A group of sociologists, social workers and a former coordinator general for the Special Communities Office on Wednesday joined community organizer Emil Rivera, who is encamped in front of the agency, in his fight to keep the agency providing services to communities across the island.

Characterizing the philosophical framework of the law that created the Special Communities Office, or OCE, as “revolutionary,” sociologist Marcia Rivera praised the social development initiative of former Gov. Sila M. Calderón.

“The most fascinating thing about this model is that it bet on the people’s abilities to assume responsibility for their own future, while guaranteeing them equal opportunities,” she said.

The sociologist said the change in communities across the island is evident in their infrastructure as well as their collective development.
“We are convinced that the most effective social policy to face poverty and social inequity in Puerto Rico is the model developed by for the Special Communities,” Rivera added.

Former OCE Coordinator General Linda Colón said self-reliance does not mean “to do it however you can.”

“If anyone knows how to get by it is the poor, the people that live in hardship,” Colón said. “This [self reliance] is neither about the government setting a million dollars aside and telling 300 community organizations to compete for it, and I will grant it to whoever makes the best offer. The only thing these [actions] do is to relieve the government from its responsibilities.

“When we got to the OCE we found 689 communities with all kinds of needs; from infrastructure to social: Needs the state had not fulfilled … 19 communities did not have electricity nor running water, 60 percent lacked sewage system and/or storm drainage, others lacked roads,” she said.

According to Colón, the state’s responsibilities, as delegated to its agencies, had not been fulfilled in the case of the poorer sectors of Puerto Rican society. So, Colón defines empowerment and self-reliance as making these communities understand they have certain rights and that the government has to fulfill its responsibilities.

“As the community demands that those responsibilities be fulfilled, it becomes more empowered before a state that traditionally has left them for last,” said Colón.

Rivera and fellow sociologist Nilsa Medina dismissed La Fortaleza’s proposed alternative of converting the OCE into an advocacy office, citing the current concept is based on providing communities the possibility of becoming social and political beings.

“I think what this program built was the development of the people’s capacity to have an impact on public affairs … An advocate’s office gives the impression of some specific services or referrals to other agencies, whereas this agency [as it is] makes it possible to converge all those possibilities,”  Medina said.

Rivera said the advocate concept stems from the philosophy that someone other than yourself has to speak on your behalf.
“What this project did was the opposite of that. The people have a voice, and we should give them the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities,” Rivera said.

For both sociologists, the philosophical framework of the Law 1 of March 2001 mandates that the government recognize public participation.

“This was the affirmation of a citizens’ participation process, which is now at stake,” Rivera warned.

Rivera said citizens’ participation is not contradictory to economic development, “as a matter of fact investing in citizens’ participation is cost efficient.”

Some 130 OCE employees were laid off in September as a consequence of the implementation of Law 7, supposedly leaving the agency non-operational.