February 20, 2000

Ecology Issues:

I recommend everybody read the recent exchange in the "Messages" which covers the ecological impact of a potential road through Darien.

Along the ecological line, the March/April issue of the magazine of Nature Conservancy reports that a $25 Million trust fund has been established.  This is intended to help protect the upland sources of water from the rivers feeding Gatun Lake.   The hope is to protect the watershed in perpetuity.  If you are not familiar with the Nature Conservancy, it's approach is to assist in the acquisition of land which is then either privately administered or turned over to governmental park authorities.  The Panamanian government is highly motivated to support this.  If this is not done, the canal would eventually have heavy silting and other impacts on its usability.

 Similar concerns have arisen in the new residential areas being developed in the Albrook and Curundu areas.  There is up scale housing go in there and the residents are concerned that some land be set aside for parks for and recreation.  Children from St. Mary's school participated in tree planting activities in the neighborhood.  There is also concern about the routing of new highways being built in the area.  they are needed to relieve congestion, but their locations are sometimes controversial.

The Panama government is considering additional laws involving penalties for ecological crimes.

Construction and reconstruction:

A new bridge is being planned across the canal near Paraiso.  There is talk of a trade off in which a developer would agree to pay for the construction in exchange for land on the west bank.  A moderate income housing project is planned for the area.

Since the Port of Balboa is exceeding its capacity, expansion is being considered with new facilities in the Farfan Beach area.  Ross Perot is said to be interested in investing.  This is near the old Howard Air Force Base which could provide a connection for commercial aircraft. 

The canal is being further widened.  It is planned to have the channel a minimum of 630 feet wide in straight stretches and 730 feet where ships must turn.  This compares to the 300 foot width that the canal originally had in 1914.

The Panama Railroad is being completely rebuilt and modernized by two U.S. companies who will be running it.  Its main function will be to provide a "dry canal."  Freight from container ship ports on both sides will be unloaded, and then taken across the isthmus for further shipment.  (I hope that they add some passenger cars.  I loved the coast to coast ride in the old days.)

Various tourist resorts are planned or under construction.  I will be in Panama for several days beginning February 23, and have more to report when I get back.

Clouds on the Horizon:

Not all the news is good, of course.  There are problems with youth gangs in Chorillo and other slum areas.  Attempts are supposed to be made to improve conditions in Colon, which is really in bad shape.

Another area of concern is the proximity to Columbia, with the whole issue of the drug trade and the Marxist rebels.

February 15, 2000

This item  is not actually a news article.  It is a marketing piece put out by an organization providing information to U.S. citizens looking for low cost, low tax overseas residences.  This one is called The Panama Report.

Various descriptive phrases include:

Panama is on its way to being the second Hong Kong.
Fortune 500 companies have corporate offices in Panama.
A new movie complex... is under construction, the largest such facility in Latin America.
The most wealthy nation in Central America.

Obviously there is a certain amount of advertising hype in this, and the item is aimed at people with a lot of money.  However, it is interesting how different the point of view can be depending on who is doing the looking.

The Message Section recently had a posting about an incident at the gate of Albrook.  A crowd demonstrated there, and scrawled slogans and obscenities.  I got interested in what happened.  This is a good example of  the combination of bad and good you run into.

First of all the background of the demonstration --  Some labor union demonstrators were trying to take over the offices of an electrical company that is located at Albrook.  The union was based in Colon and brought over about 200 people in buses.  The issue was back pay claimed to be owed by a security company that had contracted to provide services from the former government electrical company.  The electric company has since been privatized, and the union felt that the new corporation should be responsible for the back pay.  The demonstrators never got past the gate and their leader was arrested.

On the flip side, Albrook is now being developed as a tech and corporate office park.  The Paitilla Point airfield was shut down and is being converted to luxury housing.  Anyone going by Albrook now will be struck by the numerous changes, including new access roads, a high rise control tower, etc.  The tech park will emphasize communications and transport.

A side observation:  In doing my research, I was reminded of the fact that the Panamanian population is one of the most diverse in the world, and includes many people descended from immigrants from the United States.  I ran into loads of Anglo names, including politicians such as Alvin Weeden, Carlos Hoffman, Billy Ford, and Alma Montenegro de Fletcher.  The U.S. - Panama connection runs deeper than treaties.

The Spanish Connection:  Spain has made Panama about its eighth largest investment partner, $711 million from 1990 to 1998. They have also floated (pun intended) an idea of laying claim to sunken treasure galleons from colonial days.  These contained gold brought from South America and the Philippines for further trans-shipment on to Spain.  It was what attracted the pirate Henry Morgan to Panama.   On a more immediate basis, Spanish investors are building a hotel complex on the Pacific Side near Rio Hato.

The Avenue of Martyrs, a.k.a. Avenue of the Americas, a.k.a. Fourth of July Avenue, is being extended into the Amador area.  This region has been set aside for tourism and recreation as well as some luxury developments.  Hotels, golf courses and yacht facilities are planned.  In addition, new villas and a marina are being built on Flamenco Island.