Latest From Panama : newly elected Mayor of Panama City and other news.
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Latest From Panama : newly elected Mayor of Panama City and other news.By Matt Atlee It was announced this past week that the newly elected Mayor of Panama City, Bosco Vallarino, would have his budget audited by the Comptroller General of the Republic of Panama, Carlos Vallarino; in particular, the Comptroller General wants to audit the contracts that were awarded for the mayor’s flagship project the Vía Navideña (Christmas Way), a kind of Christmas boardwalk that people will be able to stroll through to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. The Vía Navideña will be built along the new coastal highway that runs in front of Panama City. The mayor wants to replace the popular Christmas Parade with the Vía Navideña: his contribution to improving Christmas and Panama City. The new mayor has had a controversial few months in office. One of his first ideas for improving Panama City was to buy inflatable pools for every neighborhood in the city. People were really surprised that with all the serious issues facing the city one of the first ideas Vallarino came up with for improvement was inflatable pools. Immediately, eyebrows went up and they continued to go up when Vallarino signed a $3000 municipal check to his wife; he said it was all a mix-up. After the inflatable pools and the corrupt check, the mayor decided to end the Panama City Christmas Parade and to not develop any real plans for next year’s Carnival. With all the messiness, President Martinelli has called for an audit of the city government; he also traveled around the city and pointed out the fact that consistent trash collection has not been carried out in many sectors of Panama City – squarely putting the blame on Vallarino. Vallarino says he appreciates that his friend President Martinelli (political allies during the 2008 campaign) is concerned about his developing role as mayor, and that he plans to talk less and do more in the future. Some residents of Panama City – me included – were shocked when Bosco Vallarino was elected mayor. Before becoming mayor he was just a T.V. personality; he had no experience in management or politics. Vallarino came to public notice during the halcyon days of the real estate boom in Panama in which he acted as a pitchman for different real estate projects. A large, fat, round man with a huge head and small glasses, Vallarino talked in a ridiculously silky, sleazy voice on T.V. while he encouraged people to buy this piece of land, that coffee table, those lamps, or these window shades. Vallarino was the human form of the over-speculation, over-indulgence that was Panama’s culture during the height of the real estate boom. He always seemed to be present at the ostentatious ribbon cuttings and champagne parties that appeared on Panamanian real estate cable television. No one ever thought that Vallarino would go from happy fat pitchman to Mayor of Panama City. His campaign was momentarily derailed when it was discovered that he might be a U.S. citizen; he left Panama for the U.S. in the 1980s. As a person with dual citizenship he could not become mayor. Other mayoral candidates like Miguel Antonio Bernal and Bobby Velazquez wanted to drive Vallarino out of the race. In the end, the courts in Panama determined that Vallarino was a Panamanian and therefore could legally be mayor. And since then just about everyone, including Vallarino’s deputy, who is leaving the mayor’s office in disgust, has regretted his victory. Last week Minister of Government and Justice, Jose Raul Mulino, announced that in 3 years Panama will have new prisons. The current prisons, La Joya (The Jewel) and La Joyaita, will be knocked down and replaced with a new, more secure prison. The fate of the current prisons was not announced but it seems that they will be dynamited like the old Modelo prison which was located in El Chorillo and was dynamited – or should I say over-dynamited – during the Balladares presidency (1994-99). International human rights organizations have for years complained about conditions inside of Panama’s prisons: overcrowding, lack of sanitation and beds, and physical abuses. The Martinelli government wants to spend $120 million to improve the prison system and bring it up-to-date with international standards. The cells in the new prison will hold four people per cell. Cells will have toilets and showers. The prison will be divided into different sectors, each sector containing about 900 inmates, with a total of 5,500 inmates including women. There will be a lower ratio of guards to prisoners. Right now you have 1 guard for every 90 inmates; in the new facility you will have 1 guard for every 20 inmates. It’s estimated that as of today Panama’s 22 prisons are 29% overpopulated: the major reason for the dire conditions inside the prisons. Some students at the University of Panama participated in rock throwing protests against the government’s policy of building new naval bases which the students think will house U.S. troops. President Martinelli has on numerous occasions made it clear that he wants no foreign troops permanently stationed on Panamanian soil. The concern in the government is that the oceans off the coast of Panama are filled with drugs. And the government would like to patrol its waters, especially along the Pacific coast. Of course, there is the issue of protecting the Canal and the U.S. interest in making sure the Canal is safe. “Mi Pueblito” tourism center is getting a facelift according to the center’s new director Nadgee Bonilla. “Mi Pueblito” is located at the base of Cerro Ancón and was built during Mayín Correa’s tenure as mayor (1990-99). Mi Pueblito showcases the three different cultural heritages found in Panama: Afro-Antillean, Indigenous and Spanish colonial. The center is a perfect attraction for business people who are only passing through Panama, but would at least like to get a look at what Panama’s different cultural traditions are about. The Panamanian government and the Panama Canal Authority are planning to build a bridge or tunnel across the Atlantic entrance of the Canal. Crossing the Canal in Colon at the Gatun Locks can take time as there is only a small bridge that can only be crossed when ships are not passing through the locks. Therefore, the government wants to build a crossing that will allow quick passage across the Canal at the Gatun Locks. The bridge or tunnel will be part of the modernization of the Canal (5.5 billion dollar project) and it should allow the government to build a road from Colon to Bocas del Toro. Unfortunately, – or fortunately, depending how you see it – the new road will go through some of Panama’s most pristine forest and secluded indigenous communities. Written By Matt Atlee Panama 101 – E-Book – $69
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Another important tourist attraction will be the Frank Gehery designed “BioMuseo” (BioMuseum) on the Amador Causeway. The museum will not be open until 2011, but the Panamanian Tourism Authority and Fundación Amador have set up a tour that will allow people to see the museum before it’s completed.