Sesión ordinaria número 39 del año 2026

Summary of “Sesión ordinaria número 39 del año 2026” (29 Sept. 2026)

The Municipal Council of Panama City held its 39th ordinary session. The meeting began with a roll call of council members, followed by the adoption of the agenda and approval of the minutes from September 22, 2026. After a religious invocation, the session continued with legislative matters and several community/policy interventions.

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1) Agenda and legislative actions (tax exemptions and municipal authorizations)

A major portion of the session focused on draft agreements and motions to authorize or exempt payments tied to community and institutional events. The council approved measures including:

• Tax exemption for the Panameño Institute of Special Enabling (IP)

  • Exemption of municipal taxes and duties for entry/use of facilities at the “Mi Pueblito Interiorano” tourist complex.
  • For an event of approximately 200 people (including visually impaired students, parents, teachers, and the educational community).
  • Celebrating the 74th anniversary of the Helen Keller National School for the Blind.
  • Scheduled for Oct. 22, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.

• Tax exemptions for community boards linked to school and cultural/community fairs:

  • Pacora Community Board: activities related to the UTIBE school anniversary
    • Oct. 31, 2026 (local house; transcript indicates 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.)
  • Pedregar Community Board: gastronomy fair connected to the founding of San Joaquín
    • Oct. 17, 2026 (12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)
  • Juandía Community Board: multi-day event
    • Oct. 24–25 and Nov. 3, 9, 10, 2026

• Municipal/administrative projects referred to the Finance Committee:

  • Authorizations for special contracting procedures for solid waste collection and disposal
    • Including markets such as “El Cruce,” “Bonería,” “3 de Noviembre viaduct,” and “Mercado de las Américas.”
  • Procurement authorizations for drinking water supply equipment in specific corregimientos
  • Modification of Agreement 107 (Apr. 22, 2025) involving authorization of a municipal company (sent to Finance)
  • Increase/renewal of funding for maintenance and landscaping (parks, plazas, cemeteries, and green areas), including a contracting addendum
  • A personnel restructuring measure (eliminating and increasing positions), sent to the relevant administrative committee

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2) Protocol ceremony: 30 years of Panama’s National Folkloric Dance Company

The session included a formal protocol ceremony delivering the official municipal parchment to the National Folkloric Dance Company of Panama for its 30 years of uninterrupted trajectory—emphasizing the strengthening, preservation, and projection of Panamanian cultural heritage.

Key speeches and content

• Words of thanks by Professor José Alberto Sosa (director) highlighted:

  • Three decades of collective work (dancers, musicians, teachers, administrators, and parents)
  • International tours and cultural diplomacy—culture as a “bridge” and national “brand”
  • The importance of sustained institutional support for folklore
  • A national-level commitment to folklore policy
  • A forward-looking plan to train new generations and deepen research into traditions

• Council speech by Ismael Enrique Atencio (Córdoba Campo district) framed folklore/dance as:

  • Living memory and identity, not entertainment
  • A source of social impact (youth development, citizenship education, and values formation) beyond stage performances

A performance followed, featuring national-themed music and dance elements, along with formal gestures such as a pin presentation by council leadership.

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3) Prevention of juvenile delinquency: presentation and questions

A featured segment invited Professor Dalila Mosquera, National Director for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, representing the Ministry of Government (Minister Dinosca Montalvo, as referenced in the transcript). She described the department’s focus on:

• A preventive mission (not addressing crimes already committed)
• Programs targeting youth approximately ages 6 to 29
• Work involving parents, media, and inter-institutional coordination
• Program formats such as:
  • recess/cultural-sports activities
  • camps (e.g., “Improve your life”)
  • community events/rallies focused on positive skills and values

Council responses and concerns

Council members pushed for better integration and stronger operational conditions:

• Serena Bambas

  • Stressed that prevention also depends on community order and justice structures, including peace houses and justices of the peace
  • Asked for coordination (including SENIAF and juvenile police) to connect fragmented initiatives and make them sustainable

• Yamiret Batista

  • Emphasized collaboration
  • Presented a youth initiative in northern Ancón, working with police/SENIAF/MIDES and other entities

• Luis Pérez

  • Argued education is foundational (citing a theory that education helps the State replicate its ideals)
  • Criticized the need for communities to seek help despite large education budgets

• David Bernal

  • Requested psychological/health support for at-risk youth involved in sports programs
  • Warned of violence being reproduced
  • Highlighted economic drivers (employment/income instability and dropout risks around ages 12–13)
  • Asked for monitoring by education authorities

Response by Professor Mosquera

She acknowledged gaps (including limited human resources), committed to communicate concerns to the minister, and explained:

• School-related intervention modules targeting students at risk of dropout
• Specialized psychological support is limited and must be coordinated
• Some psychological services can be arranged periodically across regions

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4) “Time for intervention”: decentralization funds, housing/fire risks, and bureaucracy

During public/council interventions, several members criticized administrative barriers and demanded more effective government action.

• Ismael Enrique Atencio

  • Protested that decentralization funds require resubmission of projects after consultations, even when communities voted for them
  • Described a bureaucratic “restart” cycle delaying training infrastructure—especially noting his district has zero central government facilities
  • Argued the National Decentralization Authority acts bureaucratically rather than responding to local needs

• Kira Ponce

  • Expressed solidarity with families affected by a fire in Calidonia
  • Urged prevention through plans to eliminate unsafe wooden housing so tragedies do not repeat

• Luis Pérez

  • Criticized procedures that slow citizen solutions (water, housing, streets/sidewalks, construction, public spaces, parks, and major projects)
  • Argued decentralization release requirements and audits/process oversight increasingly burden representatives and harm ordinary citizens

• Humberto Arría

  • Raised additional concerns about housing and safety:
    • fire/unsafe conditions in Calidonia
    • an informal settlement near Betania with electricity/internet connections despite unclear legal/land status and proximity to high-voltage easements, warning of fatal risk if cables fail
    • complained that condemned structures are not matched with adequate housing solutions

• Serena Bambas (final remarks)

  • Criticized delays and coordination failures impacting public school maintenance/beautification and fumigation
    • Principals allegedly canceled scheduled work at the last moment, leaving community crews blamed
  • Questioned how large ministry budgets translate into local assistance
  • Called for de-bureaucratization and greater political/administrative willingness to fulfill responsibilities
  • Referenced upcoming decentralization law reform as an opportunity to change overly restrictive implementation

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5) Session closing

The session was declared concluded at 12:20 p.m. after interventions and announcements, including notice that the Finance Committee would meet in an expanded session on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. (members were asked to coordinate).

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Presenters / contributors (as named in the subtitles)

• Jesús Cañate (council member; roll call)
• Yamire Batista (roll call)
• César Quienco (roll call)
• Humberto Rodolfo Presilla (roll call)
• Yosimar Camaño (roll call)
• Misenda Perea (roll call)
• Micenda Perea (roll call)
• Dorindo Vega (President of the Municipal Council)
• Pillo Johnson (roll call)
• Keira Navarro (roll call)
• David Bernal (roll call / later speaker)
• Zaid Quintero (roll call; name appears as part of attendance)
• Lorena Cedeño (roll call; name appears as part of attendance)
• Carlos Domínguez (roll call)
• Hugo Enrique Herrera (roll call)
• Luis Contante (roll call; later proposes inclusion)
• Luis Pérez (council member; later speaker)
• Marisa Villarreal (roll call)
• Cristel Kennedy (roll call)
• Serena Bambas (council member; later speaker)
• Elia Vigil (roll call)
• Quira Ponce / Kira Ponce (Vice President; later speaker)
• Professor Rosa Aldiva (religious invocation—named in agenda)
• Professor Dalila Mosquera (National Director for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency; main guest speaker)
• Irina Tapia (Secretary General of the Mayor’s Office—addressed in ceremony)
• Professor José Alberto Sosa (Director of the National Folkloric Dance Company; thank-you speech)
• Ismael Enrique Atencio (councilman; Córdoba Campo district; speech)
• Ismael Atencio (mentioned as taking part in the ceremony and interventions)
• Carlos Domínguez (mentioned in instructions to accompany Serena; and appears as council member in attendance)
• Humberto Arría (council member; later speaker)
• Yamiret Batista (council member; later speaker)
• Professor Saldiar / “Saldiar” (religious invocation text references “Professor Saldiar” during the invocation segment)