CHOOSE WHO IS FROM PIRACICABA: Lack of deputies costs more than half a billion

CHOOSE WHO IS FROM PIRACICABA: Lack of deputies costs more than half a billion Credit: Disclosure. R$534.48 million. This is the estimated financial impact of the lack of political representation for Piracicaba, considering the amount already left to be received and the potential resources to be received by the municipality. The amount is the result of the sum of R$ 320 million that the municipality has failed to raise since 2019 — when it was left without its own representative in the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasília — with the projected R$ 214.48 million that the city will be able to obtain in the next four years, if it elects a federal deputy and a state deputy in the October 2026 elections. The amounts support the institutional, non-partisan and informative campaign Escolha Quem é de Piracicaba, launched this Thursday (13), by Acipi (Commercial and Industrial Association of Piracicaba), Simespi (Employers' Union of Metalworking Industries of Piracicaba, Saltinho and Rio das Pedras), Coplacana (Cooperative of Sugarcane Planters of the State of São Paulo) and Pecege (Institute of Research and Continuing Education in Economics and Business Management), for the press, authorities, partners and guests. The campaign aims to raise awareness among the population about the strategic importance of political representation for the socioeconomic development of the municipality Credit: Disclosure. The initiative aims to raise awareness among the population about the strategic importance of political representation for the socioeconomic development of the municipality. The proposal is to encourage voters to get to know the candidates, evaluate their ties and commitments to the region and, subsequently, monitor the performance of elected representatives. To measure the practical impact of this gap, the technical study carried out by the entities estimated the amount left to be received by Piracicaba at R$320 million. As the municipality has not had its own federal deputy since the end of the mandate in January 2019, Piracicaba is heading towards its eighth consecutive year without its own representation in Brasília, accumulating an estimated potential of R$320 million not raised in the period from 2019 to 2025, the last closed budget year. With the motto "Choose Who is from Piracicaba", the campaign was launched on 13/08, in the auditorium of Acipi Crédito: Divulgação. Based on historical and recent averages of resources managed by a federal office, it is estimated that each parliamentarian has an average annual potential of approximately R$45.7 million in amendments (including individual and targeted bench/committee). The calculation is an illustrative projection to demonstrate the magnitude of federal resources managed by legislative mandates. For the next four years (2027 to 2030), a federal deputy and a state deputy can jointly move up to R$214.48 million in individual amendments, considering the 2026 values ??as a reference. In the case of a federal deputy, it is approximately R$40.2 million per year, which represents R$160.8 million over the course of a term. For a state deputy, the estimate is R$13.42 million annually, or R$53.68 million in four years. Judge Wander Rossette Jr. reinforced the importance of the campaign raising awareness about Piracicaba's gains with state and federal deputies Credit: Disclosure. To make the analysis more realistic and conservative, the campaign simulated the allocation of 25% of this gross potential specifically to Piracicaba. In this moderate scenario, the municipality would guarantee around R$53.62 million over four years — with R$40.2 million coming from the hypothetical portion of a federal deputy (equivalent to 25% of the R$160.8 million mandate) and R$13.42 million from the hypothetical portion of a state deputy (equivalent to 25% of the R$53.68 million mandate). The municipality's history also brings together equipment and investments whose implementation was related to the coordination of political representatives in different periods, including the Regional Hospital, the AME (Specialty Medical Outpatient Clinic), Poupatempo, the Águia Helicóptero Base, the CPI-9 headquarters, Neonatal, Coronary and Pediatric ICUs, in addition to road interventions and investments in professional education, such as Etec, Fatec and the Federal Institute. Mauricio Benato, president of Acipi, explains that the initiative seeks to increase the population's knowledge about how political representation works. "Our purpose is to promote civic awareness about the importance of political representation for the development of the municipality, showing the population the consequences that the lack of representatives can bring to a city like Piracicaba. It is an institutional, non-partisan initiative focused exclusively on the collective interest." For the president of Simespi, Paulo Estevam Camargo, the discussion goes beyond sectoral interests and concerns the development of the municipality as a whole. "Piracicaba needs to regain greater political representation. We have been without a federal deputy for many years and we know that many important decisions pass through Brasília. The choice is up to the voter and we, as entities, offer our contribution to raising awareness among the population about the importance of this issue for the city's development." The initiative is a joint action by Acipi, Coplacana, Pecege and Simespi Credit: Disclosure. Marcos Farhat, president of Coplacana, highlights that the joint mobilization expands the reach of the message and reinforces the entities' institutional commitment to the future of the municipality. "This is an initiative that unites entities from different segments around a common objective: raising awareness among the population about the importance of political representation for the development of Piracicaba. The more united the organized society is, the greater the capacity to take this message to the population." In the opinion of Pecege's executive director, Daniel Sonoda, joint action strengthens the character