RADIO PANAMA Editorial Office
Hundreds of people gather each year to commemorate the traditional planting of flags in the City of Knowledge, which evokes love for our country, recalling the history and patriotism of Operation Soberanía, a patriotic deed of May 2, 1958.
Within the framework of the month of the homeland, nationals and foreigners pay tribute to the group of Panamanian students, who more than 60 years ago, surprised the US authorities and placed 65 Panamanian flags in iconic places in a peaceful, civilized and silent manner, the same time and at different points in what was then called the Canal Zone.
Over the years, the Planting of Flags in the City of Knowledge has become a space to distinguish outstanding Panamanians for their achievements and significant contributions to the country, celebrating in community the values that build a better Panama and that contribute to make the world a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable place.
“To those heroes of 1958 and many who followed, the best way to honor them is by being better citizens. We sow these flags in the City of Knowledge so that everyone can see, even from the ships that pass through the Canal, how proud we are to be part of an international community that is building a better world.
As long as we continue working in this direction, we will be honoring extraordinary citizens such as our current standard bearer, Dr. Julio Escobar” – added Jorge Arosemena, Executive President of the City of Knowledge Foundation”.
This year the flag bearer of the planting is Dr. Julio Escobar, Member of the Board of Trustees of the City of Knowledge, President and Chief Executive Officer of Centauri Technologies Corporation, an influential Panamanian for his contributions in the field of science and technology with a legacy impressive in terms of education and innovation.
Prior to Dr. Escobar’s words, Juan David Morgan, President of the Board of Directors of the City of Knowledge Foundation, confessed that this was the most emotional act in which he participated from his position, “it is about presenting an individual which has all the reasons that we Panamanians would like to have. Trying to summarize Julio in ten minutes is almost as impossible as putting the genie back in his lamp.
Rarely will the national flag be in such deserving hands as yours, Julio,” Morgan mentioned. Dr. Julio Escobar, in addition to being a prestigious scientist, is known for his tireless work to show that Panama can produce world-class science and technology, urging young researchers to think differently, to overcome their limitations and do not be afraid.
“The great lesson is that, less than 20 years later, within a generation, that impossible aspiration, that almost irrational confidence in the possibility of justice between two such different countries, with such unequal power, was carried out with the Torrijos treaties. Carter in 1979″, he expressed in his speech.
He stated that the phenomenal change that seemed impossible and a generation 21 years later, achieved total sovereignty, which allowed the consolidation of two countries as friends, instead of enemies, who now collaborate to try for a better future in both nations.
He added that this is the power of a dream. And that sovereignty is not abstract, it is what allows us to decide to build a City of Knowledge here based on the talent of our people, instead of, for example, building skyscrapers overlooking the canal.
“Today I celebrate all the people who agreed to create the country we want to become. I celebrate the student who not only studies but also tries to learn and the people who try to do their job as well as possible every day, I also celebrate those who simply show a gesture of will to make a more supportive and humane planet popular said Julio Escobar ” – flag bearer of the Planting of Flags 2022.
This is how, year after year, the Planting of Flags in the City of Knowledge has become the ideal moment to remember those precursors who fought for the sovereignty of the country, reminding us of the achievements made by the City of Knowledge Foundation, by fulfilling the possible dream of replacing weapons with books and soldiers with students, transforming what was a military base many years ago into a center of study and knowledge.
All in order to promote social change through innovation, science, humanism and business. Operation Sovereignty was the first of several patriotic exploits that took place in the old Canal Zone. After more than six decades, the Planting of Flags in the City of Knowledge invites everyone to reflect on the legacy left by those young students, but above all, it leads us to think about the future of a possible Panama: a leader in cooperation international, science, culture, sustainability and innovation.
