Buck passing over balloon parade snafus and vandalism
Buck passing became the order of the day in Panama following the disturbances and vandalism that erupted during the vaunted parade of balloons on the Cinta Costera on December 26.
Some $40,000 of damage was inflicted on Mayor Bosco’s “Villages”, and government spokesmen were quick to distance the authority from the problems.
No one mentioned the traffic lock down, brought about by the blockage of Cinta Costera as thousands of seasonal holiday makers streamed back into the city at the hour the parade began.
But as the event drew to a close after 7pm hundreds of spectators ran through streets leading from Avenida Balboa as they heard shots , which they assumed were being fired around the parade site. Their fears were heightened by reports earlier in the days of Christmas day killings during gang battles in nearby El Chorillo. Many took shelter in local buildings and even the emergency room of Santo Tomas Hospital.
The manager of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), Solomon Shamah, said the government which earlier had seemed ready to take the credit for a “peoples event” was not the sponsor of the event.
"The government did not sponsor the event, but supported it “ said Shamah. “So we have no problem with trying to find a viable solution”, ( to the damage to the coastal strip after the event.)
He denied that the damages were caused by the lack of security in the area, although no police were visible to control out of control parking and traffic chaos that matched any the city has previously experienced.
The problem was caused he said by lack of foresight as to the number of people who would flock to see the show.
"Not everything can go right the first time," Shamah said. "It is not time to point fingers but for peace and resolving the problems."
He said that if necessary there is no problem in joining the Government, private enterprise and the city of Panama to try to fix holiday villages.
"The villages need to be fixed”. They have over the years been decribed as Bosco’s follies, tacky, and a waste of city funds. The Mayor of Panama estimates that the damage to the holiday villas are between $35 000 and $40,000 dollars.
Show Pro, in charge of the event, announced that it would bear the costs.
One result of the vandalism is that Mayor, Bosco Vallarino, has moved the closing ceremony of the villages from the waterfront to the parking lot of Rommel Fernandez stadium He said he made the decision for safety reasons following a meeting with members of the National and Municipal Police. He added that parking Rommel Fernandez Stadium will have a better access control and be sure that people do not carry any weapons. The event will take place from 10:00 pm on December 31 to 2:00 am on January 1, 2012, with the participation of well known local artistes.
The mayor claimed that at no time was he approached to discuss the staging of the parade on the CInta Costera,
Whether crowds who fled the scene on December 26 can be persuaded to give it another go, remains to be seen.
The disturbance and associated chaos will also add spice to the debate next year about the installation of the villages, and who pays for damage to the infrastructure and the grassy areas used by hundreds of cars as parking lots.
