A dinosaur on Panamas waterfront

By Robert Ralston
Panama’s waterfront has an unwelcome visitor… la Pantalla Gigante..the Panasonic Sign on Avenida Balboa. 

This electronic sign on steroids looms over Avenida Balboa like a dinosaur that escaped from the Avatar movie. Rearing its ugly head, most noticeably at night, with an unwanted, visual intensity I can only equate to being involuntary, laser eye surgery.
Several weeks ago, 15 neighboring, residential building leaders accepted the 7:30 PM invitation from Mr. Vicente Carretero of Extreme Planet, for a meeting with citizens concerned with his Panasonic Sign. We all applauded his initiative in order that we might have an adult conversation with him.
Unfortunately, he did not attend the meeting he called. Insteas he sent two representatives whose regular incoming cellular calls assured us that he was "on his way." The twoassociates clearly had no decision making power and yet, incredibly, they tried to convince us how lucky we all are to have the sign …. "just like those in Times Square in New York City.”
Imagine, without regulations on this type of advertising, this sign could be the first of many on Avenida Balboa turning this beautiful waterfront into a honky-tonk area not representative nor worthy of a city aspiring to be world class
For Panama City, construction of the Cinta Costera has pulled the waterfront area together brilliantly as a new and vital resource serving to relieve traffic problems while providing thousands of Panamanians a recreational area for leisure time. Forcing a constant barrage of moving, TV advertisements is a blight on this resource at the expense of all those seeking solitude.
In truth, many of these people affected have no ready mechanism for expressing their displeasure. They all need to be represented and we should do that for our entire Panamanian community. We are all neighbors.
In addition, this visual pollution to the landscape constitutes a dangerous distraction to drivers facing the sign. At some point an accident will occur and the lawyer’s defense for the guilty party will be "Panasonic Sign Distraction." It’s a legal liability waiting to happen leaving Panasonic and the owner of Extreme Planet vulnerable.
As for local apartment owners, sitting on their balcony facing the sign at sunset is horrible. In fact, it’s impossible. This sign is an unwelcome, uninvited, unnecessary visual intrusion into the quality of our Panamanian lifestyle. Dinner time is remembered by whose face looks red, green or blue according to the advertisement of the moment.
Real estate developers and rental companies are now paying attention to this problem due to the negative impact on real estate values in this area. Why would anyone buy a new condo in Punta Paitilla and endure the nighttime glare reflecting off the buildings directly in front of the sign? It’s like living inside a pin ball machine with the constant changing colors from red to blue to green.
Complaints against the sign are being registered by residents as far away as Casco Viejo, Amador and Toucan. It’s visual pollution at its worst and left unchecked, it will multiply.
All told, it’s much more than money that should concern us all. It’s lifestyle!
Years ago, Ronald Reagan exhorted the Soviets to "tear down this wall." I say, "tear down this sign."
The writer invites readers to post or link this article to their face book. He may be reached at: blackhorse1968@gmail.com