A veteran parliamentarian stated: «There must be political will, and perhaps Deputy Neftali, with all the youthful drive, touched upon something that has sparked interest, but this is a sensitive issue». He added that he is calling for a dialogue among all parties: transporters, users, security, and authorities.
Another participant, Deputy Jairo Salazar, said he was aware of the transport problem but insisted the project should be rejected. However, he noted that it could be improved and reintroduced in the province of Zemora.
According to Deputy Neftali Zamora, the project aimed to improve the conditions and safety of public transport.
The president of the National Transport Chamber (CANATRA), Jorge Dimas Collado, said: «We have been waiting for eight months to be heard». He stressed that the most important thing is to improve the service for users.
«We are working on the restructuring of transport, and it did not make sense why Deputy Zamora wanted to modify the Law when work was already being done, consultations were held, and we were facing the issues head-on,» said Collado. The legal advisor, Dorina Pérez, explained that their position is based on the fact that the service has been provided for over 32 years, before the Law, and it could not be allowed to grant new concessions when rights had already been acquired.
«We are always open to dialogue and improvement,» said Dorina.
Deputy Crispiano Adames, based on his experience, stated that the desire to reform this entire system should be viewed from the opposite angle: the laws are there, but they have to be enforced, and the ATTT (Land Transport Authority) was not involved.
This afternoon, the Transport Committee rejected the draft Law 200, which sought to liberalize concessions for public passenger transport. This decision has eased the threat of a national strike that CANATRA had warned about a few weeks ago if the project were approved.
«This project was not viable, we had said so,» said Collado, accompanied by the organization's legal advisor, Dorina Pérez. She explained her views on this highly sensitive issue for Panamanians, noting that the project was not consulted and is not supported by the law.
Collado called on those who supported Deputy Zamora's project to unite and talk for the benefit of improving the service and restructuring transport. He also made the same appeal to the Ministry of Government to address their issues and the matter of digital platforms.
