In Puerto Rico, Jean Peña Payano, secretary of Public Affairs, neither confirmed nor denied whether Suzanne Roig Fuertes, secretary of the Department of the Family, is away from her duties on vacation leave. "Tengo que corroborar" ("I have to verify"), Peña Payano answered when asked on the program "En Récord" about versions circulating that Roig Fuertes is on vacation.
He said agency heads’ vacations are handled directly by the Governor’s secretariat (Norma Burgos). Governor Jenniffer González Colón said during a press conference at the Economic Development Bank that a meeting with Roig Fuertes has been called to discuss several topics she did not specify, and she did not reveal whether a date is set.
NotiCel tried to reach a Family Department spokesperson to learn the official’s whereabouts. Roig Fuertes’s tenure at the Family Department has been questioned amid multiple allegations and investigations, particularly over the process of awarding a $38 million contract to NOLA Education to implement the Star Academy program through the Socioeconomic Development Administration of the Family (ADSEF).
Peña Payano said the governor has maintained confidence in the secretary and that the Family Department’s operations continue despite the investigations.