Osmin Villalobos

Running for Mayor of Soyapango

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About Osmin

Osmin was born in a rural area outside of Soyapango in 1962. He worked the fields as a young boy and got his work ethic from his father. At the young age of 20 Osmin set out to start a laundromat. His business grew and later opened 3 more in the next 10 years and was very successful with these 4 businesses. He later became proficient in American stocks and generated more wealth with his ideals. Osmin’s very opinionated views on political issues sparked a career in politics. He was a member of the legislative assembly for 7 years and now is seeking mayoral position in his home city of Soyapango. Osmin is a member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) party.

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This is a good example of a common river that is being contaminated and drying up.

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Water Issues

In El Salvador we have some of the worst water conditions in Central America, specifically in the region around San Salvador which includes Soyapango. The depeletion of the water is a environmental issue because of the lack of access of the water. Population growth is the main issue behind the water shortage. Official figures from 2008 show that only 55 percent of rural-dwellers have piped water, compared to 90 percent of the urban population. Ángel Ibarra of the Salvadoran Ecological Unit (UNES), a local NGO, said man-made environmental damages have affected the water cycle, and today much of the surface water does not seep into the ground, replenishing aquifers, but instead flows uncontrolled, causing floods. I plan to tackle this problem by hiring researchers to find a more reliable source of water. The issue can also be helped by the equal distribution of water among the rich and poor communities. I plan to create more accessibility for the poor populations in Soyapango.  If we all contribute we can improve to the overall quality of water for all walks of life.

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Education

A very important issue that needs to be addressed in our city of Soyapango is education. Education that I believe is important is the education to prevent violence. With such high crime rates closely related to gang violence, the education we need to create is how to be a functioning member of society. If we can curve the joining of gangs and promote societal norms then maybe the city can see changes in these staggering violence rates. With projects such as SOLUCIONES, we can aid the people of very distraught backgrounds. SOLUCIONES is an organization that aids dropouts and other people at risk of being sucked into gang life. SOLUCIONES is funded by the USAID it facilitates vocational training that can help uneducated people have the opportunities of living a safe and prosperous life. I plan to back this organization on open two centers in Soyapango. I think this organization will diminish crime rates and take a chunk out of gang population instead of combating the gangs on the streets we need to make it easier to live a healthy life in a difficult community.

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Housing

Housing is another significant issue in our city. Public housing in Soyapango is hard to come by and if its available the conditions are horrible. Gang violence is a issue that creates these unsafe locations.  According to Diario de Hoy, from 2010 to 2015, El Salvador low-income housing agencies reported that 751 families left their government-subsidized homes because of gang threats, extortion, and high homicide rates. The crime is forcing these families out of there homes but the issues arises because finding other government subsidized homes is a very outrageous process. I plan to create a process that makes finding homes much easier, I also plan to create more housing which also creates more jobs in the long run. The act of creating more homes will prevent scenes such as the one depicted below. With new construction and better planning we can make it easier for our residents to have safe and affordable housing.

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This is a common Slum in Soyapango that needs to be addressed. We need to create safer housing to provide for our very low public housing rates.

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Public Health

Public health is a huge issue in Soyapango that I plan to take a stand on. With poor sanitation ideals and viruses such as the Zika, I plan to take steps to end these problems through awareness and policy. To prevent the Zika virus I plan on strengthening the fumigation and water control that is set to prevent the reproduction of mosquitoes that breeds this terrible virus. In El Salvador we have had 5,000 cases in a country of around 6 million. Specifically in Soyapango I plan to take this number down to 0. On the other end of the spectrum to combat this virus I plan to create more health clinics and keep many others from closing based on threats from the gangs. Together we can help the overall health of our city and continue to create excellent futures for our younger generations.

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Violence

Violence is the biggest issue of our country and specifically our city of Soyapango. The amount of murders is astonishing, according to deputy police chief Howard Coto from January through November 11 there were 5,755 murders in El Salvador, which has a population of less than 6.5 million. This is a issue that I plan to fix through large amounts of military involvement. I believe that the super Mano Dura needs to continue to combat violence with violence. To end this huge issue in our city we need to come together and stop this terrible oppression.