The Inter-American Highway near Viguí Reopens; Toribio García Led the Blockade

The Inter-American Highway, near Viguí, Veraguas province, was reopened on the morning of Tuesday, May 13, by officers from the National Police’s Crowd Control Unit. But it was closed again, and opened once more. Expect a number of closures for the next while while the strikes continue. The Mulino government is doing a good job sending in the National Police’s Crowd Control Unit to various parts of Panama as needed to keep the traffic moving. A person with a shotgun was arrested in Tolé, near the protests. 

Cargo trucks heading from the city to Chiriquí and Central America, and vice versa, continued on their way once the police took control.  Toribio García, a Ngäbe-Buglé leader led the blockade. After remaining out of the public eye, allegedly for health reasons, self-proclaimed indigenous leader Toribio García reappeared Monday night at the Viguí protest site, between the provinces of Chiriquí and Veraguas.  García explained that his absence from public life in recent months was due to a pre-heart attack that kept him under medical treatment for 22 days. Below is a notification sent in to NewroomPanama.com as a person was driving near Bugaba listening to a radio and heard about paid protestors.

There are many areas of striking Panamanians, mostly in the cities, so it is best to avoid too much travel today to those areas and in the near distant future until these strikes are over.

The Teachers’ Strike Continues: Unions Insist on the Repeal of Law 462

The teachers’ strike continues over the repeal of Law 462, affecting students, while President Mulino remains firm in his stance.  Teachers’ unions reaffirm strike and demand the resignation of the Minister of Education. The teachers’ unions have been on an indefinite strike since April 23.