Labor consultant Paco Rodríguez will be named an adopted son of the Illustrious Town of San Bartolomé de Tirajana next Friday, October 11. This recognition stems from the fact that he has spent virtually his entire professional life in the municipality. As Rodríguez himself acknowledged in an interview on the radio program " El Espejo Canario," " I owe much of what I have to this municipality because I set up my office there in the Koka apartments on March 8, 1971, and I'm still there today, although in a different building, the Prisma."
When asked about his merits in the aforementioned program, Rodríguez himself pointed out that in his work he has contributed " above all to labor peace; I have helped many people, advising countless companies and workers ." Naturally, he expressed his gratitude for the appointment and said he was "extremely proud and delighted."
Known for his countless appearances in various local media outlets, from which he claims to have " never received a penny ," Paco Rodríguez commented that perhaps the most difficult moment was defending the late Manolo Pérez Mosquera, the director of the Koka apartments, against his dismissal. Regarding that case, Rodríguez remarked that " many shady characters intervened to make me lose ." He added, " At that time, Manuel was a very good friend of mine. I had to defend him, and I faced some powerful figures—whom I won't name because they'll surely be present at the event on the 11th—some very influential people who exerted considerable pressure, even from a legal standpoint, mind you . "
However, Rodríguez pointed out that despite losing the case at first instance because " there was a corrupt magistrate ," he managed to win it in court, and the homeowners' association had to pay " a fortune for the dismissal ."
The soon-to-be adopted son of San Bartolomé de Tirajana also recalled those infamous reports in Interviú magazine against the local council, which he dismissed as " journalistic fabrication, " since in his opinion there was never a "mafia" in the south, as the publication had claimed. Finally, Rodríguez fondly remembered a carnival anecdote in which he, disguised with a Manuel Fraga mask, was recognized by Mayor Francisco Araña del Toro simply by his walk. He mentioned that in those days in the south, " money flowed like water; you could earn a lot of money. I even billed almost 10 million pesetas in fees ."
