Friday
Friday 30th August 2024.
August 29, 2024
The plenary session of the National Assembly is focused on the debate on the bill that reforms the General State Budget for the fiscal year 2024.
The session began at 10:30 am on Thursday, August 29, without the presence of the Minister of Economy, Felipe Chapman. In his place is the Vice Minister of Economy, Eida Sáez, accompanied by María Cristina Vilá, chief of staff of the minister; Giovanni Ruiz, chief of staff of the vice minister; and Omar Castillo, advisor to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
In the first hour of the session, deputies Benicio Robinson , from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD); Grace Hernández , from the Otro Camino Movement (Moca); and Yarelis Chong , from the independent Vamos party, asked the representatives of the MEF to report on the amount of the budget that must be evaluated and approved.
Robinson, for his part, questioned the MEF about the debt that the country could acquire in the coming years, in relation to the authorization to issue bonds for $6 billion.
The vice minister explained that this debt is not for this year, “it is something gradual until 2029 and according to needs.”
Regarding the amount of transfers of funds that would require the approval of the Assembly’s Budget Committee, Representative Grace Hernández proposed reaching a consensus of up to $500,000.
The bill that Minister Chapman brought to the Legislature had the purpose of ensuring that transfers of items with available funds would only be sent to the Budget Commission when they exceeded $5 million.
However, in the first debate, the committee approved that the Executive has autonomy to make transfers of funds up to $200,000, without going to the Legislature for approval or rejection.
Two other proposals emerged on Thursday: one for an amount of up to $500,000 and another for a maximum amount of up to $1 million.
Regarding travel expenses, the deputies of the Budget Committee approved in the first debate that when it comes to trips abroad there will be a set amount for all officials, regardless of their rank. Those who travel to Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania would be entitled to $500 per day , while if the trip is to the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Chile, the daily allowance would be $400. For trips to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the rest of Latin America, the amount would be $300 per day.
However, nothing is set in stone. The debate continues.
A new executive secretariat is created. This is the Presidential Secretariat for the Reorganization of the State and Constitutional Affairs created by Executive Decree No. 488 of August 28, 2024 .
This new office will be under the umbrella of the Ministry of the Presidency and will have as its main mission to carry out the constituent process promised by President José Raúl Mulino .
She will serve as a liaison in the coordination of efforts between civil society, the public sector and the private sector to carry out “a broad national consultation process” on the restructuring of the State and the constituent process . She will be responsible for disseminating progress on this issue to all Panamanians.
It will be headed by an Executive Secretary who will be appointed by the President of the Republic. It will also have an advisory committee made up of the Ministers of the Presidency, Government, Economy and Finance and three representatives of organized civil society appointed by the President.
Mulino, who came to power on July 1, announced several weeks ago that starting next January a process of “constitutional literacy” will begin so that the country understands what “a true constituent assembly” entails. This process, he explained, will be the first step on the road to the adoption of a new National Constitution .
According to the president’s plans, his project will include debates and a call for an election, and the adoption, at the end of his term, of a new Constitution.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap) joined the call to the Supreme Court of Justice to rule on the “right” appeal of unconstitutionality that was filed last year against Law 351 of December 22, 2022, which modifies the organic law of the Comptroller General of the Republic .
In a statement, the business association explained that in response to the open letter issued by the Transparency International chapter in Panama —on August 28— requesting the highest court of justice to rule on the lawsuit filed by them in May 2023, the Chamber “reaffirms this request.”
He stressed that the country is facing an important moment of transition with the election of the new Comptroller General of the Republic, who will be responsible for ensuring “the proper use of public resources” starting January 1, 2025.
“Once again, as a union, we decided to support what is right. In our opinion, the changes to the Organic Law of the Comptroller’s Office diminished the scope that such an important State institution should have,” he added.
Juan Arias, president of the union, said that the Comptroller’s Office was weakened in its natural function of oversight, granting “greater discretion,”
“The greater the discretion, the less opportunities for transparency, and so we have seen scandals that we believe were caused by omissions permitted by the current law,” he added.
“This would give the Office of the Comptroller General the strength it needs to carry out its duties within the framework of the rule of law. It would also help to renew confidence in its institutionality,” he said.
Transparency International, together with other groups such as the Center for Democratic Initiatives (CIDEM), the Center for Environmental Advocacy (CIAM Panama), Civitas Panama, the Council of Former Presidents of Trade Unions of Panama, the Civic Space Foundation, the Anti-Corruption Citizen Movement, the Independent Movement for Panama (MOVIN), the Young Panama Movement and the National Network of Youth for Transparency, filed the lawsuit.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , addressed today, August 29, the alarming situation of criminal gangs and organized crime in Panama, especially in critical areas such as Colón and San Miguelito.
During his speech, the president stressed the urgency of implementing more rigorous measures to combat these groups. He stressed, for example, that, together with the Ministry of Security and other agencies, they are looking for a solution to control the problem.
According to Mulino, he asked the governor of the province of Colón, Julio Hernández, to decree a curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the province. He also said that he will make the same request to the mayor of San Miguelito, Irma Hernández.
He put it this way: “I want the curfew to be implemented in these two areas. Drug trafficking has changed the entire criminal structure. During my time as Minister of Security, a ton of drugs was seized from time to time; today, it is almost every other day. Seizing 600 kilos of drugs, which is more or less a ton, is practically an everyday occurrence.”
The president also said he has instructed the National Aeronautical Service (Senan) to take over the security of all airports in the country, including Tocumen.
“Senan will be in charge of airport security while we clean up these transport terminals, especially the cargo areas. In the next few days, Senan will take control of the country’s airport security,” he said.
These measures were announced in a context marked by the recent execution of police operations that have succeeded in dismantling important organized crime networks, including Jericó and Tormenta.
On June 30, 2023, the Public Prosecutor’s Office launched Operation Jericho, revealing the existence of a criminal network dedicated to international drug trafficking. This group used backpackers to introduce drugs through the Darien jungle by land. The drugs were then transported to San Miguelito, where they were hidden in vehicles with false bottoms before being transported to Costa Rica.
In workshops located in San Miguelito, they were in charge of hiding the drugs in vehicles modified with hidden compartments.
According to investigations, Abraham Rico Pineda, son of PRD deputy Raúl Pineda, coordinated actions to launder money. In one of the crimes, he coordinated and delivered a sum of money that was seized by the authorities.
Saquina Jaramillo has been recommended to the plenary session of the National Assembly as general director of the National Charity Lottery.
In this regard, the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , expressed that he hopes that, once Jaramillo completes the process in the Legislature, the work of “putting in order that small disastrous world that is the National Lottery of Charity” begins.
Mulino recalled that the Lottery generates significant revenue for the country and stated: “As I have said before, we will begin the process of cleaning up and restructuring these Lottery games to make them transparent.”
The goal is for technology to be clearly at the service of players, vendors and the government, which receives the benefits. “Let it not be undermined by cheap lotteries,” emphasized the Panamanian president.
Previously, Mulino had announced the end of the Panama electronic lottery, known as Lotto and Pega 3 , which is played on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
At the press conference on Thursday, he acknowledged that this announcement generated negative comments from some vendors, but he assured that the National Government will increase, as appropriate, the commission that ticket sellers take home. “That does not depend on the electronic lottery, it does not depend on that… there is enough income for the State to avoid us depending on other things,” he added.
Mulino concluded by stating that “the National Lottery and the Gordito del Zodiaco will be the only lotteries authorized in the Republic of Panama.”
Beginning Monday, September 23, 2024, the U.S. Embassy in Panama will have a new visa service provider. This will result in some modifications to the processes and platforms used by nonimmigrant visa applicants.
For interviews scheduled through September 13, 2024, no further action is required . Applicants may continue to access their accounts at ustraveldocs.com to review their appointment details.
For interviews scheduled between September 14 and September 20, 2024 , while no further action is required, applicants will lose access to their ustraveldocs.com accounts after September 13.
This means that they will not be able to cancel or reschedule their appointments during this period or access customer service.
It is recommended that you print your appointment confirmation letter by September 14 and attend your scheduled interview. If you are unable to attend, you should check the new website on or after September 23 for instructions on how to reschedule your appointment.
For interviews scheduled on or after September 23, 2024 , applicants will no longer have access to their accounts beginning September 12. They will need to wait until September 23 to access the new visa services website and create a new user account to review information, make changes, and contact customer service.
They also warn that applicants who have paid the fee but have not yet scheduled an appointment should do so by September 4, 2024, to avoid potential delays and complications.
For those who have not paid the MRV fee (nonimmigrant visa application fee) and plan to travel to the United States after the transition to the new provider, you may want to consider waiting until after September 22 to begin the process.