Monday
Monday 10th April 2023.
April 9, 2023
The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap) urged this Sunday, April 9, the Government to find a solution to access to drinking water and improve sanitation, problems that have generated protests in West Panama in recent weeks.
In her usual message from Cámara Opina, Marcela Galindo, outgoing president of the union, argued that “appropriate water management is necessary, an issue that is a national priority.”
The union points out that the protests in West Panama last week and the historic demands of various communities in different parts of the country due to lack of water in their homes, led them to raise, once again, the call to the authorities on the urgency of Comprehensively address the most pressing needs of citizens.
They point out that road closures, while causing discomfort to many, also negatively affect the country’s economy. Galindo indicated that it is inexcusable that in the 21st century there are areas of the country, among those urban areas, that do not have access to water on a regular basis; Panama being a country with so much water resources, exuberant vegetation and in which it rains most of the year.
“According to experts in the matter, the lack of water can be classified as the result of weak governance in the area of drinking water and sanitation, where the different actors: Institute of National Aqueducts and Sewers (Idaan), Ministry of Health (Minsa ) and the Public Services Authority (ASEP) have not been able to fully perform their roles, with Idaan being the institution that continues to exercise the roles of planner, rector and service provider, assuming the role of judge and party in a system that For many, it provides inefficient services, and where the governments on duty have focused on proposing bills that contradict the functions of the actors”, indicates the text of Cámara Opina.
Galindo indicates that these inefficiencies are added to the fact that the interference of politics has not allowed the Idaan to function properly.
He recalled that in terms of water and sanitation, the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) in its document Agenda País 2019 – 2024, posed to the presidential candidates the challenge of having a public company with true political, administrative autonomy and financial, with a legal structure, that facilitates the development of the investment plan and an adequate operation for the management, distribution and supply of drinking water.
the Archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, during the mass on Easter Sunday, urged harmony to reign in a pre-electoral year in the country and that everyone can participate honestly to preserve democracy.
“Faced with the start of the next electoral campaign, even then Christians have to assume it responsibly and we must all participate actively according to their condition.”
Ulloa urged the Electoral Tribunal to act with transparency and impartiality in this process. He also maintained that society demands clear and coherent platforms from candidates, “with sincere respect for their opponents.”
He also urged political parties not to forget that society demands that they present the best candidates. “Avoid wasteful campaigns.”
The Archbishop of Panama indicated that the media must also act with truth and equity.
“Panamanian society deserves to live a more authentic and participatory democracy,” said Ulloa while praying that voters may have discernment to see among the candidates who meets the best profile for the position to which he will be elected.
Ulloa described that it is necessary for these candidates, in addition to having historical knowledge about the country, and the real needs of the people, it is necessary that they have consistency and honesty in their family and personal trajectory.
“That they have honesty and transparency in the management of economic resources, that they be a man or a woman who promote solidarity and participation. Love and defense of the fundamental rights of life, freedom of expression and belief, and the ability to involve society,” said the cleric.
In the last 24 hours, the National Police managed to apprehend 183 people, of which 93 were due to administrative offenses, 64 by trade, 14 in flagrante delicto and 12 for micro-trafficking.
11 search procedures were carried out, 4 firearms, 11 ammunition and 113 dollars in cash were seized, in addition a vehicle with reports of theft and a livestock were recovered.
The National Directorate of Transit Operations registered 2,433 violations of the Traffic Regulations, of which 650 were for speeding, 48 for proven drunkenness, and 28 for alcoholic breath.
With these police actions, security strategies are strengthened for the benefit of all those who are in the national territory.
The value of new construction and repairs during the first two months of the year reached 169 million dollars, exceeding by 50.8% the 112.4 million dollars reported in the same period last year.
With these numbers, the construction sector, one of the most affected by the restrictions applied during the coronavirus (covid-19) respiratory pandemic, maintains the positive trend it achieved in 2022, when investment closed at 918 million dollars, a growth of 27% compared to the 12 months of 2021. In addition, for the first time, the sector exceeded the numbers of 2019.
In the first two months of 2019, investment in new projects and repairs reached 162.8 million dollars, a figure that when compared with the first two months of this year, leaves a positive balance of 6.2 million dollars.
As a result of the closure that the economy registered in 2020, the construction sector registered a 51% drop. In 2019, construction contributed 14.8% of GDP, slightly below the 15.2% and 15.3% reported in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Last year the contribution to the economy was around 10%, and a similar figure is expected for 2023.
The toll revenues of the National Highway Company (ENA) reached $155 million during 2022, which represents 83.9% of the revenues registered in 2019, when they closed at $184.7 million.
The respiratory pandemic of the coronavirus (covid-19) had a double impact on the operations of the broker network. On the one hand, the vehicular flow fell by 50% due to the mobility restrictions applied by the Government, reducing income, and, on the other hand, the debt also increased.
In 2020, the north, south and east corridors generated $99 million, while in 2021 they totaled $143 million.
In relation to the first two months of 2023, ENA’s revenues reached $22.4 million, of which $10.6 million were generated by the North corridor; while the South and East contributed 9.4 million dollars and 2.4 million dollars, respectively.
Compared to the first two of 2022, the flow generated in the first two months of this year registered a decrease of $400,000.
The list of the richest people in the world of 2023 has two new members and one of them is Panamanian, according to the latest report from the specialized economics magazine Forbes .
This is Stanley Motta , a 77-year-old Panamanian investor, whose business portfolio includes air transport, logistics, trade and finance activities, among other economic sectors. He has a stake in Copa Airlines, Wingo, TVN , Assa, Banco General, shopping centers (Multi Plaza, Town Center) and duty-free stores, among others.
The latest Forbes ranking includes 2,640 billionaires from 77 countries or territories around the world.
Joining Motta this year was Armenian investment banker Ruben Vardanyan , who made his fortune in Russia during the 1990s.
The publication highlights that the United States remains the country with the most billionaires, adding 735, an amount equal to that of 2022, despite the fact that 50 Americans left the list, including Kanye West and Sam Bankman – Fried .
Among the figures that return to the Forbes list are the athletes LeBron James and Tiger Woods .
Another aspect to highlight is that the new owner of Twitter, the American Elon Musk , was displaced from the first place by the French luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault . Despite this, the United States has 17 of the 25 richest people on the planet.
The second country with the most billionaires is China, with 495, but Forbes clarifies that this does not include the citizens of Hong Kong and Macao, who combined add up to $1.67 trillion.