The National Assembly of Panama approved budget transfers totaling $16.9 million. The Ministry of Public Works (MOP) was approved for ten transfers amounting to $10.1 million. Iván De Ycaza, vice-minister of this ministry, explained that the funds will be used to finance road and street rehabilitation projects in Bocas del Toro; in Antón and Penonomé, province of Coclé; as well as in the district of Alanje, in Chiriquí. Additionally, MOP was allocated $2.5 million for the maintenance and recovery of green areas, infrastructure, and roadways on the Coastal Strip 1 and 2. As for the Panama Metro, three transfers were approved for a sum of $5 million. These funds would be used mainly for the maintenance of critical systems on Line 2 of the Metro, such as the power system, the railway signaling system, and the trains; for the safe and efficient operation of this line that mobilizes 180,000 users daily, explained the general director of the Panama Metro, César Pinzón. The Gorgas Commemorative Institute for Health Studies was also granted a $1.3 million transfer to increase resources for the construction of the first phase of the Gorgas Campus. It should be noted that the Budget Commission, chaired by Deputy Eduardo Vásquez, which is in permanent session, declared a recess until next Monday, where it will continue the evaluation of these transfers to different entities.
