of Social Development and Family, María Jesús Gul, who will be accompanied by the official Franco Manzano from the Municipality of Santiago and Benjamín Mora from the Huos Gilier Club. Keep it to yourself . Let me call them, consider them my life with your petty things because no more continues my life against your petty things, affection and idolatry and response and passion and enjoyment that you read my life is indulged with my life that I do not give you my life so that you do not cry. life, love of loves. I'm telling you. Wherever my life takes me, I will go with you. She's happy, my life night and day. A big round of applause for these three cueca dances to kick off the Santiago 2026 fondas. Thanks to our authorities and also to the musicians, and to the Telier huaso club. We invite everyone present, along with the other authorities, and our audience, to join in this celebration and accompany this last cueca of the night with their applause. Go for it, go for it, damn it, let's show that we are Chilean fires. And long live the compadre ones. Sir, it is to allege Carambacónando multicolor to celebrate carambacón chavando multicolor to celebrate the beautiful. The symbol of folklore to celebrate. Gentlemen, they have arrived to celebrate the Spanish chicha in the whites to celebrate the authorities to celebrate new songs that are present. Garnets, always shameless in celebrating. More of the bald forces are greeted. Thanks a lot. We extend our deepest gratitude to our authorities, especially to the residents of the district, as well as to His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. José Antonio C., and to the Mayor of Santiago, Mr. Mario Bordes Jiménez, for joining us for this official opening of the Santiago 2026 fondas. A big round of applause for our authorities who have joined us today . Next, the fonda, and if we split the bill , represented by Mr. Cristian Arismendi, Julio Cornel, Mrs. Maibel Ailini Turriaga, Misael Ancamilla Valdés and other members, will offer a tasting of the rich flavors of these festivities and will welcome all our visitors to the great fonda of Chile, in the commune of Santiago. We invite you to enjoy these festivities in every corner of our country and of course we invite you to stand up, wave your flags and join in the dance of our beloved cuca performed by the Hilier huaso club together with the musical group Sentimiento Chileno. We reiterate the invitation to go to the fonda and if we pay half at the great fonda of Chile in the commune of Santiago. Put it on, put it on, put it on, put it on. He's going there, he's going there . Let's see. greet the free field and the wind. I salute the exit, the gental, the memóforia, the brave men who have made history as I descend from the north. And continuing the journey, I rejoice in the wonders that are in the center and continuing the day that I find it beautiful to enjoy the passage in the south. with its coastline and we crawled. With this cueca dance, we invite you to enjoy these festivities in every corner of our country, safeguarding and honoring our traditions, the heritage of the Chile we love so much. Thus we conclude the official opening ceremony of the Santiago 2026 food stalls, a tribute to what you love in Ojigins Park, the heart of our capital. On behalf of the illustrious municipality of Santiago, we thank each and every one of you with a big round of applause for your presence. Enjoy these 2026 national holidays. Good night and long live Chile!