Francisco is part of the third generation of millers in the Jacinto family. At the Apelação mill he works with his apprentice João, previously a mechanic (“I was there for 25 years”). He confesses that he doesn’t even live in the area, but in Torres Vedras. He comes to Appelação especially to work in the mill. Wisdom comes from explaining how the entire milling process works, an explanation that takes place on the top floor, next to the window, while the smell of breakfast cereal perfumes the room.
We are at the top of a hill. The landscape extends as far as the eye can see. Amid the silence of the countryside at the gates of Lisbon, every now and then you hear the sound of a plane crossing at low altitude and preparing to land. South of the mill, further away, is Camarate; to the north is Unhos; to the west, Apelação – the parish to which it belongs. Now the difference is not visible. But, Before 2013, if you walked just a few meters, you were already in another parish within the same municipality: Loures. The mill, explains Francisco Jacinto, “stands in the middle of the union between the ancient parishes”. For example, the Catujal primary school is only 200 meters away and already belongs to what would be the ancient parish of Unhos.
If it had been before the aggregation process, the conversation with Francisco would have taken place in the parish of Apelação. Now it was just in the union. Although the mill was completely rebuilt and restored in 2017 (the year in which a major fire occurred), Francisco Jacinto is against the division of the three parishes after the merger. “I don’t think there’s any point. We have benefited much more from the union. Here, for example, the Appeal is an area without major financial resources”, he says, pointing from the roof of the mill. “As you can see, this place does not have any major investments or conditions,” he adds. Therefore, “the mill itself, which belonged to Apelação, will be harmed if this is the case.” But Francisco points out: “I’m not completely against divorce. I think there are cases where it can work. This is where I think there is no point, we would suffer harm.”
Two kilometers to the south is Camarate, the largest of the three combined parishes. It is also the one with the most inhabitants, as we can see from the number of people sitting on terraces or waiting for public transport. The parish council headquarters are next to one of the busiest cafes in the morning. The car is parked nearby, the journey is made on foot, under the threat of rain. At the headquarters of the parish council, almost opposite the local PCP Work Centre, we are received by the president, Renato Alves (PS).
When the union came about, “the three parishes voted against it”
We were in the office. Behind the desk, on the wall, hangs a painting signed by Leonor Salazar, with a well-known image: the bookplate of the parish, Moinho da Apelação. Renato Alves tells us that “it is a source of pride” to have restored the infrastructure and offered it to the population. And he adds a funny detail: “It’s so close to the separation of parishes that no one really understood who they belonged to. So now it’s owned by the union. It belongs to everyone, that’s what it is.”
Then explain how the decision to start the divorce process came about. “It was not the parish council that took the initiative,” he begins. “What was done was to ask the chairman of the Parish Assembly to schedule separate meetings with the people of Camarate, Unhos and Apelação, to hear the position on desegregation and also to clarify the pros and cons of each of the situations. Because we already know what the disadvantages of aggregation are. It was important to clarify the population”explains the mayor.
But among local associations and the population, says Renato Alves, “there were groups who wanted it, others who hesitated.” An investigation was therefore carried out and subsequently submitted to the Council for advice, which ultimately resulted in a positive outcome. Still, the mayor says, “the research is very weak, with flawed data and some information that is not true.” So why did it give a positive opinion? “Why, At the time the unions were formed, the three parishes voted against in their respective assemblies. This factored into the decision.”
The mayor has been at the head of the association of parishes of Camarate, Unhos and Apelação since October 2017 and acknowledges that, despite having given a positive opinion, “parishes will be harmed, namely associations. The funds collected here are distributed uniformly. If that were the case, this value would have to be based on their own income and not all parishes have this.” The result was that “Camarate was the only parish that would benefit from this. For example, advertising revenue largely comes from here.”
But amid all this, there is a positive for Renato Alves: “There were now three presidents of the Junta who could walk the streets, in closer contact with the population. The Junta has three parishes to manage. is of course also bigger.”
In a union with an area of almost 12 square kilometers, Renato Alves says that the population “of Unhos and Apelação, after being informed, was almost entirely in favor. In Camarate there were fewer people in favor.”
And expectations? “None,” just wait and see, says Renato Alveswho reveals that parliament has not yet contacted him about the outcome of his parish council process.
Source: DN
