All of this is outrageous and concerning, because the IMSS is not a private company, even though the Castro-Palaviccini family seems to manage it as such. Internally, it is even said that if something gets out of Magdalena Castro's control, she acts like the queen of hearts: threatening to cut heads. It should be said: if the IMSS theaters are empty, it is not due to a lack of interest from the guild, but — a roll of the drums — because their costs are excessive for the conditions in which they find themselves.
The tip of the iceberg I have in my possession another letter sent to Zoé in which IMSS employees request her intervention due to corruption practices in the Directorate of Economic and Social Benefits. The initial complaints against Guillermo Palaviccini were filed with the IMSS's Specific Internal Control Body, but it did nothing. The problem arises when the Palaviccini Castro family participates in the same administrative gear that makes decisions, manages sensitive information, and administers public resources.
A coffee skirmish According to official emails already circulating in some areas of the IMSS, there would have been cross-information requests by Magdalena Castro Onofre and her husband, Guillermo Palaviccini Herrera, directed at different areas linked to social benefits. The problem would be that these conversations are being carried out outside of institutional procedures, in order to benefit personal interests. The play could be called this way: The Opportunists.
It happens with the sports venues, with the stores, the funeral services, the daycares, the vacation facilities, and now also with the theaters. Although you are not supposed to know, I'll tell you that in recent days, this group promoting 'businesses' brought Mauricio Hernández — skipping all normal procedures — together with Morris Gilbert, practically rolling out a red carpet for him. Just as you are reading it! A curious position, especially because, according to the IMSS's own institutional structure, that position does not exist. Even so, he struts around inside and outside the institute, clearly exceeding his attributions.
Thus, this couple sits with suppliers, contractors, and entrepreneurs with their boss, Dr. Mauricio Hernández, General Director of Social Benefits, to get the green light for 'the businesses,' thanks to the administrative permissiveness they have built and the evident wear and tear with which his superior seems to perform, even expressing his desire to retire.
By the way, the institute has had administrative schemes for years that allow the commercial use of its facilities through trusts to raise resources. Even on LinkedIn, Guillermo Palaviccini Herrera publicly presents himself as Director of Business Development for the IMSS. All of this, moreover, through requests with despotic and, in some cases, intimidating tones.
Developing 'businesses' But inside the institute there is another element that also draws attention. Workers consulted ensure that the Palaviccini-Castro couple presents themselves in some areas as a kind of — inhale and exhale — 'expert business development advisors,' emphasizing the 'profits' that social benefits must generate. Clarifying the obvious: getting married is not a crime. The problem is not the marriage.
Or because of the demands they have faced? For this reason, they were also reported to the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Government, that is, against Palaviccini and other officials who incurred omissions and protective actions in the face of corruption facts.
Hold on to your seats Last year, Palaviccini's wife, María Magdalena Castro Onofre, head of the Social Welfare Coordination, was suspended for more than two weeks by that same OICE that months later exonerated her from said sanction; however, actions had been materialized that contravene the General Law of Administrative Responsibilities, the institutional regulations, and even the Federal Law of Republican Austerity (Art. 13), evidencing the willful omission of the OICE. They also denounce that the coordinator of Labor Relations, José Alberto Cerda Alcála, who signs as 'lic' without a professional license, just like Palaviccini, was suspended on a couple of occasions, but subsequently dismissed and finally reinstated by that same coordination.
The closing of the letter is very harsh and it reads like this… 'The solution taken by Mauricio Hernández is a risk: he moved Palaviccini Herrera to the Economic Benefits Unit trying to hide the conflict of interest and nepotism.' 'We ask you to intervene urgently, since knowing of these crimes and not doing the appropriate thing would be more than an omission, it would be complicity.'
Today is World Theater Day And if the agenda for the event that the IMSS is surely preparing, with Zoé Robledo as the main actor, is modified, it will be because of what is written in this column. (Have you ever wondered why this theatrical figure has been displaced from public and private theaters?) The unusual is not the meeting itself, but the form: with fanfare, fuss, and preferential treatment. Magdalena Castro's eyes have already lit up, so she is already looking to assign multiple theaters under a management that is presented as cultural but raises serious doubts. That has nothing irregular. It is known that after the publication of the previous column, how to relocate Palaviccini is already being analyzed.
Information that does not correspond to their attributions: operation of trusts, financial information, data on suppliers, and even requests related to personal data of users and contractors.
