Panama Presents 500,000 Christmas Boxes To Arrive at 132 Sites with 28 of Them New
Mulino explained that the box will only cost $15, because the Government covers 55% of the retail price.
President José Raúl Mulino announced that the government will sell more than 500,000 Christmas food boxes for $15 each. These boxes contain rice, sugar, salt, pigeon peas, and a picnic ham, a measure intended to provide some economic relief to families at the end of the year. Listen carefully: 500,000 Christmas boxes so that no table in the Panamanian people goes empty,” Mulino said. Christmas boxes at $15: the government pays more than half.
Mulino explained that the box which contains real food, the kind that fills you up and is enough will only cost $15, because the National Government covers 55% of the real value. “Good food, good price. The people won’t pay more than half,” he insisted. The president even joked with the director of the Christmas Fairs, Nilo Murillo, saying to him in front of everyone: “I publicly promise that we’ll eat one of those hams from Veraguas, Azuero, or Chiriquí… really good ham!”
“Christmas belongs to the people, not to those who speculate.” Mulino stressed that the Christmas fairs are not a political show, but a real relief from the price increases that Panamanians see every day. “We are making every effort to ensure that there is good food at a good price on the table for Panamanians. Christmas belongs to the people, not to those who speculate,” he said. This year, the Christmas markets will reach 28 new locations, totaling 132 sites throughout Panama, even venturing onto islands and into the Emberá-Wounaan region. This tour aims to reach places where affordable food is rarely found.
A Different December for Thousands of Families
According to the Government’s plan, the boxes will reach urban areas, working-class neighborhoods, rural districts, and communities that are always “last” in everything. The president’s instruction was clear: speed, transparency, and distribution without abuse or favoritism. “The people deserve a peaceful Christmas, without having to suffer for food,” Mulino stated.
