Five Young People Live in Inhumane Conditions in Santiago de Veraguas
A group of five young people from the north of the district of Santa Fe and the province of Bocas del Toro are living in extreme poverty in the city of Santiago, on the Inter-American Highway. The young people, who have built a precarious house with a plastic roof near a stream, are trying to survive while they look for work to get ahead. These people have been looking for work for several months without success, which has forced them to remain in this desperate situation. Coming from remote communities such as Guázaro, Río Veraguas, Calovébora and Bocas del Toro, they say that their only intention is to find a job that allows them to support themselves and send money to their families, who also live in extreme poverty.
Carlos Ortega, an educator from Veraguas, expressed his concern about the marginalization of these young people. “They are also Panamanians and should have the same opportunities as those who hold important public positions. However, they seem to be ignored by the authorities,” Ortega said. He added that during previous administrations, authorities came close to this situation without offering help, which has perpetuated the cycle of poverty in the region. Jesus Mendoza, another concerned citizen, described the situation as “unacceptable” in a country where, according to him, millions of dollars are wasted on projects that are never carried out, while qualified and prepared people do not find employment opportunities.
“It is unacceptable that some people receive benefits just for having well-known surnames in politics, while others are left aside,” Mendoza said. Faced with this reality, the governor of the province of Veraguas, Hildemarta Riera Díaz , became aware of the situation last weekend and has ordered an inter-institutional inspection to assess the living conditions of these young people. Riera said that a way to support them will be sought, although he clarified that it will not be a permanent solution, since the location of the house represents a danger due to the possible flooding of the stream. The governor also ruled out the possibility of land invasion, stressing that it is a temporary need for people who are desperately seeking work to survive.
