Puente buries the hatchet and brings out his most institutional and didactic side in the dana | Spain

The same person who until a week ago was the Government’s lightning rod and focused criticism from the opposition and many citizens for his harsh and sometimes lacking tone, now monopolizes laudatory memes and praise for his rigorous and detailed information on the reconstruction of infrastructure. state competition in the midst of chaos and confusion. The same politician whom users demanded to account for the collapse of the railway network and for his public confrontations with rivals and even private citizens—many of whom he blocked on his social networks—is now seeing growing gratitude for his communication work. Óscar Puente has brought out his most institutional and didactic side in the worst natural disaster suffered by Spain in decades.

“I’m still the same, I’m the first one surprised by all this expectation,” says Puente. “I simply saw that it was the way in which this crisis had to be faced. It is time to do and tell what is done. Do and tell, do and tell. It’s true that I’ve gotten a head start, but I’m just trying to adapt. Do you remember Bruce Lee’s phrase? Be water, my friend. Well, that’s my motto,” explains the Minister of Transport.

The Valencia disaster has revealed its least recognized side. At least outside of Valladolid, where he was mayor for eight years (2015-2023) and cut his teeth on social networks communicating municipal management during the pandemic or the Filomena storm. No filters. Without intermediaries. Without community manager. “Having been mayor gives him a special sensitivity, and in communication he has always been an innovator,” highlights Pedro Herrero, spokesperson for the PSOE in the Pucelano City Council and former Councilor for Planning and Resources. “When he entered what we used to call Twitter and is now X, there were many voices that advised against it, but Óscar always saw that it was a channel for direct and personal communication with citizens. And he opted for it. Time has proven him right because of his way of managing it himself, with that authenticity, for better and for worse, that in crisis situations becomes more valuable.”

The Puente en that vindicates public workers and. “What is not communicated does not exist,” says Natalia Sara, crisis communication expert. “The challenge is knowing how to do it. In a crisis it is about explaining when necessary, managing times and providing relevant information with transparency. In this case, [Puente] It is moving public opinion. That, in a situation of maximum uncertainty, is essential. And especially in emergencies and catastrophes it is very important: people have to perceive what is being done, quickly and with sufficient transparency and honesty.” In his opinion, Puente is being able to “know how to combine the rigor of data while showing closeness and empathy.”

A black beast of the PP and Vox since long before the coup d’état that elevated him to stardom in national politics, when he was the spokesperson for the PSOE in the debate on the failed investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Puente has earned a reputation as a “belligerent ” in the hand-to-hand combat of the political arena. Also on social networks, where he does not shy away from confrontation with a style that is often politically incorrect and not in keeping with the figure of a minister. The Dana has made him bury, at least temporarily, the hatchet. The PP has chosen to ignore him and focus on other members of the Government, in an attempt to divert attention from the management of the Valencian president, Carlos Mazón.

“Puente is responsible for railway and road matters, it is logical that he report. What would have been missing is if he had used social networks to make Puente even more than he already is. “What less that he hasn’t insulted anyone this week!” say PP sources, who, beyond the minister’s tweets, charge against La Moncloa’s communication policy in this crisis.

“That the figure of Puente has resurfaced in a different way than what we were used to is because the environment has facilitated it. The information [del Ejecutivo] It has been destructured and Puente has given it a structure, covering the gaps that had been generated in official communication. His messages are educational, very easy to understand. You can tell that it is there, or at least that is the feeling that is generated, that it is in the doing and the telling. It is the perfect combination,” says Paloma Piqueiras, professor of Public Administration Communication and Politics in Information Sciences at the Complutense University and vice president of the Political Communication Association (ACOP).

“If there is no management, there is no communication,” summarizes the Ministry of Transportation, where Puente is the information “canyon,” which is reinforced with the WhatsApp and Telegram channels open to everyone. The crisis cabinet, formed by Puente, meets every day; his chief of staff, Encarnacion Sandonis; the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano; the general secretary of land transportation, Marta Serrano; the director of highways, Juan Pedro Fernández Palomino; the president of Renfe, Raül Blanco; the president of Adif, Luis Pedro Marco; and the ministry’s communications director, Pere Rostoll. “I have all of God involved, they send me information about how the work on the roads or the railway network is going in real time. I know what is happening at all times without me having to force it, they see that their task has enormous diffusion. I select and disseminate what I think is most interesting. There is a common thread, a narrative, that I try to make enjoyable,” says Puente.

Not everything is jauja. “I am realistic. There are jobs in which we are very optimistic and others in which we are not so optimistic, which are very difficult. 400 cars have been taken off the roads alone. But there is an underlying optimism, a motivation that is not lost: the workers are delighted that what they do is given a voice, they have taken a step in the right direction and work piece-rate, they want to contribute to making life easier for the people. affected by the damage, shortening the expected deadlines.”

This deference to workers has a double positive impact. ”By putting the spotlight on them, we appreciate the work of technicians, engineers and infrastructure managers on the ground and recognize the efforts of a group of professionals who are often forgotten to the detriment of the UME, the police or emergencies” , emphasizes Natalia Sara. The expert focuses on another idea: the origin of the economic, material and personnel resources mobilized by the Administration. “They come out of people’s taxes. Many affected by dana claim that they pay their taxes and have now forgotten about them. The message here is that part of your taxes are being dedicated to this crisis,” he concludes.