News
Tuesday 19th November 2024.
November 18, 2024
The National Assembly ‘s Labor, Health and Labor Development Committee , the body in charge of consultations on Bill 163 , which reforms Law 51, the organic law of the Social Security Fund (CSS) , unanimously approved requesting the Executive for financial support and projections or runs that support the legislative proposal.
Crispiano Adames , a deputy for the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) and member of the commission, said that they are working “blindly.” “The government has not presented a single run, neither actuarial nor financial (…),” he said. His colleagues supported his arguments.
The Labor, Health and Labor Development Commission, which is meeting in the Carlos Titi Alvarado room of the Justo Arosemena Palace, on its third day of consultations, was scheduled to hear the opinions of 32 citizens this Monday, November 18. The session began at 10:46 am, although several of those registered were not present in the room.
Before starting, the deputies noted the absence of the director of the CSS, Dino Mon, who delegated his representation to advisors from his office. On the other hand, Fausto Fernández, Vice Minister of Finance, was present on behalf of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
In the absence of the highest authorities of the CSS, the commission approved a new rule: the Minister of Health or the deputy minister, the Minister of Economy or his deputy ministers, as well as the director of the CSS or the deputy director, must be present at the consultations. This provision will come into effect as of Tuesday, November 19.
“The proposal is from the Executive Branch; they are the ones who have to clarify the doubts of the population. We, as deputies, are here to listen. Once the citizen participation is concluded, we will enter the first debate, and there it will be our responsibility to raise questions and defend our points of view,” said deputy Yarelis Rodríguez, from the independent Vamos group, and vice president of the commission.
However, Mon arrived at the session a while later.
At 1:27 pm, the commission declared a recess until tomorrow Tuesday at 10:00 am, since, of the 32 citizens registered on the list to give their opinion on the project, only seven showed up. That is, 25 did not attend. In total, the deputies and representatives of the Executive heard from eight people, since citizen Luis Torres, who was not on the agenda, took the podium.
During the session on Monday, Sergio Suárez, Eraclides Philides, Juan Antonio Tejada Pinillo, Rahmffis Comellis, Luis Alfonso Romero Chatrú, Alfonso Grimaldo and Luis Torres intervened.
The pro-government deputy Alaín Cedeño , president of the commission, reported that they will publish the list with the names of the people who are to speak on Tuesday. His colleague Miguel Ángel Campos called on this group to participate.
In the coming days, the public consultations will be carried out in the country’s provinces. The extraordinary sessions of the Assembly, to debate the project, will conclude on December 31.
Bill 163 , which is 91 pages long, includes, among other things, a three-year increase in the retirement age for men under 55 years of age and women under 50, an increase in employer contributions, and the unification of two pension programs. It establishes four types of pensions under the contributory component of solidarity capitalization.
In the consultations, several citizens have rejected the increase in the retirement age, as well as the unification of the two programs, among others.
The Attorney General of the Administration, Rigoberto González , determined that the claim of unconstitutionality presented by former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) against the sentence of 128 months of prison imposed on him for the New Business case , a process that investigated the purchase of Editora Panamá América SA with public funds, is not viable.
In a 16-page document, González rejected the arguments of attorney Nadia Castillo, representing Martinelli, who claimed that the former president could not be prosecuted or convicted in this case due to the principle of specialty.
The attorney general noted that the principle of specialty was widely debated and decided during the legal proceedings against Martinelli by New Business .
He also recalled that the unconstitutionality process is not an instance to review evidence of a judicial process, since its objective is to safeguard the integrity of the Political Constitution.
González also stressed that, in this case, multiple procedural actions have been filed, such as motions for controversy, nullity and effective judicial protection, all of which have been analyzed and resolved by different judicial bodies. In none of them, he added, was Martinelli’s right to defense violated.
The former president was sentenced to 128 months in prison for the New Business case and must pay a fine of $19.2 million as an additional penalty. Judge Baloísa Marquínez, through Official Letter No. 301 of February 4, 2024, ordered that Martinelli must pay the fine to the National Treasury within a period of 12 months.
Since February 7, the former president has been seeking asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, in order to avoid being sentenced.
Panama will receive compensation of more than $26.7 million for parametric insurance related to a fund for dealing with natural disasters.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) reported that the resources are part of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (Ccrif SPC). This mechanism was activated following the impact of the exceptional rains recorded in November 2024 in the national territory.
The director of the State Investment, Concessions and Risks Directorate (Dicre), Francisco Álvarez, explained that this coverage is part of the national strategy to protect the country against natural disasters.
“Parametric insurance allows the State to respond quickly to emergencies caused by phenomena such as excessive rainfall, mitigating their fiscal and social impact,” added Álvarez.
This action is part of the Strategic Framework for Financial Management of Disaster Risks , established under Executive Decree No. 578 of November 13, 2014, which seeks to strengthen the country’s capacity to face adverse natural events through risk retention and transfer tools.
This program is a pioneer in parametric insurance, designed to offer fast payments based on the intensity of events such as hurricanes, earthquakes or excessive rainfall, calculated by predefined models.
Since joining the mechanism in 2018, Panama has become the second country in Central America, after Nicaragua, to acquire this type of coverage, advancing in the diversification of tools to protect its public finances.
The implementation of these insurance policies allows the country to mitigate the negative effects of natural disasters on the economy and guarantee the continuity of the provision of essential goods and services for the population.
Furthermore, this insurance program, which operates primarily in the Caribbean and in Central America since 2015, provides governments with access to immediate liquidity following natural disasters, helping to reduce costs and offer a more efficient response to emergencies.
Last week the Government declared a national state of emergency due to the rains and approved $100 million to deal with damages to the shipping, agricultural sector, and homes and communities.
“This morning I submitted my resignation from my position.” With these words, Félix Sánchez announced that he was leaving the position of regional director of the National Land Administration Authority (ANATI) in Bocas del Toro, due to the scandal generated by the official who went to that institution dressed in a housecoat to sign in and then left without working. In other words, she was a ‘bottle’.
“I had a difficult week,” the former official told reporters who questioned him on the subject on Monday, November 18 in Changuinola. He said that, as of last Friday, three people had been dismissed due to this incident.
When asked if he was asked for the position, he replied: “There is everything here… I think I chose the most correct direction.”
The feat of the woman who was going to sign but not to work was recorded in a video that circulated on social media last week. The incident occurred in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro. So far, the woman’s name has not been made public.
In a statement, ANATI announced on Friday, November 15, that it had released those responsible for the events reported on social media. The agency added that the decision was made after an internal investigation.
The change of the National Police motto from “Protect and Serve” to “God and Country” opened a debate on the validity of the principle of separation between Church and State in a secular State, as well as on the use of religious symbols in public institutions.
For some, the inclusion of an explicit reference to “God” in an institutional context could be interpreted as a displacement of the religious neutrality that should characterize the State, which calls into question the independence that should exist between government policies and religious beliefs.
Many of the comments along these lines come from citizens linked to science.
” I believe in respecting the spirituality and beliefs of each individual, but to include ‘God and Country’ within a legal framework in an institution that should be 100% focused on all Panamanians, and not just on those who profess a religion, is a mistake and a step backwards ,” wrote infectious disease specialist Javier Nieto Guevara on his X account.
This message generated other comments. “I agree, it is crass third-worldism,” said Xavier Sáenz Llorens, also an infectious disease specialist .
“I am a Catholic Christian, I believe in Almighty God, and I do not find the police motto that they want to revive today to be appropriate. Nor does the verse in the Senan, even though it is one of my favorites,” said journalist Eduardo Lim Yueng.
Anesthesiologist Franklin Paulino also joined the debate. “ I respect everyone’s religion very much, but this whole ‘God and Country’ thing is a huge stupidity that will cost us dearly in this country that is so deeply in debt. I hope the President puts a stop to this madness ,” he added.
However, Jaime Fernández , director of the National Police, said that the slogan “Protect and Serve” fulfilled its purpose. He said that it brought the population closer, but that in the current administration the perception “is different.” “It is a police force that is closer to the communities, it is giving more honor to its uniform,” he said.
The Minister of Public Security, Frank Ábrego , even uses the slogan. In a message sent on the occasion of Criminologist’s Day, he concluded with “God and Country.”
An order of the day issued by Jaime Fernández warns that failure to comply with the measure implies the application of disciplinary sanctions contained in Executive Decree 204 of September 3, 1997, which may range from verbal warning to temporary suspension.
Article 115 of Law 18 of 1997, which regulates the National Police, establishes that “the motto ‘God and Country’ will be recognized as symbolizing the faith of Panamanians” and the institution “will accept it as a representation of the trust of its fellow citizens, and will remain faithful to the principles of police ethics.”
The motto “Protect and Serve” was adopted by the Police during the administration of Gustavo Pérez. This motto is also used by the police of Los Angeles, United States, and the Dominican Republic.
“God and Country” is also the motto of the Colombian police, an issue that has also generated intense debate. It was established in 1957 during the military dictatorship of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla.
Former minister Humberto De la Calle has been one of those who has publicly called for this slogan to be changed.
It is not yet known how much it will cost the National Police to replace the slogan on the walls of the institution’s headquarters, on police vehicles, on social media accounts and in institutional messaging.