The event, led by the ambassador of the largest of the Antilles in the isthmus, Orestes Pérez, is part of initiatives that, like every last Sunday of each month, bring together friends of Cuba to condemn Washington’s hostile policy.

Sports enthusiasts on two wheels rode along the entire coastal strip of this capital, carrying the lone star flags as a symbol of sovereignty and the willingness to defend it to the last consequences, they said.

This activity also marked the end of the campaign for the collection of school supplies, called “A Pencil for Cuba, the future in every stroke,” launched by youth organizations on April 4.

The solidarity movement, trade union organizations, youth groups and political parties, Cuban, Panamanian, and compatriot entrepreneurs living in the Canal nation delivered around 80 boxes of school supplies including more than eight thousand notebooks, 12 thousand pencils, boxes of colors, tempera paints, backpacks, and school shoes.

Recently, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel provided concrete figures on the humanitarian impact of the economic blockade: 98,500 surgeries are pending, only 30 percent of basic medicines are available, and 67,000 children still do not have an updated vaccination schedule.

The president also denounced the impact of the energy blockade, which prevents fuel shipments from reaching the island due to executive orders imposed by Donald Trump’s administration.

Faced with this complex situation, the head of state emphasized that resistance is not passive but creative.

jdt/ft/ga