The University of Panama kicked off the celebration of the Month of the Homeland with the traditional flag-raising ceremony, led by Rector Dr. Eduardo Flores Castro, at the Harmodio Arias Madrid Campus. The event brought together authorities, faculty, students, and administrative staff from the country's first higher education institution. At the event marking the start of the Patriotic Festivities at the University of Panama, the rector of the House of Méndez Pereira, Dr. Eduardo Flores Castro, highlighted that the university has graduated over 347,000 professionals to society in its 90 years of existence, a result of the academic and patriotic commitment of its community. Professor José Luis Robinson, from the Faculty of Natural, Exact, and Technological Sciences (FACINET), as the keynote speaker, emphasized the historical role of the University of Panama in consolidating national identity and defending sovereignty. In his speech, he stated: “To be Panamanian is not just about carrying a flag or singing an anthem. The University of Panama has been a bastion of struggle and critical thought, educating to liberate, researching to transform, and serving to build a more just society.” Likewise, Robinson recalled historical moments when the University was a key player in national defense, from the events of January 9, 1964, to the recovery of the Panama Canal in 1999, stressing that the institution has always been the country's critical conscience. In turn, Rector Flores Castro reiterated the symbolic and historical importance of the university campuses, especially the Octavio Méndez Pereira and Harmodio Arias Madrid, as spaces won by the efforts and struggles of generations of students. He recalled that the location of the central campus was chosen by Dr. Octavio Méndez Pereira himself, with the conviction that the University should be “at an equal or higher level than the Canal Administration,” because its role would be even more important in the nation's history. The ceremony to kick off the Month of the Homeland reaffirmed the role of the University of Panama as a symbol of sovereignty, national identity, and commitment to public education—values that are strengthened every November under the banner of the homeland and the Panamanian flag.
