Moderators Moderator_03 Posted February 4, 2022 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2022 Quote OPINION: Panama mayor living in a time capsule The current seafood market had a $4 million makeover under Mayor Blandon. Posted 03/02/2022 The mayor of Panama City seems to live in a capsule that prevents him from having contact with reality. The inhabitants of the most populated district of the country have seen the erratic and capricious ideas of this official, who only knows how to devise pharaonic projects, whose practical use has no impact on the serious problems that the district suffers. The latest nonsense of the mayor is to build a new seafood market in the coastal strip, limiting the few areas destined for public recreation in the capital and, specifically, in the coastal strip. Aside from the fact that a new market is not necessary, the $40 million that he wants to allocate to this project could well be put to better use, to expand the reduced supply of public space that the inhabitants of the district so desperately need, besieged by aggressive urban development, thanks to the generosity of the City Hall, which, ironically, does not stop approving zoning changes for iron and concrete masses, increasingly reducing public space. The worst thing is that the mayor doesn't seem to let himself be advised; he eagerly seeks to bury his political future with projects alien to the basic needs of his constituents. – LA PRENSA, Feb. 21 https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-panama-mayor-living-in-a-time-capsule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted February 11, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted February 11, 2022 < Quote Mayor’s obsession with $40 million seafood market Posted 10/02/2022 CIVIL SOCIETY must once again intervene in the process for the construction of a new seafood market in the coastal strip, an initiative that would cost the capital commune about $40 million, and whose citizen consultation to make it happen was a farce in order to try to justify the use of decentralization funds. This time, the organizations are seeking to verify whether the transfer of 2.1 hectares of the coastal strip to the Mayor's Office of Panama - destined for the project - complied with the application and administration procedure of three globs of land already granted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance for the construction site. The request is due to the questionable background of the current mayoral administration that, in search of concretizing some mega-work, rebounds against the adverse opinion of the inhabitants of the district. The mayor insists on imposing initiatives that do not have the consensus of the city, precisely, like building a seafood market if there is already one. Faced with this, civil society does see with good eyes the construction of a network of peripheral markets, which would help reactivate the economies of several communities in this municipality. Why doesn't the mayor welcome this good idea? LA PRENSA, Feb. 10. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/mayors-obsession-with-40-million-seafood-market Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted February 22, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2022 Quote Public protest called against new Seafood market The Seafood Market underwent a $4 million renovation during the previous administration. Posted 22/02/2022 A citizen’s organization has called for a public protest on Thursday, February 24 on the Cinta Costera in opposision to Mayor José Luis Fábrega’s plan to build a new Seafood Market. The Urban Citizen Network of Panama (Redcupa) describes the opening of bids for the $43 million project as a new disappointment. Redcupa - an organization made up of several communities in the district of Panama - stated that there are several reasons for rejecting the project, whose funds will come from the decentralization budget, despite the fact that the capital's municipality will receive $30 million less than what was budgeted, due to a drop in Income Tax collection. The organization pointed out that using the decentralization funds, which correspond to the entire district of Panama —a population of 1.25 million—, without a broad consultation in which all the districts participate, is a mistake. It indicated that justifying a project through a citizen consultation limited to the citizens of the township of Calidonia —of 22,000 inhabitants or 1.8% of the total population of the city— is nonsense that demonstrates the little respect that is shown to the mechanism. of collective participation. The architect and president of Redcupa, Xochilth Troncoso, indicated that for the organization the approval of $40 million by the vote of 22 firms that attended the consultation, that is, 0.1% of the population of Calidonia, regardless of whether they were municipal employees or there were repeated signatures, it is disrespectful. For Troncoso, the mayor's administration cannot be disconnected from reality by promoting a project that does not represent a priority or a need for the city. Given these reasons, the Redcupa calls for the February 24 protest at the Mirador del Pacífico, in the coastal strip Redcupa invites Mayor Fábrega to join in working, together with other government authorities, to solve specific and overwhelming problems that afflict the populations in the townships of the district of Panama, such as the collection of waste and organic waste from efficiently and effectively, lack of lighting in public spaces, as well as lack of sidewalks, dumpsters, among others. The Beach Project The plan to build a new market came about after strong public rejection of Mayor Fábrega's flagship project: the recovery of public spaces and beaches in Calidonia and Bella Vista, valued at $120 million. In the plan that Fábrega presented in his election campaign, there is no mention of the market as a key project. Fábrega had no obstacles in approving his initiative in the Council. Of the 26 representatives, 24 voted in favor of the controversial market and has been oblivious to criticism against the market that he intends to build on the coastal strip and which would occupy some 8,000 square meters that today are public recreation areas. He assured that time will prove his management right https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/public-protest-called-against-new-seafood-market Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted February 24, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted February 24, 2022 Quote Call to revoke the mandate of Panama Mayor Posted 23/02/2022 A group of people from the capital district submitted a request on Tuesday, to the Electoral Court to revoke the mandate of Mayor José Luis Fábrega, based on a series of situations such as non-compliance with his work plan presented in the campaign, as well as the lack of transparency in the processes during his two and a half years in office. The document was presented by the independent lawyer Roberto Ruiz Díaz, says that promises have not been complied with and projects that are not a municipal priority have been presented, highlighting that “necessary accountability and transparency have not been complied with”. In the document, they say that, in compliance with the law that the revocation cannot be requested during the first and last year of the mandate, the request is presented so that the citizens of the capital commune can decide whether or not they want to revoke Fabrega's mandate. The recall will require 160,000 signatures in four months. Among the projects that have raised citizen opposition are the now-abandoned $120 million beach renewal and the $40 million Seafood Market against which there will be a demonstration on the Cinta Costera on Thursday. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/call-to-revoke-the-mandate-of-panama-mayor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted March 2, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted March 2, 2022 Quote Inquiry into ‘consultation’ process for $40 million market Posted 28/02/2022 The Mesa Ciudadana organization has called on The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) to initiate an investigation into the citizen consultation that was carried out for the construction of the seafood market. The public consultation was organized by the Municipality of Panama in November 2020, at the community board of Calidonia and 22 people participated. The project of the new seafood market will cost between $40 and $50 million and on February 15 the Municipal Council of Panama approved to call the tender for the construction of the work, which will be located on the Cinta Costera, in Calidonia. The organization issued a statement on Monday in which it expresses its rejection of the construction of the new seafood market, a project managed by the mayor of Panama City, José Luis Fábrega. Similarly, the organization raises its opposition to the construction of other markets that have been proposed by the administration of the Mayor. “We demand that the municipal authorities stop the progress of the process for the construction of the markets until the constitutional provisions and the law are complied with, which support the obligation of prior citizen consultations,” says the statement. Mesa Ciudadana asks the municipal authorities to comply with the laws and the Constitution, in relation to the principles of transparency, accountability and efficient mechanisms for citizen participation. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/inquiry-into-consultation-process-for-40-million-market Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted March 22, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted March 22, 2022 Quote Lawsuit over land transfer for seafood market Posted 22/03/2022 A group of citizens presented, a lawsuit on Tuesday, March 22 before the Supreme Court Third Chamber to review the transfer process of land by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to the Mayor's Office of Panama for the construction of a new seafood market, which has caused complaints and objections from different sectors of society. "We ask the Third Chamber to review the legality of the transfer because the urban linear park is under the administration of the Ministry of Public Works and the MEF, according to the regulations, does not have authorization to give that use to the Mayor's Office of Panama", said the lawyer Giulia de Sanctis, who spoke on behalf of the plaintiff group. De Sanctis recalled that other reasons for the lawsuit filed against the MEF and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Héctor Alexander, is that when the transfer of the farms was carried out, without public consultation. The jurist stated that by giving these three farms a different use, the rule that governs the coastal strip is being violated. "We believe that the Third Chamber should review whether what was done is legal or not," she reiterated. The group, according to the spokeswoman, is very concerned about the future of the coastal strip that is currently used by thousands of Panamanians and emphasized that it would break with that reality to carry out a project that is rejected by the community. She pointed out that the mayor of Panama, José Luis Fábrega, held a public consultation in November 2021 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, "at which there were only 20 people. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lawsuit-over-land-transfer-for-seafood-market Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 1, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 1, 2022 Quote Call for town hall to demand resignation of Panama mayor Mayor Fábrega Posted 31/03/2022 Members of the Citizen Consultation Movement went on Thursday, March 31, to the Municipal Council to present a memorandum in which they make a formal request for an open town hall to demand the resignation of the capital's mayor José Luis Fábrega reports La Prensa. Mayor Fábrega says that there was already a process to remove him from office Luis Pinedo, of the movement, said the councilors must respond to the request within a period of five days. The memorial is accompanied by more than a thousand citizen signatures. He explained that the purpose of the town hall, which the mayor and the 26 corregimiento representatives are required to attend, is for citizens to ask questions of local authorities. If the citizens feel that they are not offered the answers about projects in the communities, they can request resignation, as established by law. “I am of the opinion that Mayor Fábrega almost has a favor because what comes to him with the revocation of his mandate is much heavier,” he said. This week, the Electoral Court rejected an appeal filed by Fábrega against the request for a revocation of his mandate. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/call-for-town-hall-to-demand-resignation-of-panama-mayor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 4, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 4, 2022 Quote A frontrunner in the most incompetent mayor title race Mayor Fabrega vieing for title. Posted 03/04/2022 The mayor of the capital city must be the most clumsy official in the PRD. He had as decided, unilaterally, to suspend a work –which belongs to the last administration and that is probably the reason for doing so– that has already been 75% completed, depriving entire communities of having a 20-hectare space for their entertainment and recreation: the North Municipal Park. In other words, this mayor does not do or allow it to be done. Instead, he intends to put $40 million into a seafood market that no one has asked for and that, to make matters worse, is not necessary, since one already exists. So what is the mayor looking for? Because it is evident that he is not thinking about his fellow citizens. His narrow-mindedness does not allow him to think that his decision will generate the loss of money invested; that an opportunity to generate green spaces for citizens, children, athletes, for students of nature will have been wasted. There is no doubt that he is obtuse, stubborn, and lacking in all common sense. Hopefully, the initiative to remove him from the post for useless prospers. Panama has had several incompetent mayors, but this one is already a finalist for first place. – LA PRENSA,Apr. 3. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/a-frontrunner-in-the-most-incompetent-mayor-title-race Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 6, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 6, 2022 Quote Training for mayor’s recall activists underway Posted 05/04/2022 The lawyer Roberto Ruiz Diaz who filed the request to revoke the mandate of Panama Mayor José Luis Fábrega, attended on Tuesday the first day of training by the Electoral Court for the activists who will collect the signatures. There are 198,620signatures that must be collected, and in a period of two weeks, the activists must be trained reports TVN Noticias He recalled that those who wish to sign can go to the Electoral Tribunal, make use of the entity's kiosks, or through the website that will be open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm, Monday through Sunday. If the required number of signatures is achieved, then a referendum will be called where people will vote whether or not they want Fábrega to remain in his position. There are 120 days enabled for the collection process to be completed. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/training-for-mayors-recall-activists-underway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 6, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 6, 2022 Quote Lawyer gets go-ahead for mayor’s recall process Posted 05/04/2022 The Electoral Court (TE) has authorized the lawyer Roberto Ruiz Díaz to begin procedures for the revocation of the mandate of Panama Mayor José Luis Fábrega. The resolution authorizing the collection of signatures is signed by Nilza Delgado de Fernández, regional director of the Electoral Organization of Central Panama, and Katiana González, ad hoc secretary Ruiz Díaz must collect 30% of the Electoral Register of the district of Panama, that is, 198,920 signatures to support his request. After this authorization, the Electoral Tribunal, through the Training Department of the National Directorate of Electoral Organization, will also coordinate the training of Ruiz Díaz and his activists for the process of collecting signatures. Ruiz Díaz, who submitted the request to begin the recall process for Fábrega, recalled that signatures needed to be collected to make the recall effective. He explained that the resolution of the Electoral Court was sent to the Electoral Prosecutor's Office and Fábrega was notified, who has the right to file an appeal with the National Directorate of Electoral Organization. On March 12, Fabrega filed an appeal and on March 30, it was reported that the Directorate rejected the appeal. The decision was made by Valdés, director of the Electoral Organization on Monday, March 28. The official ordered that the "corresponding procedure" continued. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lawyer-gets-go-ahead-for-mayors-recall-process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 14, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 14, 2022 Quote Panama mayor heads to Supreme Court to block recall bid Mayor Fabrega wants to hold on to his office. Posted 13/04/2022 Panama mayor Panama José Luis Fábrega has filed a lawsuit of unconstitutionality before the Supreme Court against the Electoral Tribunal (TE) for admitting a request for the revocation of his mandate. The appeal was filed by attorney Carlos Carrillo, on behalf of Fábrega, arguing that the decision adopted violates several articles of the Constitution and therefore should be revoked. According to the appeal presented on Tuesday, April 12, the Constitution only establishes the revocation of mandate in the case of corregimiento representatives, but not for mayors. Judicial Branch sources told La Prensa that the lawsuit was filed in the office of Judge José Ayú Prado after the distribution was made. The lawyer Roberto Ruiz Díaz presented on February 22, before the TE, a memorial to request the revocation of the mandate of Mayor Fábrega. According to Ruiz Díaz, the petition is based on the lack of transparency in Mayor Fábrega's management, the absence of citizen consultation for the implementation of projects with an impact on the community, administrative irregularities, and the management of the budget. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-mayor-heads-to-supreme-court-to-block-recall-bid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Admin_03 Posted April 20, 2022 Administrators Share Posted April 20, 2022 Quote Collection of signatures to oust Panama Mayor starts April 20 Posted 19/04/2022 The training by the Electoral Court (TE) of the group of activists for the process of collecting the signatures that support the request to revoke the mandate of the mayor of the district of Panama, José Luis Fábrega ended on Tuesday. As of Wednesday, April 20, the activists are officially authorized to collect 198,920 signatures, in a period of 120 days, the institution explained. That number of signatures represents 30% of the Electoral Register of the district of Panama. During the training, officials from the National Directorate of Electoral Organization explained to the activists the use of the tools available to the TE for the process of collecting signatures, which are: regional offices of the district of Panama, platform Tribunal Contigo www. tribunalcontigo.com, the 40 multiservice kiosks located in different parts of the country or through mobile devices that have the application with facial biometric validation. The TE indicated that the activist who uses the application on their cell phones will have the following responsibilities: to make good use of the technological tool for registering the signatures that support the popular initiative, to keep the information obtained from the citizens who support it confidential; to not allow third-parties to use the tool, to not provide the access code to third parties, sign and comply with the agreement adhering to the instructions described in the application manual. In addition, the TE warned that there are places where collecting supporting signatures is prohibited. These are public offices, except those of the Electoral Court; hospitals, nursing homes, educational centers, and religious cults, bars, and nightclubs, and in all private property without the prior authorization of its owners, administrators, or occupants. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/collection-of-signatures-to-oust-panama-mayor-starts-april-20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Admin_03 Posted April 21, 2022 Administrators Share Posted April 21, 2022 Quote Collection of signatures to unseat Panama mayor begins with glitches Posted 20/04/2022 The process of collecting the signatures that support the request to revoke the mandate of the mayor of Panama, José Luis Fábrega, began on Wednesday, April 20 with some technical hitches for those attempting to register online The activists who promote the initiative are officially authorized to collect 198,920 signatures, in a period of 120 days. The collection began at 6:00 am, and although the Electoral Court conducted training for the activists in charge of the process, it was the institution's own system that failed in the first instance reports TVN. From early hours, people stated that the "Revocation of Mandate" space was not enabled, which was resolved, but later there were problems with the subject of the photo and the video call to verify the identity of the signer. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/collection-of-signatures-to-unseat-panama-mayor-begins-with-glitches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 23, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 23, 2022 Quote Over 7,000 in two days sign to remove Panama mayor Posted 22/04/2022 During the two days of the signature collection process for the revocation of the mandate of the mayor of Panama, José Luis Fábrega Panama, more than 7,000 people have signed the initiative. The goal is to collect 198,920 signatures in 120 days. For this purpose, the Electoral Court (TE) enabled 40 kiosks where citizens residing in the capital district and who appear in the Electoral Register, may sign. Those interested can go to the central office of the TE in Ancón; to El Cohete square on Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro; to the Plaza las Américas in Tocumen, and to the TE facilities in front of the Francisco Beckman School, in northern Panama. In addition, the User Service Center (CAU) has been enabled, through the platform tribunalcontigo.com, for the registration of signatures through video calls. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/over-7000-in-two-days-sign-to-remove-panama-mayor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 25, 2022 Quote Mayor struggles to stem recall tide Posted 24/04/2022 While Panama’s mayor, José Luis Fábrega, claims that he is not worried about the movement to remove him from office his actions in the Electoral Tribunal (TE) and the Supreme Court speak louder. In a new request submitted to the TE, he asks that his "activists" be present at the points where they are collecting signatures reports La Prensa. Fábrega wants them to act as “watchdogs”. Support rallies On Tuesday, April 26 in Porras Park, at 4:00 pm, supporters of the mayor are planning a rally against the recall. The next day, the Association of Municipalities of Panama will hold a march "in defense of the municipal system" from Plaza 5 de Mayo to the headquarters of the Electoral Tribunal, starting at 4:00 p.m. In a brief, presented on April 8 by the lawyer Juan Carlos Pérez, from the mayor's legal team, he also asks about the forms of verification of the people who sign the petition. Although the TE hasn’t given an official response to the request, the position of the Tribunal has already been supported by the National Directorate when Fábrega, appealed the decision in the first instance of giving the green light to the revocation process. Desperate measures Roberto Ruiz Díaz, the proponent of the recall process, said that these are “desperate measures” since the referendum stage is not yet in progress. At least 198,920 signatures must be collected in 120 days for the TE to call a recall referendum. The signature collection process began on April 20; there are already more than 10,000. On Friday, the TE announced that the progress reports on the collection of signatures will be published every Monday, starting on April 25, If 198,920 signatures are achieved and once they are validated, the TE will have to announce and organize the referendum in a period not exceeding three months. Fábrega was elected in 2019 as the standard-bearer of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), along with his running mate Judy Meana (from Molirena), with a total of 173,289 votes. Since the beginning of his administration, Fábrega has been involved in controversy from his attempt to build a beach in the Bay of Panama, to the defense of the mobilization expenses of the municipal authorities and the construction of a new multi-million-dollar Seafood Market. On April 12, Fabrega filed a claim of unconstitutionality before the Supreme Court against the resolution, which admitted the request for revocation. The central argument is that in the case of local authorities, the Constitution only establishes the revocation of the mandate of the corregimiento representatives, but not of the mayors. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/mayor-struggles-to-stem-recall-tide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 27, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 27, 2022 Quote Supporters of mayor Fábrega hold rally Colon mayor Alex Lee and Panama mayor Fabrega. Posted 26/04/2022 Panama mayor, José Luis Fábrega , held a rally in Plaza 5 de Mayo on Tuesday afternoon, April 26, to protest the possible revocation of his mandate. “Today, the Electoral Court betrayed democracy. He turned his back on the town and forgot about the town. Today I tell the Court that it is not possible for an individual, who does not even appear in the yellow pages, to have more power than the people who elected us and who are here”, said Fábrega on a platform, accompanied by several mayors and representatives corregimiento, such as Alex Lee de Colón. Dozens of people gathered from 4:00 pm in the vicinity of the Hatillo building, headquarters of the Mayor's Office of Panama, in Calidonia. From there they marched to Plaza 5 de Mayo to meet with the mayor Some of them carried banners with messages of support for Fábrega. "Gas tank, with you to the end," read one . https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/supporters-of-mayor-fabrega-hold-rally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 27, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted April 27, 2022 Quote Mayor’s tantrums underscore recall movement Posted 27/04/2022 If the mayor of the capital city had enough neurons for elementary reasoning, he would realize that his marches, protests, tantrums and his inexhaustible pride only feed the desire of the citizens not to see him in office anymore. His most recent public appearances have been to challenge the electorate –the one who put him in the Mayor's Office and who can give him a farewell kick–, instead of showing more humility and elaborating a plan to win back the will of the population. His attitude seems to be that of a child craving a toy that he will not receive or that of a teenager who was punished by taking away his cell phone. Neither tantrums can change someone's mind. On the contrary, it makes the decisions stand, because it becomes a challenge to the authority, which in this case is not him, but the people who elected him. That is the authority, the sovereign, but his fatuity makes him blind and deaf. So we just have to thank him: thanks for maintaining his pedantry, the one that has put him where he is now. His pathetic attitude is the fuel that feeds the fire that will consume him. – LA PRENSA, Apr. 27. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/mayors-tantrums-underscore-recall-movement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 10, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2022 Quote “Unconcerned” mayor files six appeals against recall process José Luis Fábrega. Posted 09/05/2022 Panama mayor, José Luis Fábrega, through his lawyers, has filed at least six appeals before the Electoral Tribunal (TE) and the Supreme Court in order to stop the recall process against him despite the fact that he has stated that he is not concerned about the collecting of signatures to remove him, which began on April 20. The legal strategy adopted by the mayor a member of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), includes the claim of unconstitutionality before the Supreme Court of Justice, to appeals against resolutions issued by the Directorate of Electoral Organization of the TE. On April 8, the lawyer Juan Carlos Pérez, representing Fábrega, knocked on the doors of the TE to present a request so that people linked to the mayor could be present in the process of collecting signatures. Days after going to the TE, on behalf of Fábrega, lawyer Carlos Carrillo filed an unconstitutionality lawsuit before the Supreme Court of Justice (April 12) against the recall process, alleging that the Electoral Code does not provide for the recall of the mandate for mayors. The lawsuit is in the hands of Judge José Ayú Prado. On March 11, Fábrega's defense returned to the TE to present an appeal against the admission of the revocation process, which was processed by the lawyer Roberto Ruiz Díaz. The next day he filed another appeal, again before the TE to dismiss the case, alleging that the lawyer Raúl Rodríguez had filed a similar petition in 2020. On April 20, he filed a request, again before the TE, with the aim of being given copies of all the proceedings. In that same resource, he also warned about the alleged nullity of everything advanced. In May he continued with the same strategy because on the 3rd of this month he filed an appeal after the last request was denied. https://chiriqui.life/topic/18250-panama-mayor-and-the-fish-market/#replyForm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 14, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2022 Quote Another setback for the seafood market project FABREGA is facing a recall movement. Posted 13/05/2022 The Eighteenth Civil Court granted the protection of constitutional guarantees promoted by a group of citizens against the agreement of the Municipal Council of Panama, which authorized Mayor José Luis Fábrega to call the public act for the construction of the new seafood market. The decision was adopted on Friday, May 13, 2022, by Judge Rosalba Sánchez Cisneros, who on April 29 had already ordered the provisional suspension of the municipal agreement in question. “ After reading the report submitted by the Municipal Council of the district of Panama, it is noted that the aforementioned act demanded in the Amparo headquarters was not posted on the tablets [located] in the Secretary of the Municipal Council, in those of the Mayor's Office and in the corregidurías, and that although it was published in the Official Gazette, this does not mean that it was promulgated, for which the guarantee of due process contemplated in article 32 of the Constitution has certainly been violated, ”says the ruling by Judge Sánchez Cisneros. The norm dictates that for municipal agreements to have legal effect, they must be fixed on the tablets for a term of 10 days. Through a February 15, an agreement the Municipal Council, chaired by the PRD Abdiel Sandoya, had authorized Fábrega to call for a tender for the design and construction of a new seafood market, on the coastal strip, paid with $43 million from decentralization. The agreement was demanded by the civic movement Ciudadanos Pro Revocatoria, made up of Luis Pinedo, Blanca Solís, Gerónimo Espitia, Joaquín Bernal and Julio Stoute. The plaintiffs allege irregularities in the citizen consultation process for the seafood market project, held on November 11, 2020. For example, they point out that only 25 people appeared, two of whom are officials from the Mayor's Office. In addition, the consultation was only carried out in the township of Calidonia and its call was not disclosed. The judge points out that there is no documentation that demonstrates that the call for citizen consultation was carried out as required by Law 37 of 2009, which decentralizes public administration. The judge warns that the characteristics of the act of November 11, 2020 are similar to those of a "public hearing", not a "citizen consultation". https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/another-setback-for-the-seafood-market-project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 17, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2022 Quote Over 16,000 sign initiative to recall Panama mayor Posted 16/05/2022 The Electoral Court reported on Monday, May 16, that until 4:00 pm a total of 16,011 signatures had been collected in support of the revocation of the mandate of the mayor of Panama, José Luis Fábrega. The collection of signatures began on Wednesday, April 20, and the proponents of the initiative must collect a total of 198,920 signatures within a period of 120 days. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/over-16000-sign-initiative-to-recall-panama-mayor-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 29, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 29, 2022 Quote OPINION: An unforgivable error of judgment Posted 27/05/2022 The Municipal Council of Panama has appealed the decision of a court that ordered the suspension of the tender for the new seafood market, a project carried out by Mayor José Luis Fábrega. He clarifies that it was not the Council that convened what its members continue to call a “citizen consultation”, but rather the Calidonia Communal Board and the Mayor's Office. And it highlights that the Decentralization Authority gave its endorsement to the so-called public consultation. The truth is that they would have remained much better silent. Calling this pathetic attempt to deceive the citizens of the capital district a citizen consultation is an unforgivable error of judgment, which casts doubt on the common sense of these officials. Only 25 people attended that act, including employees and former employees of the Municipality, who do not represent the capital district at all. But also, the disclosure of that act was misleading, since the Mayor's Office quoted without revealing the reason. All arranged to avoid the appearance of citizens who, most likely, would ruin the extravagant plans of the mayor. Otherwise, why not disclose the reason for the query? How can you be so foolish to keep calling this a "citizen consultation"? – LA PRENSA, May 27. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-an-unforgivable-error-of-judgment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted June 8, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted June 8, 2022 Quote Criminal complaint filed in mayor’s recall process Posted 07/06/2022 Lawyer Roberto Ruiz Díaz filed a criminal complaint with the Public Ministry against several officials of the Electoral Court (TE) for alleged irregularities in the process of collecting signatures to revoke the mandate of the capital's mayor, José Luis Fábrega. In the complaint they speak of "manipulation" of the entity's database.The complaint is against Osman Valdés, director of the Electoral Organization and Victos A. Rodríguez as national director of Information and Communication Technology and all officials who are responsible, for the possible commission of crimes against the public administration, in the form of authority abuse; against the legal certainty of electronic means in the form against computer security. r Ruiz Díaz requested that an investigation be initiated into both officials of the TE, for their "actions" within this process in which they assure that the figures that they officially reveal "do not coincide" with the figures that appear in the certifications of the citizens who have supported the proposal, as well as the "illegal elimination" of the record that is sent to the person who supports the proposal that the number corresponding to their signature. For the plaintiff, this "demonstrates the manipulation of the database and computer system within the process." It also requests that the TE evidence evidence such as the authenticated copy of the Administrative File that contains the mandate revocation process. Likewise, it requests that the TE database be inspected and each of the certifications in support of the revocation of mandate be counted. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/criminal-complaint-filed-in-mayors-recall-process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted July 29, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted July 29, 2022 Quote Another blow to Panama mayor's Seafood Market dream Opponents of the market project demonstrate on the Cinta Costera. Posted 28/07/2022 The Third Chamber of the Administrative Litigation of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) agreed to the provisional suspension of a resolution of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) that authorized the mayor of the district of Panama, José Luis Fábrega, to use two farms of the coastal strip for the new seafood market. The decision is adopted after a contentious administrative lawsuit filed by the forensic firm Bufete De Sanctis, on behalf of the former deputy mayor, Raisa Banfield, and other citizens such as Carlos Eduardo Varela, Luis Eduardo Alfaro, and Angélica Maytín, the former director of the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information. Last year the Executive transferred several farms to Fábrega for his controversial seafood market project, which has been tendered twice and has been declared void on both occasions. According to the resolution of January 24, 2022, the three plots of land transferred by the Executive to the Mayor's Office add up to 21,808 square meters, which is equivalent to 2.1 hectares. its total value is $35 million. Of the three plots transferred in the coastal strip, one will be to expand the new market. Another of the farms would be used to build parking lots and the last to enable public spaces, such as parks. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/another-blow-to-panama-mayor039s-seafood-market-dream-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted August 10, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted August 10, 2022 Quote Citizens against new seafood market lead court move Posted 09/08/2022 The Citizen Consultation Movement went to the First Superior Court of Justice on Monday, August 8, to request the definitive suspension of the project for the construction of the new seafood market in Calidonia. The movement believes that Panama Mayor, José Luis Fábrega, has a "challenging" attitude in continuing with the project despite the existence of a temporary suspension order issued by the Eighteenth Court of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama. In addition, the Third Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) agreed to the provisional suspension of a resolution of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which authorized Fábrega to use three farms on the coastal strip to build the new market. On July 19, the Mayor's Office made a second call for bids for the work, with a reference price of $43 million, but it was reported that there were no bidders La Prensa reported While the action of the group presented the brief in the High Court, Mayor Fábrega referred to the issue in the middle of a press conference to announce a new moratorium for taxpayers from August 15 to November 30. “First, it is not to insist. We are respectful of the law, as we have always been, and we have complied with it. The construction of the seafood market is included in the budget for the fiscal year 2023. It is one of the members of the comprehensive network of municipal markets”, he said. He alleged, that the allocation of resources for this new project appears in 2023 because this is indicated in the five-year plan of the Decentralization Directorate, which was approved on March 15, 2022. He indicated that the document breaks down the different scheduled disbursements, according to the progress of works. On August 2, the mayor managed to get the Municipal Council to approve an agreement so that the projects that were to be developed in 2022 continue their execution in 2023, including the market. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/citizens-against-new-seafood-market-lead-court-move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 21, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted November 21, 2022 Quote Transfer of lands for mayor’s latest pet project said illegal Protestors against the Seafood Market point to other priorities Posted 20/11/2022 After his aborted attempt to bring back a beach to Panama’s waterfront at a cost of over $100 million the city’s mayor José Luis Fábrega lowered his sights and opted for the construction of a $43 million replacement for the Seafood Market on which his predecessor had already spent over $3.3 million for “improvements” The move raised the of citizen groups who claim that they were not consulted and a declaration from the Administrative Attorney’s office that the transfer of lands for the project must be declared illegal as the Ministry of Finance (MEF) had “erroneously interpreted the law when it allowed the transfer. In this case, the coastal strip is under the administration and supervision of the MOP. Despite what was stated by the Administration attorney in his note, dated September 28, lawyer José Alejandro Quiodettis, representing the Municipality of Panama, requested the Court to annul the provisional suspension that weighs on the MEF resolution. The Municipality's lawyer argued that the transfer of the land does not require citizen consultation, as "erroneously" has been interpreted in the lawsuit. The MEF also issued an "explanatory report" in which it defended the legality of its actions and stated that the resolution in question "is not flawed", since it was issued by the competent authority; It also stated that a citizen consultation was not required. Carlos Eduardo Varela, one of the plaintiffs, stressed that the Administration attorney made a good analysis and is “hopeful” that the Third Chamber will take this opinion into account. PRIORITIES “We keep the hope that the Supreme Court will play its role of control of legality and rule in favor of the community. We hope that the magistrates understand the seriousness of what the mayor wants do on the coastal strip,” Other organizations -such as Red Ciudadana Urbana de Panamá- ask the mayor to focus on solving the priority problems of the capital district, instead of insisting on works with the seafood market and, more recently, a parade and some Christmas lights, for $5.7 million https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/transfer-of-lands-for-mayors-latest-pet-project-said-illegal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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