Friday, April 11, 2025.
Panama’s Amber Alert: More Than a Law, It’s a Lifeline
In the world of investigations and security, timing isn’t just important—it’s everything. When a child goes missing, the first few hours can mean the difference between a safe return and a tragedy. That’s why Panama’s proposed revamp of the Amber Alert system isn’t just another legislative effort—it’s potentially one of the most important tools we can put in place to save lives.
The new law, heading to debate this week, aims to restructure how missing minors are reported, tracked, and hopefully—found. Right now, we’ve got fragmented communication, slow activation, and too many hands tied by bureaucracy. As someone who has chased leads, followed trails, and delivered tough news to families, I can tell you firsthand: we can do better.
Under the proposed changes, the Ministry of Public Security would take the lead. A national council would oversee the process, and an Early Activation Office would coordinate fast responses across police, government, media, and even private security professionals like myself.
And it’s not just about pushing out alerts. It’s about real coordination, real consequences, and real speed. Every bus terminal, every cellphone screen, every radio station should be on alert when a child disappears. Time isn’t our friend in these cases—but with the right system, it doesn’t have to be our enemy either.
In March alone, 19 kids disappeared in Panama—18 of them girls. That’s not a stat. That’s a wake-up call.
We need a system that works. One that doesn’t hesitate. One that brings together police, investigators, media, and regular people on the street in one unified mission: bring them home.
This law won’t fix everything. But it can give us the structure we need to act fast, act together, and act with purpose.
Because when a child is missing, we shouldn’t be caught flat-footed. We should be already moving.
Brett Mikkelson
TOP NEWS and TIDBITS:
SINAPROC Maintains Watch Advisory for Swell Conditions in the Panamanian Pacific
The National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) reports that a watch advisory remains in effect for swell conditions in the Panamanian Pacific from April 8 to 12, 2025. Areas under advisory include the Gulf of Panama, Panama Bay, and the Gulf of Chiriquí.
The Panamanian Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (IMHPA) reports that during the night of April 9, a swell is expected to reach the Pacific coast, with waves coming from the South Pacific.
This event will coincide with another condition known as a spring tide, which is expected to produce moderate to strong intensity, with possible flooding in beach areas and coastal communities.
The population and boat captains are advised to take appropriate safety measures and comply with the regulations established by the authorities. Water sports and visits to the beach are discouraged during this period.
Boat owners are urged to maintain communication with safety establishments, report their navigation routes, and inform authorities of any situations they may face.
Bill Strengthening the Amber Alert System Approved in First Debate
The Committee on Women, Children, Youth, and Family of the National Assembly approved in the first debate Bill No. 215, which repeals Law 230 of June 24, 2021, that created the National Amber Alert System.
The bill, presented by the Ministry of Government, seeks to update and enhance the effectiveness of the Amber Alert system in disseminating information, locating, and recovering minors who are lost, abducted, missing, or whose whereabouts are unknown.
Additionally, it elevates the management, coordination, and early activation of the Amber Alert to a matter of State priority.
The bill also establishes a Governing Council, which will be the highest decision-making body of the National Amber Alert System. This council will operate on a voluntary (ad honorem) basis and will be composed of representatives from public institutions and non-governmental organizations.
Furthermore, the bill calls for the necessary coordination to place physical posters or signs on public roads and/or other electronic media, primarily for dissemination in banks, children’s gaming and training centers, and facilities for adolescents.
It also includes bus terminals, airports, ports, metro stations, taxis, companies with electronic ride-sharing platforms, and any other public spaces or means with high foot traffic, where physical and electronic posters will be placed at entrances and exits to help spread the alert.
The bill also stipulates that the Early Activation Office must maintain an active website, official social media accounts, and a mobile Amber Alert application that individuals can download on their mobile devices or any other device, allowing them to receive notifications about the activation and deactivation of the Amber Alert.
The Amber Alert dissemination period must be no less than five hours and no more than 24 hours. If an extension is needed beyond the 24 hours, a new alert must be issued with additional case information. The alert’s dissemination area may be local, national, or international.
Assembly Discusses in Second Debate the Reform to the Preferential Mortgage Interest Law
On the afternoon of Wednesday, April 9, the permanent session of the National Assembly began to discuss in the second debate Bill No. 207, which repeals Law 3 of 1985, establishing a new regime of preferential interest rates on mortgage loans.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), present at the session were the Deputy Minister of Finance, Fausto Fernández, and the Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning, Jaime Jované. The bill, which was already approved in the first debate by the Economic and Financial Commission, has received significant modifications.
Among these, the reform to Article 7 stands out, which is related to the preferential tiers and conditions of the state subsidy. If the bill is approved, it will apply to mortgage loans under the preferential interest rate regime once the law comes into effect.
According to the National Assembly, the measure establishes different preferential tiers based on the purchase price of the home and its geographical location. Two regions have been defined: Region 1 includes the provinces of Panama and Panama Oeste, while Region 2 covers the province of Colón and the rest of the country.
As approved, the preferential tier for Region 1 includes a maximum subsidized rate of 5.0% for a non-renewable period of eight years for mortgage loans intended for new homes with a purchase price of up to 50,000 dollars at the time of financing.
For preferential tier 2, a subsidized rate of 4.5% is established for a non-renewable period of seven years, applicable to loans for new homes with a purchase price exceeding 50,000 dollars and up to 80,000 dollars. Additionally, preferential tier 3 was approved, which includes a maximum subsidized rate of 3.25% for a non-renewable period of five years for loans intended for the purchase of new homes with a price exceeding 80,000 dollars and up to 120,000 dollars.
Panama Received Formal Confirmation from the Canadian Mining Company on the Suspension of Arbitrations
Panama received “formal confirmation” of the suspension of two international arbitrations filed by the Canadian company First Quantum Minerals and its subsidiary Minera Panamá against the state over the deactivation of a large copper mine, a step required by the Panamanian government to begin negotiations regarding the future of the deposit.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) said on Wednesday that it received confirmation of the arbitration suspension on Tuesday, April 8, without specifying when contacts with the mining company would begin.
“First Quantum Minerals, Ltd. suspended the arbitration against the Panamanian state before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), while its subsidiary, Minera Panamá, S.A., withdrew from the arbitration filed against the Republic of Panama before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC),” stated the MICI without further details.
Minera Panamá announced on March 14 that it would suspend the arbitrations against Panama in order to open a dialogue with the government about the future of the $10 billion copper mine it operated until November 2023, when it was deactivated by court order.
The “immediate” suspension of the arbitrations is one of the conditions set by Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino (2024-2029) to begin “formal conversations” about the Cobre Panamá open-pit mine, the largest in Central America.
According to President Mulino, the Panamanian state is facing “6 or 7 international arbitrations (…) totaling tens of billions of dollars in claims for damages” due to the mine’s closure. Neither official sources nor the company have provided a specific figure for the amounts involved in these proceedings.
According to local press reports, one of these arbitrations was initiated by First Quantum before a court based in Miami (FL, USA) for $20 billion.
The copper deposit has proven and probable reserves of 3 billion tons and a production capacity of more than 300,000 tons of the mineral per year, along with gold, silver, and molybdenum, according to company data, which estimates the investment for construction at around $10 billion.
The mine, which had a workforce of around 7,000 employees and an impact on nearly 40,000 indirect jobs, was deactivated following a ruling by Panama’s Supreme Court in November 2023, which determined that the concession contract violated 25 constitutional articles.
The ruling came amid the largest public protests in the isthmus in decades, led by environmentalists and young people who claimed that the contract was harmful to the state and that it caused, as they claimed then and still claim now, severe environmental damage, which First Quantum has always denied.
The copper mine, which ranked as the 14th largest in the world in production in 2022, according to data provided to EFE by the International Copper Study Group (ICSG), is currently in a maintenance and preservation phase at a cost of $12 million per month, according to available information.
What is the Neutral Cost? The Mechanism the Canal Will Use for U.S. Warships
The term “neutral cost” refers to the idea that the cost associated with a service or activity should not result in additional losses or gains for the entity providing it. In this case, it refers to a mechanism that allows warships and auxiliary vessels from countries like Panama and the United States to transit the Panama Canal without toll exemptions, but without this transit causing any additional costs to the Republic of Panama or the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).
Neutral cost does not mean free tolls.
In other words, although Panama and the United States are entitled to have their ships transit the Canal in advance and without obstacles, the Panama Canal will continue to charge for the transit of these vessels, as established by the Panama Canal Organic Law. However, to ensure that there is no financial imbalance in this operation (i.e., that no resources are lost or excess income generated), a “neutral cost mechanism” is established.
This means that the cost of these transit services will be compensated in some way, ensuring that the operation is not financially harmful to the Canal or to the involved countries, while maintaining the toll structure established without affecting the finances of either the ACP or the Republic of Panama.
