Mario Sabines Lorenzo, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Matanzas, celebrated with a triumphant speech that the Central Committee granted the province the status of "Outstanding" in the competition for the 73rd anniversary of the assault on the Moncada barracks.
The reaction on social media was immediate: hundreds of Cubans responded with indignation and mockery to what they described as a propaganda exercise disconnected from reality.
The video published by Periódico Girón on Facebook received over 500 comments within a few hours, most of which were ironic or openly critical of the official and the official recognition.
In a speech lasting more than eight minutes, Sabines Lorenzo listed the merits that, according to him, made Matanzas worthy of the award: fulfillment of planting plans, a surplus in revenue, the installation of 98 megawatts in photovoltaic solar parks, and the recovery of Internet communication.
He also cited as a political merit the support for the campaign "My Signature for the Homeland" and participation in the "anti-imperialist tribune" in defense of Raúl Castro.
But amid his celebration, the official himself acknowledged a reality that his words could not disguise: "Even though the power outages are very long and the population experiences many blackouts, at times they add up to 50, 60 hours in some circuits of our province."
That confession was enough for internet users to unleash a torrent of comments. "Notable Matanzas, in the blackouts! In that, it truly takes first place," wrote a user.
Another was more blunt: "They have no shame, I just don't understand how they can watch the news when Matanzas should be renamed Apagonia."
The irony extended to other fronts. One comment noted that Matanzas also leads in arboviral diseases: "Surely they took into account the high average infection rate of dengue and Chikungunya... we also had the first place in the country there."
Another summarized the general sentiment with a question: "Outstanding? In what? In blackouts, garbage, diseases. I don't understand anything, poor the other provinces."
One internet user asked seriously, "What productive thing did you gain?"
Some claimed it was a joke, while others described it as demagogic triumphalism. "How good are they at talking big?" commented a user.
"Let imperialism tremble, because what we have here is an abundance of triumphal inspiration," another pointed out.
"The ridiculous thing about this is not the recognition itself, but how seriously they take it; and I mean it," asserted a third party.
The gap between the official discourse and reality is vast. Matanzas was in April the province with the highest electrical outages in Cuba, with 174 megawatts available for outage during peak night hours.
Residents of circuit 1456 experienced 85 hours without electricity on June 9, a historic record.
Furthermore, more than 300,000 residents are facing water supply issues, and the province was the national epicenter of the dengue and chikungunya outbreak that began in Perico in July 2025.
Sabines Lorenzo also admitted that there are 18 companies with losses in the province and that the fulfillment of export plans and the collection of foreign currency was "very insufficient," a statement that did not prevent him from concluding his speech with cheers: "Long live the Cuban revolution! Long live the people of Matanzas who deserve this status! Fidel, Raúl, and Díaz-Canel! Until victory! Always!"
The pattern was simultaneously repeated in Villa Clara, where Susely Morfa González celebrated an identical recognition for her territory, also amidst mockery from Cubans on social media.
The central event of July 26 will be held in Pinar del Río, while Matanzas receives its "outstanding" diploma amidst blackouts that, as acknowledged by its own PCC secretary, may last more than two consecutive days.
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