According to the members of the band, Andy could not participate in the parade because he had not filled out the medical documentation required by the organizers. The young people returned this afternoon to El Salvador.
The members of the band El Salvador Grande as its People began arriving this Thursday at noon at the International Airport of El Salvador from California, United States, where they appeared at the Rose Parade January 1st.
In the air terminal there were hugs and tears of the young people and their relatives; in addition to a bittersweet taste for the experience lived in the parade and the controversy surrounding his participation after knowing the departure of one of its members just before the event.
Minutes before the Salvadoran band began their parade through Pasadena, California, clarinetist musician Andy Lovos was removed from the group by the sheriffs (police authority); the scene was recorded by Salvadorans who were in the place and from there spread on social networks, where a wave of comments and speculation was viralized and unleashed.
The more than 200 young members of the band came out of the comments and accusations that have been disseminated on social networks against the organization and Enot Blond, president of the El Piche committee, and who for several years has organized the presentations of Salvadorans in the United States.
Visibly upset, the youth explained in a live broadcast of about 30 minutes what happened with Andy Lovos as well as clarified several aspects of the organization of the band that have been questioned in social networks after the incident.
On January 1, after paying for air tickets for the entire band, President Nayib Bukele said through his Twitter account that “the organizers of the band ‘El Salvador, great as its people’ will not receive a single cent again from the Government and I’m sure neither from the decent private company. The sustainability of the band will become impossible and the artistic future of hundreds of talented young people is at risk. ” The president added that the government, through the Ministry of Culture, will create its own Band, which invited the youth of Enot Rubio’s group to join.
This Thursday it was learned that by order of Salvador Gómez Góchez, president of PROESA, Enot Rubio will be withdrawn the distinction as Country Brand Ambassador, which was granted in 2017, following what happened with Andy Lovos. This media has consulted Rubio for a position on what happened, however it has not yet been offered.
What happened? These are the key points to understand what happens with the case of the El Salvador Band:
249 versus 1
In the Parade of the Roses, in Pasadena, California, the 249 members of the band participated. Andy Lovos, who did not travel together with the band and although he arrived at the place, did not participate because he did not fill out the previous documentation required by the event organizers, according to the explanation that the members made in the video.
“We yesterday (one day before the event) we filled medical records and if one did not own it, I could not participate. Andy didn’t do it because he wasn’t here with us. That was the reason for his departure, ”explained in the video Héctor Castillo, one of the young members of the band.
Andy Lovos took a picture with members of Costa Rica’s musical band after being separated from the Salvadoran group.
–
Travel times
The band members traveled as a group from San Salvador to California on December 26. Andy Lovos traveled later; His first photos in the United States were on December 29.
A two year project
The band’s creation project was led and announced by Enot Rubio for two years. The initial group of young people was the one who competed to get participation in the popular parade that was held last December 1 and is broadcast internationally. The members continued to join. Andy Lovos and other young people joined the band in March 2019.
Contribution of the members
Despite the financial contributions of the private company and the government; the members of the band had to contribute to pay travel expenses. According to the statements of Andy Lovos, given on social networks, he “committed” to contribute $ 500; Failure to do so was what would have prevented him from traveling with the group. On December 27, Andy Lovos wrote on his Facebook profile that he could not travel to the parade.
The cheerful presentations of the band
The presentation in the Parade of the Roses was the last one executed by the band; before they made many presentations both in El Salvador and abroad. On Saturday, September 21, 2019, the band paraded, with 150 members, on Constitution Avenue in Washington, as special guests of the Festival of Nations of Fiesta DC.
According to statements by the band members, Andy Lovos participated in this event; as well as other local events and rehearsals.
Band Budget
Enot Rubio, president of the El Piche Salvadoran Committee, an entity that was in charge of coordinating the participation of Salvadorans in the event, said last December that the investment was $ 500,000, a budget that includes air tickets, lodging, food, ground transportation, uniforms, gala dinners and food for rehearsals inside and outside the country.
Project financing
The musical and international projection project received contributions from the private company and the government. But the members also had to contribute. According to the explanations of one of the young people who make up the band and who entered last March, the organizers asked them to sell jackets, which would serve to pay expenses. They, they say, searched to sell as many jackets as possible, and it was after effort that the total value of the trip was reduced considerably.
Initially the requested contribution was $ 2,500; then it was reduced by half and finally the contribution was reduced to amounts ranging between $ 600 and $ 400; according to the data exposed by the members in the video.
These were the statements of the Band El Salvador on the departure of Andy Lovos
– .
