The Rector of Unachi Etelvina Medianero de Bonagas will Leave Office on June 8 of 2026
The rector of Unachi leaves her post after weeks of uncertainty in the university community.
The rector of the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi), Etelvina Medianero de Bonagas, formally submitted her resignation from the position through a letter addressed to the General University Council, in which she announced that her departure will be effective from June 8, 2026. Medianero de Bonagas stated that his decision seeks to contribute to the well-being of the students, the tranquility of the university community and the continuity of the institutional management.
Who is Jorge Bonilla and Why Could he Replace the Rector of Unachi?
Olivia Candanedo seated left with her husband and vice-rector, Jorge Bonilla.
Beyond the figure of Etelvina Medianero de Bonagas pictured below center, there is another key actor in the power structure and operation of the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi): the lawyer and academic vice-rector, Jorge Bonilla. Bonilla also wields influence over one of the most sensitive processes in university life: the hiring of professors. Among his responsibilities is requesting the rector to appoint professors who are added to the “database,” based on recommendations from the committees in charge of evaluating applicants in the various academic units, that is, the faculties. The University Statute establishes that, in the event of the rector’s resignation, the Academic Vice-Rector would temporarily assume the leadership of the university.
The Resolution that Allowed the Re-Election of Deans at Unachi They are asking to Declare Illegal
The Attorney General’s Office has opened a new front of questions regarding the governance of the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi). A legal opinion signed by the Attorney General, Grettel Villalaz, calls into question the legality of the reelection of several of its top officials. The legal conflict centers on Resolution TSE-003-2024, issued by the Superior Electoral Court of Unachi, through which a challenge against the re-election of Professor Eliseo Ríos Araúz as dean of the Faculty of Education was rejected outright.
The legal opinion, dated April 30, 2025, arises as a response to a nullity claim filed before the Supreme Court of Justice.
