Friday
Friday 6th June 2025.
June 5, 2025
A new resolution, signed by the Comptroller General of the Republic, Anel Flores, modified the powers of endorsement over expenditures audited by officials assigned to the University of Panama.
By Resolution No. 1510-DNFG, dated April 23, 2025 , a previous agreement was repealed— Resolution No. 345-DNFG, dated February 4 of the same year —which allowed audit coordinators and supervisors at the University of Panama to endorse purchases or expenses of up to $50,000.
This means that, starting in April, all expenditures must be approved by the National Directorate of General Audit, a central office of the Comptroller’s Office.
This same department can endorse payroll payments “without limit of amount,” provided the documents comply with current legal provisions.
The resolution establishes an important exception: the Faculties of Medicine and Agricultural Sciences will not be subject to this new measure. In these cases, acts involving the management of public funds and assets may only be countersigned up to a limit of $50,000.
The document is based on Article 55 of Law 32 of 1984, as amended by Law 351 of 2022, which grants the comptroller the power to delegate some of his or her powers.
The resolution was signed by Comptroller General Anel Flores and Secretary General Ventura E. Vega, and orders its publication in the Official Gazette for its entry into force.
The president of the University of Panama Professors Association, José Álvaro, warned that delays in the endorsement of documents by the Comptroller General’s Office are affecting the institution’s daily operations.
Álvaro explained that the transfer of procedures to the Comptroller’s Office’s central headquarters has created a “slowness” in the audit phase, which has paralyzed key requests for cafeteria operations, the purchase of laboratory equipment, and the payment of compensation to teachers who travel to remote areas. “There are documents that have not been endorsed for more than 30 days,” he stated.
He also expressed concern about the direct impact on the quality of the teaching-learning process.
Antonio Vargas , a lawyer for the Single Union of Construction and Related Workers (Suntracs) , spoke with La Prensa about the arrests and legal proceedings involving several of the group’s leaders. He asserts that these cases are driven by “political persecution” orchestrated by the executive branch.
According to the jurist, the arrest warrants have two aspects: “The legal aspect and the political context the country is experiencing,” he notes, alluding to the tense climate generated by Law 462, which reformed the pension system, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, and the possible reopening of the mine.
According to Vargas, these measures have motivated the union to “develop collective actions of protest and awareness,” a fact that, according to what he explained, has provoked the reaction of the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , who – he affirms – has demonstrated “his hatred, because it has no other qualification, against the union movement and in particular against Suntracs and its leaders.”
In this context, Vargas maintains that the accusations against Saúl Méndez, secretary general of Suntracs, have been used as a tool for political persecution: “In his public appearances, he has called him a mobster and a terrorist, but he has also said that he will pursue and minimize them.”
Regarding the ongoing legal proceedings, Vargas describes that many date back years and “the vast majority have nothing to do with any criminal activity.”
He cites the case of Jaime Caballero, under investigation since 2012 for a loan from the Agricultural Development Bank, which, he claims, has been “revived” with charges he describes as “incongruous.” In the case of Genaro López —who is in preventive detention and has an appeal hearing pending—and other leaders such as Saúl Méndez and Erasmo Cerrud , he explains that it is a labor dispute over the payment of back wages to striking workers. “One group disagrees and filed a complaint in 2022, which was practically closed, at least that’s what the prosecutor in Changuinola told us, because there were no crimes.”
Vargas maintains that Genaro López’s preventive detention is unjustified: “There is no crime, there was no justification for the charge, much less for the imposition of such an aggressive precautionary measure.” He also emphasizes that López “has family ties, work ties,” and “is not a risk of flight or destruction of evidence.” On the international level, Vargas explains that the union has appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association, which, he says, has already issued a preliminary report warning that the actions against Suntracs “violate freedom of association.”
“Panama is now among the 24 countries worldwide that the ILO will bring to trial for violating freedom of association,” he maintains.
The Executive Branch has already submitted to the National Assembly the bill that seeks to suspend the effects , until December 31, 2025, of Law 468, which established a new preferential interest rate regime for mortgage loans for home purchases.
The bill was introduced in the legislature by the Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Jaime Jované, on Wednesday, June 4. The intention is to reinstate the preferential interest rate regime of Law 3 of 1985, with all its amendments, which were repealed on April 24, 2025. The law would be revived for a few months if approved by the legislature.
The bill’s explanatory memorandum states that more than 9,000 families have applied for mortgage loans under the scheme of Law 3 and its amendments; however, their applications were reportedly put on hold when the conditions changed with the approval of Law 468.
Likewise, the Executive acknowledged in the explanatory statement that “various sectors have expressed legitimate concerns about the scope [of Law 468], its interpretation, and the transition between regimes,” and so it moved forward with the intention of adjusting it in the Assembly.
A week has passed since the Panama City Mayor’s Office suspended the public hearing scheduled for the Omar Torrijos Recreational Park on May 22. More than 11 communities in the San Francisco district were to decide whether to approve the proposed new Zoning and Land Use Plan.
The hearing, part of the public consultation process required by law, has not yet been scheduled. The Mayor’s Office has announced that it will be announced soon through its social media channels.
However, the Local Development Boards (LDBs) and community representatives have expressed their disagreement with the general voting process. They argue that each community faces unique situations, and have therefore requested that the process be carried out by zone.
One of the most active JDLs has been Villa Lilla , which has been reviewing and submitting proposals for the plan for months. On May 26, it sent a note to Mayor Mayer Mizrachi requesting that the Urban Planning Directorate (DPU) review and consider the contributions submitted by the Villa Lilla homogeneous zone before convening a new hearing.
The letter, received by the Mayor’s Office on May 29, was endorsed by 11 members of the Board of Directors and signed by 53 residents. They demand corrections to the zoning proposal, which they claim does not reflect what was discussed in previous community workshops.
“We present our proposals based on the community’s needs, but they only write them down, they don’t include them. So why are they calling us?” asked Julio Benedetti , former president of the Villa Lilla JDL.
This same concern has been expressed by residents of other communities such as Altos del Golf, Loma Alegre, and Paitilla , whose proposals have also not been incorporated into the current version of the plan.
Given this situation, it has been proposed that voting be conducted by zones. San Francisco is divided into eight zones:
- Punta Paitilla – Punta Pacifica San Sebastian – Boca Juniors – Israel Strip (Paitilla) – Villa Lilla – San Francisco Center – Carrasquilla – Golf Heights – Loma Alegre – Coco del Mar – Viña del Mar In addition, there is an additional area located within Omar Park
The communities’ proposal is that each zone vote individually, and that, once consensus is reached by area, a general public hearing will be convened.
It should be noted that the Panama City Hall, through the DPU, has attempted to hold the public hearing twice: the first on February 25 and the second on May 22, both in Omar Park.
One of the areas most affected by the lack of clarity in the process is Boca La Caja and San Sebastián , which opposed the vote last Thursday because they did not have an electoral register, and were subsequently excluded from the plan.
In response, since May 28, the Boca La Caja community has begun electing new representatives in its seven sectors, with the goal of forming a dialogue table and a pro-Boca La Caja committee to address zoning and other pending issues.
Meanwhile, the Mayor’s Office has reiterated that no changes will be made to the zoning of these communities , and that any information to the contrary is false. “We will continue to organize the city in accordance with the law and for the benefit of all communities,” a statement said.
DPU Director David Tapia explained that if an area, like Boca La Caja, decides not to participate, it will be excluded and addressed at a later time. He noted that land use planning in San Francisco has been pending for 20 years and that the current regulations, from 2003, are outdated.
Tapia emphasized that the process cannot continue to be postponed and that, if necessary, a proposal will be reformulated without including the non-participating areas, in order to move forward with the remaining areas.
According to Tapia, the new zoning plan is based on the 2021 City Plan , which defines districts such as San Francisco, Bella Vista, and Betania as high-density, mixed-use areas with retail, housing, offices, and hotels, given their central location and economic role.
“Each area has been carefully studied, and our proposals seek an orderly development consistent with the needs of the district,” he emphasized