$12.4 million for WYD temporary structures vs permanent assets

The $12.4 million allocated by the Ministry of the Presidency for temporary infrastructures for  World Youth Day (WYD) is similar to that paid for works that become assets for the country and its population reports La Prensa.

The Maracaná stadium, in the village of El Chorrillo, which is part of Cinta Costera 3, cost $8 million.

The model school Guillermo Endara Galimany, in Playa Leona, of La Chorrera, Panamá Oeste, cost $ 11.7 million. Another model school – the Republic of Costa Rica, in La Chorrera -was built for $13 million.

The Minsa Capsi de Pedasí, in Los Santos, cost $9.5 million. . and that of Burunga, in Arraiján, , $6.1 million.

Near the Transístmica highway, there is a building project (private capital) of 88 apartments, at a cost of $8 million.

The contract between the Ministry of the Presidency and the JMJ Santa María la Antigua Consortium  (integrated by Festieventos, SA, Magic Dreams Productions, Inc. and Password Production, SA) was the result of a public event. The order to proceed was delivered on August 22, 2018.

The sum to be paid includes the assembly and dismantling of the structures on   the Cinta Costera now called Campo Santa María la Antigua, and in the Metro Park area, in Juan Díaz, called Campo Juan Pablo II, and a series of technical and technological aspects. to

Ricky Ramírez, of Password Production, SA,  part of the consortium, said that they are in charge of all the infrastructures and the platforms are only one part. He said that the contract includes the placement of towers, ramps, fencing, technological equipment, energy generators, facilities with rooms and bathrooms, and all this involves human resources (personnel, salaries, and food) and other factors. Ramírez did not specify the cost for each line says La Prensa and it was not possible to obtain a breakdown of the costs through the Support Office of the Local Organizing Committee, and the specifications do not indicate the individual cost of the platforms.

The numbers that Panama manages for the organization of the WYD are very similar to those of other countries that have hosted it. In 2011, in Madrid,  according to the newspaper El Mundo, the cost was $57 million. In 2013,  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, $59 million was invested, and for 2016, in Krakow, Poland, $53 million.

The Local WYD  Organizing Committee estimated investment of approximately $54.5 million to finance the religious event.

The visits of the leader of the Catholic Church are expensive. The newspaper El Espectador, of Colombia, published that the visit of Pope Francisco, in September of 2017, represented an investment of $1.5 million on vehicles, security, and lodging alone.

Roberto Troncoso, former president of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives, said that every papal visit has its costs, since guidelines given by the Vatican must be followed, for the security of the Pope and the parishioners.

The president of the Panamanian Society of Engineers and Architects, Gustavo Bernal, said that beyond the cost, the safety of the structure must be seen. He said  that there are risk points that must be controlled, including the placement of 80 electric generators. He said there is concern in the society, because it is not the same to build a platform for shows, as for massive events. He said that they have not been invited to verify all the structures.