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By KELIN DILLON

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies voted to approve the nation’s 2024 Expenditure Budget of the Federation (PEF) with 266 votes in favor – concentrated from the in-power National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and its allies the Green Party (PVEM) and Labor Party (PT) – 204 against, while failing to allocate immediate resources to Acapulco.

Despite Acapulco’s recent destruction by the powerful Category 5 Hurricane Otis, and multiple proposals from opposition parties to provide emergency funds to the storm-battered city, the Chamber of Deputies ultimately decided against diverting resources in Acapulco’s direction.

Meanwhile, the fallout from Hurricane Otis continues to haunt Acapulco, with a confirmed 48 people left dead in its wake.

According to a new report from daily Mexican newspaper El Universal, 336 of Acapulco’s schools were left damaged from the storm, causing uncertainty about when the local community’s students will be able to return to class.

Though private schools will reportedly resume in December, the area’s public schools are purportedly standing by on the deployment of government funds before they can reopen – a wait that will now seemingly be prolonged given the Chamber of Deputies’ budgetary decision on Tuesday.

“It is very difficult for many schools to reopen soon, especially those in the mountainous area of ​​Acapulco,” said Save the Children in Mexico Director of Humanitarian Response Fátima Andraca.

Data from Save the Children claims that more than 195,000 girls and boys’ educational futures are now at risk as the reconstruction of some public schools could purportedly take up to 10 years to complete.