Overreaction to signs defending city heritage

A campaign by residents of Casco Viejo designed to protect the historic site from some of the recent outrages perpetrated by developers and the city mayor, Bosco Vallarino, was attacked by bureaucracy this week.

In what seemed to many residents a knee jerk overreaction, Patrizia Pinzon, president of the Neighborhood Association and Friends of Casco Antiguo (QALY) was called before the local magistrate to answer for the placement of signs on some neighborhood balconies, as part of the "Balconies speaking", program to promote protection of the historic center, declared World Heritage by UNESCO.

She defended the signs: “They are placed in private apartment balconies and do not conflict with the rules in the old town or with the rules governing outdoor advertising.

"They are not advertisements for businesses, but a clarion call for preservation of the historical heritage," she said.

ICOMOS(International Council On Monuments And Sites) called the subpoena "a violation of freedom of expression" The signs were simply the manifestation of residents who want to protect the nation’s heritage.

The small signs uniformly printed in blue say: "The Town needs to respect the law – more coordination," "The Town needs continuity, respect – commitment." 

The protests arose because by residents fear that Casco Viejo could be delisted by representatives of Unesco who are conducting an inspection of monuments in the country.
Casco Viejo was World Heritage, named an Historical Heritage site in 1997. UNESCO has warned Panamanian authorities of the  "abandonment" of some buildings.

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