In Panama La Chorrera Celebrates Its Independence with a Parade Full of Pride

The district of La Chorrera celebrated the 204th anniversary of Panama’s independence from Spain with a civic parade that brought together 86 student bands from different provinces, in an atmosphere filled with identity and respect for history.  On this occasion, the municipal council designated businessman Juan Arias Strunz as standard-bearer and the general secretary of the Meritorious Fire Department of the Republic of Panama, José Tomás Batista, as the official speaker.  In his speech, Batista highlighted the importance of the independence movement and the efforts of teachers and community groups that keep this Chorrera tradition alive. 

For his part, Mayor Eloy Chong focused his message on the courage of those who, despite adversity, defended freedom and believed in a country capable of deciding its own destiny.  This year, the Board of Celebrations and National Holidays decided to separate the activities: the parade of school bands took place on the 28th and the 29th will be the turn of the independent bands, due to the high number of delegations.  According to Aquiles Acevedo, president of the board, the measure guarantees enough time for all the groups to perform without any problems. A total of 15 independent bands will parade on the 29th.  As the parade began, a tense moment occurred between a group of teachers, members of SUNTRACS and units of the National Police, due to differences regarding the permits granted by MEDUCA for their participation.