Only for travel expenses, the Chamber of Deputies allocated G 516 million from January 2019 to March 2022. This, only counting the money spent.
Destinations include trips to the Parlatino in Panama City, conferences on climate change, internet governance forums and more. However, the legislators do not provide public hearings or television broadcasts, taking advantage of the television channel of the Lower House, to transmit the knowledge acquired, questioning the fact that they have really participated in the meeting or went to distant countries for tourist purposes with per diems. from the public treasury.
BRIGHTNESS
Jorge Brítez, independent national deputy, gave his opinion on this issue. He pointed out that each legislator receives invitations to conferences, courses or initiatives that are carried out in other countries and that each one considers his level of importance according to the area in which he works; be it tourism, economy and more.
“In my case I would like to focus on the legal area. I fought hard against the violation of constitutional guarantees. I refrain from traveling so as not to receive criticism. Rather by my own decision I do not travel and if I do travel I would do it with my own money. I take care to use per diems and money from the House,” he said.
He stressed that travel is important. He said that the Chamber of Deputies is a body whose projects can be compared by going to other countries and it is necessary to give the possibility to a commission or a parliamentarian. Always giving the opportunity that when they return they present a specific project, for example, on the subject of health, the deputy who learned tools, transmits it, giving lectures, to demonstrate the usefulness of these trips.
“That is up to each individual. If one uses the money for tourism, in the end we are affected. I am affected. I would like to go to a course, but I can’t do it because people are very critical of these issues, that’s why I abstain. In the end we avoid those trips because of this situation. In addition, that for two years we were in a pandemic, ”he commented.
Finally, he said that it would be interesting for him to travel to Europe to find out how they are experiencing this post-pandemic and learn tools on how it can be done to reactivate the economy.
“It can be done in public hearings to demonstrate the tools learned, a TV newscast, or a talk with young people and share their experiences. I am the only deputy who was present at all the sessions. I was there throughout the entire period, even during the pandemic,” concluded Brítez.
