The Ministry of Public Works (MOP) of Panama issued an official statement to clarify the technical and logistical criteria applied in the construction of footbridges in the Ngäbe Buglé comarca. The institution reiterated that the participating companies are legally qualified to contract with the State and that all information will be published under the corresponding transparency mechanisms to meet the mobility needs of the comarca communities. The ministry emphasized that any comparison between infrastructures must consider the type of terrain and the particular technical scope of each case. Regarding the setting of reference prices, the MOP clarified that these are not established arbitrarily. Current regulations require that each amount be supported by previous studies, market consultations, and the official base of direct costs of the Comptroller General of the Republic, following the guidelines of PanamaCompra. The decision to use an exceptional procedure for these works aimed primarily to expedite the start of the projects, avoiding the delays of a regular tender that would have postponed the solutions until August, putting the safety of the area's inhabitants at risk. The geographical reality of the Ngäbe Buglé comarca, characterized by mountainous terrain and dispersed communities, prevents all projects from having uniform costs. Factors such as the exact location, difficulty of access, transportation of materials, and the specific design required for each terrain are determining elements in the final budget of each work.
