https://www.prensa.com/politica/Colon-manzana-discordia-Varela-Cortizo_0_5409209127.html

The speech of President Laurentino Cortizo during the extended Cabinet Council, held on Tuesday October 1 in the province of Colon, led to the ex-president Juan Carlos Varela criticara in his Twitter account the statements made by the ruler.

Almost at 8:00 pm, Varela tweeted in his account “unfortunate that a government uses state resources for a political attack in the middle of a Council of Ministers. In Colón there is much to be done, but to say that nothing has been done is refuse to recognize the great advances that were made. “

The comments of the former president were given after the Cabinet Council held at the Abel Bravo school, where the president said that what was done in Columbus in recent years “was not correct.”

He said that when they arrived at the Government they found an economy that had not grown for more than four years; that unemployment had increased, obviously in Columbus too. He added that the debt tripled in 10 years; “We found unpaid accounts to suppliers and contractors for $ 1,600 and in 92 days we have canceled around $ 500 million.”

But Cortizo’s words went further when, after half an hour of Varela’s tweet, he replied: “communicating to the country the real situation of Columbus is fair and necessary. Unfortunately, we want to cover the sun with a finger and deny reality. We are committed to Columbus and the entire country. “

In Colon, Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo also spoke to the media about the situation in the province. “It tears us to see how Columbus is, it is a depressed province and President Cortizo has come to return the hope of recovering the province, but with” commitments that can be fulfilled … with bitter truths, instead of sweet lies. “

He added that the businessmen affected by the renovation project will give the Government a diagnosis of their reality.

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Commitments with the colonists

During the Cabinet, the creation of 1,500 jobs was announced for the colonists, but President Cortizo emphasized the commitment that the “created are for work” positions and that each of the beneficiaries will have to answer for the assigned functions.

The president added: “Here we don’t come to tell stories,” announcing the construction of the highway in the community of the Indio River and the rehabilitation work of the Panama Al Brown gymnasium, the Mariano Bula stadium, the Arco Iris stadium, and the Sports City of Colon. In addition, he said a water treatment plant will be built, both for Costa Arriba and Costa Abajo.

The Minister of Health, Rosario Turner, said that due to the construction of the Manuel Amador Guerrero hospital – which began in 2010, seven addenda have been granted to the IBT company and its cost has increased from $ 110 million to $ 173 million – but despite of the inconveniences, “this work will be a reality with all the necessary speed and transparency required”.

He added that a work table has been established to make a final decision regarding the progress of this hospital.

The Ministry of Health will improve four health centers in Cativá, at a cost of # 3 million; while the Ministry of Social Development and the Institute for Vocational Training and Training for Human Development (Inadeh) will create the Center for the Training and Development of Adolescents, aimed at young people between 15 and 18 years.

Also, a contingency plan to provide maintenance and painting to several properties owned by the National Mortgage Bank in the city of Colon and peripheral areas was disclosed; as well as the demolition and construction of 77 homes that are in poor condition.

These proposals aim to revive the economy of the province through the generation of employment positions for the colonists, as requested by Cortizo.

For its part, the Ministry of Public Works has scheduled the construction of production roads, road rehabilitation in order to boost tourism in the coastal areas of the province and the construction of the art center in the former headquarters of the Abel Bravo College . All this entails an investment of more than $ 200 million.

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The Minister of Culture, Carlos Aguilar, said that the tender for reconstruction and rehabilitation works at Fort San Lorenzo has already been uploaded to Panama Compra. He explained that a commission has been set up for the roof rehabilitation project of the Customs building and the maintenance of the forts located in Portobelo, a proposal that will be ready to tender and start in the next dry season.

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In addition, the “Learn by Doing” program was approved, which seeks to encourage the offer of first employment to young people in the private sector. The initiative seeks to encourage young graduates and university students from 17 to 24 years, so that they can be inserted in the labor market.

President Cortizo also took advantage of his visit to Columbus to deliver 370 apartments, a commercial plaza and the extension of the police headquarters, which are part of the Altos de Los Lagos housing complex, whose construction began in the past administration.

The Minister of Housing and Land Management, Inés Samudio, announced the construction of the second stage of the Altos de Los Lagos housing project, which includes 1,620 apartments, a police station, a Early Childhood Care Center (Caipi), in addition to a patio and a MiBus workshop.

During the cabinet it was announced that next December they will return to Colon to carry out an agricultural one in Palmas Bella and another in Portobelo.

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