Santiago Residents Demand Developers Repair Streets

Residents of the Las Palmeras residential area in Santiago, Veraguas province, are concerned about the advanced deterioration of most of the sector's internal streets. They are calling on the competent authorities to investigate this practice and establish mechanisms that force developers to fulfill their legal obligations, thereby allowing the state to intervene and guarantee streets in adequate conditions for the affected communities. Every time the residents raise their voices demanding solutions, they point out that the development companies seek to justify themselves or evade responsibilities, prolonging the problem further and affecting mobility, road safety, and the quality of life for families. This situation has been dragging on for years without a concrete solution, as the responsible developer has not made the official transfer of these streets to the state. The problem is not limited to the Las Palmeras residential area, as there are other sectors in the city of Santiago where several developers are in a similar situation. 'It seems like someone is playing smart and they are passing the ball to each other, while the streets continue to get worse,' stated one of the residents, who requested to keep his identity anonymous. This situation has created a vacuum of responsibility that keeps the inhabitants in constant uncertainty. The affected assure that they have filed complaints in various ways to the developer and other instances, without obtaining satisfactory answers. According to versions from the residents themselves, the lack of this legal procedure has prevented the intervention of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), which has clarified that it cannot carry out repair work while the streets remain registered as private property. The developers are avoiding the corresponding procedures and payments so that the MOP can formally receive the streets, some of which have been plotted for over 20 years.