Maribel Vilaplana, a communicator, is scheduled to testify before the Spanish Congress's investigation commission into the DANA floods in Valencia tomorrow. Her appearance, along with that of Miguel Polo, president of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, aims to establish a clear timeline of former president Carlos Mazón's actions during the critical hours of the catastrophe on 29 October 2024.

Victims' associations are particularly interested in Vilaplana's account. Mariló Gradolí, president of the DANA 29 October 2024 Victims' Association, welcomes Vilaplana's presence but worries she might deflect blame or present herself as a victim. Gradolí stated, "Those who have most contributed to exposing her publicly are those who for months tried to hide or minimise information about that lunch and what happened that day."

Rosa Maria Álvarez, president of the Association of Fatal Victims, acknowledges Vilaplana had no direct responsibility for managing the disaster. However, Álvarez explains Vilaplana is being called because she was with the president during the crucial period. "We do not demand she goes into details, but that the chronology of events is truthful," Álvarez said. She questioned Vilaplana's previous claims of distress, asking, "If she and her circle are having such a bad time as they said in the September letter, after eleven months of silence, how do you think the victims' families are?" Álvarez openly wondered if Vilaplana wants to be remembered for supporting Mazón's alleged lies or for standing with the families.

Since 8 November 2024, when it became public that Vilaplana and Mazón had lunched together, the communicator has offered several versions of the meal's duration and their movements after leaving El Ventorro restaurant.

Vilaplana's Initial Account

Initially, it was reported that the meeting was purely professional, with Mazón offering Vilaplana the directorship of À Punt, which she supposedly declined due to past grievances with the Popular Party after her dismissal from Canal 9. As more details emerged and rumours grew, Vilaplana authorised a friend on 21 November to release an official version of events. Neither Carlos Mazón nor the presidency team denied this account. Instead, Vice-President Susana Camarero, then the Council's spokesperson, used this information to maintain an official narrative for months, according to the source.

Vilaplana claimed the lunch at El Ventorro was a professional meeting. She said Mazón received calls and left the private dining room during the meal but showed no concern about the situation in the region. Vilaplana stated the lunch lasted from 3pm to 6pm. This 6pm departure time was the Council's pretext for claiming Mazón was working at his office in the palace from that point. Vilaplana also said she asked the former president not to make her name public or involve her in any trouble.

The Open Letter Version

Following journalistic reports that increasingly showed Carlos Mazón had not arrived at the palace by 6pm, Vilaplana published an open letter on 5 September 2025. She signed it, but her friend disseminated it.

In the letter, Vilaplana explained she arrived at El Ventorro at 3pm for a meeting to explore professional collaboration. She also stated they conducted a communication consultancy session during lunch, and Mazón received many calls, though she was unaware of their content. "At a certain point during lunch, the president began to receive calls that continuously interrupted our conversation. I remained at the restaurant, completely oblivious to those communications," she wrote.

This open letter marked the first time Maribel Vilaplana changed her departure time from the restaurant, stating it was between 6.30pm and 6.45pm. This contradicted the official Generalitat version that the president was working at his office by 6pm. "I want to make it clear that at the moment I left the meeting, I was not aware of the seriousness of what was happening in other Valencian towns," she added.

The letter, released on a Friday afternoon, had a victimised tone. It claimed that since her lunch with Carlos Mazón became known, she had been subjected to insults, harassment, and media pressure. She also mentioned receiving psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress. Furthermore, she described sharing a meal with Carlos Mazón as a "cursed coincidence and a horrible stroke of bad luck."

Judicial Testimony

When Maribel Vilaplana wrote and published her open letter, the prosecutor in the case had recently supported the Catarroja judge's decision to summon her as a witness. Her testimony was set for 3 November 2025, coincidentally the same day and time as Carlos Mazón's appearance at the Generalitat Palace to announce his resignation. Rumours had circulated all weekend after a public outcry at the state tribute to the victims on the first anniversary of the floods.

Journalistic reports already claimed Carlos Mazón had arrived at the Generalitat Palace close to 8pm. In her testimony, Vilaplana stated they were at the restaurant until 6.45pm, left without haste, and the former president walked her to the public car park in Plaça de Tetuan. During this walk, they discussed football, specifically Levante, a Valencia team where she is a board member.

When asked why she had omitted this detail from her previous letter, she said it did not seem important at the time. In her testimony, she stated she could not hear anything about the DANA floods among the calls the former president received. "He was not in a hurry," was one of the direct quotes from that statement. "Someday I will be able to breathe, stop having nightmares, you do not know how much it hurts me that the victims think I want to play the victim," she told the judge at one point.

Maribel Vilaplana affirmed in her testimony that she learned about the DANA floods upon arriving home. Sources present at the declaration confirmed Vilaplana spoke with the president hours later, in the early hours of 30 October. Mazón reportedly told her that "everything that had happened was very serious and that he knew nothing about it during lunch." She then said she had asked Mazón not to mention her name, which made her feel like a coward.

Months later, the former president's driver testified that Carlos Mazón left the CECOPI shortly after 12.30am, following a televised appearance where he stated the night would be long. According to the driver, Mazón was home by 1am, from where he spoke with Vilaplana.

Two days later, Vilaplana testified that Carlos Mazón called her to say he was very sorry, but he was under a lot of pressure and her name would have to come out. This was on 8 November, the day before the first major demonstration calling for Mazón's resignation.

The DANA 29 October 2024 Victims' Association insists that human errors or wrong decisions can be understood. "What we cannot understand or accept is the lie, the self-serving construction of a narrative, and the attempts to politically protect an unworthy former president while the victims continue to suffer."