“Right now we are seeing the situation of local governments, where they are requesting an additional 143 million that is missing from the Investment Program for Public Works and Municipal Services (PIOPSM), said the head of the Legislature Dana Castañeda, during a session of the Commission. of Municipal Affairs, where representatives and mayors from all over the country participated to express their concerns about the cut in the General State Budget, which limits the ability to respond to community problems.
In this sense, Castañeda was emphatic when pointing out that, “The General State Budget must be approved before October 31. We have declared ourselves in permanent session, there is the will to do so, but also for there to be a project within the framework of legality.” He added, agreeing because, simply, decentralization is the first ring of responses to the communities, “We are going to look for solutions to this problem.”
For his part, the Vice Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF), Fausto Fernández, pointed out that in the General State Budget everything is very dynamic, which is why they are reviewing and hope to make the pertinent adjustments. “It is the responsibility of this government to comply with the Law, we are going to comply with the law, with the budget project, we have to find a way to give that budget to local governments and enforce the law,” he said.
Meanwhile, the president of the legislative body, Jorge Herrera, indicated that there was a division in the General State Budget into the PIOPSM and the IBI fund; 85% of the municipalities are subsidized and the community boards depend on these 110 thousand balboas, a technical reduction of the budget that would affect because it is a Law of the Republic. “The commission becomes a facilitator, seeking a technical adjustment,” he reiterated.
During the meeting, mayors and representatives from all the provinces of the country participated, agreeing that it is the first response of the communities, and that affecting the budget is not affecting it, but rather affecting all Panamanians with their needs, as they are the government. local the first response.
The permanent session will continue to search for answers to the needs of local governments. Deputies from all parties participated in the session of this legislative body, providing their support to popular power.
