Panama Speeds Up Post-Quake Rebuilding: 370 Homes Under Way, 30 Ready for Handover
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino travelled to La Villa de Los Santos in Los Santos Province on November 10 to inspect housing reconstruction after the October 9 earthquake. The Housing Ministry reported that about 300 homes for quake-hit families are formally under construction nationwide, 30 are ready for handover and another 270 are expected to be finished next week, as rebuilding moves into a phase of concentrated deliveries.
Mulino and First Lady Maricel Cohen de Mulino first visited the community of La Colorada, where 70 homes are being built with donations channelled through the First Lady's office and construction support from persons deprived of liberty. The family of Catherine Mitre has already moved into a new home, while the house of Maximino Caballero and his wife is about to receive its roof. The First Lady explained that one donation originally covered only three houses; after coordination with the Ministry of Government and the organisation of construction crews, six houses are going up in the first group, followed by 40 more donation-funded homes and 50 donated by the company Provivienda.
Housing Minister Jaime Jované said that, beyond the roughly 300 homes under construction, another 70 company-donated homes in Pesé, La Colorada and Veraguas are also advancing, bringing the total to 370 homes under construction or close to delivery. Minister of the Presidency Juan Carlos Orillac said building methods are chosen to hand homes over as quickly as possible, while asking affected families for a little patience because houses cannot be built in a day.
Mulino also toured the historic centre of La Villa. The San Atanasio Church, the Museum of Nationality and the Municipal House were damaged in the quake, and he ordered all of them rebuilt, with heritage buildings repaired under preservation rules. Culture Minister María Eugenia Herrera said her ministry is restoring the house of Niña Anita Moreno and working to have it declared national cultural heritage.
The funding for this round of rebuilding was set out during the November 3 national day ceremonies. The government has established a trust fund of 100 million balboas for post-quake recovery, covering home deliveries and the rebuilding of hospitals and schools. Mulino said at the time that the government would keep its promise and put homes back in families' hands.
Diplomacy and security also moved on November 9. Mulino received General Dan Caine, Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Presidential Palace, where they discussed ports, the interoceanic gas pipeline and the Río Indio project, which is vital to Canal operations. Mulino said the project underpins both Canal operations and water for Panamanians for the next five decades. The same day, he spoke by phone with Costa Rican President Laura Fernández; both leaders said their security alliance against narco-terrorism has been very effective, and Mulino invited Fernández to the CAF International Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean, to be held in Panama on January 27-28, 2027.
(Source: Presidency of the Republic of Panama)
Source: Presidency of the Republic of Panama
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于巴拿马城老城区的巴拿马总统府白鹭宫（Palacio de las Garzas）外观。照片：Javier Alonso，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / Photo: The Palacio de las Garzas, seat of the Presidency of Panama in Panama City's old town. Photo by Javier Alonso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
