Petro and Cepeda Exercise Right of Reply to President De la Espriella Following Earthquake

Former President Gustavo Petro and Senator Iván Cepeda led a response to a presidential address by President Abelardo de la Espriella on August 19. The intervention, authorized by the National Electoral Council and broadcast on public and private channels, served as a formal right of reply for the opposition Pacto Histórico party. The response followed a major earthquake on August 10, 2026, which resulted in 319 deaths and 4,469 injuries as of August 18.

Senator Cepeda opened the address by expressing solidarity with affected families and highlighting the role of social organizations. He urged the government to protect the rights of vulnerable populations during the economic emergency and called for a comprehensive national plan to prevent further tragedies from drought and forest fires. Additionally, Cepeda requested that the Council of State maintain the derogation of a special service bonus for members of Congress, suggesting those funds be redirected to earthquake victims.

Gustavo Petro focused his remarks on criticizing the De la Espriella administration's handling of the crisis. Petro argued that the government's failure to conduct a proper transition from his previous administration led to an ineffective response during the critical first 100 hours. He specifically questioned why 9 billion pesos left by his government were not used immediately and claimed that the Benkos Biohó hospital ship remained idle in Buenaventura for seven days. Petro further alleged that the current administration ignored existing public health infrastructure and relied too heavily on intelligence from Israel, which he claimed lacked experience in rescuing survivors from collapsed buildings.

To fund the reconstruction of affected regions, Petro proposed that the government revive a tax reform project intended to collect 20 trillion pesos, which would cover a significant portion of the estimated 30 trillion pesos needed for recovery.