575 People from Río Indio and Surrounding Areas Receive Property Titles from the Panama Canal Authority.
The Panama Canal Authority on Friday delivered 130 property titles benefiting 575 people from communities in the Río Indio basin and surrounding areas, as part of the process of regularizing and legalizing land tenure in this area. With this delivery, the Cadastre and Titling Project in the Río Indio Watershed reaches 2,201 property titles, according to the Panama Canal. During the ceremony, the administrator of the Panama Canal, Ilya Espino de Marotta, highlighted the significance of the land titling for the beneficiary families.
“Receiving a property title means much more than completing a procedure. It means obtaining formal recognition of rights built up over time and having the legal certainty that the family’s assets are properly protected,” she noted. The procedures for these titles began a few years ago and included cadastral surveys, evaluations, verifications and registrations, as part of the process to support the rights of the beneficiaries. The process is being carried out jointly by the National Land Administration Authority (ANATI) and the Panama Canal, with support from the Technical Support Unit (UTA), managed through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in addition to the participation of the Ministry of Environment and the Public Registry.
The general administrator of ANATI, Andrés Pagés Chanis, pointed out that the delivery represents the recognition of rights over the lands. “Today is not a favor being done for anyone. Here, a right that belongs to them, that has belonged to them, and that will continue to belong to them is being recognized,” he stated. The titling also includes properties designated for community services and activities. Of the titles issued, four went to the Ministry of Education, one to the Ministry of Health, six to the La Encantada Community Board, and four to the Diocese of Colón and Guna Yala.
The spaces included are the Boca Chica or Nueva Esperanza School, the school cafeteria of the La Encantadita School, the school gardens of La Encantadita and Nueva Unión, and the Santa Rosa Health Post. The La Encantadita playing field, the local houses of Nueva Arenosa and Santa Rosa, and the cemeteries of Nancito, Las Cruces, and Los Cedros were also titled. For Ana Edilma Jaime, from the community of La Encantadita, the title represents the formalization of a heritage built by families over the years. “The land means much more than a piece of land; it is where we have built our homes and watched our families grow, where we have worked hard and honestly,” she said. Over the past 26 years, the Panama Canal has contributed to the delivery of more than 25,219 property titles throughout the Canal Watershed, according to information provided by the entity.
