Source: DIARIO EL POPULAR (Argentina)
Date: 30 September 2018
Argentina: Olavarria - A Key Location in the UFO Phenomenon
The 12th Federal Meeting of ICOU (United Field Researchers - Investigadores de Campo Unidos) was organized by the Olavarria UFO Investigation center and held at the Science Museum. The event was a tribute to Dante Rivera, one of the pioneers in the phenomenon's research.
A meeting of UFO researchers took place in our city yesterday, summoning key figures from all over the country. The event was planned for between 17 and 21:00 hours at the Museo de Ciencias at Parque La Maxima and was framed within the 12th Federal Meeting of ICOU. The event had significant participation from Olavarria and the region alike, numbers that surprised conference organizers and researchers alike.
One of the key figures at the national level is Luis Burgos, who has spent nearly have a century devoted to the study of the phenomenon and was a disciple of Dante Rivera, a pivotal figure in our city's ufology. "Returning is very important for me. Personally, this is the fourth or fifth time I've been to Olavarria. The last time was with Dante, matter of fact. We were researching a case here, in situ, and then another case in Sierra Chica, which he had investigated."
The work done by Rivera here was evaluated from that perspective. "We wanted to honor him since I consider him a pioneer in this area. Youthful enthusiasm aside, it's a very emotional moment for me, given the fact that grew up with his cases, researching here. I began in the year 1969. I was 13 years old and was already aware of Dante's existence," he recalled.
This willingness to disseminate UFO cases stirred young Burgos's curiosity. "I always wanted to meet him due to the way in which he worked and the cases he researchers. It was thanks to him that I was able to get information on his cases, as he began sending us his bulletins, which featured many cases that we did not have in Buenos Aires."
Thus, "We would find things out through Dante, through his research." Over time, "I was able to do a statistical study and wondered why Olavarria and its environs had so many reports from people who have seen entities, strange shapes, lights, even in excess of places that are promoted for tourism, such as Bariloche, Capilla el Monte, Cachi or Victoria," stresses the researcher. "This startled me. Later on when I got in touch with Dante, he gave me other cases to add to the statistics. We really do not know the reason [for all these events]."
This curiosity causes "researchers to always be in a hurry to find out the truth. But it's not the case. Perhaps we'll depart from this world never knowing the truth. This, unfortunately, is the case, but we must continue or research. There may be other locations for other researchers, but when someone tells me 'humanoids' it means Olavarria. For that reason I entitled my writings 'Olavarria, Land of the Humanoids'."
Burgos explains that "a humanoid is the UFO's crewman. We seldom use the word 'extraterrestrial' as we are unsure whether they're from outer space or not. There is an occupant within the craft who descends. Some call them extraterrestrials, others call them humanoids, and other refer to them as ufonauts. To avoid generalizations we use the term humanoid - an anthropomorphic figure."
New UFO Flaps
The founder of the Fundación Argentina de Ovnilogía (FAO) explains that contact with UFOs is not as common as it was in the 1960s or 1970s, since "the come in waves (flaps). In fact, we have been experiencing a flap in the past two or three months. The number of cases we have been receiving is truly impressive, particularly from news media in the interior of the country, from our collaborators or correspondents. But the press is playing a critical role in recent months," he asserts, "and we had anticipated this. We conducted some studies and anticipated that 2018 would be a flap year. Fortunately, it has come to pass."
As to how public perception of the phenomenon has changed, to the extent that it is no longer a taboo subject, Burgos believes that "today, with 49 years of research to my credit, I think it was much harder before. Not technologically, but as far as the public's understanding was concerned. When I got started, I was 13 years old, the UFO nut, the flying saucer guy. Today, people approach me and say: 'Burgos, I'm going to tell you something that not even my family is aware of, but this, this and that happened to me.' People are opening up, especially if they know that serious individuals are researching the phenomenon with no urge to profit from it or engage in merchandising. It's then that people open up."
He believes that "there is an evolution, for sure. This is the 13th conference we've held. At the end of the month we're having one in Cuyo, on the 26th and 27th were have one in San Luis and Mendoza. There is much popular demand, looking for an answer that science is obviously not going to give them. We deal with science, with the astronomer, with the weatherman, with the Air Force, but people see things and we are the go-betweens who say what people have seen. We don't make it up; we don't say 'we'd like it to be a green Martian.' Giving the case credibility or not is up to the researcher.
ICOU is currently in contact with people in Chile and the United States who publish our research, and we do the same. Everyone trusts in their colleague and there is more or less communion in Argentinean ufology. Even so, there are many differences. There is a pronounced division between researchers. Some have commercialized the subject. Fortunately, we're on the other side of the street. Today, at the Science Museum, we're having a conference that is free like all the others we have offered. The attitude here is to research and disseminate."
"Greater Signs"
On his part, Diego Abelardo, director of FAO LaPlata, praised the "wonderful meeting, as it allows us to be in the city of humanoids, where so many cases have occurred involving specimens seen and supposedly of an extraterrestrial nature, thanks to Rivera's work on the significant cases we've had here."
"There is no explanation," in this regard. "The phenomenon comes about because it has been taking place for hundreds or thousands of years. It predates human existence, even; some researchers believe that the situation exists because humankind was placed on Earth by extraterrestrials. These are things to be analyzed and meditated upon. Each one must draw conclusions based on his or her knowledge, and everything is possible."
As to the progress won and the ground reclaimed from skepticism, he said: "We would speak of exobiology 40 years ago and they looked at us like circus freaks. Nowadays scientists speak of exobiology due to the proven existence of microorganisms in space that are not native to Earth, and theories are already discussing microbiology and exobiology as though they were a true science."
In recent decades, ufology has received a significant boost "from technology, which has aided us considerably in growing as an institution, using infrared cameras, drones, things we didn't even dream about 10 years ago as tools in our field of work, motion sensor cameras," said Abelardo, who forecasted the coming signs of UFO existence: "I'm convinced there will be signs soon, although there are some, but there will soon be greater signs of human evolution."
"This is Highly Interesting"
Mariano Lara, an expert for the UFO Investigation Center in Olavarria, explained that yesterday's event "is highly interesting, not only for me but for all the people in the group, where we try to standardize our research and reopen old cases. We have received many calls or messages involving new cases that have befallen people who wish to make them known. For the time being, dissemination is somewhat inward-looking, because the subject is rather taboo and people do not wish to speak of it. Perhaps from now on we will be a channel through which people can express themselves and share the experiences of others."
Bringing about the Investigation Center wasn't an easy task. "We have been thinking about creating it for some 3 to 4 years now, and about a year ago we set ourselves up as an individual center, forming part of the ICOU network at the same time to convey information to anyone wishing to join."
A Well-Deserved Tribute to Dante Rivera
The work of Dante Rivera, a mentor of the 1ro de Mayo Library and nationally renowned for his UFO research, was remembered among the activities scheduled within the framework of the 13th Federal ICOU Meeting. His wife, Elida Sciarreta, was the recipient of a certificate issued by the FAO. A commemorative plaque was also unveiled in the library's reading room.
Within this context, Diego Abelardo of FAO La Plata addressed the audiences as "believers in our science, for it is indeed a science. 40 years ago exobiology was a word that did not exist and it is today a science. 82% of U.S. citizens believe that alien life exists, and this shows how the situation has turned around."
The group leader added: "Today, from the humble location that is FAO La Plata, with the growth of Luis Burgos and all the history we are carrying forward, we must thank Prof. Dante Rivera for all we have learned through Luis, who brought it to us."
Abelardo noted: "I never had the chance to meet Professor Rivera, but I have read all of the important cases that occurred in Olavarria and we will remember them, because those of us who dared, reached the conclusion that this wonderful science - ufology - is a reality that can no longer be concealed. Therefore, presenting this gift from FAO, by the best student Rivera ever had, is a cause of happiness to us. Think of him always."
