Monday
Monday 23rd June 2025.
June 22, 2025
This Sunday, June 22, the Changuinola district woke up to the tension that has built up over the past few days, marked by looting, vandalism, and clashes.
One of the most notorious incidents occurred on the night of Saturday, June 21, at the Agricultural Marketing Institute (IMA) building. It was looted by a group of young men who, according to witnesses, were using a forklift belonging to the institute itself. From there, they loaded sacks of rice and other products.
Something similar happened at the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development (Mitradel) in Changuinola, where the offices were vandalized.
Aris Pimentel, president of the Bocas del Toro Chamber of Commerce , indicated that the area near Plaza Changuinola, close to the airport, was the first to be attacked, although police managed to control access up to that point. However, he explained that there are areas like Finca 6 and Finca 11 where authorities have not yet been able to enter.
Faced with a lack of protection, some merchants have opted to defend themselves. Although not all are armed, many already had firearms for security reasons.
In the city center, machetes were distributed among employees to protect businesses. “They asked me to apply to the authorities for permits to carry weapons. So far, there’s been no response,” said the union leader.
Likewise, the formal population—those not participating in the riots—has had to assist officers with bottles of water and food. “Not all citizens are involved in the riots,” Pimentel clarified.
“The problem stems from years of neglect. Politicians allowed the land to be invaded. The outskirts are now red-light districts, taken over by criminals who operate with complete impunity,” he noted.
Added to this is the fact that communication networks are down, phones aren’t working, and information is circulating sparsely. “People are sad, desperate,” Aris Pimentel concludes. “It’s not just the merchandise or property damage. It’s the feeling of total abandonment, that no one can guarantee that your business will be back on its feet tomorrow or that your family will be safe. And that, for a community like ours, is devastating,” he noted.
Meanwhile, political leaders like Representative Janine Prado, president of the Vamos Movement, distanced themselves from the acts of vandalism and the peaceful protests reported in the province.
“The vandalism we’re seeing—carried out by gang members, according to the Minister of Security himself—is one thing, and the protesters who have even protected facilities like those of the Chiquita company are quite another,” Prado said.
Amid growing tensions in Bocas del Toro, President José Raúl Mulino assured this Sunday, June 22, that the situation is improving, although he declined to offer details and delegated responsibility for the report to Security Minister Frank Ábrego.
“The minister is the one in charge of that,” the president said of the province in conflict. “They give me reports, but I prefer that they be the ones to inform the country,” he added in an interview with Telemetro , without specifying specific measures or timeframes.
Asked whether there were political interests behind the protests, Mulino was emphatic: “I have no doubt about it. It’s been going on for a while.”
The statement fueled speculation about a possible exploitation of the social conflict, which has already resulted in multiple arrests, incidents of vandalism, and growing discontent in Changuinola.
In an attempt to regain control of Changuinola, the epicenter of the protests in Bocas del Toro, the National Police announced that, as part of the so-called Operation Omega , they have secured Changuinola Plaza and established the Delta operations base.
The strategy seeks to reclaim commercial areas hit by vandalism and restore order to a city still under tension.
Authorities reported that search operations, road clearance, and the arrest of individuals identified as responsible for crimes during the demonstrations continue.
Although the police presence is visible at key points in the district, public perception in that area is still marked by uncertainty and fear.
For now, several Changuinola residents are helping clean the streets, which have been left dirty due to blockades and clashes between groups of people and National Police officers.
The indefinite teachers’ strike, which marks two months tomorrow, June 23, has left thousands of students without classes in the public education sector. The situation has reached a critical point, necessitating urgent decisions regarding the students’ future.
In this regard, the Minister of Education , Lucy Molinar , issued a strong warning to the teachers who remain on strike: those who do not show up this Monday, when the second quarter begins, will be replaced.
“This isn’t what we want, but any teacher who doesn’t show up on Monday will have to face the consequences of their actions,” the Education Minister said in remarks made yesterday, Saturday, at the final of the 2025 Intercollegiate Games.
Molinar made it clear that students’ right to education must prevail over any political differences. “We have been very tolerant. Now it’s our turn to defend students’ rights,” he added firmly.
The strike, which has affected several regions of the country, has already resulted in the complete loss of a school term, a situation that has raised alarm among parents and education authorities.
Although some teachers have returned to their posts, a significant number remain on strike, leaving hundreds of children and young people without education.
Molinar also reminded teachers that they will be welcomed back, but warned that those who persist in the strike and engage in political activities will be held accountable for their actions.
In a more forceful gesture, the Minister of Education reiterated that those who fail to fulfill their responsibilities will not receive a salary, appealing to the principle of labor responsibility: “Those who fail to fulfill their duties do not get paid,” she stated.
Regarding the situation in Bocas del Toro , Molinar stated that “some groups are seeking to destabilize the country. That’s not political struggle; that’s terrorism against the country,” reaffirming his firm stance in defense of education and the well-being of Panamanian students.
Molinar emphasized that the government will not give in to what he considers a political agenda that has paralyzed the education system, pledging to guarantee the continuity of classes at all costs.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCCIAP) called for collaboration between the State, local governments, the private sector, and civil society to eliminate unnecessary barriers that hinder job creation.
“We know that obstacles exist, but we also know that there is talent, ideas, and desire. That’s why we must work together,” the organization noted in its weekly column.
The business organization emphasized that fostering entrepreneurship is one of the most effective ways to promote inclusive and sustainable growth, generating value, employment, and economic dynamism.
In this sense, they emphasized that every person who decides to start a business promotes something beyond a business: they contribute to creating opportunities for others.
“The intention is not to solve all the challenges immediately, but rather to take steps in the right direction and support those who dare to take the plunge,” they noted.
As part of its activities, the association promotes initiatives such as job fairs and the Annual Entrepreneurship Congress, which has been held since 2023. This year, the event will take place on September 23 at the Instituto Técnico Superior Especializado (ITSE), with the aim of offering practical tools to those who wish to start, formalize, or strengthen their businesses.
Various worker and community groups linked to the Cobre Panamá company marched this Sunday, June 22, through the streets of Penonomé, calling on the national government to be included in the dialogue processes on the future of mining activity in the country.
In conversations with La Prensa , Michael Camacho, a director of the Union of Workers of Minera Panamá (Utramipa), stated that they believe in responsible and controlled mining, and expressed his concern about the lack of formal approaches by the current government, as well as the previous administration.
“Not even the Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development (Mitradel) has approached the communities or the workplace to engage in dialogue with us,” he said.
Under that same premise, Eliecer Fernández, of the Civic Committee of Community Leaders , reiterated that they have had no communication with the Executive.
“Neither the president nor the ministers have come, despite our requests. We have delivered letters to the Presidency, spoken with the president of the Assembly, and with religious and university leaders, but we have not received a clear response from the government,” he denounced, while stating that more than 50 communities located around the mining project have been negatively impacted by the closure, affecting the local economy and quality of life.
“In my community, there were 40 people working, now there are only five. Many young people went into debt to build their houses or buy cars, and now they have no way to pay,” Fernández said.
For his part, Camacho emphasized that the protesters are not “defending the mining contract or the operating company, but rather the jobs that provide a livelihood for hundreds of Panamanian families.”
He indicated that, following the suspension of operations in October 2023 due to a Supreme Court ruling that declared the contract between the company and the government unconstitutional, Cobre Panamá has cut approximately 80% of its staff, reducing its workforce from more than 6,000 to nearly 1,200.
The union also expressed concern about the lack of information about the mine’s “Safe Preservation and Management Plan.” “We have not been officially informed about its contents or the terms of the negotiations with the company,” they warned.
The Panama Canal has a more updated roadmap for the construction of the Río Indio reservoir project.
The deputy administrator of the Panama Canal Authority , Ilya Espino de Marotta , announced that they hope to reach agreements with the communities within the next 10 months, in order to subsequently begin the resettlement of the affected population.
“The resettlement will begin once we have the agreements in place. We think that could take between six and ten months. Then, we would begin resettling the people who would be at the reservoir site. The forecast is that we will award the construction of the reservoir in early 2027, meaning we have this entire period to finalize the agreements and begin identifying and relocating the first families just before 2027. We have all of 2025 and 2026 left to do that,” Marotta indicated.
He explained that this settlement process is gradual and will take several years, as the Canal must first acquire the new land where the homes will be built and the affected families will be relocated. The estimated population living in the Río Indio area is around 550 families, comprising approximately 2,000 people.
The timeline presented by Marotta indicates that the design of the resettlement and livelihood restoration plan will take place between May 2025 and June 2026. The entire implementation process will take until 2029.
He clarified that the census was not conducted to determine whether people were in favor or against the project, but rather to gather socioeconomic information about the communities, including their occupations, the type of housing they have, and other factors. This information will help establish a resettlement plan that takes into account the needs and improves the quality of life of the population.
The deputy administrator reported that 85% of the communities completed the census, and the report and analysis of the results will be presented in mid-July.