Franky Benítez

As we end 2013, this is a chance to reflect on the work I’ve done with NBC Latino, and the words flow from my head and from my heart.

As someone who has been in the habit of editing and publishing stories quickly for LatinoRebels.com, the chance to dig deeper into some of the more pressing and important topics that resonated with me has been a blessing.  The support we got from the community on these stories shows how important it is to cover these issues, and for that, I am grateful.

So here’s to the stories we have covered, and to the importance of putting them on a national platform.  Here is just a sampling:

1. Opinion: ¡Basta ya! Enough with the ignorance about U.S. Latinos: When I wrote this piece defending Pitbull (of all people), I knew it would hit a nerve. This column continues to show…

Al Jazeera.

Since December 19, members of Puerto Rico’s teachers union and their supporters have beenprotesting both inside the island’s Senate chamber and outside its Capitol against pension reform legislation advocated by governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla. The purpose of the action was to “ensure that the 150 designated [chamber] seats are occupied by teachers,” according to Eva Ayala, a protest leader. In response on Monday, Garcia Padilla warned teachers to desist, saying the Puerto Rican constitution “does not give [teachers] the right to protest.”
Despite García Padilla’s warning, the protests continued Monday, while Puerto Rico’s Senate considers a final vote on the plan. The island’s House of Representatives approved the reform bill over the weekend.

The hashtag #RetiroMaestros (#TeachersRetirement) contains the latest updates, which include reports of three arrests today.

Smiley and Chuy were interviewed by Latino Rebels to help us spread the word about our fundraising campaign a few moths ago. Click on the link to read the piece written about the show and to see the video interview with Smiley and Chuy. Other videos included in the link as well.

Smiley and Chuy Skype interview on LatinoRebels.com

It took me three days to absorb the rather sobering and depressing story in Sunday’s Washington Post about the ongoing economic crisis in Puerto Rico. The article basically summed up what I have always known from family, friends and conversations with island experts and politicians: Puerto Rico is bleeding.

Consider some of the more stark statistics from the article:

• The loss of 54,000 residents from 2010 to 2012, a 1.5 percent drop in population.
• A drop in population of 138,000 residents since 2006, bringing the island’s current population to 3.7 million.
• A $70 billion debt that is raising comparisons to Detroit.
• $37 billion in pension obligations that are not funded.

The story paints a picture of a sinking island, one with no way out. But lost in all the numbers and tales of woe, is a very perceptive analysis by Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner and a non-voting member of Congress…