Bonnie

I read it as a preliminary announcement for the purpose of recruiting chili chefs.

Information would be more widely available if the business would advertise. Many small Panamanian businesses don't, and a frequent result is their demise.

The outsourcing of Social Security issues to Costa Rica took place well before any funds or personnel were restored. And it remains in Costa Rica for reasons unknown to me. My best guess--and it's only a guess because officials at the Embassy are not forthcoming about this--is that anything that was restored went to diplomacy, business and trade relations, drug interdiction, etc. rather than to citizen services for reasons stated above. I agree with others, however, that Panama ACS should be able to respond to phone calls more than four hours a week, particularly since they no longer handle Social Security issues. I find it very hard to believe that the Citizens Services unit is that busy.

8 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

Wonder what the employee head-count at US Embassy in PC is now compared to 2016 and when John Farrar was the Ambassador to Panama.

I don't know, but I feel sure there were more than now because the purge of employees didn't begin until late 2016-early 2017. There may be hope, though:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/us/politics/mike-pompeo-lifts-hiring-freeze-state-department.html

This also addresses the issue of responsibility for the personnel and budget cuts.

21 hours ago, Uncle Doug said:

I'm not sure I completely understand your question, Marcelyn.  It does seem evident to me, though, that nobody in the embassy with any stroke gives a whit about providing services to American citizens living in Panama.  Perhaps they see their function as entirely diplomatic or coordinating with security matters involving the Canal or the drug interdiction efforts.

It's too bad since American citizens in Panama continue to pay American income tax and enjoy few of the benefits most Americans receive in return.  You would think that the embassy could answer the phone for more than four hours a week.  No private company could last a month with that kind of policy, and it infuriates me.

I am certainly against waste and bloat in the government, and the US State Department is one of the biggest and most inefficient bureaucracies on the planet. But seriously, answer the damn phone.  What is that employee doing the rest of the work week?

Outsourcing the Social Security issues to Costa Rica is simply an outrage.  

The truth is that US expats have no clout.  We don't vote in sufficient numbers for politicians to even notice.  I don't know how to get their attention.

20 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

Uncle Doug, I appreciate your thinking and analysis. I agree with you. Thanks.

My job prior to retirement took me to a number of countries around the world where I worked with and through the American Embassies to consult with foreign governments. I never perceived the embassies to be bloated. On the contrary, I witnessed embassy employees doing an awfully lot with relatively few employees, many of whom were locals.

It is fashionable to criticize government, but I believe that, historically, the State Department is one of the least deserving of criticism.

I also note that when I took over as a warden in the spring of 2016, American Citizen Services at the U.S. embassy in Panama was a well-oiled machine. When I sought answers for expats, I got answers; and I got them promptly. I still find them to be responsive insofar as they are able within newly imposed restrictions. The articles referenced above by Two Sailors (which are only two of many), in my view, tells the true story. The State Department has been decimated, and it’s beginning to show. As Doug noted, American citizens abroad are relatively few and have little political clout, so expat services are the first to go.

3 hours ago, Pantah said:

So how do we know this pendejo is from the US? Anyone?

There is an audio/video of the encounter that has been posted on Facebook. In the audio someone, possibly a policewoman, says something about an "estadounidense." The man himself says that he is not from Boquete.

1 hour ago, TwoSailors said:

I never said an ACL!  Read the whole comment.

I apologize. I misunderstood both you and Keith. I thought Keith was referring to the current bilingual ACL.

I've received a number of personal emails inquiring about what this means for U.S. citizens here who have come to rely on the Wardens for help. I believe it means just what it says. For all practical purposes, there no longer are U.S. Wardens as the term previously was understood, i.e., as representatives who aid U.S. citizens abroad with solving their problems. This responsibility has wholly reverted to the Consulate itself. The new American Citizen Liaisons  (ACLs) now liaise primarily with the Consulate and minimally with expats.

One warden has resigned, primarily due to potential liability fears, and many others have expressed concern. Chief among these concerns is whether U.S. expats will be able to receive timely aid, given that social security has been outsourced to Costa Rica (which I understand has been very slow to respond) and the fact that telephone contact with the U.S. Citizens Services division now is limited to four hours a week. It has been my experience, though, that the Panama office usually responds quickly to emails. As a reminder, that address is panama-acs@state.gov.

By all means continue to come to me and Hank with your questions and problems. If there is public information that can address those concerns, we will provide it. And we continue to stand ready to direct you to sources that may be able to help. But please understand that we have no authority to address or investigate unique circumstances and situations.

19 minutes ago, TwoSailors said:

 As long as they are bilingual and are willing to put the time and energy into it, we don't care what country they come from.

You may not care, but the U.S. government does. An ACL must be a U.S. citizen.

52 minutes ago, Penny said:

Ooooh, Bonnie. I think you just opened up that old can of worms about who is an American.

From the dictionary:

Nor sufficiently American, being from Canada.?

7 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Perhaps one of the U.S. Wardens can investigate the incident through the Police and assist in his removal if at all possible.

Hank and I do not have the authority to investigate. See

All U.S. Wardens in Panama received the below information this week from the Consulate in Panama. I have highlighted the parts that likely will most affect U.S. citizens living here and their relationship with the CLV (prev. Warden).

DESCRIPTION OF CITIZEN LIAISON VOLUNTEER DUTIES
U.S. Embassy Panama City, July 16, 2018

The American Liaison Network (ALN) is a key component of U.S. Embassy Panama’s effort to ensure the safety and security of U.S. citizens in Panama. As a Citizen Liaison Volunteer (CLV), you have an important role in helping the embassy keep the U.S. citizen community informed and, in extraordinary circumstances, helping the embassy to deliver emergency services to U.S. citizens. As a CLV, you are expected to be an active part of the U.S. citizen and CLV communities, maintaining regular communication with the embassy, as well as other CLVs, working together to continuously identify the needs and vulnerabilities of the U.S. citizen community in Panama.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

CLVs are key liaisons between the embassy and U.S. citizens in Panama. As a CLV, you will be an important point of contact for the embassy within the private U.S. citizen community, providing a window into the concerns, interests, and needs of U.S. citizens in your ALN zone.
As a CLV you may be asked to:

 Disseminate information as directed by the embassy to the U.S. citizen community in your ALN zone;
 Be an on-the-ground resource to help the embassy understand issues of concern to U.S. citizens and share information that might further post’s consular operations;
 Report on available local resources for U.S. citizens in your ALN zone, identify gaps, and when possible, seek solutions to fill those gaps;
 Identify risks for potential crises and security issues in your ALN zone, identify gaps in preparedness for the U.S. citizen community;
 In exigent situations only, and at post’s explicit direction, help post provide emergency services to U.S. citizens;
 Maintain local contacts in your ALN zone, including U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen expatriates, which might be of use to the embassy’s consular operations;
 Engage with other CLVs to share experiences through the embassy’s ALN WhatsApp group, by email, by meeting in person, or other appropriate means;
 Encourage U.S. citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP);
 Identify for post’s consideration individuals who may be willing to serve as an alternate CLV for your ALN zone or as a CLV in another part of the country.

Important:
 You are not a representative of the U.S. government or U.S. embassy.
 You are not compensated for performing this role.
 You are not a government employee, are not a spokesperson, and are not a consular officer or consular agent.
 You are asked to refer all media or legal inquiries to the embassy.
 You also must refer to the embassy all general requests to explain policies, procedures, or services beyond what is publicly available.
 You must safeguard the privacy of personal information that is provided to you in the course of your duties. Some of the information that you will receive from the U.S. Department of State in your role as a CLV is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, when it is maintained by the Department. You must not use or disseminate this information to others, except as necessary to perform your duties as a CLV.

WORKING WITH ALTERNATE CITIZEN LIAISON VOLUNTEERS
Recommend an alternate CLV from the list of U.S. citizens in your ALN zone. The alternate CLV also will sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the embassy after approval by the consular section chief.
With the alternate CLV, agree how you will distribute Alerts within your ALN zone. Notify each other if one of you will be away from your ALN zone or out of the country. If both of you will be away at the same time, or if you do not have an alternate CLV identified, please identify a candidate to serve as the CLV pending your return and immediately notify the ALN coordinator in the embassy’s consular section by email at panama-acs@state.gov.
Alternate CLVs must sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. embassy before they may serve as CLVs. In your message, please provide the alternate CLV's name, address, and contact numbers, and length of time that s/he will cover during your absence.
Regularly update the list of names, street addresses, phone/fax numbers, and email addresses of U.S. citizens in your ALN zone. Report all changes to the Embassy's ALN coordinator at the above email address.

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY
In the event of a crisis, our foremost concern is your safety. Do not put yourself at personal risk to deliver Alerts, information, or services. When you are in a safe location, you should contact the consular section so that we can confirm your welfare and whereabouts. Be aware of your surroundings and report information that can help consular officers assess the situation. This will help the embassy and the Department of State understand where there are needs to be met and how best to respond.
The consular section transmits Alerts to U.S. citizens electronically, but there may be instances during crises where local infrastructure fails or inhibits the delivery of timely alerts. If necessary, these Alerts for the local U.S. community may be relayed from the embassy or consulate to you for dissemination by any means available to you.
Distribute Alerts and other situational/emergency information for the local U.S. community as relayed from the embassy to the members of your ALN zone. The embassy will relay Alerts to you via email, fax, or telephone/text. Arrange the fastest mode of dissemination of information possible in your ALN zone (this might include forwarding the Alert to a group email list, a cascade telephone system, faxing, or “buddy” system, depending on the distribution of citizens within your zone.)
Remain accessible by email, telephone, or fax. If possible, the embassy will email information directly to your email address. You can then distribute this Alert by the means you previously set up. In addition, identical information promptly will appear on the embassy’s website at https://pa.usembassy.gov/ . CLVs who do not have internet access can call 317-5000 and press 0 upon hearing the embassy recording.
Distribute Alerts from the embassy regarding the status of the emergency and suggested actions to be taken. Alerts must be transmitted verbatim without interpreting, paraphrasing, or expanding the Alert.
Coordinate with embassy personnel in choosing assembly areas and movement routes, should it be necessary to move people to a central location to facilitate communication, documentation, and/or evacuation.
Report back to the embassy the results of efforts to contact the members of your ALN zone, information as provided by the local U.S. community, and any situational information about your zone via panama-acs@state.gov. CLVs who do not have internet access may call 317-5000 press 0 upon hearing the embassy recording.

The correct date is August 19, I believe.

(I thought all announcements of events had to be calendared before going out on News Boquete, but this September 19 announcement is not on the calendar.)

He wandered quite a ways along a busy highway. Lucky to be alive and to have been found by someone who cared.

Contact Lorena Pitti or her husband, Nemacio Cascante, at Boquete Garden Services.  Lorena 6681-1648 (English)  or Nemacio 6554-8213 (Spanish) or email boquetegardenservices@gmail.com.

I haven't heard anything about them lately, but so far as I know they are still in the tree trimming business. Nice folks.

2 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

The Police don't investigate crimes. That's left to the Public Ministry, through the office of the Personera.

A complaint has to be made there and then the process starts. As you say, it's ineffective and progress is difficult to track.

Hopefully under the new Accusatory system, things will go smoother.

Yes, that's why I used the term "authorities." I know the Personeria takes over from the police, but I've never been sure exactly what the police do. In two cases I was involved with, the police did do some minimal investigation. Both cases were then kicked up to the Personeria and died somewhere in the process. Obvious suspects and witnesses (or potential witnesses) in both cases were never even questioned. The victims, on the other hand, were tied up for days in the bureaucracy.

2 hours ago, Brundageba said:

20 year old and so messed up that at 4:30 or so in the morning he was  roaming around and able to beat a woman beyond recognition to death after stealing from her ...and more .   I doubt it's just a "choice between two paths"  but a pattern of uncorrected malevolence for a long long time with this kid.   The degree of "bad path" with this crime was off the Richter.    I guess what I'm saying here is that blaming the police for this happening is putting the blame in the wrong location.  If police response was slow then certainly that needs to be looked into as well.

I can't speak for Keith, but it has been my experience that the shortcomings of the police go beyond showing up late, even though that is an important concern. The failure to investigate or to investigate effectively I find deeply troubling. In my dealings with the authorities, they have made no effort I'm aware of to actually solve a crime. They fail to follow up proffered leads, do not interview named suspects, gather no evidence, etc. Rather, they engage the victim in hours of unproductive bureaucracy leading to nothing. And criminals profit when there is no apprehension and enforcement. Certainly the behavior of the young man in question was not caused by the police, but I also would be willing to bet that he has engaged in other criminal behavior during his 20 years that has gone unpunished.

28 minutes ago, Siempre Soluciones said:

 

US embassies have essentially become welcome centers for new citizens.

 

 

What do you mean? If you mean welcoming U.S. citizens who have come to reside in Panama, I see absolutely no evidence to support that. I know of no one who has been "welcomed," as I understand the word, by the Embassy.

Don't forget that the Embassy's role goes beyond in-country citizen services. It's most important function is the diplomatic one, which includes interacting "with representatives of the host government, local businesses, nongovernmental organizations, the media and educational institutions, as well as private citizens to increase understanding of the United States and its policies and to collaborate on shared interests.  Embassy staff analyze the political and economic situation in the host country and report back to the Department of State on issues that affect the United States. They help U.S. businesses find partners and customers and may train the host government’s police and military to support better security in the country. They also sponsor educational, professional and cultural exchanges to introduce emerging and established leaders to the United States and to promote ties between U.S. and foreign students, academics, scientists, entrepreneurs, political, religious, and civil society figures." [from https://diplomacy.state.gov/discoverdiplomacy/diplomacy101/places/170537.htm]

The embassy handles a lot of things other than aiding U.S. citizens, so I think you mean American Citizen Services (ACS). Register your concerns with them. I’m afraid I’m just a flunky, as frustrated as you are. 

I will say this. The people in Panama ACS always respond, and usually respond promptly. They were always quick to resolve SSA issues before the responsibility was transferred to Costa Rica. And they too were distressed about the transference.  So we’re all suffering from that decision.

i just don’t understand why phone questions are entertained for only four hours out of a 40-hour work week.

They respond to emergencies at all hours. I don’t know—and I think it’s a bad idea—but I believe they severely limit the time for receiving phone calls to encourage people to use email. They can’t be THAT busy, particularly since one of the major functions of ACS, social security, has been transferred to Costa Rica.

Speaking of Costa Rica, I wrote the consulate there on July 5 asking a simple question about the proof if life procedure. After five days and responding to three emails from them—all of which asked for information already provided, information that was irrelevant, or information which could and should have been sought in their first reply—I finally got my answer this morning.  Very frustrating.

U.S. Embassy - Panama

Consular Section

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Change to ACS and FBU Calling Hours

The American Citizens Services (ACS) and Federal Benefits (FBU) Units will be changing their schedules to receive external calls from 10:30-11:30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  The Embassy phone number is (507) 317-5000.  For automated information, please call (507) 317-5030.

Additionally, we would like to remind our customers that ACS and FBU operate on an appointment-only system for all services except emergency ACS cases and adult passport renewals.  For general questions, we encourage writing to ACS by email (panama-acs@state.gov) and FBU (panama-fbu@state.gov) by email. 

American Citizen Services

To schedule an appointment, or to obtain more information, please see the Embassy’s ACS page, which can be found here.

Federal Benefits

To schedule an appointment, or to obtain more information, please send an email to Panama-FBU@state.gov.   Please only send one e-mail regarding your issue.   We aim to respond to your inquiries within 3 business days.

U.S. Embassy – Panama

Sección Consular

INFORMACION IMPORTANTE

Cambio a Horario de Llamadas a ACS y FBU

Las Unidades de Servicios para Ciudadanos Estadounidenses (ACS) y Beneficios Federales (FBU) cambiarán sus horarios para recibir llamadas externas a las 10: 30-11: 30 a.m. los lunes, los martes, los jueves y los viernes. El número de teléfono de la Embajada es (507) 317-5000. Para información automatizada, por favor llame al (507) 317-5030.

Además, nos gustaría recordarles a nuestros clientes que ACS y FBU operan con un sistema exclusivo de cita para todos los servicios, excepto casos de emergencia de ACS y renovaciones de pasaportes para adultos. Para preguntas generales, recomendamos escribir a ACS (panama-acs@state.gov) y FBU (panama-fbu@state.gov) por correo electrónico.

Servicios para Ciudadanos Estadounidenses

Para programar una cita u obtener más información, consulte la página ACS de la Embajada, que se puede encontrar aqui.

Beneficios Federales

Para programar una cita u obtener más información, envíe un correo electrónico a Panama-FBU@state.gov. Por favor, solo envíe un correo electrónico explicando su problema. Nuestro objetivo es responder a sus consultas dentro de los tres días hábiles.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy Panama City, Panama

507-317-5000

Panama-ACS@state.gov

https://pa.usembassy.gov/ 

State Department - Consular Affairs

888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444

Panama Country Information

Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates

Thanks for this, Keith. It's reassuring. My limited experiences with the police and the justice system, primarily related to my responsibilities as a U.S. warden, have all been bad: time-consuming and non-productive.

Strange. I distinctly felt one between one and one thirty, but that time isn’t mentioned.

On 7/9/2018 at 12:38 PM, Moderator_02 said:

Emigdio Walker, mayor of Boquete, said the protest comes as a loud and clear call to avoid more cases like that of Nuris Castrellón.

“We ask for justice, not only for what happened to a woman in Boquete but in the rest of the country,” said the mayor.

This has echoes of the "thoughts and prayers" emanating from Stateside politicians in response to gun violence. I would be more impressed if we heard the Mayor say that he will demand more of the local police and prosecutors. Platitudes aren't enough. People want to see a responsive police force: the apprehension and successful prosecution of criminals.