Municipal Pension Fund payment delays leave retirees hungry, protesters say

Municipal retirees staged a protest Monday outside the Municipal Pension Fund in Asunción, demanding intervention from the Superintendency of Pensions and Retirements over unpaid benefits. The demonstrators decried the prolonged financial distress, with one stating, "It is unsustainable; retirees are sick and hungry."

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It is unsustainable; retirees are sick and hungry.

Rita Duarte, president of the Paraguayan Association of Retirees and Pensioners, confirmed the primary grievance is the lack of payments, which have been outstanding since March. She stressed the urgent need for the Superintendency to step in and resolve the "calamitous situation" affecting many retirees who have not received their pensions for nearly three months.

"We want the fund to be intervened; a solution that can get us out of this calamitous situation we are in. We are practically reaching three months without collecting; there are many retirees who still haven't collected," Duarte added. The association seeks a "root solution" from the pension authority.

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We want the fund to be intervened; a solution that can get us out of this calamitous situation we are in. We are practically reaching three months without collecting; there are many retirees who still haven't collected.

Francisca González, representing retirees from Encarnación, shared the dire circumstances, reporting that "colleagues have nothing to eat" due to the payment delays. Another protester, Pedro Benítez Aldana, criticized the situation within the Municipal Pension Fund, pointing to "entrenched" officials and irregular salaries for some retirees.

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colleagues have nothing to eat