{"id":13667,"date":"2026-05-30T11:45:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=13667"},"modified":"2026-05-29T11:52:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:52:56","slug":"panama-lawmakers-are-learning-tiktok-to-build-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/technology\/panama-lawmakers-are-learning-tiktok-to-build-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Lawmakers Are Learning TikTok to Build Trust"},"content":{"rendered":"

The president of Panama’s legislative body has kicked off a new digital training program. Jorge Herrera, head of the National Assembly of Panama<\/a>, inaugurated the workshop for government employees on Wednesday. The training focuses on using TikTok as a tool for institutional communication.<\/p>\n

The program aims to bring parliamentary work closer to ordinary citizens. Officials want to strengthen direct and transparent accountability through the popular video platform. The event took place in Panama City.<\/p>\n

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Building of the National Assembly, Panama By Ayaita – Own work, CC0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=19439627<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Digital Training Program Targets Government Transparency<\/h2>\n

The workshop carries the title “TikTok, politics and government.” Herrera emphasized how digital platforms reshape the relationship between elected officials and the people they serve. He argued that accountability must continue well beyond election day.<\/p>\n

“Accountability does not end on election day, it begins there,” Herrera said. “Today we have a tool called TikTok that gives us something we did not have before: the possibility to render accounts every day and without intermediaries.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

“We are here to learn how to use a tool that, when used well, brings us closer to our people and builds trust, which is the foundation of democracy.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The training session was organized by the Human Resources Directorate through its Training Department. Two senior TikTok representatives participated in the event. Francisco Estens serves as TikTok’s manager for Politics and Government. Anny Maga\u00f1a works as the Director of Public Policy for Central America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

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By Josepineda r – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=52712150<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Digital Reach in Panama Shows Significant Growth<\/h2>\n

Herrera shared specific data about internet access in the country during his remarks. Panama recorded 4.85 million mobile connections at the start of 2026. The nation has 3.60 million internet users and 3.18 million active social media identities.<\/p>\n

These numbers show why the government is focusing on Digital accountability in Latin America<\/a>. The region has seen rapid adoption of social platforms for civic engagement. Panama’s leadership wants to stay ahead of this trend.<\/p>\n

Francisco Estens explained the opportunities that TikTok presents for government communication. He stated that the platform can become a genuine bridge between institutions and the public. According to Estens, TikTok functions not only as an entertainment platform but also as a space to inform and showcase the work that public entities perform.<\/p>\n

Democracy and Trust in the Digital Age<\/h2>\n

Herrera made a broader point about democratic governance during his address. He stated that democracy does not depend solely on well-crafted laws. People must also feel a sense of connection with their representatives.<\/p>\n

“We are here to learn how to use a tool that, when used well, brings us closer to our people and builds trust, which is the foundation of democracy,” Herrera said. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

The use of TikTok for government communication<\/a> represents a shift from traditional public relations methods. Many legislative bodies worldwide still rely on press releases and formal news conferences. Panama’s assembly is trying a more direct approach.<\/p>\n

The training program covers content creation strategies. Officials learn how to produce short videos that explain legislative processes. They also study how to respond to citizen questions in real time.<\/p>\n

This initiative comes as Panama’s government seeks to rebuild public trust. Recent polls show declining confidence in political institutions across the region. Digital engagement offers one path toward reversing that trend.<\/p>\n

The National Assembly plans to expand the program in coming months. More workshops will focus on specific aspects of social media communication. Officials want every legislative department to have at least one trained TikTok content creator.<\/p>\n

Critics have raised questions about the platform’s data privacy practices. Herrera acknowledged these concerns during his remarks. He emphasized that the assembly will follow strict guidelines for content moderation and data protection.<\/p>\n

The training represents a practical experiment in modern governance. Panama’s legislative leaders believe that meeting citizens where they already spend their time makes sense. For millions of Panamanians, that place is on social media.<\/p>\n

Herrera concluded by linking the initiative to broader democratic values. He said that transparency and accessibility form the bedrock of representative government. New technology simply provides better tools to achieve those timeless goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The president of Panama’s legislative body has kicked off a new digital training program. Jorge Herrera, head of the National Assembly of Panama, inaugurated the workshop for government employees on Wednesday. The training focuses on using TikTok as a tool for institutional communication. The program aims to bring parliamentary work closer to ordinary citizens. Officials<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[392,29],"tags":[1624,2587,2204,4555],"class_list":["post-13667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","category-politics-government","tag-government-transparency","tag-panama-national-assembly","tag-panama-national-assembly-launches","tag-tiktok-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13669,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13667\/revisions\/13669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}