Councillors from the province of West Panama insisted before the Deputy Minister of Government, Juan Francisco Borrell, on the need to enable more Houses of Peace, considering that there are judges who must attend up to five districts. The officials also justified the condition of the structures and the lack of internet, which hinders the work of the Justices of the Peace. This is the case of the House of Peace in the district of Puerto Caimito in La Chorrera, where, due to the collapse of the sanitation system, officials must use tanks to perform their physiological needs. The councillor for the district of Hurtado in La Chorrera, Yasmina Benavides, indicated that in her case, she is bearing the cost of the internet service, a situation that is repeated in other districts of the province. Another topic addressed by the councillors during the meeting with Deputy Minister Borrell was the non-payment of salaries to the Justices of the Peace, which raises fears that at some point the officials will abandon their posts. For his part, Héctor Castro, councillor for the district of Amador in La Chorrera, said that in rural areas, it is not convenient to establish a single House of Peace for several jurisdictions, considering the distances and travel costs. Castro cited the case of the House of Peace in the district of Santa Rita, which must serve the population of the districts of Arosemena, Amador, Iturralde, and Obaldía. Regarding this issue, the mayor of Capira, Ket Yao, said he is especially concerned about the appointment of interim judges who do not reside in the district. He also warned that, by not receiving a salary, these interim judges have no resources to rent housing, so they must travel constantly. The Deputy Minister of Government, Francisco Borrell, explained to the councillors that they are working to make improvements in all Houses of Peace and to accelerate the appointment of the judges as much as possible.
