Hiram Torres Montalvo, Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Public Affairs, claimed during a press conference last Wednesday that under Governor Jenniffer González’s administration, “we have never restricted access to information or limited the distribution of press releases. Emails, announcements, and press conferences are open.”
“I don’t recall any previous administration being this open with the press,” Torres Montalvo repeated during the event, where he unveiled En Récord (On Record), a new initiative aimed at hosting press conferences and roundtables with members of the Puerto Rican government’s cabinet.
However, journalists in attendance pushed back, citing their experiences with lack of transparency and access under the current administration.
The record shows that Torres Montalvo’s claims are false.
The Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI), along with other media outlets and a review of court documents, has documented multiple cases that contradict his statements. CPI reporters have made nearly a dozen calls, texts, and emails to Torres Montalvo requesting a directory of public information officers across government agencies. None of those messages has received a response. Multiple meeting requests from CPI’s editorial director, Wilma Maldonado, have also gone unanswered. An interview request with Governor González — submitted in January — has never been granted.
Requests for information and interviews made to agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Economic Development, the Energy Czar, and the Department of Corrections have not been addressed. In many of these cases, journalists have sent multiple follow-ups — calls, emails, or formal requests — without ever receiving a response. CPI journalists are often left out of media advisories and have been excluded from press roundtables.
Adding to the opacity, the video of last Wednesday’s press conference announcing the En Récord initiative was removed from the Government’s social media accounts. Additionally, although a printed version of the press release was distributed at the event, a digital copy was never sent to the media.
Journalists’ Associations Push Back
The Puerto Rico Journalists Association (Asppro, in Spanish) issued a statement categorically rejecting the “restrictions on access to public information imposed by the Government.”
Gloria Ruiz Kuilan, president of the Overseas Press Club of Puerto Rico (OPC), said in a written statement: “By withholding information from journalists — whether from corporate or independent media — the public is the one being denied access. The so-called transparency this administration claims is nonexistent.”
The González administration has implemented press strategies that hinder coverage rather than facilitate it. One such tactic is holding press conferences every Sunday, a day when most newsrooms are understaffed. These events — often featuring only a few agency heads — give the appearance of openness while avoiding scrutiny. Meanwhile, journalists’ day-to-day questions and information requests remain unaddressed.
On Thursday, during her two-hour State of the Commonwealth address, Governor González made no mention of the En Récord initiative. CPI found that the speech was sent early to select media outlets, which began coverage at 6 p.m., while other news organizations received it nearly an hour later.
“Calling This Transparent Is Sheer Cynicism”
Independent journalist and Bonita Radio founder Carmen Enid Acevedo was blunt: “Calling this government transparent is sheer cynicism.”
“There’s no transparency when you’re not given data at a press conference, when your questions go unanswered, or when the number and content of your questions are restricted. That alone proves this government is not transparent,” she said in an interview with CPI.
Acevedo said most press officers do not return Bonita Radio’s calls or messages. Her outlet doesn’t receive press releases or advisories from the González team or many government agencies. Requests submitted under the 2019 Transparency Act often go ignored.
“I believe that information access is not just limited — it’s censored. This government decides who gets information and who doesn’t,” she said.
Acevedo noted that she has never received a response from the Governor’s press secretary, Marieli Padró. “Same with interview requests. They don’t say no — they just don’t reply.”
She said this won’t change “as long as the government sees journalists who ask tough questions as enemies. I have nothing against the Governor or any press officer. I just want them to give me public information. The stuff I know isn’t public — I won’t ask for it.
I’ll find a source and get it. That’s my job. I just want the Puerto Rican government to do its job for the people who elected them.”
Asppro: “It’s Not True”
“It’s not true that this has been the most transparent administration in recent decades,” said Asppro’s first vice president, Manuel Ernesto Rivera.
“The day before Torres Montalvo made those comments, the Governor refused to take questions on unrelated topics at a press conference about hurricane season. Journalists at the event noted how often agencies and press officers obstruct access to public information,” Rivera added.
He also warned about two Senate bills that would further restrict press access to information.
Senate Bill 331, passed this week by a 24–3 vote, would classify demographic registry data as confidential. The measure advanced without public hearings and despite opposition from journalists, civil society groups, and the Puerto Rico Bar Association. Only the Health Department supported the bill in writing.
Voting against the bill were Senators María de Lourdes Santiago, Adrián González (both of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP, in Spanish), and Ada Álvarez Conde Popular Democratic Party (PPD, in Spanish) The New Progressive Party (PNP, in Spanish) delegation, the rest of the PPD senators, and independent Senator Eliezer Molina voted in favor. The measure included last-minute amendments whose content remains unknown and now moves to the House of Representatives.
The second bill, Senate Bill 63, introduced by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, would amend the Transparency Act to double government response times to information requests, require agency heads to be notified, and impose weak penalties for noncompliance.
OPC: Press Conferences Aren’t Enough
“Holding press conferences — even daily — doesn’t equate to transparency,” said OPC president Gloria Ruiz Kuilan. “These events are tightly scripted, time-limited, and often lack the data journalists need for serious, evidence-based reporting. While we don’t dismiss the value of press conferences, they can’t be the only venue for journalists to ask questions in a democracy.”
An OPC board statement added: “When officials ignore journalists’ questions, obstruct access to information, deny interview requests, or mock or disrespect the press, it’s an attack on democracy. The press represents the people. Journalists are not the protagonists — they’re intermediaries between the public and those in power.”
Despite the administration’s claims, at least 25 lawsuits have been filed under the 2019 Transparency Act since January, due to government agencies refusing to release public records.
Journalist and CPI cofounder Oscar Serrano brought one case after the Governor’s Office refused to provide a list of her staff, their positions, and salaries. He requested the information from Press Secretary Marieli Padró. “When I sued, they finally responded — with the information, not with lawyers,” Serrano told CPI.
Another lawsuit, still ongoing, was filed by citizen Dennis Sánchez Martín, who is requesting the government’s email addresses and names of several trust-based public officials, including the Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff Deputy Secretaries, the Administrator of the Governor’s Office, the Secretary of Public Affairs, and other senior advisers.
Attorney Luis José Torres Asencio, director of the Access to Information Legal Clinic at the Interamerican University, said that since the Transparency Act took effect in 2019, “response rates have dropped, and delays have increased significantly.” These trends continue under the current administration.
He warned that the government is now pushing policy changes that would make the process even more difficult, classify more data as confidential, and further delay response times.
“When journalists can’t properly report on government actions, public spending is hidden, and information is concealed, democracy suffers,” said the OPC board.
Growing Public Awareness
“The Transparency Act is supposed to help citizens exercise their right to information,” Serrano said. “Going to court should be the last resort. If the government were doing its job, that wouldn’t be necessary.”
Serrano pointed out that more people, not just journalists, are filing lawsuits for public records. “There’s growing awareness. But this also means more agencies are stonewalling. The government is treating the courts as the first stop instead of answering requests.”
So far in 2025, Serrano has gone to court three times to obtain documents from the González administration, and a fourth case involves the Senate.
In addition to the petition for review filed against the Office of the Governor, Serrano had to take legal action to compel the Financial Advisory and Fiscal Agency Authority (AAFAF, in Spanish) to hand over the list of the members of its Board.
“And on AAFAF’s website, there’s a section, a page where that information is supposed to go. But it wasn’t there. Something so basic — I could’ve saved my time and the court’s time [to obtain the information],” he said with disapproval. He also requested minutes from the agency’s Board of Directors, which were provided only after the legal action was filed.
In another case, Serrano requested board meeting minutes from the Convention District Authority that documented the approval of the executive director’s salary. Despite following up, he never received a response and was forced to take legal action. The agency’s attorneys did not argue that the information was confidential — they instead claimed the request was invalid because it was sent via WhatsApp and not accompanied by an email address.
Serrano noted that the law permits multiple forms of request and that he had followed up properly.
More Journalists, More Roadblocks
CPI journalist Jeniffer Wiscovitch said she submitted an interview request with Health Secretary Víctor Ramos shortly after the new administration took office in January. Months later, there’s still no interview.
Despite being referred by both Secretary Ramos and Assistant Director of Communications Giselle Negrón to his spokesperson, contractor Ramón Alejandro Pabón, Wiscovitch never received a response to her interview or information requests. She also attempted to contact Carlos Bermúdez, another contractor she was referred to by the Secretary, without success. Multiple calls, emails, and follow-ups were made, but no response was received. She also filed formal records requests in February and April and received no acknowledgment. The documents arrived only after the statutory deadline, following repeated follow-ups.
Wiscovitch and CPI cofounder Omaya Sosa Pascual have previously gone to court to obtain Puerto Rico’s mortality database. In both cases, the courts ordered the full release of the data. This year, Wiscovitch submitted a similar request but has received nothing. If the government doesn’t respond, CPI may have to sue a sixth time for the same information.
CPI journalist Amanda Pérez Pintado said she had better results with the Department of Housing and Puerto Rico’s Health Insurances Administration (ASES, in Spanish) , but not with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“I sent a request on March 4 and followed up multiple times. I never got a response — not even an acknowledgment,” she said. “I also requested an interview with Corrections Secretary Francisco Quiñones Rivera. Nothing was ever scheduled.”
“Compared to the previous administration, I feel like it’s now even harder to get responses,” Pérez Pintado said.
Final Verdict
Given the volume of unanswered requests, testimonies from journalists, unaddressed lawsuits, and efforts to limit access to public data, the claim by Public Affairs Secretary Hiram Torres Montalvo that the González administration “has never restricted information” is: FALSE
This translation was generated with the assistance of AI and thoroughly reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and clarity.
