The clarification from the Comptroller's Office comes after Mayor Hernández questioned the decision of the Cabinet Council to authorize the AAUD to take over waste collection in that district following the departure of the company Revisalud, whose contract expires on January 18. The General Comptroller of the Republic ensures that the contracts linked to the waste collection service in the district of San Miguelito did not enter the institution in their entirety on January 8, as has been publicly stated. Hernández demanded that autonomy be respected and assured that the owners of the companies contracted to begin collection on Monday, January 19, are concerned about the investments made, such as equipment rental, printing of signs, staff hiring, and purchase of uniforms. According to the Comptroller, any statement or insinuation suggesting the contrary does not align with the facts, generates disinformation among the citizenry, and is irresponsible and unprofessional, especially when it comes from an elected authority. According to the Comptroller, two of the three contracts were received on Thursday at 3:50 p.m. in the Municipality's Oversight Office, while the formal entry of the files into the main headquarters of the Comptroller's Office occurred on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, from which point the regular course of the prior audit process continues. In this sense, the Comptroller clarifies that the Urban and Domestic Cleaning Authority (AAUD) was duly authorized to assume, as of January 19, 2026, the operational, administrative, and technical competence of the collection, transportation, and final disposal of solid waste in the district of San Miguelito. The documentary traceability and official records accredit the strict compliance with administrative deadlines, so there is no delay, retention, or any irregularity attributable to this institution, the Comptroller assures in a statement. In this sense, the mayor requested President José Raúl Mulino to repeal the resolution presented on Tuesday in the Cabinet Council and to proceed with the endorsement of the three companies that were approved by the National Economic Council to begin on January 19.
Dispute over Waste Collection Service Handover in San Miguelito
The mayor of San Miguelito and Panama's Comptroller are in conflict over the handover of waste collection services from a private company to a government body. The Comptroller refuted the mayor's claims of procedural violations, emphasizing compliance with all administrative deadlines and the legality of the decision.
