{"id":5440,"date":"2026-04-24T17:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/?p=5440"},"modified":"2026-04-28T23:01:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T23:01:43","slug":"sos-rio-chiriqui-viejo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/24\/sos-rio-chiriqui-viejo\/","title":{"rendered":"SOS R\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Heavy equipment operators today continued removing tons of rock and gravel from the Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo River as part of a controversial project that environmentalists say is causing irreparable ecological damage to the river. (Haga clic <a href=\"#section-one\">aqu\u00ed<\/a> para acceder a la versi\u00f3n en espa\u00f1ol de este art\u00edculo).<br \/>\nThe Ministry of Commerce and Industries, or <a href=\"https:\/\/mici.gob.pa\/\">MICI<\/a>, authorized the extraction of up to 50,000 cubic meters of river gravel, or an estimated 80,000 to 85,000 tons of material.<br \/>\nAt a public meeting on April 15 in Boquete, the region\u2019s top environmental official, Ernesto Ponce, said the extracted material would be used for road work in Tierras Altas District.<br \/>\nPonce mentioned a number of project sites, which correspond to at least eight contracts available on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/#\/\">PanamaCompra<\/a>, a government website containing such information. Click below to explore the contracts and bids.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009060\">Rio Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo Sector La Florentina<\/a> ($4,733,521.36)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009058\">Camino de Alto Los Tribaldos<\/a> ($872,872.09)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009051\">Alto Bambito<\/a> ($1,267,133.28 &#8211; bid amount, no contract filed online)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009053\">V\u00eda que conduce hacia Las Nubes<\/a> ($150,039.15)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009064\">Punto cr\u00edtico Cadena de Fr\u00edo<\/a> ($221,210.52)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009052\">Camino Los Laras<\/a> ($620,457.69)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009054\">Camino El Desierto<\/a> ($26,536)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009050\">Punto cr\u00edtico Bambito y Altos Los Guerra<\/a> ($358,368.09)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A government document lists a ninth project &#8211; Altos de los Guerra (construcci\u00f3n de cunetas, remoci\u00f3n de derrumbe, zampeado de hormig\u00f3n, barandas met\u00e1licas) &#8211; but couldn&#8217;t find it online.<br \/>\nThe contracts, totaling $8,250,138.18, were awarded to Bagatrac, an influential company that touts 25 years of experience in road construction.<br \/>\nAll of the contracts expired in 2025, except the largest one, expiring on May 18, 2026. The contract was for flood-control work and to build a 45-meter bridge over the Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo River, replacing the Florentina Bridge that had collapsed, records show.<br \/>\nAll of the projects were approved under a national state of emergency declared in November 2024 after floods and landslides killed 11 people throughout the country. Environmental impact studies were waived to allow the government to respond more quickly to the emergency.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"R\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo #sos #panama #r\u00edochiriqu\u00edviejo #naturaleza\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5vMmrB5KZD8\" width=\"624\" height=\"1109\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nIn 2023, Bagatrac was awarded a concession to operate a quarry on the Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo River in Paso Ancho. Residents and environmental groups <a href=\"https:\/\/www.critica.com.pa\/provincias\/chiricanos-rechazan-destruccion-de-rio-para-extraccion-de-piedra-448697\">protested<\/a>, saying it would cause irreparable ecological harm. The Tierras Altas Municipality opposed the quarry and it never went into operation.<br \/>\nNearly three years later, Bagatrac is extracting rocks and gravel in roughly the same location with little government oversight and support from the Tierras Altas Municipality.<br \/>\nAt the April 15 meeting, Ponce said the Ministry of Environment, or MiAmbiente, was not responsible for environmental protection measures at the site.<br \/>\nEarlier today, an Instagram account called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hablandoclaro_tierrasaltas\/\">hablandoclaro_tierrasaltas<\/a> posted an undated MiAmbiente response to complaints about the gravel extraction project. It read:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The public&#8217;s concerns are legitimate; however, the channeling of the Chiriqui Viejo River is an emergency project implemented following the flooding, erosion, and damage caused by extreme weather events between 2024 and 2025. Current regulations allow work to proceed without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in this case, although the project remains under our technical and environmental monitoring, as it is managed by the environmental unit of the Ministry of Public Works and Environment (@moppma). The objective is to reduce flooding, stabilize the riverbed, and protect nearby communities. The quarry installed is temporary, uses leftover material from the project, and will operate only for the duration of the authorized work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I haven&#8217;t located the link containing the response.<br \/>\nMICI authorized gravel extraction for 540 days, a period that is renewable.<br \/>\nBagatrac states on its <a href=\"https:\/\/bagatrac.com.pa\/compromiso-social\/\">website<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At Bagatrac, we embrace our social commitment with responsibility and dedication, recognizing that every project is an opportunity to improve the environment and generate a positive impact on communities. Through sustainable practices and a focus on the common good, we work to build a future where development goes hand in hand with respect for people and the environment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In 2020, MiAmbiente ordered Bagatrac to suspend work on a road leading from the\u00a0Pan-American Highway to Cerro Punta\u00a0in\u00a0Chiriqu\u00ed. According to technical report 005 dated Jan. 24, 2020, the company began work without a required\u00a0Environmental Impact Study resolution.<br \/>\nIn 2007, MiAmbiente\u2019s predecessor, the National Environmental Authority, fined Bagatrac $130,000 for alleged violations of environmental regulations.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5467\" src=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260423_072924-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A Spanish-language translation by Google Translate is below:<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"section-one\">En Espa\u00f1ol<\/h2>\n<p>Hoy, operadores de maquinaria pesada continuaron extrayendo toneladas de roca y grava del r\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo como parte de un controvertido proyecto que, seg\u00fan ambientalistas, est\u00e1 causando da\u00f1os ecol\u00f3gicos irreparables al r\u00edo.<\/p>\n<p>El Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias (<a href=\"https:\/\/mici.gob.pa\/\">MICI<\/a>) autoriz\u00f3 la extracci\u00f3n de hasta 50.000 metros c\u00fabicos de grava fluvial, lo que equivale a entre 80.000 y 85.000 toneladas de material.<\/p>\n<p>En una reuni\u00f3n p\u00fablica celebrada el 15 de abril en Boquete, el m\u00e1ximo responsable ambiental de la regi\u00f3n, Ernesto Ponce, declar\u00f3 que el material extra\u00eddo se utilizar\u00eda para obras viales en el distrito de Tierras Altas.<\/p>\n<p>Ponce mencion\u00f3 varios emplazamientos del proyecto, que corresponden a al menos ocho contratos disponibles en <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/#\/\">PanamaCompra<\/a>, un sitio web gubernamental que contiene dicha informaci\u00f3n. Haga clic a continuaci\u00f3n para consultar los contratos y las licitaciones.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009060\">Rio Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo Sector La Florentina<\/a> ($4,733,521.36)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009058\">Camino de Alto Los Tribaldos<\/a> ($872,872.09)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009051\">Alto Bambito<\/a> ($1,267,133.28 &#8211; monto de la oferta, no se present\u00f3 ning\u00fan contrato en l\u00ednea)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009053\">V\u00eda que conduce hacia Las Nubes<\/a> ($150,039.15)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009064\">Punto cr\u00edtico Cadena de Fr\u00edo<\/a> ($221,210.52)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009052\">Camino Los Laras<\/a> ($620,457.69)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009054\">Camino El Desierto<\/a> ($26,536)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.panamacompra.gob.pa\/Inicio\/v2\/#!\/vistaPreviaCP?NumLc=2025-0-09-0-04-EM-009050\">Punto cr\u00edtico Bambito y Altos Los Guerra<\/a> ($1,267,133.28 &#8211; monto de la oferta, no se present\u00f3 ning\u00fan contrato en l\u00ednea)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Creo que puede haber un noveno proyecto, pero no lo he podido encontrar en internet.<br \/>\nLos contratos, por un total de 8.250.138,18 d\u00f3lares, fueron adjudicados a Bagatrac, una influyente empresa que cuenta con 25 a\u00f1os de experiencia en la construcci\u00f3n de carreteras.<\/p>\n<p>Todos los contratos expiraron en 2025, excepto el de mayor cuant\u00eda, que expir\u00f3 el 18 de mayo de 2026. El contrato era para trabajos de control de inundaciones y para construir un puente de 45 metros sobre el r\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo, en sustituci\u00f3n del puente Florentina que se hab\u00eda derrumbado, seg\u00fan consta en los registros.<\/p>\n<p>Todos los proyectos fueron aprobados bajo el estado de emergencia nacional declarado en noviembre de 2024, luego de que inundaciones y deslizamientos de tierra causaran la muerte de 11 personas en todo el pa\u00eds. Se eximi\u00f3 de la realizaci\u00f3n de estudios de impacto ambiental para permitir que el gobierno respondiera con mayor rapidez a la emergencia.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5468\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5468\" style=\"width: 1014px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5468\" src=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260423_071019_011-2048x1150.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5468\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Site where contractor has been digging into riverbed this week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>En 2023, Bagatrac obtuvo una concesi\u00f3n para operar una cantera en el r\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo, en Paso Ancho. Residentes y grupos ambientalistas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.critica.com.pa\/provincias\/chiricanos-rechazan-destruccion-de-rio-para-extraccion-de-piedra-448697\">protestaron<\/a>, alegando que causar\u00eda un da\u00f1o ecol\u00f3gico irreparable. El municipio de Tierras Altas se opuso a la cantera, la cual nunca entr\u00f3 en operaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>Casi tres a\u00f1os despu\u00e9s, Bagatrac est\u00e1 extrayendo rocas y grava pr\u00e1cticamente en el mismo lugar, con escasa supervisi\u00f3n gubernamental y sin el apoyo del municipio de Tierras Altas.<\/p>\n<p>En la reuni\u00f3n del 15 de abril, Ponce afirm\u00f3 que el Ministerio de Ambiente no era responsable de las medidas de protecci\u00f3n ambiental en el sitio.<br \/>\nHoy temprano, una cuenta de Instagram llamada <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hablandoclaro_tierrasaltas\/\">hablandoclaro_tierrasaltas<\/a> public\u00f3 una respuesta de MiAmbiente, sin fecha, a las quejas sobre el proyecto de extracci\u00f3n de grava. El mensaje dec\u00eda:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Las inquietudes ciudadanas son leg\u00edtimas; sin embargo, la canalizaci\u00f3n del r\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo es una obra de emergencia ejecutada tras las inundaciones, erosi\u00f3n y da\u00f1os causados \u200b\u200bpor eventos clim\u00e1ticos extremos entre 2024 y 2025. La norma vigente permite actuar sin EsIA en este caso, aunque la obra mantiene nuestra vigilancia t\u00e9cnica y ambiental, est\u00e1 cargo de la unidad ambiental del @moppma. El objetivo es reducir inundaciones, estabilizar el cauce y proteger a las comunidades cercanas. La cantera instalada es temporal, utiliza material sobrante de la obra y operar\u00e1 \u00fanicamente mientras duren los trabajos autorizados.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>No he encontrado el enlace que contiene la respuesta original.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5470\" src=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DJI_20260423085214_0115_D1-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nMICI autoriz\u00f3 la extracci\u00f3n de grava por 540 d\u00edas, un per\u00edodo renovable.<br \/>\nBagatrac declara en su <a href=\"https:\/\/bagatrac.com.pa\/compromiso-social\/\">sitio web<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>En Bagatrac, asumimos nuestro compromiso social con responsabilidad y dedicaci\u00f3n, conscientes de que cada proyecto es una oportunidad para mejorar el entorno y generar un impacto positivo en las comunidades. A trav\u00e9s de pr\u00e1cticas sostenibles y un enfoque centrado en el bienestar com\u00fan, trabajamos para construir un futuro donde el desarrollo vaya de la mano con el respeto por las personas y el medio ambiente.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>En 2020, MiAmbiente orden\u00f3 a Bagatrac suspender las obras de una carretera que conecta la Carretera Panamericana con Cerro Punta en Chiriqu\u00ed. Seg\u00fan el informe t\u00e9cnico 005, con fecha del 24 de enero de 2020, la empresa inici\u00f3 las obras sin la correspondiente resoluci\u00f3n del Estudio de Impacto Ambiental.<\/p>\n<p>En 2007, la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente, predecesora de MiAmbiente, mult\u00f3 a Bagatrac con $130,000 por presuntas infracciones a la normativa ambiental.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heavy equipment operators today continued removing tons of rock and gravel from the Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo River as part of a controversial project that environmentalists say is causing irreparable ecological damage to the river. (Haga clic aqu\u00ed para acceder a la versi\u00f3n en espa\u00f1ol de este art\u00edculo). The Ministry of Commerce and Industries, or MICI, authorized &#8230; <a title=\"SOS R\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/24\/sos-rio-chiriqui-viejo\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about SOS R\u00edo Chiriqu\u00ed Viejo\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[130,306],"tags":[312,321,318,307,308],"class_list":["post-5440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-panama","tag-bagatrac","tag-chiriqui-viejo-river","tag-miambiente","tag-panama","tag-rio-chiriqui-viejo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5440"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5535,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5440\/revisions\/5535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyeaton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}