{"id":8805,"date":"2025-11-11T17:12:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T17:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elpregonerodechile.com\/?p=8805"},"modified":"2025-11-11T17:12:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T17:12:54","slug":"catalina-valenzuela-ph-discusses-presidential-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elpregonerodechile.com\/?p=8805","title":{"rendered":"Catalina Valenzuela (PH) Discusses Presidential Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Original article: \u201cKast y Kaiser manipulan los DD.HH.\u201d: Catalina Valenzuela (PH), tras el debate presidencial<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Catalina Valenzuela, a candidate for deputy in District 12, spoke about the debate<\/a> organized by Anatel, where eight candidates for the Chilean presidency faced off for the final time before the elections on Sunday, November 16.<\/p>\n

In an interview with La Ma\u00f1anera, hosted by El Ciudadano\u2019s Director, Javier Pineda Olcay, Valenzuela criticized the Republican Party\u2019s Jos\u00e9 Antonio Kast and the Libertarian National Party\u2019s Johannes Kaiser for manipulating human rights.<\/p>\n

Pineda asked her: \u00abWhat do you think about the human rights debate in the presidential debate?\u00bb Valenzuela replied, \u00abI see it as quite concerning because they have been doing something for years that is starting to bear fruit, which is that people feel human rights do not relate to their lives.\u00bb <\/p>\n

\u00abThey make us forget that human rights include the right to access water, housing, and health\u2014issues we\u2019ve fought for all our lives. The same people saying it doesn\u2019t matter that someone has to go to work the next day are overlooking rights like proper working hours, minimum wage, and vacation days. These are all part of the human rights package, and when they do this, they try to undermine the very concept of what it means and then distort it. I find it incredibly alarming, and I urge the audience listening to El Ciudadano to pay attention to those who manipulate human rights,\u00bb she asserted on the alternative media outlet, Piensa Prensa.<\/p>\n

Denial Offensive Linked to Bernarda Vera Case<\/span><\/h3>\n

She argued that this rhetoric is related to the denial offensive by the right concerning the Bernarda Vera case, officially recorded as a victim of enforced disappearance since 1973, who according to a Chilevisi\u00f3n report, is reportedly living in Argentina today.<\/p>\n

\u00abIt\u2019s quite shameful because they claim she was falsely disappeared and that she practically defrauded the State. Let me tell you, Bernarda Vera is a woman who was detained, raped, and tortured, who endured every possible humiliation and ultimately disappeared. No one knew where she was. It\u2019s a miracle she survived and that she is now in the neighboring country, managing to continue her life despite everything. However, just because she had the chance to survive and be found does not mean she isn\u2019t a victim,\u00bb Valenzuela argued.<\/p>\n

She described it as a \u00abred alert\u00bb that political actors view human rights as something manageable, changeable, or usable.<\/p>\n

\u00abWhat they propose regarding the closure of Punta Peuco is alarming,\u00bb she stressed.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the human rights activist criticized the views of Libertarian National Party candidate Johannes Kaiser, who suggested the possibility of granting clemency to Miguel Krassnoff, a former member of DINA condemned to over a thousand years in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the dictatorship.<\/p>\n

\u00abKrassnoff is a monster, a man who, besides being one of the chief architects who instructed others, has been proven to be involved in acts of torture, rape, and mutilation, which are horrendous. I don\u2019t know if people want to know this, but these are monstrosities\u2014it\u2019s torture, it\u2019s rape, it\u2019s atrocities. These are the kinds of people who really need to be incarcerated, understanding there can be basic considerations for prisoners with mobility issues, but they need to be held accountable where they belong,\u00bb she emphasized.<\/p>\n

Valenzuela recounted that some years ago, there was significant news about Germany prosecuting a 90-year-old man. \u00abI don\u2019t know what developed country our presidential candidates are looking at, especially since they are all descendants of Germans, but they completely distance themselves from this history that needs to be addressed everywhere,\u00bb she added.<\/p>\n

Regarding the Bernarda Vera case, Javier Pineda noted that, while she was indeed a victim of human rights violations, she has not received a cent from the State.<\/p>\n

\u00abIf she is indeed alive, which has yet to be proven, it would not be her receiving benefits but her daughter, who is unrelated to this. I wish she had found her mother sooner,\u00bb he stated.<\/p>\n

The lawyer also pointed out another false element being inserted into this debate: \u00abthat some people were convicted for her murder when, in reality, they were convicted for the disappearance and execution of 17 individuals in Liqui\u00f1e, by the old bridge of the Tolt\u00e9n River in Villarrica, where 17 people were killed.\u00bb<\/p>\n

\u00abSo the individuals associated with Bernarda Vera\u2019s case are not just guilty of kidnapping or disappearing her; they are fulfilling sentences for the murders of Liqui\u00f1e, where 17 people were indeed murdered, and some of them may still be missing,\u00bb he clarified.<\/p>\n

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Valenzuela: \u00abA Retrograde Right Scares Me\u00bb<\/span><\/h3>\n

In her interview with La Ma\u00f1anera, Catalina Valenzuela was also asked about the debate\u2019s focus on personal elections, reflecting not just on what was seen on Monday but in general terms.<\/p>\n

She pointed out that the D12 district\u2014which includes La Florida, La Pintana, Puente Alto, Pirque, and San Jos\u00e9 de Maipo\u2014has faced a \u00abrather poor\u00bb debate.<\/p>\n

\u00abNaturally, one doesn\u2019t expect much, as we are talking about the last presentations from candidates seeking to lead the country. It feels like many vital topics are absent because ultimately, the agenda is dominated by media issues. There were phases or statements like \u2018security should not be discussed but exercised,\u2019 or something similar (\u2026) but the profound issues concerning real transformations seem to vanish from the debate,\u00bb she indicated.<\/p>\n

\u00abWe all want to know how we will continue living, working, what will happen to our salaries, the healthcare system, primary care, and those topics are ignored. You would have to go look for the programs, which are also not entirely complete. So all of this is overlooked, and while some might find these topics boring, they concern our everyday reality. My impression is that, although I believe both (Jeannette) Jara and (Eduardo) Art\u00e9, as well as Marco Antonio Enr\u00edquez-Ominami, touch on some elements, I would like to see those elements unified. There is potential there,\u00bb she expressed.<\/p>\n

Valenzuela also voiced her concern about the proposed contents from right-wing presidential candidates.<\/p>\n

\u00abHaving such a retrograde right scares me. However, as they set points of reference, people begin to look at it that way too. I also find this concerning about the debate, as they establish a false starting point,\u00bb she remarked.<\/p>\n

When asked how Kast and Kaiser\u2019s candidacies pose a threat to Chile\u2019s future, the Humanist Party leader urged an analysis of the critical social and economic situation in Argentina under the ultra-rightist Javier Milei.<\/p>\n

\u00abWe have often said it would be helpful to look over there. Argentina is falling apart, and it\u2019s sad; evidently, this is not something Milei has caused by himself, but the way to undermine the population\u2019s prospects is incredible. In this case, we also expose ourselves to similar dangers. When we have people who do not respect any rights (\u2026) individuals who will jeopardize labor stability by insisting we either work more hours or allow wage cuts\u2014remember, these are part of the measures they have proposed,\u00bb she argued.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Valenzuela questioned the right-wing candidates\u2019 government programs, which only seem to defend macroeconomics.<\/p>\n

\u00abWhen they talk about good numbers and growth, they refer to increased exports, but remember who the corporations are and who benefits from this macroeconomic growth. What about the microeconomies? What happens to our people, our population, our industry?\u00bb she queried.<\/p>\n

\u00abWhen they speak of development, they continually overlook the issue of climate change, ignoring that fish farming pollutes and destroys everything, while also disregarding the forestry companies that are still subsidized by the State. The forestry industry brings us billions of dollars a year because we subsidize it. Thus, all these business models they propose are excellent for them and for the macroeconomy, but not for us as a whole,\u00bb the candidate argued.<\/p>\n

Regarding security, she criticized that the proposals mostly revolve around increasing police presence and installing cameras.<\/p>\n

\u00abFor them, security means cameras that are often not connected, as if merely recording would prevent robberies. They continue to disregard that this issue relates to a lack of opportunities and freedom (\u2026) proposing very populist solutions such as rapid bullets, quick imprisonment, and almost execution, which solve nothing. I feel this is a huge danger for us because they create a false sense of security that they will address issues, but they won\u2019t resolve anything; they will only imprison more people, increase violence against us, and many of those people will target our own children,\u00bb Valenzuela concluded.<\/p>\n

On the broadcast of November 11, La Ma\u00f1anera also featured a discussion with Deputy Camila Musante about corruption within the judiciary.<\/p>\n

You can watch the complete program below:<\/p>\n