Jerome Sanabria, the young woman who in 2023 acquired great notoriety in Colombia because she questioned the health reform projects and the pension reform of the government of President Gustavo Petro, spoke with 'Vicky en SEMANA'.
Sanabria acquired great notoriety because, at 17 years of age, he found an answer to his criticism in President Gustavo Petro himself. “This is how you deceive young people, president. Its reform proposes leaving health services in the hands of the State (monopoly). Where are the 14 thousand IPS going to be? It is false that we have freedom of choice if we only have ONE supplier and it is the State,” the young woman wrote at that time, through her account on X de ella, unleashing the national debate and achieving digital fame.
Now, due to the pension reform process in the Senate, in 2024, the young woman once again criticized the Government's intention to modify the current pension system of Colombians. “Firstly, it leaves young people without a pension, which is my greatest concern. It will leave me, my generation and future generations without a pension.. Secondly, it will harm all contributors; not only to those who are in private funds, but also to those who are in Colpensiones. Thirdly, the people who are currently in Colpensiones with aspirations of retiring with a, quote-unquote, high pension, this is going to be lowered. Fourthly, Colpensiones, that is, the State, will manage the pension money; “They are going to collect the money and they are also going to manage this supposed collective savings fund and what is going to guarantee us Colombians that Colpensiones does not spend that money paying other pensions,” said the young woman.
“This reform is short-term and the minds of politicians, in general, are short-term. It's what gives them votes. This reform, to Petro (President Gustavo Petro), if they approve it, the first two or three years people will love it, there will be a surplus, there will be a lot of money. Since the contributions of 18 million contributors are being brought in, who today are the ones in the funds, Colpensiones is going to have a lot of money. In the first years he will remain the hero and his minister will be the best, but in the long term, when the new presidents arrive, they are the ones who will have the problem,” he stressed.
“If they put their hand on their hearts, could it be that these men do not have children, grandchildren or do not have close family? It won't affect them, but it will affect their family. Gustavo Petro has to be aware that his daughter, his youngest children, his youngest daughter is my age, she is going to be left without a pension because of him. Very serious and it is condemning her because if she lives in Colombia, she works in Colombia and contributes in Colombia, that money that she has contributed is stolen, in the end, and goes to other places except her pension,” she added.
“So, theft of Colombians' savings leaves the pension future of young people terrible, it leaves us without a pension. So worrying because Colpensiones is going to manage the money, they are going to leave the youngest of us without a pension and the savings of Colombians who are already contributing, When they give it to you as a pension, it will not be as expected, but rather it will be 230 thousand pesos, for example,” he warned.
