Business and union leaders condemn poor state of highways

Business and union leaders are united on the poor state of the highways s in various parts of the country, which they say affects the logistics hub that is a key part of the country’s economy.

The business and union leaders spoke on this issue after a video circulated on social networks on Sunday morning, where a container was detached from a truck after falling into a “hole” as a result of the poor condition of the roads.

The Panama Maritime Chamber, on its social networks, asked the authorities to solve the problem as soon as possible.

The former president of the Chamber of Commerce, José Ramón Icaza, said: “This is the reality that carriers live, affecting the movement of Atlantic-Pacific transshipment containers and local cargo, affecting competitiveness and image of the country”.

Hugo Torrijos Dajer, a member of the Association of Panamanian Shipowners and Secretary of COEL, also spoke, calling for a solution to the problem.

“We cannot continue to normalize the terrible state of the streets, much less in a country where the Logistics Hub is a key part of the economy. This is the dilemma that carriers face on a daily basis and one of the reasons for the increase in prices of many products”, he said.