Francisco Rodríguez Cruz, known as Paquito de Cuba and the Vice President of the Union of Cuban Journalists (UPEC), has suggested that Cuba’s economy is showing signs of improvement. He claims that inflation is beginning to decline, although the Cuban people continue to endure high prices and worsening living conditions.
During his appearance on the pro-government program “Cuadrando la Caja,” which discussed recent sessions of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Rodríguez Cruz mentioned that certain measures are being implemented. Even if these measures aren’t always apparent, they supposedly have an impact on the country’s macroeconomy.
“These parliamentary sessions were quite tense due to the current situation and the events within the Assembly. It was a contentious Assembly,” Paquito stated. He avoided directly addressing the scandal stemming from controversial remarks by the Minister of Labor. The minister’s statement that “there are no beggars in Cuba, just people pretending to be poor” was met with applause by deputies and only sparked debate after spreading on social media.
Rodríguez Cruz emphasized, “There are measures that are visible and those that are not, but both are important. This includes reducing the fiscal deficit and slowing the pace of inflation growth. While people continue to notice high prices, it indicates that the Cuban economy is starting to improve in certain areas.”
As a staunch supporter of government policies, Rodríguez Cruz perhaps believes that these alleged “economic improvements” facilitated the recent pension increase for Cubans. However, many citizens perceive this move as a desperate state response to harsh criticism on social media, which erupted into an international scandal following the former minister’s comments dismissing the rising number of individuals living in poverty and begging on Cuba’s streets.
The television program aimed to discuss contributions from the latest parliamentary sessions, government challenges, currency allocation, and the construction of an economic model that remains aligned with socialism, without including dissenting opinions.
Beyond technical analyses, Rodríguez Cruz’s statements represent an official strategy to justify unpopular decisions through supposed economic progress that fails to alleviate poverty or bring real improvements to citizens.
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