Cecilia Bustamante, Irma Boyd, and Doris Velásquez were hired this year with salaries of $3,000, $4,000, and $4,250 respectively in the offices of different deputies. For example, Bustamante works for Sergio "Chello" Gálvez, Boyd for Grace Hernández, and Velásquez for Nelson Jackson Palma. The latter has been criticized for potential conflicts of interest as he is part of the board of the Panama Canal.
Additionally, Gregorio A. Blandón and Virgilio Garrido S. have jobs in the National Assembly since 1984 and 1993 respectively, with salaries of $5,000 and $4,250 monthly. Meanwhile, at a national level, the country faces budget cuts, unemployment, and inflation, contrasting with the high salaries and lack of transparency in the hiring processes in the Assembly.
Although the detailed information in the payroll of April 2025 is technical, it demonstrates a system in the National Assembly that seems to prioritize political loyalty over merit and the needs of public service. The data reveals hiring of personnel with considerable salaries, without a specific assignment of functions, raising concerns about the discretionary use of public funds in an institution that has been widely criticized for its administrative opacity.
An example of this is the hiring of Eduardo Álvarez and Iván Garrido, whose monthly salaries are $3,000 and $2,000 respectively, without specifying the nature of their work. This lack of transparency fuels suspicions that some appointments are more a matter of political favors than real needs of the institution.
