Monday
Monday 16th December 2024.
December 15, 2024
Contrary to the line of directors of Realizing Goals (RM) , a party headed by former President Ricardo Martinelli, representatives of this political group support bill 163 that reforms Organic Law 51 of the Social Security Fund (CSS).
Local authorities from the ruling party met on Saturday with the Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac , in a meeting in which they signed a resolution in which they resolved to support the management of President José Raúl Mulino to strengthen the CSS system.
The measure challenges the position of the deputies of that group, who on December 3 showed their rejection of the increase in the retirement age proposed in Bill 163.
Instead, they proposed a levy on interbank loans and deposits, overnight transactions , and a percentage of the costs associated with renewal and annual charges on credit cards, to inject funds into the CSS. However, state banks and the private sector immediately rejected this alternative.
Days after the debut of the RM bench, President Mulino spoke out. He said that the proposal of the deputies of his party “does not make any sense.”
“The country’s financial and banking experts have made them look ridiculous, and it is a shame to expose themselves in this way,” he said in an interview with Radio Panama.
In the same space, he also launched a dart at the president of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) , Benicio Robinson , since the National Executive Committee of the group instructed its deputies to reject the Executive’s proposal on the reforms to the CSS.
“I saw the statement read by Benicio Robinson: he was the sheikh in Social Security,” Mulino said in the interview. “The party that in five years finished off Social Security, that did absolutely nothing for Social Security patients, today comes out with a spear in hand as if it were the divine ointment in opposition to a law that, although it is complex, I have never said it is not. But the PRD has no political morals to talk about Social Security if over time they have been the ones who have devastated the Social Security Fund,” he said.
The PRD, which governed the country between 2019 and 2024 with Laurentino Cortizo as President of the Republic, did not address the CSS crisis, despite it being one of the agenda items in the past five years due to the alarming financial situation of the institution.
However, the political group now argues that the reform presented by the Executive does not ensure a sustainable and fair pension system, and that the proposal could compromise the country’s social welfare.
On the fifth day of consultations in the interior of the country on the draft reforms to the Social Security Fund (CSS), the absence of high-ranking executive officials, such as ministers and vice-ministers , as well as the director of the social security entity, generated unrest and questions.
This Sunday, December 15, 2024, the consultations carried out by the Labor, Health and Social Development Commission of the National Assembly were held in the district of Chame, province of Panama Oeste, and were attended by regional and lower-ranking officials from the CSS and the Executive.
When Alexander Acevedo , a student at the Technological University of Panama , began asking questions about cybersecurity, the application of new technologies, and the future of pensions for young people, among others, the development of the consultation changed.
Deputy Edwin Vergara (Panameñista Party) asked for the floor to request that the officials present at the consultation not respond to aspects of the reform project that they did not understand.
“I would like to ask the officials, both from the Caja and the Minsa: due to the sensitivity of the issue, if they do not have the correct answers to the questions they are asked, I prefer that they say that they do not handle that issue so that we do not give incorrect information,” said Vergara.
The deputy of the independent Vamos bench, Yarelis Rodríguez , recalled that when the resolution was made so that the director or deputy director of the CSS, the minister or vice minister of Health, the minister of Economy and Finance or their vice ministers were present at the consultations, it was precisely for these issues, to answer this type of questions.
“Today we see that people have been assigned who are not…, forgive me for what I am going to say, but I think that they have not read the law. Here there is clearly article 12 and article 17, which speak of the implementation of new technological systems that answer many of the questions that the young man has just asked,” said Deputy Rodríguez.
Amidst public consultations on the proposed reforms to the Social Security Fund (CSS), the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap) stresses that it is important to understand that the commitment of all sectors is required to guarantee the viability of the entity.
In its weekly letter to the country, the business association highlighted that the future of the CSS is surrounded by uncertainty and misinformation, which is why it is launching the campaign “A Caja for Everyone”.
It is noted that the initiative urgently seeks to involve citizens in an informed and responsible debate. Likewise, in addition to the challenges of financial and operational sustainability, the social security entity faces a problem that implies a possible disconnection between citizens and the decision-making processes that will define its future.
This effort comes at a crucial time. The sustainability of the CSS does not only affect current retirees or those close to retirement; it impacts the entire population, from young people who are just entering the labor market to entrepreneurs who contribute to the system. The CSS is, in essence, an intergenerational contract that requires the commitment of everyone to ensure its viability ,” the statement said.
Likewise, it is highlighted that the campaign is aimed at educating, teaching and encouraging citizen participation; at the same time, it focuses on demystifying the most complex issues of CSS and empowering citizens with information that allows them to be an active part of the debate on the reforms.
Officially, three arbitration panels related to the mining sector have been formed against Panama at the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes .
With the appointment of Italian Luca Radicati as presiding arbitrator on December 9, the appointment of the three persons responsible for resolving the dispute between the Canadian company Corporación Franco-Nevada and the Panamanian State over the closure of the Cobre Panamá project, operated by Minera Panamá, a subsidiary of the also Canadian company First Quantum , was finalized .
Franco-Nevada is seeking $5 billion in compensation for the mine’s closure, after the nine Supreme Court justices determined that the contract signed by the government of former President Laurentino Cortizo with Minera Panama occurred amid massive protests that paralyzed the economy for more than 30 days.
In its 2023 financial statements, Franco-Nevada reported a $1 billion loss from the closure of the Panama mine, as the company financed part of the construction of the project located on a concession of just over 13,000 hectares in the mountains of Donoso and Omar Torrijos, in the province of Colón.
As part of the agreement signed at the time with First Quantum , Franco-Nevada would have the option to buy the gold extracted from the mine at lower prices compared to the international market price.
The other arbitrators who will accompany Radicati on the panel are the German Klaus Sachs, who was appointed by the plaintiff company, while the Panamanian State selected the Colombian-American José Antonio Rivas. After the formation of the panel, the calendar of dates for both parties to present their arguments will be decided.
On December 14, the Panama Canal recalled how 25 years ago the exchange of notes was carried out that formalized the transfer of the Panama Canal, thus complying with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
Through its social networks, the Panama Canal Authority reported that former United States President Jimmy Carter signed the exchange agreement on December 14, 1999, which was received by the then President of Panama, Mireya Moscoso.
The formal ceremony took place at the Miraflores locks and the document indicated that, at noon on December 31, 1999, the interoceanic route and all its assets would officially pass into Panamanian hands.
The event was attended by leaders and representatives of the region, as witnesses to the exchange of notes, such as the then King of Spain Juan Carlos I, Ernesto Zedillo (Mexico), Andrés Pastrana (Colombia), Hugo Banzer (Bolivia), Raúl Alfonsín (Argentina), among others. This event not only fulfilled a long-awaited dream of our people, but also initiated a new era of sovereignty and national pride. Today, 25 years later, we celebrate this legacy of autonomy and progress, remembering that exchange that transformed the future of our country.
Historical milestones
- December 31, 1999: Panama assumes administration of the Canal.
- October 22, 2006: Panamanians decide, by referendum, to expand the Canal.
- September 3, 2007: Construction of the expanded Canal officially begins.
- September 4, 2010: Bulk carrier Fortune Plum becomes the one millionth transit through the Canal.
- July 14, 2011: First emptying in the new locks of the Panama Canal.
- June 9, 2016: Test vessel Baroque passes through the new Atlantic locks.
- June 26, 2016: Inauguration of the expanded Canal.
- May 14, 2018: The largest cruise ship to date, Norwegian Bliss, sails with more than 168,000 gross tons and capacity for nearly 5,000 passengers.
- May 15, 2019: The Triton vessel became the largest ship to ever pass through the expanded Panama Canal. The ship carries 15,313 TEUs (20-foot containers).
- August 2, 2019: The Panama Canal inaugurates the Atlantic Bridge, which now holds the world record as the largest four-lane concrete cable-stayed bridge with the longest visible span at 530 meters.
- August 27, 2019: The Panama Canal inaugurates its first interactive center in Santiago de Veraguas, as a vehicle to engage Panamanians, mainly students, with the canal, its history, operation and impact for the country and the world.
- December 14, 2019: The container ship APL Barcelona becomes the 8,000th neopanamax vessel to transit the expanded Canal.