By: Hermes Sucre Serrano

National

La Prensa

Wednesday, 8 de August 2007

The Petaquila “Hot Food” program has benefited 5 thousand 400 children from 97 schools in the provinces of Colon and Coclé, said Leonel Arosemena head of the Petaquilla Community Development Program.

The plan, which began on August 7^th, 2006, has the support of 325 teachers who prepare and distribute close to 4 thousand plates of food (lunch) per year. Arosemena said that Petaquilla increased its social assistance resources, which covers 40 communities in 50 kilometers around the mine, from 283 thousand 400 dollars to one million 54 thousand dollars.

Panama America

Following complaints of residents about alleged pollution in Molejon and San Juan de Turbe rives, due to the activity of the mining project of Petaquilla Gold, S.A., the independent company “Ambiente e Industrias” was hired to take samples of the water and make the respective tests.

After the test were analyzed in the laboratory, Antonio Sanchez, direct responsible for the study made by the independent company, it revealed that Petaquilla Gold is not responsible for the alleged contamination in these rivers and the death of the fishes, as alleged by the complaint of the surrounding communities of the project.

According to Sanchez, after the complaint was placed by the community, the specialist traveled to the area to take samples of the water in different points of Molejon and San Juan de Turbe rivers, and after the study was made, the results determined that “the physiochemical parameters taken in the site, reveal a solid and salinity product due to the erosion caused by the rains.”

The technitian of the company “Ambiente e Industrias” stated that the analysis revealed that the pH is between 7 and 8 units, which indicated that there are no alteration made by anthropogenic factors of sample of the water taken from the rivers and that the norm for a Panamanian project establishes that the range of the pH in water should be between 6.5 to 8.5.

The company also disclosed figures related to the values of nitrate and nitrite under analysis methods, which resulted to be really low within the range of superficial waters and also that the contents of cyanide are less than 0.001 mg/L, which indicated that the content of this material has not been tampered by human activity.

“The standard 2610-EAC-111 of the ACP indicates a value of 0.2mg/L for discharges into bodies of water. The project standard for the contents of CYANIDE, indicates value of <0.01 as low risk. The value found in the analysis is 10 times lower. The origin of the content of cyanide is due to the natural environment, since the plant has not begun production or operation”, said the environmental engineer.

Los burgomaestres que están al frente de los municipios de las provincias que forman parte de la llamada Castilla del Oro, coinciden en ponderar el trabajo que viene impulsando la Fundación que lleva su nombre y que aquí en Panamá apoya decididamente el empresario Richard Feifer-Carles.

La Castilla del Oro escenario que conforman los municipios de Colón, Coclé, Herrera, Los Santos y Veraguas, se verán beneficiados con los proyectos que pretende desarrollar la Fundación en materia de turismo rural y religioso.

Tal aseveración se desprende de la reciente visita que hiciese a nuestro país a finales del mes de julio el Duque de Veragua Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal con una delegación española donde sobresale la presencia del presidente de la Fundación en Panamá, Pascual Montañés y el director de las empresa públicas de Extremadura Jaime Ruíz Peña.

Con la delegación española el Duque de Veragua cumplió a pie juntillas con la agenda que se había propuesto para conocer de primera mano las necesidades de los municipios que estuvieron muy ligados a la presencia colonial española.

Los asomos de España en Panamá para sorpresa de los distinguidos visitantes, se encuentran vigentes, basta visitar Portobello, San Lorenzo, Veraguas o el llamado Arco Seco de la península de Azuero y uno se dará cuenta inmediatamente que las iglesias, por citar un ejemplo, resultan el mejor referente para sumergirse en el túnel de la historia, de un momento que muchos interpretamos como una experiencia que debe servir para no volver a cometer los mismos errores.

La sinergia que se viene construyendo se fortalece cada día más cuando los alcaldes son capaces de hacer evaluaciones como la que expresa el de Ocú Juan Baxter de “nos sentimos bien con los españoles y la Fundación”.

Alejo Millán Soto, burgomaestre del distrito de Parita se refirió a la Fundación de la siguiente manera: “Ha sido un trabajo fructífero, ya que hemos recibido el apoyo de la Castilla del Oro. El trabajo que estamos realizando es un trabajo muy bueno ya que se persigue la explotación del turismo rural y religioso.  Queremos explotar esto en conjunto con la fundación Castilla del Oro organización que alienta el empresario Richard Feifer-Carles”.

El alcalde aprovechó el escenario mediático para hablar de Parita, sus tradiciones, su cultura y costumbres que en gran medida fueron aportadas por la España de la época.

En esta misma dirección, el Alcalde de Calobre  Héctor Saldaña  comentó: “Estamos atendiendo una invitación ya que estamos proyectando nuestras costumbres, estamos tratando de que nuestras áreas turísticas sean puntos estratégicos para que nos visiten y asi mejorar la calidad de vida”.

“La Fundación ha venido poco a poco con paso firme, ellos le están dando ese toque especial a los municipios, los municipios necesitaban una fundación como Castilla del Oro”.

No por casualidad el Duque en su discurso ante un nutrido grupo de personas y líderes municipales en Parita entre los que destacan alcaldes y representantes, agradeció la cálida acogida, misma que calificó como una oportunidad, más que todo porque los actos protocolares fueron precedidos por una misa en honor al día de Santiago Apóstol.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010-10-06 Estrella de Panamá

ERNESTO  A. QUIJADA DÍAZ

We all know the attacks the mining industry in our country have been suffering start in the chambers of some groups “opposed to everything”, whose professional selfishness deny all the Panamanians their right to a better life, the State to receive more income, our farmers and indigenous people to achieve a better quality of life, and, therefore, to elevate Panama to the level of the countries rich in mineral deposits which maintain their economies.

Our country is between the nations with deposits to be exploited, helping the development of Mankind.  For this reason, the State is interested in attracting large mining companies that apply modern technology and comply with rigorous protocols that regulate the subject, to settle in Panama and generate wealth, progress, and sustainable growth.

In its eagerness to settle the mining exploitation, the government is granting joint ventures to make it more appealing to those companies to come.  At the same time, however, there have appeared a few characters that are determined to demonize the extraction of minerals in the already proven deposits within our geographical limits; characters that have appeared to receive donations from the already established companies, who deny accepting new competitors in the market; characters that have traveled, for many years, roads where they have taken economical advantage of their actions; they are taking sinister messages to our farmers and indigenous people, so they oppose to the development of our mineral wealth.

So we see that, the opposition is based on the repetitive lies of those who don’t truthfully know the mining regulation and the advantages that it brings, including the elevation of the quality of life, education and health, and social development.  They call themselves environmentalists, but in truth, they turn out to be whiners.

Environmentalist is someone who seeks for the fulfillment of agreements and international treaties that apply to guarantee the existence of the future generations.  A true environmentalist is someone who makes us leave a clean world, with less pollution and damages to the ozone layer, less wear to the hydraulic resources, less damage caused by the sun which is burning great extensions of land.

One of the instruments used by the ones trying to stop the development of the mining industry an article published in La Estrella de Panama by engineer Eduardo Esquivel, assuring Europe approved a resolution that forbids the use of cyanide in mining in all the nations belonging to that continent.

Truth is the European Commission, Executive body of Europe, dismissed the proposal presented by the Parliament on May 5^th of this year.  Its resolution stated “that a general prohibition of the use of cyanide in mining is not justified from an environmental or health standpoint.”  The resolution was proclaimed by the European Commissioner of the Environment Janes Potoenik, Slovenian.

In their visit, the European Commission of the Environment stated the current law on the subject includes accurate and strict requirements that ensure an adequate level of security in the management of waste.  Establishing the limits of cyanide storage as rigorous as possible and being involved in the practice of the destruction of the used cyanide.  Potoenik added that the general prohibition of cyanide will cause several existing mines that operate under high security conditions to close.

All the information in Esquivel’s article is then discarded, since the resolution concludes indicating “they will follow up closely the technological advancements in the area, with the purpose of ensuring the best available techniques are applied”

Another lie has been exposed; the Panamanian people already understand that those who call themselves environmentalists are actually vocational instigators, who have found a profession that gives them economical advantage by opposing mining development.  Those characters are trying to fool our farmers and indigenous people, pushing them to be the head of their activities, making them close streets in demonstration and marching in opposition to mining, which helps them to continue receiving large sums of money from their sponsors.

The president of the Region Autonoma of Extremadura Spain, Guillermo Fernandez Lara, located in the city of Meida, offered his support to the implementation of the “Castilla del Oro” project by offering advice in the areas of tourism and information technology through international cooperation, in order to help it develop it’s tourist potential and improve other items that allow to improve the quality of life of the residents.

The president’s statement was given during an audience offered to the Governor of Colon Pedro Ríos and the mayors of Calobre and Montijo, Veraguas; Pesé, Parita, Santa María and Los Pozos, Herrera; Tonosí and Pedasi, Los Santos; and Aguadulce, Coclé; Panamanian entrepreneur Richard Fifer, creator of the “Castilla del Oro” project; and the Duke of Veragua, Cristobal Colon de Carvajal, XX direct descendent of Christopher Columbus.

The Panamanian authorities are currently visiting Spain to be able to explore the rural tourism development of that country.

The Castilla del Oro project is an initiative of the Panamanian entrepreneur Richard Fifer-Carles that seeks to boost the rural tourism development in the provinces of Panama that during the Spanish colonial period was part of the region known as “Castilla del Oro”.

The president of Extremadura explained how one of the poorest regions of Spain, with a predominantly rural and agricultural economy in the 80s, has given a quantum leap and chosen a development model based in the balance between the rural and the urban.

He said that an important bet has been placed on the new technologies, which has helped them become one of the first cities in Spain to count with band width in all the communities, and introduce informational and communicational technologies to schools, allowing them to be more competitive by developing and exploiting better their natural resources and infrastructure.

He indicated they have been able to prevent the residents to leave the rural area of Extremadura, because by leaving they lose a mean of wealth.  They have potentiated that rural mean and today they count with over 800 rooms that give a great push to the tourism in the area.  They are one of the regions with the most kilometers of coast line, have become number one producer of tomato and rice; number two in wine; number fourth in olive oil; and a power producer of fruits, exporting to many countries in the world and with an enormous capability to continue growing in these fields.

The president of the Castilla del Oro Foundation in Spain, Duke Cristobal Colon de Carvajal, explained to the president of the Region Autonoma of Extremadura the concept of the project, which counts with the support of the Panamanian Tourism Authority that looks to develop sustainably the central provinces of Panama.  Their visit to the region was to learn from their experience in rural tourism and explore how feasible is their initiative of small businesses for the residents.

Before this visit, the Panamanian authorities and Richard Fifer-Carles were received by the Mayor of Merida, Angel Calle, with whom they exchanged ideas about the development of rural tourism in the area.  Calle demonstrated his interest in supporting with everything he can so that Panama can successfully develop this initiative.

A meeting to analyse and get a perspective on the progress of the La Castilla de Oro Project, which seeks to promote rural tourism in the central provinces, was held in Penonomé, Coclé. The two groups of Mayors who visited Spain to see how tourism is developed in the country took part.

The meeting, held between a group of mayors and local municipal representatives belonging to Castilla del Oro Foundation, was chaired by the initiative’s director, Cocle businessman Richard Fifer, who stated that the support and enthusiasm of the participants was shaping the project and he encouraged them to go on in the same way until the project was firmly established.

Fifer informed the meeting  that Public companies from Extremadura in Spain would visit Panama during July to approach the Provincial authorities of Colón, and sign an agreement for reactivating the San Lorenzo fort as an international tourist destination.

Similarly, he said that progress had been made on establishing a second operational centre for “La Castilla del Oro Foundation” in Los Santos Province and, as part of the Foundation’s initiatives, a launch had already been acquired to transport tourists in the Pacific sector of the Los Santos and Veraguas Provinces.

Richard Fifer also communicated the Foundation’s participation as flagship sponsor in the Parita Festival; he said that, as a first stage of the initiative, two buses for transporting tourists from the beachside hotels to the historical monuments of Coclé, Los Santos and Veraguas would be available in July.

Fifer said the Tourist Authority required, as part of the project, formal plans for undertaking any initiative by La Castilla del Oro, and that –as part of the commitment–the remodelling of the Casa del Pueblo in Ocú has been reactivated and that soon donations will be made for renovating the San Francisco de la Montaña church tower in Veraguas.

Engineer Richard Fifer also talked about the initiative by Herrera, Mayor of Pesé, to coordinate with the Republic’s vice-President, Juan Carlos Varela, work on Hacienda San Isidro,  an important project the Foundation could adopt.

“When we began this project, all of us here used one word, patience, patience, and more patience, but, as we can see, the Foundation has put unlimited energy into the project as these two short videos show and this is only a sample of the great effort and achievements made by the management and staff of La Castilla del Oro during the first twelve months”, said Richard Fifer.

Finally, he said the aim was to recover, present and preserve history like that of Portobelo, that was the cultural of Panama for hundreds of years,  as is done in Extremadura and Andalucía in Spain where the ancient cultural capitals of the Roman Empire, Caliphate and British culture of the 18^th Century are presented to attract culture, tradition and economic progress to the communities.

Certificates were awarded to the Mayors for their participation in the “New Discoverers” tour that travelled around the Kingdom of Spain in May, visiting the Autonomous Communities of Extremadura, Andalusia and Madrid,  with the aim of discovering new horizons for developing tourism in the La Castilla del Oro Region, made up of Coclé, Herrera, Los Santos, Veraguas and Colón Provinces, and to those who visited Extremadura, Navarra and  Madrid in October of last year.