Panama’s Bocas del Toro is Running Short of Gas and Supplies due to Road Blocks
Bocas del Toro is out of fuel for vehicles due to road blocks. “Right now we don’t have gas, only some diesel… And we don’t know how long it will last,” a dispatcher stated. Area producers cannot move merchandise or receive essential supplies. The entire province is experiencing a supply crisis: several gas stations no longer have fuel or only have limited diesel. Some only offer 90 octane gasolines, with 95 reserved for official vehicles.
Tanker trucks are stranded on the Changuinola Bridge and others do not dare to enter for fear of closures. Drivers of selective transport are forced to use what is available, even looking for gasoline across the Costa Rican border. Patients at Changuinola Hospital also face difficulties attending appointments, exams and surgeries. In short……….Bocas del Toro is a mess.
Crisis in Changuinola: Appeals, New Law 45, and Change of Governor
This Tuesday, the crisis revolved around possible judicial appeals, changes in authorities, and legislative promises of a new Law 45. However, in Changuinola, time is running out, and on the banana farms, uncertainty continues to reap its own bitter fruit. The sun rises like every day in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, but nothing is the same. For more than two weeks, the district and its neighboring towns, such as Almirante and Rambala, have been trapped between barricades of rocks, garbage dumps, and planks laid across the road. The blockades, led by banana workers, construction workers, and teachers, have paralyzed traffic in at least twenty places. The conflict isn’t just affecting mobility. Empty shelves in local businesses and medicine shortages in pharmacies reflect a shortage that is growing every day. There’s no fuel, food is scarce, and tourism—which used to be the province’s lifeblood—is barely holding on. Reservations are being cancelled, hotels are operating at half capacity, and tourist boats remain moored at docks, symbolizing a stagnant economy.
