However, when the problem becomes a public health threat and there is a real risk to the population, it is up to the Central Government to intervene, whether they like it or not. He emphasized something that many do not like to hear, but it is the law: public health is the responsibility of the Panamanian State. Orillac explained that it is not yet possible to speak of closed figures for the cost that the State will incur to resolve the crisis. How much it cost, how much it is costing now, and how much more it will cost to get San Miguelito out of the hole. What happened in San Miguelito is part of the same problem: garbage accumulated for months, lack of timely action, and an outcome that was seen coming. Orillac indicates that under normal conditions, each municipality is responsible for its own garbage. The Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac, said that a call was made and there was a garbage situation in San Miguelito that was already putting the health of the district at risk. "The health of all Panamanians is above all," he said. It was not theory, it was reality. Everything will be said, with transparency, without hiding numbers under the rug, the minister indicated. The minister recalled that when this government started on July 1, 2024, at six in the morning there was already an operation on the street because the country was drowning in garbage. Then will come the rest: responsibilities, figures, corrections. Not to shift blame, but to avoid something worse. The minister recalled that the issue had been discussed before with local authorities. But first, the urgent. It was warned. Help was offered. But decisions were not taken in time, and the result is there for all to see. Now the Government enters to contain the problem, to stop the emergency, to prevent diseases.
