President claims roads reopening as dialogue starts

President Laurentino Cortizo called on  Thursday, July 21, from the city of Penonomé, for the reopening of the roads that have been blocked for more than two weeks due to citizen protests

Cortizo said that he was receiving information that the roads were being reopened and emphasized that the incorporation of the Executive Branch team to the dialogue is progress.

The president said that for freezing the price of fuel at $3.25 there will have to be a budgetary sacrifice and emphasized that these resources will not stay in the country because they will be paid to the oil companies.

“That resource goes to another country… we have to pay for it and that comes out of the budget and we have to pay around $144 million ,” he said.

For this reason, Cortizo instructed the Minister of Commerce and Industry, to present in the next Cabinet Council the repeal of Laws No. 122 and No. 314 of the tourism sector.

On July 18, the Panamanian Hotel Association (Apatel) requested the Executive Branch to repeal Law No. 3i4 on tax incentives “due to lack of consultation and failure to meet the real needs facing the tourism sector in Panama.”

Apatel also requested the repeal of Law No. 122, which allows companies or natural persons that acquire bonds, shares or other financial instruments issued by tourism companies with projects outside the district of Panama to receive a tax credit of the tax on the 100% income for the sums invested.

The Executive team is made up of several ministers, including Health, Luis Francisco Sucre; the Minister of Labor, Doris Zapata, and the Deputy Minister of Internal Trade, Omar Montilla.

Also in the delegation is the director of the Social Security Fund, Enrique Lau Cortés, and the advisory ministers Eyra Ruiz and José Alejandro Rojas.

The Archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa, participates as a facilitator

Cortizo clarified that the interlocutor of his administration at the dialogue table is the Vice President, José Gabriel Carrizo.

Present at the dialogue table are the Association of Teachers delegates from the Ngäbe-Buglé region and the United People for Life Alliance and the National Alliance for the Rights of the Organized People.

Talks began at 3.52 pm.