Henrique Mariaca defender of Bolivian oil died

OIL DEFENDER • Enrique Mariaca Bilbao, former Oil Minister and one of the most prominent advocates of natural resources in Bolivia, died at the age of 94 years old in La Paz. Burial ceremony is scheduled for Friday.

By EUGEN ROXAS

Enrique Mariaca Bilbao. Photo © The Achacachi Post™ . All rights reserved.

LA PAZ, Bolivia. — At 17, Mariaca was a soldier in the Chaco War of Bolivia Paraguay. Petroleum engineer by profession. He was minister of Hydrocarbons for the popular government of Juan José Torres.

During first term of government of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, Mariaca founded the Committee for Defense of National Heritage (CODEPANAL), an organization that first fought to prevent the sale of oil and natural gas to foreign companies.

After the government of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada promoted recovery. He fight for nonrenewable natural resources back into the hands of the Bolivian state.

In one of his last public performances, Mariaca conducted the audits of oil companies, although its recommendations were not followed by the government of Evo Morales.