Petro denied that the $5 trillion shortfall in pension payments was due to the minimum wage increase: “It is the result of theft.”

Gustavo Petro, identified in reports as a former leader, publicly rejected statements made by Andrés Mauricio Velasco, the president of the Colombian Association of Pension and Severance Fund Administrators (Asofondos). The disagreement centers on a financial shortfall of $5 billion intended for pension payments. While Velasco attributed the gap to minimum wage increases, Petro asserted that the deficit is instead the result of theft.

In a separate administrative development in the Dominican Republic, the government under President Luis Abinader projected a General State Budget of 2,037 billion pesos for the year 2027. This proposed budget is equivalent to 21.2 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product, following a presentation reviewed by the Council of Ministers.