De la Espriella announces first $309M in aid for earthquake reconstruction

President Abelardo de la Espriella announced that the Miracle Fund had received COP1 trillion ($309 million) for earthquake reconstruction in western Colombia. The announcement followed reports from the press, which indicated that the Finance Ministry allocated COP625 billion ($192 million) to the fund almost two months after the disaster.

De la Espriella emphasized the government's bureaucratic delays and the complexity of the situation inherited from the previous administration. However, he assured that the Milagro Fund is now operational, attributing its establishment to divine intervention and the efforts of his administration. In November, Vice-President Jose Manuel Restrepo indicated that COP2.7 trillion ($835 million) would be contracted for further reconstruction projects.

The first tranche is part of an estimated COP30 trillion ($9.3 billion) needed to repair damaged infrastructure such as airports, roads, hospitals, and public works. The fund will be overseen by De la Espriella's general secretary, Carlos Rios, and a few businessmen with administrative ties. The announcement came amid growing frustration over the government's delayed response to the earthquake, which impacted over 400,000 people in Valle del Cauca, Choco province, and the coffee region.

The government's response was delayed due to De la Espriella suspending the power transfer process a month before his inauguration on August 7.