OFF THE CUFF: Panama’s Honorable Deputies (HD)
PHOTO OPS – Described by La Prensa as like teenagers at a Justin Bieber concert, Panama’s workshy lawmakers during a ceremony in the Chancellery put more energy into pushing each other aside to get a selfie with Pope Francis than they have shown in moving reform debates. They seemed to have missed his earlier warning that “public service is synonymous with honesty and justice, and antonym of any form of corruption.” Will they be using the photos as an implied endorsement for reelection?
BRAZEN – Lawyer Ramsés Owens, under investigation in the USA and Panama for his alleged leading role in the PanamaPapers scandal, was photographed in the Presidency of the Republic, in an event, about the visit of the Pope, together with a group of former students of the Javier School. The founders of Mossack Fonseca, where Owens worked were advisors to President Juan Carlos Varela until the scandal broke Beyond. Innocent or not, “What was the criterion to give such privilege to this character who still has several accounts to settle with justice?” wrote a Panama columnist
TIC TOC -.President Varela has earned the nickname “tortoise” during his reign, which may explain his record of late arrival, But the hare took over during WYD and he arrived punctually at all the official events, a clear example that miracles exist says La Prensa.
STIGMATA – Pope Francis condemned the stigmatization of migrants as responsible for “social evil” and offered the help of the Church to overcome “fears and misgivings”.in an earlier pronouncement he had called for building bridges, not walls He d also questioned the Art of The Deal “culture of bullying, harassment, and intimidation “
WELCOME MAT – Venezuelans have the largest migratory movement in Latin America and have been victims of outbreaks of xenophobia in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador. Since 2015, 2.3 million Venezuelans (7.6% of the population have emigrated because of the economic collapse and the political crisis in their country, according to UN statistics. The number in Panama continues growing and they have the benefit of a special visa.
