Panama announces the unblocking of its highways after the serious social crisis

First modification: 07/27/2022 – 12:58

After three weeks of blockades, the Panamanian highways were released and already presented a constant vehicular flow on Tuesday, July 26, as confirmed by the Panamanian Minister of Security, Juan Manuel Pinto.

The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, had reiterated during the day to the protesters to reopen the roads, during a message in which he appeared surrounded by ministers. “The protests, street and highway closures affect us all, put the health and life of Panamanians at risk, they also increase the cost of food and threaten employment,” he said.

The government “respects the right to demonstrate,” but “without disturbances of public order, violation of the rights of third parties and much less acts of vandalism,” he added.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue with the organizations that have called the protests against the cost of living and corruption, in what is the worst social crisis that the country has experienced since the US invasion of 1989.

The cut of the routes, especially the Pan-American, which connects Panama with Costa Rica, had caused the shortage of food and fuel in several cities of the country.

In Santiago de Veraguas, 250 kilometers southwest of Panama City, the epicenter of the most radical protests, the police prevented the closure of the Panamericana, according to images published on social networks.

$3.25 a gallon of gasoline

On Tuesday, leaders of the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous region, in the west of the country, had announced that they would stop blocking the Panamericana in the province of Chiriquí, where most of the fresh food consumed in the country comes from.

To date, the government has agreed to reduce the price of 72 items in the basic basket and lower fuel prices from $5.20 per gallon to $3.25.

President Laurentino Cortizo ordered the inclusion of other productive sectors at the negotiating table. But protesters are demanding more be done, including restrictions on public spending, greater transparency and more investment in health and education.