Varela showers Colon with promises

PRESIDENT Juan Carlos Varela arrived in Colon on Sunday, November 5 carrying a  basket of promises to mark the celebration of the city’s role in consolidating the separation from Colombia.

In the midst of the formal commemorative protocol, he donned his political cloak and assured the audience that in 2018 the renovation works that have hampered businesses for the last two years,   will be delivered along with a new public market and  a new transport terminal, and the restoration of the historic Wilcox house among other goodies.

He reminded listeners that more than one billion dollars have been invested and while acknowledging that the work to renovate the 16 streets of the old town caused inconvenience to merchants and residents, he promised that in 2018 “it will be different”.

Varela said that  the Wilcox house, dating from 1913 in the historic center of Colon that was about to be demolished on the recommendation of the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc). Varela said it will be restored and converted into a cultural center. This, came he admitted, “due to the issues that arose” [public protests]