OP ED: by James “JB” Bryson

A necessary step and actually shocking that the government does not have the ability to get out of bed with these pre-existing agreements with such a dangerous and sullied enterprise.

Tocumen, SA will expand the scope and amount of the fourth addendum to the contract it has with the Brazilian company Odebrecht for the construction of the new passenger terminal.

The state company had agreed, for 18.3 million dollars, changes in the contract, sent on October 10 to the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic. In this modification, Tocumen recognized part of the increase in the cost of materials and increase in wages agreed in the last collective agreement of the construction sector.

Now, however, Tocumen has requested the Office of the Comptroller General to stop the analysis of said addendum, since the administration of the airport decided to include a series of changes to the baggage system, which will imply an increase in the cost of the project and, therefore, an increase in the amount of the addendum.

Óscar Ramírez, manager of Tocumen, SA, told this newspaper that the final content and the new increase to the project will be presented today to the board of directors of the airport for approval. “Once we have the approval of the board, I can give more detail of the change that will be made to the addendum,” Ramírez said.

With the 18.3 million dollars agreed in the fourth addendum, the work that was awarded in 2012 for 679 million dollars, already exceeded 910 million dollars, a figure that will be higher with the steps that Tocumen intends to take.

How is the relationship between Tocumen and Odebrecht if the contract expired on November 10 and what gave it effect was the addendum that has not been endorsed by the Comptroller?

Ramírez confirmed that the contract is “discontinued”, but noted that the bond of 220 million dollars is valid until January 25.

“Odebrecht has continued to work, but can not charge until the addendum is endorsed by the Comptroller,” said the executive.

READ MORE:https://impresa.prensa.com/economia/Tocumen-modificara-adenda-Odebrecht_0_5199230076.html