Víctor Hugo Romo took advantage of a law that he himself created to promote himself in Miguel Hidalgo: Mexicans against Corruption

In December 2020, the Mayor’s Office Miguel Hidalgo was filled with advertisements with the face of Victor Hugo Romo, licensed mayor of the demarcation, who took advantage of a law that he created to promote his second government report, held on the 7th of the same month.

At the end of 2019, Romo himself issued the Miguel Hidalgo Mayor’s Office Relating to Constitutional Attributions in the Matter of Ads. The objective of this ordinance was to combat illegal practices in terms of advertising and “safeguard the right of people to an urban landscape free from visual pollution “.

However, due to this regulation – specifically Article 10 – advertising companies also they were forced to give 10% of their spaces free of charge to institutional messages.

Taking advantage of that provision, Romo upholstered the mayor’s office with his advertisements and through flyers, brochures, billboards and strategically hung canvases at important points in the area.

A tour of the Mayor Miguel Hidalgo made by Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI) allowed to detect at least 123 points where Romo’s face appeared to promote his second report.

According to information obtained by MCCI, Romo’s campaign for the report—Which was almost three times greater than what it had in 2018— it could have amounted to about 250 thousand pesos.

In total, Romo spent 455 thousand pesos on his report, of which 101,594.53 were for advertising, as confirmed to MCCI by the social communication coordinator of the mayor Miguel Hidalgo, Oscar Figuerola.

Figuerola explained that the little more than 100,000 pesos were used to pay for 5,000 report magazines, 5,000 comic magazines, 500 square meters of painted fences, 150 square meters of vinyl and 2,000 posters. The rest of the advertising, according to the mayor’s office spokesperson, was granted free of charge by ten companies, thanks to the mayor’s side in terms of advertisements.

MCCI sought out each of the companies that supposedly granted free spaces last December for the publicity of the report. However, at least two did not identify any relation to Romo’s campaign.

On January 25, 2021, Romo had already accumulated 20 complaints against him before the Electoral Institute of Mexico City for making personalized propaganda and because part of the advertising was still exhibited.

Article 5 of the CDMX Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures mentions that, in order not to be considered propaganda, Publicity for public servants’ reports can only be broadcast 7 days before and 5 days after the report.

In recent days, the electoral contest in the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office has been plagued with accusations and mutual accusations between the teams of the candidate of Morena, PT and PVEM, Víctor Hugo Romo, and that of the PAN, PRD and PRI alliance, Mauricio Tabe, for the withdrawal of propaganda.