Author: Sebastian Pieper
Panamanian marketing agency Star5 earned the highest creative honor in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world this week. The agency won the “Best Idea of Ibero America” country award at the FIAP 2025 festival for its groundbreaking NESCAFÉ Decaf Billboards campaign. This victory marks the first time a Panamanian idea has received the top prize at the prestigious international competition. The campaign also collected five additional medals across multiple categories. These included three gold awards in Outdoor formats, Public Road Gold, and Best Use of Ambient Media. It secured two silver awards for Innovation in Outdoors and Public Road Products.…
Panama’s Ministry of Environment has launched a formal investigation after a citizen’s social media post alleged potential environmental damage. Officials from the agency conducted a technical inspection at the reported site in the Panama Metropolitan region this week. The inspection aimed to verify the claims and assess any impacts on the local ecosystem.The ministry mobilized its Directorate of Environmental Performance Verification and the Regional Directorate of Metropolitan Panama to lead the inquiry. They deployed a team of specialists to the location following the online complaint. This rapid response underscores the government’s stated commitment to addressing public concerns about ecological welfare.Immediate…
Panama successfully completed its fourth Universal Periodic Review before the United Nations Human Rights Council this week. The Central American nation presented its human rights record during the 50th session of the UPR Working Group at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.An official delegation led by Vice Minister of Indigenous Affairs Doris Bill and Ambassador Juan Alberto Castillero Correa, Panama’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, defended the country’s progress. The session unfolded under the presidency of Paul Empole Efambe, Vice President of the Human Rights Council and Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Comprehensive National RepresentationPanama sent…
The Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (Uniore) has a new presiding nation. Panama officially transferred the Pro Tempore Presidency to Paraguay during the organization’s seventeenth conference held in Asuncion. This move concludes a two-year term where Panamanian authorities focused on technical strengthening and defending digital democracy.Alfredo Juncá Wendehake, a magistrate from Panama’s Electoral Tribunal, formally handed over leadership to César Emilio Rossel, a minister from Paraguay’s Superior Court of Electoral Justice. The ceremony marked the end of a period defined by ambitious regional cooperation. Officials from across the Americas witnessed the transition, which sets the stage for Paraguay’s upcoming leadership…
Colon Mayor Diogenes Galvan issued a forceful demand to Panama’s national government during independence day ceremonies, insisting it must correct a fiscal system that prevents 2,600 businesses from paying municipal taxes. The mayor delivered his sharply worded address on November 5 during flag day celebrations attended by President Jose Raul Mulino, creating a direct public challenge to the new administration. Galvan framed the situation as a structural crisis preventing basic municipal functions. He stated that while more than 4,300 companies should theoretically pay taxes in the district, the vast commercial operations centered around the Colon Free Trade Zone and private…
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has introduced a new fee structure for cancellations within its long-term transit reservation program. These changes, which took effect on November 1, 2025, aim to improve operational efficiency by encouraging shipping lines to cancel slots further in advance. The revised policy provides a financial incentive for early cancellations, allowing the ACP to better manage the coveted transit slots through the vital waterway.Under the new rules, cancellations made 15 days or more before a vessel’s required arrival date will now incur a charge equal to 80 percent of the awarded slot amount. This new fee is…
The family of Maria Elena Casasola is demanding Panamanian authorities reopen a medical negligence investigation they believe caused her death. Their legal battle centers on a nearly three week delay in performing emergency surgery for appendicitis at a public hospital in Bocas del Toro. Despite two court rulings that absolved the involved medical staff, the family insists the case must not be closed.Maria Elena Casasola was admitted to the Raul Davila Mena Hospital on October 18, 2017, where she received a diagnosis of unspecified appendicitis. Her surgery, however, was not performed until November 5, a full twenty days after her…
The National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers starts installing new water pipelines along the Centenario highway near Rod Carew Stadium on Thursday, November 6. These essential infrastructure works form part of a broader initiative to provide reliable drinking water to the Kuna Nega community, directly benefiting more than ten thousand residents through improved water conduction and distribution systems.Crews will operate exclusively within the road’s right-of-way area on the Panama City-bound lane, working daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers confirmed the pipeline installation will not require complete road closures since all activities remain…
Tocumen International Airport has initiated a critical $56.9 million project to rehabilitate its two main runways, which have deteriorated to the point of requiring safety inspections every thirty minutes. The airport’s manager, Jose Antonio Ruiz Blanco, confirmed the four-year contract was signed on October 20 with the consortium PYCRAT to address advanced wear that includes cracks and asphalt detachment on surfaces originally built in 1978. This extensive work will be conducted exclusively during overnight hours to avoid disrupting the airport’s growing passenger traffic, which is projected to exceed 21 million travelers this year.The urgency of the rehabilitation stems from the…
The general manager of the Colon Free Zone, Luisa Napolitano, has unveiled a comprehensive development plan to strengthen the position of the Americas’ premier commercial hub. This strategic initiative, announced this week, includes new development areas, infrastructure upgrades, water projects, and a technological modernization of the entire facility. The overarching goals are boosting competitiveness and generating more employment for the Atlantic region of Panama.Napolitano confirmed that commercial activity remains stable compared to last year’s figures. The reexport segment continues to be the primary driver moving user inventories. She expressed optimism for a positive year-end result, highlighting a particularly strong performance…