News
Wednesday 5th February 2025.
February 4, 2025
Another Republican congressman in the United States (US) is sticking to the discourse of the president of that country, Donald Trump , on the alleged interference of China in the Panama Canal.
This is Carlos Giménez , who recently stated on an American television channel that they have “evidence” that some members of the Canal’s board of directors received payments from China. However, he did not mention names or present evidence.
The Board of Directors of the Panama Canal is made up of: Jose Ramon Icaza Clement , current Minister for Canal Affairs; Enrique Sanchez Salmon , Francisco Sierra Fabrega, Jorge L. Gonzalez , Nicolas Gonzalez Revilla, Oscar M. Ramirez, Ricardo Manuel Arango , Dora Maria Perez Balladares Boyd, Luis Nava Pajaro , Laury Anne Malo de Alfaro and Nelson Jackson Palma.
“President Trump is trying to reverse those steps by the Chinese Communist Party,” the politician assured Fox News. This is not the first time that Giménez has spoken about the issue; on several occasions and in the same media outlet, the congressman has spoken at length about the Panamanian maritime passage and alleged Chinese interference.
Last December, after Trump’s first statements on the Panama Canal, Giménez described the US president’s words as “legitimate.”
“I always take the president seriously, and he is… a legitimate threat to Panama,” he said.
Although President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez Acha, among others, have reiterated that it is false that the Canal is in the hands of China, Trump insists. The agreements reached by his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio , during his visit to Panama were not enough for him .
During his stay in the country, Rubio met with President Mulino on February 2 in a meeting that resulted in several announcements: Panama froze an agreement with China known as the Silk Road, opened the door for the Chinese company Hutchison Ports to stop operating the ports near the Canal and offered to deport migrants through an airport in Darien. In addition, that day the Canal administration guaranteed expedited passage to ships of the United States Navy.
On Monday, February 3, from the Albrook airport, Rubio witnessed the deportation of 43 Colombian migrants.
Rubio said that Panama is a “strategic ally and an important commercial partner in the Western Hemisphere.”
Trump, on the other hand, insists that “China is involved with the Panama Canal. They won’t be there for long, and that’s the way it should be.” He said this last Monday, February 3, from his office in the White House.
Giménez is a politician who serves in the United States House of Representatives from Florida. He is 71 years old, a former firefighter and a graduate in public administration. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and his family emigrated to the United States following the Cuban revolution.
Donald Trump’s narrative on the Panama Canal has also had an echo in the US Senate. On Tuesday, January 28, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, chaired by Republican Ted Cruz, held a hearing in which the interoceanic route, its impact on global maritime trade, unfounded accusations of violations of the Neutrality Treaty, the influence of China and the alleged control it exercises over the Canal were analyzed
Cruz, a Trump supporter, opened the hearing with a broad arsenal of criticisms of the Canal’s operation and referred to alleged “violations” of the Treaty on Neutrality of the maritime route. That day, he repeated the arguments of the US president: the danger of China blocking the passage through the Canal and the supposed exorbitant cost of its transit.
A criminal complaint against the director of the National Police, Jaime Fernández , for the alleged commission of the crime of abuse of authority was filed this morning, Tuesday, January 4, by the defender of the Rights of University Students of the University of Panama (UP) , Gilberto Marulanda, before the Public Ministry .
Marulanda’s complaint alleges that police officers stormed the University of Panama (UP) facilities last Friday, in an open violation of university autonomy.
According to the complaint, during a leaflet distribution carried out by university students protesting the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Panama, a group of police officers approached the protesters and one of the officers pushed one of the students, which led to a scuffle between the youths and the police units. In the altercation, a student was beaten by a police officer.
Marulanda also claims that the police carried out a series of raids on the residences of the students who participated in the protest and that two of them are facing criminal proceedings for the alleged commission of the crime of personal injury.
He said that these events were evidence of an abuse of power by the police against young people who were only exercising their right to protest freely. He also explained that it was a peaceful action and that it did not restrict the free movement of vehicles in the area.
According to Marulanda, since 2002 the police have repeatedly violated university autonomy, which has become a constant violation of the rights of university students.
He also said that the police blocked the entrances to the UP on Friday and Saturday last week and forced its officials to identify themselves, which, in his opinion, constitutes a flagrant violation of its autonomy.
Police Director Jaime Fernández said that the students attacked an officer, stealing his cap, part of his police uniform, which led to the brawl.
Fernandez claimed that one of the police officers was injured and had to be taken to hospital. As a result, it was decided to take legal action against the students.
The Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) reported on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, that the cultivation of a variety of potato was approved. It is called Golden Globe, of American origin , and was endorsed after research by the Institute of Agricultural Innovation of Panama (Idiap) and the approval of the National Seed Committee.
Among the characteristics of this variety of potato, its yield stands out, as it produces 40 tons per hectare , 5 tons more than Granola, which until now dominates the local market with 90% of production in the province of Chiriquí and the Ngäbe Buglé region.
The decision to opt for a different variety of potato comes after the production of Granola fell from 712 thousand quintals in 2020 to 402 thousand in 2023 due to factors such as the climate, the use of agrochemicals and the increase in production costs.
In addition, agricultural authorities highlight that the Golden Globe variety has a high tolerance to diseases such as late blight and Pectobacterium sp., in addition to its adaptability to local cultivation areas.
According to MIDA data, in Panama potato consumption is 14.3 kg per inhabitant per year , and its production generates 11.7 million dollars in agricultural goods and services.
In recent years, the results of graduates from private universities in the Basic Certification in Medicine exam have generated concern, highlighting the urgent need to review the curricular profile in the training of future doctors.
The report of the Interinstitutional Council for Basic Certification in Medicine , to which La Prensa had access, reflects a significant difference in the approval rates between graduates of the University of Panama (UP) and those of various private universities, which raises questions about the quality and consistency of the medical education system.
The document shows that graduates of the UP School of Medicine are the ones who pass the basic certification exam the most. In the last decade (2014-2024), of the 2,079 applicants who took the exam, 95% passed the test. Only 106 of the 2,079 graduates did not obtain the certification, that is, 5%.
In contrast, private universities have recorded high failure rates. Interamerican University has 46% (358 of 778 applicants), Latin University 55% (2,291 of 4,161), and Columbus University 61% (1,224 of 1,990). American University leads with the highest rate, reaching 69% (509 of 743 applicants). These figures have raised concerns about the quality of medical training at some of these universities.
After several efforts, we were able to speak briefly with Alfredo Matos, president of the Interinstitutional Council for Basic Certification in Medicine, who expressed his concern regarding the results of some private universities.
According to Matos, “the failure rates of some private universities in 10 years of examinations are alarming and merit immediate attention from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the Ministry of Education (Meduca) .”
Matos explained that the basic certification exam consists of 160 questions and a time limit of four hours, with a minimum passing score of 41.5/100. This exam is a fundamental tool to evaluate the preparation of graduates and ensure that doctors are trained to face the challenges of the health system.
Matos is not only concerned about the failure rate, but also about the curricular profile of private universities. The low results show that some medical training programs in the country are not aligned with the international standards required for doctors to be competitive at a global level.
During the inauguration of the first International Economic Forum of Latin America and the Caribbean, held a few days ago in Panama and organized by the CAF, President José Raúl Mulino stated that “fat states” scare away investment and that the lack of opportunities cannot be covered up with “bloated state employment.”
Everything indicates that the president’s thinking has not permeated the rest of the official apparatus. The state payroll registered an increase of 3,999 new officials in November , compared to the data from the previous month, reaching 263,855 workers.
During the first five months of the Mulino administration (July to November 2024), the number of public employees only decreased in July and September, while in the remaining three months there have been increases, to the point that the November figure already exceeds the 262,330 workers left by the government of former President Laurentino Cortizo in June of last year.
The 3,999 officials who joined in November did so, for the most part, in the Ministry of Health, the National Assembly, the Ministry of Public Security, the Specialized University of the Americas, the Technological University of Panama, the Ministry of the Presidency and the Attorney General’s Office of the Nation.
According to the Comptroller General , the National Assembly went from having 4,236 permanent and temporary officials in October to 4,936 in November, an increase of 700 employees, becoming the state payroll that grew the most during that period, followed by the Ministry of Security, which added 590 workers, reaching a total of 32,690.