Shoe cleaner leads Colon independence parade

A STREET vendor who has plied his trade and cleaned shoes on the streets of Colon for 30 years was given the honor of carrying the Panamanian flag at the head of the independence parade in Colon on Wednesday November 5.
President Juan Varela passed the flag to Manuel Irene Laguna, .Also recognized were Colon soccer referee Roberto Moreno,who became the first Panamanian to serve in the World Cup, in Rio de Janeiro deputy Miguel Salas and and businessman Nidal Hashem.
The speaker of the day was the mother of the former governor and current mayor of Policani Luciana Peroza de Policzni who during herspeech in addition to provide a history of the events of November 51903 also recalled the violence that occurred in October 2012 on the Atlantic during protestd against the sale of land in the Colon Free Zone when three people, including a nine-year-old, wer shot and killed by border guards called in by the former administration.
Peroza de Policani said the state has a moral and financial debt to the families of those killed and injured during these events.
Meanwhile, Varela said that in 2018 he expected the November 5 parades to be e witnessed from the rebuilt Colon of the Interior, which will be implemented during his administration.
“We’re going to have a Colon at peace … at-risk youth can be sure they will have a second chance,” he said.