The recent case of army captain Quirino Paulino Castillo, the “benefactor” of the impoverished province of Elias Pina, brings sociologist Ramon Tejada Holguin to comment that these donations should not be called philanthropy. Quirino Paulino funded the construction of schools, roads and even bridges in the southern part of the country. In December, he was arrested for complicity in the smuggling of 1,387 kilos of cocaine. “What they do is invest in people, to seek their support, legitimacy and impunity. That is purely and simply doing public relations, taking advantage that many essential needs of the people are not satisfied by the state,” Tejada Holguin commented to Diario Libre newspaper.
District Attorney Jose Manuel Hernandez Peguero said yesterday that in addition to the relatives of Quirino Paulino Castillo there are many persons who knew where the money was coming from when they accepted donations.
Hernandez met yesterday with the financial unit of the Department for Control of Drugs (DNCD) and an agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).