Monday
Monday 10th March 2025.
March 9, 2025
US President Donald Trump has said he prefers BlackRock to control the management of the two ports operated by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison in Panama, such as the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, rather than a Chinese corporation.
Trump’s statements come after the announcement of the agreement between BlackRock-TIL to purchase CK Hutchison ‘s port assets of 43 ports for an amount of 22.8 billion dollars, including its operations in the Panamanian isthmus.
“I would rather deal with BlackRock than a Chinese company. And BlackRock is a good company ,” Trump said in an interview broadcast by FOX Business on Sunday, March 9.
The US president reiterated his arguments against China’s alleged interference in the Panama Canal.
“The Canal connects two oceans, and one ocean is significantly higher than the other. Few people know about it. That’s why the locks exist. It’s an incredible piece of work. It’s great. And we shouldn’t have given it up,” he reiterated about his intention to take back the Canal.
He said that control of the Panama Canal was being lost. “We should not have given it [the canal]. But we did not give it to China, we gave it to Panama,” the president reiterated.
For a decade (2014-2024), the National Assembly’s payroll 172 managed almost 300 million dollars in contracts for professional services assigned to deputies and political parties , an expense that remained in the shadows for years.
The arrival of Dana Castañeda to the presidency of the Legislative Assembly on July 1, 2024, marked the end of this scheme, widely questioned for its non-transparent management. However, the figures to which La Prensa had access reveal the enormous financial impact it had on the state budget.
During the legislative period between 2014 and 2019, 157 million dollars were allocated to payroll 172, also known as cash back. During that five-year period, the Legislative Body had three presidents: Yanibel Ábrego, from Cambio Democrático; Adolfo “Beby” Valderrama, from the Panameñista Party; and Rubén De León, from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD).
In the period 2019-2024, 134 million dollars were allocated to this payroll, made up of approximately 2,000 officials. During these five years, the presidents of the Assembly were Marcos Castillero, Crispiano Adames and Jaime Vargas, all from the PRD, the party that governed during that period.
To understand the scope of this expenditure, it is important to note that the Assembly has several payrolls, including payroll 001, corresponding to permanent officials, and payroll 002, intended for temporary employees. Until July 1, 2024, there was also payroll 172, intended for contracts for professional services.
However, Pandora’s box was opened in 2018, when, following investigations by La Prensa and demands from citizens, the then comptroller, Federico Humbert, refused to endorse item 172, popularly known as cash back.
Humbert sent a letter to the then president of the Assembly, Yanibel Ábrego —received by that body on April 30, 2018— in which he returned, “without the requested endorsement,” 1,868 employment contracts for professional services from payroll 172.
The comptroller based his refusal on the lack of justification for these payments. However, with the arrival of a new administration in the period 2019-2024, the item was reactivated.
Even the then president Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo and the comptroller general, Gerardo Solís, defended the existence of payroll 172. They argued that the spending on contracts for professional services was lower compared to previous years. However, the lack of transparency in its management kept the controversy alive.
La Prensa’s investigations revealed that this payroll included former deputies, relatives of legislators and officials from previous administrations. In many cases, the contractors did not provide any service to the Assembly and, according to complaints, had to return between 90% and 95% of the amount assigned. These practices, widely criticized, turned payroll 172 into a symbol of clientelism and possible misappropriation of public funds.
In fact, between 2019 and 2024, this payroll represented an expenditure of 134 million dollars.
Faced with the growing wave of criticism, one of the main promises of the new president of the Assembly, Dana Castañeda, upon taking office was the elimination of the 172 list.
Castañeda revealed that he received a list of thousands of officials distributed in different categories, including 001 (permanent), 002 (temporary), 080 and the controversial 172. He stressed that the elimination of the latter will represent a significant saving for the country, estimated at around 30 million dollars annually.
In other words, that was the average cost of the controversial payroll, which remained hidden for years. The question that arises is: where did $291 million go in 10 years?
A total of 980,000 students from public schools and 143,000 students from private schools in the country will return to classrooms tomorrow, Monday, March 10, to begin the new 2025 school year. There will be 1,123,000 students from primary, middle and high school levels.
This student population is distributed across 3,120 educational centers in the country, where they will be served by some 55,900 teachers, including permanent teachers, those selected by competition and those pending appointment by the Ministry of Education (Meduca) .
In the first round of the 2025 Teacher Appointment Competition , at least 4,300 teachers have been selected and appointed. Additionally, 300 educators who would enter the educational system after March 27, according to the appointment calendar, are yet to be appointed. This group includes the positions of the Temporary Teachers Until the End of the Year (THFA).
Edwin Gordón, Director General of Education at Meduca, explained that of the 51,616 teachers already in the system, 42,000 have been trained during the summer.
Regarding the mobilization of teachers, Gordón reported that at least 500 teachers have been transferred to hard-to-reach areas in various indigenous regions, such as the Ngäbe-Buglé and Guna Yala regions, mountainous areas of Veraguas, Coclé, Chiriquí and the Darién region, among others. During the last week, from March 5 to 8, 616 additional teachers were mobilized to the Ngäbe-Buglé region, near Bocas del Toro, and to the Ñokribo region, ensuring educational coverage in these areas.
Regarding the infrastructure conditions of schools, Meduca reported that 1,136 schools are being intervened with the summer maintenance program. According to Meduca, the work has been completed in 548, 218 are in progress and 370 have scheduled work.
The Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, pointed out that some problems in schools, inherited from previous administrations, have been detected during the maintenance of educational centers. However, she indicated that Meduca will continue with the maintenance plan throughout the year: “We do not prepare only for the beginning of the school year; this is a process that covers the entire school year,” she said.
As for schools with infrastructure projects, there are 138, of which 132 are under construction and six have been delivered. In total, the beneficiary population is 97,107 students.
Gordón highlighted that a challenge for the coming years is the increase in enrollment in specific areas, such as West Panama and East Panama .
A fire was reported this Saturday, March 8, in the Isla Mar building, located in Paitilla, Panama City.
The fire started in the basement of the building and, according to firefighters, was contained in time, preventing it from spreading to other areas.
The fire generated a thick column of smoke that affected residents. In fact, members of the Medical Attention, Emergency and Rescue Service Section (SAMER) of the Panama Fire Department treated three women for smoke inhalation.
The emergency was attended to by personnel from the Clayton, Calidonia and Carrasquilla stations.
Starting Monday, March 10, MIDES will make the corresponding payment for the programs 120 to 65, Red de Oportunidades, Ángel Guardián and the Food Bonus of the National Secretariat for the Food and Nutritional Security Plan (Senapan).
A total of 186,701 Panamanians living in poverty and extreme poverty will receive the first disbursement of the year from the Conditional Cash Transfer Programs (CCTP), through two modalities: Social Key Card (TCS) and payment in Hard-to-Access Areas .
According to MIDES, 160,113 beneficiaries will receive their payments by March 21 through transfers using the Clave Social Card. Meanwhile, 26,588 people in hard-to-reach areas will receive their payments between March 24 and 28.
For this process, MIDES has established 154 payment points in remote communities in the Ngäbe-Buglé, Guna Yala and Emberá-Wounaan regions , as well as in the provinces of Veraguas, Colón and Darién .
In total, more than $54.4 million will be disbursed .
The program with the largest number of beneficiaries is 120 to 65 , with 117,573 registered people , followed by Red de Oportunidades with 42,593 beneficiaries , Ángel Guardián with 19,240 , and the Senapan Food Bonus .
In addition to the payment days, MIDES, together with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the Agricultural Marketing Institute (IMA) and the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (Ipacoop) , will hold health fairs and food distribution , in addition to offering basic services at some payment points in hard-to-reach areas.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , denounced this Saturday, March 8, that messages are being sent in his name through the Telegram messaging platform. Mulino, president of the Republic of Panama since July 1, 2024, has 113 thousand followers on X and more than 325 thousand on Instagram.
Through his X account, the president clarified that he has “never” used this application and alerted citizens about the situation.
He also reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office is already aware of the case.