Ilse Chango, who served as the Director of Communications at the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) until February 20, 2023, voiced her dissatisfaction with the ‘imprudent actions’ of the state entity’s hierarchy in her resignation letter. She pointed out that such actions do not prioritize the interests of the company.
Furthermore, she highlighted in her letter that INS leadership doesn’t take responsibility for their actions, instead blaming the Communications department for the fallout of their decisions in the press.
“I hope that ethics, transparency, honesty, and respect are values that guide this institution, and that its future hierarchies are models of the same,” stated Chango in her resignation letter, a document provided by INS at the request of this newspaper.
The nation tried to discuss with the former official about the contents of her letter, but she did not respond to the messages and calls made to her mobile phone.
Since September 2022, Monica Araya Esquivel, the executive president of INS, has been facing criticism from opposition deputies, board colleagues, and media for confidentially approving a retroactive salary increase for more than 2,400 workers without technical and financial studies.
After months of setbacks, INS abandoned the idea of procuring its technology platforms with a UN agency and decided to opt for a public tender.
Also, in March of this year, two directors of the institute filed a complaint against Araya before the Public Ministry for alleged embezzlement of funds and legal fraud.
Before taking over as the Director of Communications at INS, Chango served as the press officer for the Ministry of Health and advisor to Daniel Salas, former Minister of Health. She also held, at the beginning of the government of Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the Director of Communication of the Presidential House.
Conflicting versions surround the incident. Kattia Castro Cruz, Deputy Director of Corporate Relations at INS and Chango’s immediate boss, said that upon receiving the resignation letter, she forwarded it to Alejandro Alpírez, Head of Culture and Human Talent for the respective procedure. However, she stated that she doesn’t know if the executive president of the state insurance company knows about the letter and the arguments made in it.
INS General Manager Luis Fernando Monge Salas gave a confused version when asked about the reasons for Chango’s departure. He claimed that he did not initiate a procedure to determine if the expressions given by Chango in the resignation letter correspond to reality and the work climate of INS, as that is not his competence.
