News
Tuesday 17th October 2023.
October 16, 2023
The former president of the Republic, Mireya Moscoso (1999-2004), met this Monday, October 16, with the opposition roster made up of Rómulo Roux and José Isabel Blandón , and affirmed that her Panameñista co-partisans have to go out and seek votes for this alliance .
“We have to call on Panamanians to support this alliance, to start walking, to start convincing that good things are coming and that the future will change,” said former president Moscoso.
Moscoso reiterated that he does not agree with the partial territorial pact that the Panameñista Party and Democratic Change reached with the Popular Party (PP), which has former president Martín Torrijos as its presidential candidate .
Although the agreement would be in some sectors in local governments and deputies, Moscoso hinted that he is not opposed to asking for votes for candidates who in turn seek support for a different candidate for the Presidency.
“Anyone I can tell not to do this, don’t do it. We have to look for the Panameñistas, for the democratic changes, so that they first vote up with the alliance [presidential list], because if we don’t get the alliance up and vote down, we don’t do anything,” said Moscoso, who clarified that even if this is maintained territorial pact, will continue to support the Roux-Blandón formula.
Asked about this point, Roux said that so far there has been no progress with the PP for possible nominations and that the territorial pact seeks to present a better electoral offer so that when the Presidency is reached, “Benicio [Robinson] does not try and his group to bring the Executive to its knees as it has done at this time.’
At the end of the meeting, Moscoso commented that it was productive because each person expressed the concerns they have and the reality of the country.
Likewise, he stressed that this alliance has to be with the people who are suffering, who want change and have hope.
After the meeting, Roux said that both parties are consolidating and complementing each other at the national level, “always putting the country’s programmatic issues first.” Likewise, they talked about specific issues in different areas that are of concern to the alliance.
“And of course, President Moscoso, making herself available, wants to walk, wants to work to support this presidential list, because we are focused on changing our country in 2024.
In the first 15 days of October, the entry of irregular migrants through the Darién jungle registered a slight decrease, according to figures from the National Migration Service, which reports the passage of 26,432 people in this period.
Between January 1 and Sunday, October 15 , 435,404 people have crossed the Darién Gap from Colombia, a record number that almost doubles that of all of 2022, which was 248,284.
Last September, 75,268 irregular travelers crossed the border by land for a daily average of 2,428. Meanwhile, in the first 15 days of October the average number of irregular migrants per day is 1,762.
It is important to highlight that the partial numbers for October are lower than those of August and September, but they are projected to exceed the figure of 50 thousand and it would be the fourth month with the highest number of arrivals of irregular migrants this year.
Of the more than 26 thousand people who entered through the jungle, 19,163 are Venezuelans, 1,511 Ecuadorians, 1,416 Haitians and 1,077 Colombians.
It is important to highlight that after the agreements reached by Panama and Costa Rica, at the beginning of the month, to develop a controlled migratory flow, people are transferred by buses directly to a shelter in Costa Rican territory. From there they continue on their way to the north of the continent, with the main objective of reaching the United States and Canada.
The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice rejected an appeal presented by the former director of the defunct National Aid Program (PAN) Giacomo Tamburrelli and businessman Rubén De Ycaza. In this way, the conviction for the crime of embezzlement for the irregular handling of funds delivered by the PAN (today the Directorate of Social Assistance) for the purchase of dehydrated food for an amount of $44.9 million is maintained.
Through edict No 276 of last October 10 and posted in the secretariat of the Criminal Chamber on October 13, the parties were notified of the decision made by judges Ariadne García, Maribel Cornejo and María Eugenia López.
In this case, the Criminal Chamber also rejected a request from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to increase the prison sentence for Tamburrelli, which remained at 48 months in prison. While in the case of Ycaza the penalty is 96 months in prison.
The investigation began in 2015 following an audit report that revealed anomalies in the awarding of contracts for the acquisition of dehydrated food that would be delivered to public schools through the PAN.
The First Liquidation Court is also carrying out a process against three other people for a second case of embezzlement related to dehydrated foods for an amount of $14.5 million. The trial in this case is set for January 29, 2024.
In both investigations, the Public Ministry stated that the dehydrated food was never delivered to public schools, as planned, and that cost overruns occurred in the contracts assigned by PAN officials.
The payment of electricity, water, housing and gas services, in addition to the cost of education and food, among other products and services such as transportation, are increasingly weighing on the finances of Panamanian households.
The consumer price index (CPI), an indicator used to measure the evolution of prices of goods and services, experienced a year-on-year increase of 2.3% in September. While the CPI accumulated from January to September reached 1.4%, according to the publication of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) of the Comptroller General of the Republic.
The increase in the CPI means that users are paying more for some products and services, compared to a year ago.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) improved the growth outlook for the Panamanian economy, from 5% to 6%, according to the Economic Outlook: The Americas report for October 2023.
The upward revision is supported by the strong growth experienced by the Monthly Economic Activity Index (IMAE), which grew 8% as of June of this year compared to 2022.
“In general we expect GDP growth higher than our previous forecasts,” said the head of the IMF mission for Panama, Bas Bakker, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
Regarding the country’s challenges, the IMF report observes as a challenge the reduction of the deficit, in accordance with the Fiscal Responsibility Law, in addition to ensuring that the proper capitalization and liquidity of the banks is maintained, reinforcing human capital and management. of government.
The MEF compares the IMF estimates with the perspective of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Héctor Alexander, who estimates that the GDP will register growth between 5% and 6% in 2023, driven by the sectors of commerce, construction, tourism, banking, insurance, transportation and electricity.
“We project that growth in Latin America will slow from a notable 4% in 2022 to 1.6% this year. The price pressures that accompanied buoyant economic activity last year appear to have already peaked, but underlying inflation remains persistently high, disproportionately hurting low-income households. To mitigate the risk of entrenched inflation, fiscal policy can help monetary policy in reducing demand pressures,” the IMF noted.
The first deep brain stimulation Parkinson’s surgery in Central America was performed in Panama. The procedure was carried out at the facilities of the Dr. Rafael Estévez Hospital in Aguadulce.
For the first time in Central America, an innovative directional electrode is placed that relieves the symptoms of Parkinson’s, mainly stiffness and slowness of movement, explained Omar Gordón, neurosurgeon at this hospital. “We try to find the best technology for our patients, we hope to continue having the support to continue offering this procedure to other patients,” he stressed.
This surgery consisted of two procedures, in the first the patient was awake and cooperating during the placement of the electrodes, a period in which his improvement was noticeable.
During the second stage, the patient was generally anesthetized and the electrodes were connected to the pulse generator, placed subcutaneously in the thoracic region, explained Ariel Francis, neurosurgeon at Ciudad de la Salud.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Parkinson’s disease is a brain condition that causes movement, mental and sleep disorders, pain and other health problems.
It is a disorder without a cure that worsens over time. The condition results in high rates of disability. Many people with Parkinson’s also end up suffering from dementia.
The disease usually affects older people, but it can also occur in younger people, and it usually affects men more than women.
The National Police reported that in the early hours of this Monday several subjects tried to steal an ATM in the Buenos Aires sector, Chilibre district.
According to Commissioner Luis Quezada, in the early morning hours three criminals tried to vandalize the ATM and, failing to achieve their goal, they fled.
He highlighted that once the incident was reported, police officers and Public Ministry personnel began investigations and an operation was carried out to locate those responsible.
The authorities are relying on videos from security cameras in the sector.