By Juan Montoya
If Eugene Burdick and William Lederer had written about Latin America instead of Asia, the antihero of their story might well have been the Ugly Mexican instead of the Ugly American.
And local critics of the current consul of Mexico in Brownsville Rodolfo Quilantan Arenas
say he would be the perfect actor to play the part.
say he would be the perfect actor to play the part.
For the past three years, the standoffish Quilantan has nurtured a frosty relationship with the local press and his latest exploits have not endeared him to Mexican public officials who decry his lack of sensitivity to issues affecting the border and the relationship with their counterparts on the Texas side.
The latest slight of Mexican officials happened last Thursday when the officials of Valle Hermoso invited U.S. Consul in Matamoros Thomas Mittnacht, Quilantan and Guatemalan Consul for South Texas Alba Dalila Caceres Lopez to a reception in their honor.
The city council of had staged a ceremony where the three consuls were to be recognized and honored for their labors and given keys to the city.
Quinlantan, although he was invited in plenty of time for him to attend, was the only one who did not bother to show up, much to the disappointment of his hosts.
It was especially galling for city officials to realize that the U.S. and Guatemalan consuls made time to attend their town's event, and that the only one not to attend was their own country's representative. For hours, the city's students and their band stood in the summer heat awaiting the honored guests. They were rfeceived by a reception line formed by the outstanding citizens of the Valle Hermoso led by Mayor Efrain de Leon.
he city put on the nines for the affair, with a lavish ceremonial dinner, a tour of the city, and a presentation of the city's 75-year history in a bound volume written by local writer Dr. Renato Vasquez Farias and ordered for the occasion.
The flags of the three countries graced the reception area and special glasses were made to commemorate the affair. Mexican flag motif decorated the reception area. Qailantan was the only no-show, in spite of the fact that he was closer to the city than Guatemalan consul who had to travel from McAllen to honor the invitation.
"It's only 20 minutes from Los Indios bridge to Valle Hermoso," said a businessman who attended. "If Guatemalan Consul Caceres could manage to attend from McAllen, Quilantan had no excuse to stand them up. Of course, if it was a chamber of commerce event, or a Mister Amigo presentation, I bet he would have made the time to show up."
This is not the first time that the illustrious consul has stood up local Mexican officials. In fact, he did not attend the Matamoros mayor's State of the City address even though he posted on the consulate's website that he was working in the city at the time.
Matamoros officials still bristle when they remember that he refused to participate in that city's parade this past Charro Days and ridiculed those that did about attending the ceremonies on the Mexican side.
His growing number of critics say that his behavior here has been and embarrassment to his fellow Mexican citizens who feel that he is more interested in attending local societal events with his wife Patricia in tow whom they say is the real power at the consulate. They also say that her involvement with the sale of Mexican folk art there for personal profit has pitted her in an unfair competition with traditional artists who have traveled to the border to sell their wares.
Even a Tamaulipas senator has made the Mexican Foreign Ministry aware of the growing dissatisfaction with Quilantan. Many say the ministry was not pleased with the revelations in the Marc Rosenthal trial that some of his staff had been involved "running" cases for local attorneys. He personally was involved in trying to sign up the family of a Mexican man shot by the Border Patrol until Rosenthal had them acquire a restraining order on the Mexican side.
How long will the Ugly Mexican consul continue his exploits? For some, even one more day is too long.
The city council of had staged a ceremony where the three consuls were to be recognized and honored for their labors and given keys to the city.
Quinlantan, although he was invited in plenty of time for him to attend, was the only one who did not bother to show up, much to the disappointment of his hosts.
It was especially galling for city officials to realize that the U.S. and Guatemalan consuls made time to attend their town's event, and that the only one not to attend was their own country's representative. For hours, the city's students and their band stood in the summer heat awaiting the honored guests. They were rfeceived by a reception line formed by the outstanding citizens of the Valle Hermoso led by Mayor Efrain de Leon.
he city put on the nines for the affair, with a lavish ceremonial dinner, a tour of the city, and a presentation of the city's 75-year history in a bound volume written by local writer Dr. Renato Vasquez Farias and ordered for the occasion.
The flags of the three countries graced the reception area and special glasses were made to commemorate the affair. Mexican flag motif decorated the reception area. Qailantan was the only no-show, in spite of the fact that he was closer to the city than Guatemalan consul who had to travel from McAllen to honor the invitation."It's only 20 minutes from Los Indios bridge to Valle Hermoso," said a businessman who attended. "If Guatemalan Consul Caceres could manage to attend from McAllen, Quilantan had no excuse to stand them up. Of course, if it was a chamber of commerce event, or a Mister Amigo presentation, I bet he would have made the time to show up."
This is not the first time that the illustrious consul has stood up local Mexican officials. In fact, he did not attend the Matamoros mayor's State of the City address even though he posted on the consulate's website that he was working in the city at the time.
Matamoros officials still bristle when they remember that he refused to participate in that city's parade this past Charro Days and ridiculed those that did about attending the ceremonies on the Mexican side.
His growing number of critics say that his behavior here has been and embarrassment to his fellow Mexican citizens who feel that he is more interested in attending local societal events with his wife Patricia in tow whom they say is the real power at the consulate. They also say that her involvement with the sale of Mexican folk art there for personal profit has pitted her in an unfair competition with traditional artists who have traveled to the border to sell their wares.
Even a Tamaulipas senator has made the Mexican Foreign Ministry aware of the growing dissatisfaction with Quilantan. Many say the ministry was not pleased with the revelations in the Marc Rosenthal trial that some of his staff had been involved "running" cases for local attorneys. He personally was involved in trying to sign up the family of a Mexican man shot by the Border Patrol until Rosenthal had them acquire a restraining order on the Mexican side.
How long will the Ugly Mexican consul continue his exploits? For some, even one more day is too long.
2 comments:
te olvidaste del pueblo senor villalobos. nos robaste todo, la dignidad el respeto, abusaste de la confiansa de los que creimos en ti. ojala que el dinero sucio te de mucho mas de lo que nos robaste.
el pueblo
Rodolfo Quilantan you are the anti consul most SOBERBIO....
Post a Comment