Author: Editorial Team

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…

More than a thousand public schools across Panama will receive high-speed internet connectivity for the upcoming academic year. Education officials announced the massive infrastructure upgrade this week, framing it as a critical step toward digital equity in the classroom.The initiative will bring reliable internet to 1,223 official educational centers, a dramatic leap from current coverage. Authorities from the Ministry of Education (Panama) provided details during a press conference on school year preparations. They confirmed that related projects for teacher laptops and student computers are also advancing.Closing the Digital Divide NationwideUntil now, only an estimated 40 to 45 percent of Panama’s…

Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi announced plans this week to significantly expand the capital’s annual Carnival. The goal is to transform the local festival into a premier international tourist destination. This strategic push follows what city officials called a record-breaking and secure event this year.Municipal data shows the five-day celebration along the Cinta Costera attracted over 330,000 attendees. That figure surpasses previous years and solidifies the Carnival as one of the nation’s largest mass gatherings. Mayor Mizrachi credited the success to tight security coordination and growing public enthusiasm.”The influx was historic and we reported zero major security incidents,” Mayor Mayer…