Author: spieper

The president of Panama’s National Assembly announced this week that a comprehensive reform of the legislative body’s internal rules will soon reach the full chamber for debate. Jorge Herrera stated the process aims to achieve the broadest possible consensus among all political factions. The move represents a key step in fulfilling governance promises made by the assembly’s current leadership.Speaking from the town of Atalaya in Veraguas Province, Herrera confirmed significant preliminary work on the proposal is already complete. The assembly’s Credentials Committee, led by Deputy Dana Castañeda, will oversee the initial review. Discussion will proceed in blocks, allowing for a…

Panama City’s Ricardo J. Alfaro Avenue transformed into a vibrant festival ground this weekend for a large-scale Chinese New Year parade. The event, celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse, showcased the deep cultural roots of the Chinese-Panamanian community. Thousands of residents gathered near the El Dorado Shopping Mall for an afternoon of traditional performances, authentic cuisine, and family-friendly activities.Organized by Panama’s Ministry of Culture of Panama alongside the National Committee of the Chinese Ethnic Group, the celebration turned a main thoroughfare into a pedestrian promenade. The logistical plan required a temporary vehicle detour between two traffic lights near the…

Panama’s Ministry of Public Works moved forward with a major urban mobility project this week, hosting a public environmental forum for the proposed San Miguelito Urban Gondola Cable Car. The event, held at the Cristo Redentor Church in the San Miguelito District, presented detailed plans to nearly 200 local residents. This forum represents a critical step following President José Raúl Mulino’s July 2024 announcement committing to build the aerial cable car system. The gondola is designed as a key component of the district’s urban mobility strategy. Its primary goal is connecting hard-to-reach hillside communities to the metropolitan transit network. Project…

Firefighters and emergency agencies from two Panama regions completed a large-scale vegetation fire simulation this week. The coordinated drill took place in the Tierras Altas district, specifically at the Agrorismo-Volcán farm, to test response protocols for a major forest fire.This marks the second institutional exercise focused on wildfire preparedness ahead of the region’s driest seasons. Officials designed the simulation to measure reaction times, inter-agency coordination, and the management of critical resources during a high-magnitude emergency.Testing Response Protocols in Critical RegionThe “Tierras Altas 2026 Vegetation Mass Fire Simulation” involved personnel from the Chiriquí and Bugaba regions. Colonel Gonzalo Chan Gil, Deputy…

Panamanian environmental agents arrested two individuals for illegal gold mining inside the El Montoso Forest Reserve this week. The operation, conducted by the National System of Protected Areas and the Environmental Police, occurred during a routine patrol of the Tebario River within the critical protected area. Authorities caught the man and woman in the act, discovering their mining tools at the scene. Officials confiscated three wooden mineral washing pans, three shovels, two iron bars, and three plastic containers holding suspected mined material. Both suspects face legal processing by the Public Ministry. Irreversible Ecological Damage from Toxic Methods The Ministry of…

Archaeologists in Panama have completed the excavation of a more than one thousand year old tomb, a discovery officials say strengthens evidence of complex pre-Hispanic societies in the region. The find was made at the El Caño Archaeological Site in Natá de los Caballeros. Work on the burial site, designated Tomb 3, concluded during the 2026 field season.Financed by Panama’s Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the El Caño Foundation, the project adds to nearly two decades of significant discoveries at the location. The site is now considered one of the most important pre-Hispanic cemeteries in the region, linked to…

The Agricultural Development Bank (Panama) (BDA) recovered over 42 million dollars from its loan portfolio in 2025. This significant financial recovery aims to strengthen the institution’s capital base for future lending programs.Official figures from the bank’s Credit Management department show a capital recovery of 38.6 million dollars last year. An additional 3.48 million dollars was recovered in interest payments, bringing the total to 42,139,112 dollars. The recovery momentum has continued into early 2026, with over 5.3 million dollars recouped by mid-February.Targeted Recovery Efforts and Regional PerformanceBank officials have prioritized collecting on what they term “bad credits” issued by previous administrations.…

Panama’s Ministry of Environment has forcefully reiterated a stop-work order for a coastal tourism development in Punta Chame. Officials acted after a surprise inspection this week confirmed construction had resumed despite an official suspension. The ministry’s regional office for Western Panama led the operation following citizen alerts and visual evidence shared on social media. The site inspection verified the movement of trucks carrying materials alongside the presence of heavy machinery and workers. This activity directly contravened the preventive suspension order initially issued on January 19. That order was prompted by alleged environmental damage, specifically linked to the possible illegal extraction…

The Panama City Municipality will close the historic district to vehicle traffic this Sunday, February 22, creating a temporary pedestrian zone. The “Casco Peatonal” initiative aims to transform the UNESCO World Heritage site into a safe, cultural gathering space for families and tourists from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Residents and visitors can freely walk the cobblestone streets of Casco Viejo (Panama City), exploring its historic plazas, churches, and colonial architecture without traffic. The program coincides with a special cultural event titled “Vive tu Carnavalito” at the City Hall building from noon until 6:00 p.m. Cultural Festival Merges Heritage with…

Panama has not recorded a single case of measles since November 1995, a public health achievement officials credit to a robust and sustained national vaccination program. The country’s Ministry of Health (Minsa) confirmed this milestone, attributing the success to its vigilant epidemiological surveillance system and high immunization rates across the population.Itzel de Hewitt, the general coordinator of the Expanded Program on Immunization (PAI), reported that health authorities have administered more than seven million doses of the measles vaccine. This figure is particularly significant for a nation with an approximate population of just four million people. Sustained vaccination, she explained, remains…