The mayor of Ñuñoa, Sebastián Sichel, questioned the government's communications during the weather front that brought heavy rain to the Metropolitan Region, according to Emol. The mayor spoke on Radio Universo and called on the government to define who its official spokesperson is.
The criticism came after Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez faced questions over his reports on the social network X during the emergency. Deputy Constanza Schonhaut, of the Broad Front (FA), shared screenshots of several of those messages. One, published at 13:38, reported that “the red alert for mass movements in the Metropolitan Region was canceled.” According to Emol, Pavez had to raise his voice in response to that criticism.
Sichel said he lacked clarity. “Yesterday I didn't know who was going to tell me whether there would be classes tomorrow or not,” he said. He added that by six in the evening he was already “going crazy.”
The mayor recalled his time as minister of social development during the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, he said, the government adopted a risk communication model with a crisis strategy. In his view, after six months in office and a crisis the previous week, it should already be clear who communicates official decisions.
Sichel described the situation as “a naked cueca.” He maintained that he coordinates well only with the presidential delegate, although that official does not make the substantive decisions. He also alleged that the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) provides information through another channel about classes and closures.
His main objection concerns the structure. “The spokesperson and the interior minister cannot be the same person,” he said. He argued that one should lead the political project and the other should speak to the media. He called it a lesson for the government after what happened in Las Condes and Coquimbo.
The issue of classes was already generating tension. According to previously published information, the Teachers' Association criticized the Ministry of Education for not suspending classes throughout the region. Only Ñuñoa, Providencia, the Santiago Local Public Education Service (SLEP) and some schools had done so.
Emol's report does not include a government response to Sichel's remarks. The mayor called on the government to appoint an official spokesperson the following day, recognized by the press and the other state authorities.
