Work on Rico Cedeño Stadium in Panama to Resume

Constructora Rodsa, S.A. will resume the work. President Mulino reiterated the need for each province to have its symbolic stadium, where they can host their good teams from the youth league and the national league, and where they can shine. The stadium of Chitré was then renamed in his honor, remaining as a symbol of baseball in the province of Herrera. “Rico” Cedeño represented the province of Herrera in the VI National Senior Baseball Championship. The number 18 he used was retired as a sign of respect by the Herreran team. The works of the Rico Cedeño stadium in Chitré will be resumed and could be ready in 8 or 9 months, stated the mandatary José Raúl Mulino. Herrera is a province of baseball. History The stadium is named after the Chitrean ballplayer Juan Miguel Cedeño, popularly known as “Rico” Cedeño, born on December 23, 1925. The act to announce the recovery of the stadium took place this Thursday by Mulino, during a tour to the capital of Herrera. His condition worsened, and a plane was requested for medical transfer to the city of Panama, however, he died that same night. The rehabilitation project for Rico Cedeño was contracted in January 2019 for an initial amount of B/.5.4 million. But, it suffered multiple amendments, extensions of deadlines, and economic recognitions that raised its total cost to more than B/.10 million, but with no major progress. In his next turn at bat, he fell to the ground and was transferred to the hospital in Chitré. Despite the blow, he refused to leave the field of play and continued to participate. He played as an outfielder and wore number 18. “We are going to rescue another immense heritage of the Panamanian people, lost, abandoned, full of brush, as we can see, and without lights, because even the lights were taken somewhere,” expressed the mandatary. While the Panamanian Institute of Sports (Pandeportes, under the leadership of Miguel Ordóñez, carried forward various management efforts to find a legal way to advance the work, including attempts to implement Amendment No. 7, explore a possible mutual agreement, and evaluate the liquidation, as part of a real institutional effort to conclude the project. This decision, accompanied by the necessary technical coordination with the Comptroller General of the Republic of Panama and the institutional backing of the presidency, local authorities, and the Pandeportes legal team, was backed by the Public Contracts Administrative Tribunal in its decision of November 17, 2025, which recognized that all these efforts were made in good faith and that the action of Pandeportes remained in accordance with the law and the principles of public administration. Additionally, he was a mason by profession, and participated in the construction of the original Chitré baseball stadium in 1949. Once it was verified that none of these alternatives could prosper legally and the persistent non-compliance of the contractor was confirmed, Pandeportes proceeded to issue the administrative resolution of contract termination, in protection of the public interest and in strict compliance with the current regulations.