Monday
Monday 18th March 2024.
March 17, 2024
A stream with floating garbage in Don Bosco , a township in the east of the capital, triggered an argument captured on video between Mayer Mizrachi and Angelo Gutiérrez, in charge of Maintenance and Green Areas of the community board of this township.
It was Mizrachi himself, candidate for Mayor of Panama, who published in X, part of the meeting that occurred this Saturday, March 16. While another video released by a citizen shows the mayoral candidate shouting expletives at the official.
The scene is now viral: Mizrachi and a group of followers are seen questioning Gutiérrez about the state of the ravine that lies a few meters away. “The shot is going to backfire on you. You wanted to be funny. It’s going to backfire on you and you’re going to leave your representative worse than he already was,” Mizrachi yells at the official.
The representative Mizrachi refers to is Guillermo Willie Bermúdez , candidate for mayor of Panama for the alliance between the Panameñista Party and Democratic Change (CD). Bermúdez is a rival of Mizrachi, nominated by the Popular Party, in the fight for the capital’s mayor.
Mizrachi continued: “Because if Mayer did not come here to show his face and listen to the citizens, to the people of Don Bosco…”
To which Gutiérrez responds, “You come to do politics. I come to explain the problem to you.” Tempers rise when Mayer shouts, “You live in politics. Tell me where your money comes from and I will pay you your salary.”
At the end of the video, Mayer Mizrachi’s group of followers can be heard shouting at him, “Get out! Out! Out!”
The Don Bosco community board described the encounter as a “regrettable” “verbal aggression.”
“Angelo Gutiérrez… was verbally attacked by a candidate for Mayor of Panama while trying to explain the maintenance being given to the stream,” said the Don Bosco community board in a statement that reached La Prensa. “We inform you that the Don Bosco Community Board carries out maintenance on said stream, to avoid complications for the community,” the note reads.
The Electoral Court (TE) reported this Saturday that the plenary session of this instance rejected a request from the Realizing Goals party (RM) so that the “Martinelli/Mulino” logo and the photo with that appear on the voting ballot for next May 5. legend of the presidential candidate José Raúl Mulino.
In a statement from the TE it is highlighted that the decision to reject the request is made “because it is understood to be for electoral propaganda purposes.”
Likewise, it is noted that the agreements confirming the disqualification of Ricardo Martinelli as a presidential candidate and as a deputy, order the removal of all electoral propaganda where the former president appears.
“The plenary session of the TE recalled that both the photo with the cap and the Martinelli/Mulino logo imply that there is a payroll, so they cannot be approved, since the authorization of the use of both the photo and the advertising material, would create confusion in the electorate, because they imply that there is a non-existent presidential list, affecting the integrity of the electoral process,” the statement states.
In a bold move that would redefine the direction of the Panama Canal, the waterway’s managing entity announced an ambitious investment plan that marks the beginning of a decisive era. From 2024 to 2030, an unprecedented investment of $8.5 billion and reconfiguration towards a carbon-free operation is planned.
The strategy, according to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), has as its main objective the integration of sustainability in all facets of the canal operation.
It was learned that there will be an allocation of $3.5 billion for infrastructure and equipment, which includes the installation of a photovoltaic plant and the acquisition of electric vehicles and hybrid tugboats.
In addition, more than $2 billion will be allocated for water projects and water management.
The remaining funds, which exceed $1 billion, will be used for digital transformation and decarbonization of the waterway. In summary, this is an investment that far exceeds the $5.4 billion of the Canal expansion program.
Ilya Espino de Marotta, deputy administrator of the Canal, and who was appointed last January as the first Sustainability officer of the road, explained the background of these investments, the vision for the next five years and how her new functions fit towards a free operation carbon.
“Right now we are working with the advice of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). They are giving us the guide on how to make this plan and that is why we had to put a head to lead the project. At the end of April we must have our carbon emissions baseline, which includes current operations and future investments.”
Based on said diagnosis, the ACP will develop a plan, incorporating the metrics that will allow progress towards a more environmentally friendly operation.
Friday, March 15, just before the deadline for the sworn declaration of income of natural persons expired, the General Directorate of Income (DGI) announced an extension of the deadline to comply with this obligation, as well as for the presentation of reports. of all taxes due on March 15, 2024.
This extension, established by Executive Decree No. 14, published on March 15, 2024, bears the signature of the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Héctor Alexander.
According to the decree, the remaining reports, with a filing date of March 31, 2024, remain unchanged.
Publio De Gracia Tejada, general director of revenue, encouraged taxpayers who need more time to take advantage of this opportunity, which was suggested by the same citizens through various communication channels.
The DGI indicated in a statement that during the month of January and February of 2024, the central government’s current revenue collection goal was met.
In the reports on the DGI website , for the month of January, current income reflected a total of $493.8 million.
However, the DGI indicated in its press release that for the first two months of 2024, it was scheduled to collect revenues in the amount of $918.1 million and $936.7 million was obtained, exceeding the goal by $18.6 million or 2%.
Despite Panama ‘s refusal , Nicaragua moved its consulate to a house next to its diplomatic headquarters, in the La Alameda urbanization, Betania district, where former president Ricardo Martinelli is entrenched .
As you will remember, through Note No. 46 NIC 20245 of last March 4, Nicaragua notified the Panamanian authorities of the following: “ Our consulate will begin to function as of today in the house next to our diplomatic headquarters. That is, our Embassy will operate from duplexes numbers 61A and 61B, in the La Alameda urbanization, Calle 63G .”
However, in a letter dated March 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama informed the Nicaraguan Embassy that it “does not recognize” the transfer of its consulate in this country to the house identified as 61B.
The main argument of the Panamanian authorities is that the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 , in its article 4, states that: “ The sending State may not subsequently modify the headquarters of the consular office, its class, or the consular district. without the consent of the receiving State ”.
That is, Nicaragua cannot move its consulate without first receiving approval from Panama.
It should be mentioned that, since last February 7, former President Martinelli has been barricaded in the headquarters of the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama.
Since its arrival at this diplomatic headquarters, the site has been the subject of multiple renovations. Martinelli has taken refuge in said embassy, after proclaiming himself as “politically persecuted” and after Daniel Ortega’s regime granted him asylum.
More than 4,103 packages with illicit substances have been seized in these first months of the year. Of these, 3,916 packages have been of cocaine, 186 of marijuana, 167 of synthetic drugs and one package of heroin, is detailed in a report from the National Police.
In Panama seizures amount to 1,549, as well as 1,452 in Coclé and 1,058 in Colón.
In addition, more than one million 102 thousand 809 balboas and 27 centavos, in banknotes of different denominations, have been confiscated in the country.
105 people have been arrested for crimes against collective security, drug-related crimes, organized crime and common crime. Of these, 88 are men and 17 women, whose nationalities are from Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Barbados, among others.
During 2023, 119.2 tons of drugs were seized, along with 27 million 209 thousand 278 dollars,” according to data from the Ministry of Public Security (Minseg).