Pemex: Lázaro Cárdenas: An Exceptional, Patriotic and Humanist President

​CEO Octavio Romero Oropeza presided over the ceremony held at the Pemex Management Center to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the former Mexican President
His ideology was based on the precept that only social justice can guarantee human peace and happiness

As Mexican President, General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río displayed his full potential and capabilities, sustained by a deep patriotic, humanist conviction whose ideology was based on the precept that only social justice can guarantee human peace and happiness, and the State is the only institution capable of safeguarding the common wellbeing of the Mexican people.

With these words, the CEO of Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Octavio Romero Oropeza, remembered the general and former Mexican President, during the ceremony held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of a man remembered and recognized in our country’s history for the momentous decision, which sustains Mexico as a sovereign country to this day: the oil expropriation, which recovered the oil for the benefit of the Mexican nation.

During the official act, held at the monument erected to honor General Cárdenas at the Executive Tower in Mexico City, Romero Oropeza underlined that his legacy lives and shines on in the best of today’s Mexico. He also stated that leaders who put the power in the people’s hands are indispensable, and this is, without a doubt, the conviction that guides the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, because it is not enough to commemorate a patriot, we must follow his example, he said.

The PEMEX CEO pointed out that the expropriation was based on strong principles and on the rejection to the abuse envisaged by powerful foreign interests allied with anti-Mexican conservatives.

He assured that the Oil Expropriation is a consequence of the affirmation of the Mexican State’s authority and sovereignty, the strengthening of our democracy, and the achievement of better living conditions for the majority of the population. Using the oil and our national resources to build a country that is dignified and just.

The CEO of the State-owned company further stated that, in General Cárdenas’s time, the world was going through the throes of a recurring expansionist ambition, which the former president faced head on and remained firmly against, citing that, “our oil exploitation will not move an inch from the moral solidarity our country maintains with other democratic countries, and those of us who wish to ensure that the expropriation we have decreed is aimed solely towards the elimination of obstacles placed on us by groups unfeeling towards the evolutionary need of the people.”

He added that the oil expropriation signified a solid and independent development for the country, it was not an isolated decision, but came coupled with a series of measures that strengthened our technical and technological capabilities, in order to ensure the growth and financing of Mexican industry through important credit institutions, and that national funding was used to promote the growth of the economy as a result.

He underscored that the actions that followed the Oil Expropriation were so profound and visionary because having the resources is not enough if there is not a clear objective, and that even now, eight decades after this historical decision, oil continues to be the pillar sustaining national finances and projects, despite the plundering, predation, and corruption that led sellout governments to attempt to dismantle this important industry.

The PEMEX CEO stated that general Lázaro Cárdenas is considered to be an exceptional President, but he was also an extraordinary human being, humble and committed to protecting the vulnerable, a true Mexican in the fullest sense of the word.

During the ceremony, a minute of silence was held in his honor and a flower arrangement was placed at the base of the bust of Mexico’s General and Former President. Workers and Senior officers of the company were present at the event.