The entire country has been in an uproar for a week now. There is an excellent, nine minute video that explains the reasons for the protests much better than I can. The government signed a contract into law allowing a Canadian company to mine the land for copper and other minerals. People feel that part of their country is being sold to foreigners without their consent, foreigners who will take and take and ruin the environment.
These protests have seen hundreds and thousands of people marching in the streets all over the country, and people blocking the roads which essentially shuts the country down. This is typical of protests here, but this is on a much bigger scale than we have seen before.
There is one road through the country, and blocking it and shutting off the flow of traffic is a huge problem for everyone. 3/4 of the population lives in Panama City, to the east. The produce grown in our western province of Chiriqui can’t get to the city. This time, they have even blocked the road to the farms north of us, so we are having shortages here also. Gasoline and diesel can’t get to us from the city and as far as I know, there is none available here. Gas stations are empty. Stores are running out of eggs, chicken, rice, and other staples. Hospitals are low on oxygen and other supplies. It’s a mess with no end in sight.
Last week the president addressed the country and said the contract is a done deal. It was done legally and will stand. Needless to say, this did not calm down the people at all. Complaints have been filed with the supreme court that the contract is unconstitutional, but it will take time to go through the process this will require. Yesterday the president addressed the country again, saying the government has listened to the people and the issue will be put to a vote by the people on December 17th. Rather than calm the situation, it seems to have inflamed it further. People want the contract gone! now! Not something that will allow strip mining for more weeks and then maybe…
The people’s plan is peaceful protests, but there have been clashes with police and tear gas in the city which has impacted residents. Of course there always a few bad apples who take advantage of the situation and rob and extort money from people stuck at roadblocks, or commit other crimes. But this is not how the Panamanian people want things to go. They want to protest peacefully and have their voices heard, and they are committed to continuing the protests until they are heard.
Personally, we are just fine. We heard the warnings before the protests started so we have gas in the cars, food in the house, and we don’t need to go anywhere or do anything. Live music at the brewery where we play is on hold, and we couldn’t get to Boquete anyway because of the roadblocks. We’re spending our time biking, walking the dog, working in the yard, and working on some songs we want to add to our repertoire. But, it’s not so easy for the working people! When you can’t move around freely, how do you get to work? How do your customers get to you? And as gas supplies run out, how do you even get around within your own city or area?
This has been an interesting thing to observe, and of course we wonder how long it will go on and how it will finally sort itself out. The Panamanian people seem absolutely determined to stay the course until they get the results they want, so who knows how this will resolve. They are willing to give up a lot, a whole lot for what they believe is right.
The Panama Adventure 
So frightening. But happy to know you are safe and well stocked w food and supplies. Still, it is so disturbing. I feel for the people wanting to protest peacefully.
Sending hugs your way.
So good to hear from you.
Linda yapp.
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Hi Linda! I hope all is well with you and yours. It’s not frightening really, maybe inconvenient but it’s also inspiring to see how passionate these people are about protecting their country, environment, and rights.
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Hi Chris, we are in the Gorgona/Coronado area. We are able to shop for groceries and get gas, but no where to go really. Banks and some businesses are running on a short schedule until this is over. My husband had a scheduled Dr appointment in La Chorrera last Thursday. The clinic called and moved it to Saturday, telling us that they don’t protest on weekends. We believed them and spent 9 hours in the car on Saturday. The highway was clear until Capital where we hit our first road block. After waiting a couple hours we turned around and headed back. But they had put in more blockades behind us. The way they work it as they keep you a few hours and then let the cars go, then block it up again. It was interesting that the blockades all seem to be where there was a gas station and mini market and sometimes restaurants where you could get food. It was not fun being in the car for nine hours but it could’ve been a lot worse. We were able to use the Banos, get water and food.
The way they work the buses was interesting. The buses would come up to the roadblock and drop their passengers the passengers would walk around the blockage and the next bus would back up on that side of the blockade and all the passengers would get on for the next leg of their trip. And so it went all the way down the highway. Workers were able to get to their destinations. If you lived in between to blockades someone would come with the car and pick you up. It was all very peaceful. At one point someone burned a couple of tires and there was black smoke in the air but otherwise no disruptions. Needless to say we never made it to the clinic but we called them and let them know the situation so they wouldn’t schedule appointments for anyone else. Also ambulances were able to get through and Taxis. The people here are fortunate that there is only one highway through the country with a centipede like layout, otherwise they would not be able to pull this off So efficiently. We hope this is settled fairly soon as I’m sure everyone does and our hearts are with the Panamanian people.
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Oh my, I’m sorry about all the hours in the car but happy to hear you are ok. It’s hard to know if you can go out and not get stuck, or where the next blockages are going to be. They have been doing the same thing with busses here, and they have been letting people with medical needs through right away. Everyone, including the Panamanians, want this over, but it’s worth continuing until they can be heard.
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Thanks for this. Great video, clearly explains what’s going on.
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My pleasure. I found it really helpful too
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Thank you so much for posting this. We are visiting
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You’re welcome. I hope your visit goes well
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Well, that canadian company has been mining there since 1996! They extended by 20 years, which was promised to them at that time. A contract even better for panama than the previous ones has been agreed upon.
In my opinion, the union who started that thing is a sorcerer‘s apprentice and will have the same experience!
Now you have everybody and their grandmother on the street waving flags (which always turns off the brain) and feeling it is their duty to „protect their country“. They do not understand the bigger picture, nor the larger consequences of their actions…
I thought the president had found a good compromise: existing contracts are honored, but all licenses in process now are denied and no more new licenses granted.
But, to an uneducated mob (and that’s the only term i find adequate for the people i encountered over the last few days trying to get to Panama City and back), this is not enough.
I’m curious to see how this develops! And, if that mining license really should get revoked, what repercussions this will have for Panama. Directly from that mining company (thinking of legal battle at WTO, or such), and indirectly for the reputation of the country as a safe place to do business. I’m afraid only China or Russia may still want to do business here, because they don’t care about their financial investment but want to have control over another country to help them with UN resolutions…
Aye aye aye! Time to start planting food in the yard, if there isn’t any yet, i guess…
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Yes, it definitely will be interesting to see how this develops
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These protests are NOT non-violent! The road is public land that is to be used by anybody to move about freely to do their business. The people occupy the public land and violate the right of others to move, thus impacting many people’s livelihood.
If you dare to request passage they get angry and yell at you. Quite frightening when your car is surrounded by men with angry faces shouting n a language I’m still trying to learn and waving sticks, let me tell you!
The people are fooled into believing it is another situation like the canal zone – which it isn’t! No foreign government occupies this land! There is a contract since 1996 with a private company. (https://playacommunity.com/panama-articles/panama-national-news/7470-panama-backs-first-quantum-mega-copper-mine.html).
The company originally working on this merged with first quantum – scale is very important in the mining industry, due to the immense cost of operating such a thing; especially a big one like this.
The Chinese government has invested in pretty much any company in the world who is listed on any stock exchange – another polemical, misleading statement, geared to manipulate people. Many funds have this company in their portfolio – so i would bet, most of the people reading this blog are invested in this company, too, through their retirement savings, social security and public pensions…
On a grander scheme, these protests have huge impacts!
The mining company lost 6,000,000,000$ in value within a week! (https://www.mining.com/web/first-quantum-faces-rocky-road-as-panama-protesters-dig-in/) All the people big and small throughout the world who have put their savings into various funds who invested in this company, we all lost part of our savings.
This company has 40,000 jobs in Panama! They are all at risk. Impacts 40,000 families!!! Small local people, not foreigners! 1,500 of nearby villages. There’s no other jobs in that area in a circumference of multiple hours driving on buses for these people!
That mine is after the canal the second largest contributor to panama’s GDP and income. 5%! So, 5% of the virtually free healthcare, the schools, the in this kind of situation absolutely useless police, and much more is paid by this company! The president’s attempt to show the importance was ill-conceived as it was easily turned into an attempt to payoff pensioners – rather than showing the importance of this mine gor the welfare of all panamanians.
And, as the other comment points out, too: panama loses its reputation of being a trustworthy country, safe for investments!
I, too, think these protests are a very bad thing for panama – on every level! And fueled by misunderstandings and populistic polemic…
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Is it legal to block the roads?
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No, it is not legal but there seems to be minimal enforcement, if any.
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