Panama trash problem a failure of government – Blandon

PANAMEÑISTA Deputy José Isabel Blandón said Wednesday that the continuing problems with trash collection in Panama City are due to a failure of government. 

Garbage collection was one of missteps of mayor Bosco Vailarino for whom Blandon acted as an unpaid front man.The government  created waste agency AAUD specifically to address tha issue. 

"The AAUD was not created to solve a problem, but because they saw a business not for the city, but for the authority which manages it," said Blandón.

According to the legislator, the AAUD deals with government-aligned contractors to rent and purchase trucks.

Blandónsaid he will clean up the agency if elected.

"We need a mayor who sees waste collection as a resource for the whole city and not as a business," he said.

He also said that AAUD officials must explain how they spent the agency's $240 million budget .He also indicated that the issue of the accountability of the entity remains unsolved.

Blandon also plans to run to try to unseat current mayor Roxena Mendez