World Youth Day (WYD) in Panama, and Pope Francis Visits Panama (22-27 January 2019)

[Keith Woolford]

On 1/19/2019 at 8:18 AM, Moderator_02 said:

he Mayor of Aguadulce has signed a decree banning dance activities and the sale of alcoholic beverages until January 30.

Draco would be pleased. Merchants, club operators, and other citizens in Aguadulce ..probably not so much.

[Moderator_02]

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WYD payback in doubt as predictions falter

Posted on January 20, 2019 in Panama

Post Views: 258

 

Views on the payback from the $61 million price tag attached to hosting Word Youth Day vary widely from the ultra optimism of the Tourism Authority  and Finance Ministry seeking to boost declining visitor rates, to the caution of the hotel industry which has had to lay off over,6,000 workers as occupancy rates hover around 40%.

Predictions of the number of pilgrims attending have shrunk from early blue-skying of 400,000 to as low as 100,000. Many of the arrivals are billeted with families or in schools, and a  large number from neighboring countries are living on tight budgets.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the World Youth Day (WYD) will have a direct impact of 3$88 million, while the indirect could reach 7$00 million, which is equivalent to 1.5% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

With this figure, the investment would be easily recovered says an EFE News Agency report. Perhaps the MEF is relying on the predicted 3,000 journalists, a dozen or so heads of state or substitutes, and a bevy of bishops to make up the shortfall.

Otherwise, the incoming government after the May elections will be left to pick up the pieces of the Castles in the sky.

The Panamanian hoteliers maintain a moderate expectation of having the “full “ sign hung on the front desk during the visit of Pope Francis. In any event, prices have been jacked up, which will not do much to encourage return visits.

The Government speaks of an 80% percent of hotel occupancy, but the Hotel Association remains cautious mentioning  60% reservations in the capital; except in the smaller lodging places on the outskirts where 100% occupancy is possible

In a search of online hosting pages, rates for one to five-star hotels range from $50 to $ 350; and in special packages, costs vary from $ 90 to $ 175 per night. And if savings are talked about, with luck you can find spaces in hostels at less than $20 dollars.

The Tourism Tourism administrator  Gustavo Him told  Efe that although the predicted numbers will not arrive, in the failure pf the corporative market to develop packages of trips, he remains positive about the arrival of visitors.

He added that activities such as the International Flower Fair and the Parade of the Thousand Polleras, regional activities full of folkloric color, have given good results because of the large number of new visitors including pilgrims.

Meanwhile, in the well-trodden attraction, centers like  the Panama Canal,  Casco Viejo  and shopping centers, groups  of young people identified with the flags of their countries are doing their best to make the host country get some return on  investment

Other sectors that will take advantage of the one-week windfall  are the souvenir shops  selling items featuring WYD and the pontiff

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/wyd-payback-in-doubt-as-predicted-attendance-falls

[Uncle Doug]

Call me cynical, but I don't see how this isn't really a giant fundraiser for the Vatican at the expense of Panama.  Maybe they chipped in a lot of money toward the expenses, but I haven't seen any mention of that in the talk of the costs of this event.

[Bonnie]

1 hour ago, Uncle Doug said:

Call me cynical, but I don't see how this isn't really a giant fundraiser for the Vatican at the expense of Panama.  Maybe they chipped in a lot of money toward the expenses, but I haven't seen any mention of that in the talk of the costs of this event.

I agree, Doug. As Panama is a Catholic-driven country (like all of Latin America), I suppose it's considered an honor to host this event.

I personally fail to see how Catholicism has benefited Panama. Even the poorest Panamanians are "encouraged" to support the Church financially, while the Church offers precious little in return by way of charitable support for needy families. In my work with a number of charities here in Boquete, I've never encountered any interest by the Church in joining the efforts. Another out of many examples of how the Church hinders the country's development both financially and socially is that contraception is condemned yet out-of-wedlock children unaddressed. I know a number of "good" Catholics who keep bearing children, in and out of wedlock, without the means to support them--all with the sanctimonious blessing of the Church and little if any aid for those children. 

[Uncle Doug]

I hate it. It's bad enough that poor families give money to the church that they can't afford.  At least arguably, it's voluntary.  But when the government spends taxpayer resources on a stage for the Pope, that's money that could have been spent back on infrastructure.  Anyone who has ever been to the Vatican can attest to the fact that the Church can pay for its own boondoggles.  It's not even a close question.  Panama is spending almost as much on this single trip as NATO countries are supposed to spend on defense. 

[Dottie Atwater]

On 12/22/2018 at 9:03 AM, Moderator_02 said:

In addition, a $14,000 red carpet at  Tocumen International Airport and the $17,000 purchase of six puppies to reinforce the canine search unit of the of the Civil Protection System, among other items.

 

What the hell is wrong with this picture? $17,000 to purchase six puppies??? And the purchase of a red carpet for $14,000? Give me a break!

[Keith Woolford]

Sure. You would never see wasteful spending in North America.

 

[Keith Woolford]

As was evidenced when the young Dutch women were missing, there is a real requirement here by SINAPROC for Search and Rescue animals. The Malinois pups in question were $1,500 each and the cost includes thousands of hours of training.

Looks like they tagged it onto this budget.

 

[Bonnie]

42 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

As was evidenced when the young Dutch women were missing, there is a real requirement here by SINAPROC for Search and Rescue animals. The Malinois pups in question were $1,500 each and the cost includes thousands of hours of training.

Looks like they tagged it onto this budget.

 

Keith writes that the $1,500 each includes training. But it says, "it should take at least 1,500 hours of training." I assume the latter is correct as the dogs themselves would appear to have cost $9000. Correct?

 

Edited January 21, 2019 by Bonnie

[Keith Woolford]

 I believe I read somewhere at the time that the pups were valued at $1,500 each and the balance was for training. This was a public tender awarded to a firm called Dog School K9 Security .

Personally, I don't understand the criticism of the expenditure. 

If this K9 team saves one  life, and there's no doubt it eventually will, the investment will be immediately recouped, unless of course, you put the value of a human life at less than $17,900.

https://impresa.prensa.com/panorama/Compran-entrenan-cachorros-JMJ_0_5161733865.html

Edited January 21, 2019 by Keith Woolford

[Moderator_02]

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Varela opens Climate change and human trafficking conference

Posted on January 21, 2019 in Panama

Post Views: 104

 

President, Juan Carlos Varela inaugurated the Laudato conference at the headquarters of the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino), in Amador to discuss climate change and human trafficking on Monday January 21.

Based on the encyclical written three years ago by Pope Francis It was attended by  experts, authorities and representatives of the Catholic Church discussed Monday 21 January about climate change and human trafficking

The conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences , in the context of World Youth Day (WYD) .

President Varela stressed the importance of talking about Laudato in Panama, about the treatment of human beings, migrants, the fight against trafficking in human beings and how countries have the goal of achieving the Sustauinable Development Goals S (ODS) 2030.

He recalled that Panama is a strong country, but one that depends on water and the protection of the environment for its economic and social development reports La Prensa.

“Our Channel, from 2000 to 2030, will contribute nearly $40 billion to the Panamanian State, and it is the transparent, efficient use of these resources, which will allow Panama to reach the development objectives,” he said.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/varela-opens-climate-change-and-human-trafficking-conference

[Moderator_02]

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WYD pilgrims supported across religious lines

Posted on January 21, 2019 in Panama

 

 

World Youth Day (WYD) Pilgrims are receiving support across religious boundaries. In Colon participants from Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and other countries were welcomed at the Colon Islamic Center while In Panama City the mosque on  Avenida Mexico is providing a “refreshment oasis" with free supplies of bottled water. Meanwhile, a Jewish synagogue has provided accommodation during the event.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/wyd-pilgrims-supported-across-religious-lines

[Moderator_02]

Moderator comment: Can anyone estimate how many bazillion photos are going to be taken this week related to WYD/JMJ?

[Moderator_02]

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Thousands of pilgrims visit the Panama Canal before meeting the pope

Tue, 01/22/2019 - 00:05

The Panama Canal, one of the most touristic and emblematic points of the country, received this weekend the visit of thousands of pilgrims, who will meet this week with Pope Francisco in the World Youth Day (WYD), reported on Monday the authority of thr waterway.

The day of greatest affluence was Sunday, when close to 6,000 young people from a hundred countries visited both the Miraflores centenary locks, located on the Pacific side, and those of Agua Clara, in the Atlantic.

The young people had the opportunity to see how the ships cross the locks and to know the history of the interoceanic road, which was built by the United States at the beginning of the last century and transferred to Panama on December 31, 1999.

Currently, 6 percent of world trade transits through the channel, whose main customers are the United States and China.

In June will be three years since the new locks were inaugurated, which were built so that can cross the so-called neopanamax ships, with capacity to carry up to 14,000 containers.

Container transport continues to be the main business of the water route, but the new locks have allowed the canal to open to other products, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) or large cruise ships, which did not fit into the old complex.

The water route indicated in a statement that the visiting hours will be extended until after the WYD, which begins on Tuesday and is one of the most important events of the Catholic Church, to meet the high demand of these days.

"On average, around 2,500 to 3,000 people visit the visitor centers every day, and close to one million do so every year", the Panama Canal Authority (PCA), the autonomous entity that manages the route, added in a statement.

The visit of Francis, who will arrive in Panama next Wednesday, has generated an immense interest not only in this country but throughout Central America, since the only pontiff who has traveled to this region was John Paul II, in 1983 and 1996.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/thousands-pilgrims-visit-panama-canal-meeting-pope-9011

[Keith Woolford]

Apparently not all Catholics are opposed to dancing. The Hallelujah Band from Malawi.

 

[Keith Woolford]

Some kids from Poland arrived by tall ship.

About 1,800 others from various countries arrived from Costa Rica by cruise ship.

 

[Keith Woolford]

What appears to be massive numbers of people arriving for the official opening this afternoon.

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by Keith Woolford

[Bonnie]

The multi-story platform on the Cinta Costera awaits the Pope

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By Corina Rueda Borrero*

Dear Pilgrim, I imagine that at this moment you are anxiously packing your bags, buying small necessities and saying prayers because your dream of knowing Pope Francis will come true, and no wonder. You have been involved in activities in your parish to be able to afford the buses and planes that you must take to get to Panama. But I am writing this because you may not know that your joy is not shared in the country that will receive you, even if you have been told otherwise or have seen government promotional videos of smiling Panamanians because there are dark realities behind this great celebration of the world’s Catholic youth.

Varela and Lorena Castillo exchange gifts with Pope .

For many Panamanians, World Youth Day is nothing more than a  multi-million dollars whim of  President  Juan Carlos Varela, who travels abroad as a good Samaritan and whose wife, Lorena Castillo, faithfully attends all papal activities that can be paid with State taxes.

Both speak of love for their neighbors  without missing a “God bless” them at the end of their speeches, but they are the same ones who endorse orders to repress farmers’ protests for the right to food sovereignty and a decent living and  sanction budgets reducing the amounts destined to culture, science, health, education and technology, and assure that there are no funds to investigate reported cases of sexual abuse in areas of difficult access.

Smiling masks
Juan Carlos Varela, dear pilgrim, is the one who will receive you  and publicly say  that Panama is showing its  best face but  will not dare to tell the truth: that what they are really wearing are smiling masks, because on  that great platform of $12.4 million where he and the Pope will stand, you will not see the teachers who have not been paid for months, nor  the patients who missed appointments due to lack of funding nor the retirees who spent more than four hours in a line  to pick up medications that  they did not receive due to lack of budget.

Every time I receive a new piece of news about what is being spent on World Youth Day, I get a lump in my throat because most of the hiring is being done directly, while there has never been money for the roof that is falling in a school or in the emergency department of the Hospital del Niño, nor is it that there are no funds for the athletes’ shoes or gloves for the boxers going to the Olympics, because none of this seemed a priority.

$18,000 for dogs

That $14,000 for  a carpet to receive the Pope, that $18,000 for six dogs, that $1.5 million for metal railings , that almost $1 million in luxury hotel rooms for “special guests”, that $145.000  in smart cards for drivers   and each day new  expenditures  of which we have no more information than what  appears in the portal of Panama-Compra, without logical justification of its acquisition and without responding to the citizen’s right to demand and receive information on the proper use of its taxes.

Do not misunderstand me, pilgrim, I really understand that an event of this magnitude should have its expenses, however, do you think that all Panamanians, even non-Catholics, must pay for the World Youth Day to be celebrated? Do you think that all Panamanians should change their way of life for almost two weeks because of this event? Do you think it’s right that the officials of the health system and the security system have been denied their right to request free days or vacations during the whole month of January? Do you think it’s fair that they gave orders to hospitals to postpone appointments when there are patients who take up to three days to reach a specialized hospital? Pilgrim, I know you have your heart in the right place.

They tell us that this will “benefit” everyone, but I don’t see it in that way. They tell us that it will “activate” the economy, and  in theory you, pilgrims, will generate profits for  the country by staying in hotels; But instead, Archbishop r Ulloa tells us on television that we are not sufficiently supportive in opening our homes to pilgrims and that we should host those who do not sleep in schools, and then they reiterate what income there will be because you will spend in restaurants and pharmacies, and This also implies that the small business owner benefits directly, but when I check the Panama Purchase page I see that within the bids there are calls for preparation, transport, and delivery of food and groceries for the pre-, WYD events, from  which, the Pro-Mundi, benefit .

I am sincere, pilgrim: I believe that it would be just for the Church to pay for it. We all know that they have enough funds to eradicate world hunger, so I do not think that a small event represents greater spending; This is an event that is done for the faithful to come together. Therefore, dear pilgrim, I ask you: Do you believe that Jesus, who was a great revolutionary, who faced the hegemony of the Roman Empire, would participate in an event that more than benefits represents the hypocrisy of those who use his name in vain?

*Corina Rueda Borrero is a writer, lawyer, feminist and

Panamanian human rights activist.

The comment was first published in (Casi) Literal, Jan 16

[Moderator_02]

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Flags fly as taxis gouge

Posted on January 22, 2019 in Panama

Post Views: 374

 

FLAGS of over 50 Nations represented at World Youth Day were hoisted on Panama’s Cinta Costera on Monday January 21, and others were seen in the streets of the capital as pilgrims strolled the streets.

By early evening there was only one police report of a robbery of a pilgrim (by a minor in Tocumen) but multiple reports of gouging by taxi drivers circulated on social media.

Photo shows President Juan Carlos Varela and Vice-president and Chancellor Isabel Saint Malo.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/flags-fly-taxis-gouge

[Moderator_02]

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Big brother system for Pope’s visit could have lasting benefits

Posted on January 22, 2019 in Panama

Post Views: 351

 

A surveillance system introduced for the visit of Pope Francis was inaugurated by  President Juan Carlos Carlos Varela on Monday, January 21.

The National Security and Emergency Operations Center C5- located at the National Police HQ in Ancon may turn out to be one of the lasting benefits of World Youth Day (WYD).

The system includes vehicular identification arcs on highways, equipped with plate readers to facilitate the detection of vehicles involved in accidents or in the commission of criminal acts.

In addition, from C5, security and emergency agencies can track the location of incidents in real time and send it to members of the nearest security bodies reducing the response time said  Public Safety, Minister Jonattan Del Rosario.

The center also incorporates a set of computerized systems for reception, attention, and dispatch of emergency calls with geolocation, video surveillance towers, panic buttons, facial recognition, and video analysis.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/big-brother-system-for-popes-visit-could-have-lasting-benefits

[Moderator_02]

Moderator comment: Below is an automated translation of a La Prensa news article written in Spanish. No editing has been done.

 

 

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.prensa.com/tema/juan_carlos_varela/&prev=search

[Moderator_02]

Moderator comment: Below is an automated translation of a La Prensa news article written in Spanish. No editing has been done.

 

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.prensa.com/tema/juan_carlos_varela/&prev=search

[Moderator_02]

Moderator comment: Below is an automated translation of a La Prensa news article written in Spanish. No editing has been done.

https://impresa.prensa.com/panorama/Apagon-activa-alarmas-llegada-viajeros_0_5218728133.html

[Moderator_02]

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WYD Pilgrims pack Cinta Costera for inauguration

Posted on January 23, 2019 in Panama

 

According to  Commissioner Domingo Espitia, of the Joint Task Force, some 150,000 people attended the inauguration 

Post Views: 105

 

After an afternoon of musical entertainment on Tuesday,  January following the inauguration of  World Youth Day (WYD), scores of thousands of pilgrims from 196 countries, attended a mass celebrated by Panama Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa on the Cinta Costera,  renamed  “Campo Santa Maria  La Antigua for the WYD event.

Afterward, thousands strolled city streets carrying their national flags and visiting refreshment booths and information centers had sprung up like spring flowers during the day. Many restaurants in the city participated in a program in which they accepted WYD food. vouchers

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/wyd-pilgrims-pack-cinta-costera

[Moderator_02]

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Two arrests in theft of Pope security fences

Posted on January 23, 2019 in Panama

 

he National Police (PN) reported the arrest of two men allegedly linked to the theft of metal security fences erected to control crowds awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis on Wednesday, January 23. The arrests took place in Pedregal shortly before the Pope’s arrival at Tocumen International Airport.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/two-arrests-in-theft-of-pope-security-fences