THE MONEY spent on advertising by the previous government could have paid for the building of 23 quality schools at a cost of $ 11.7 million each.  Instead a large part of the  $274.8 million  went to promoting the “achievements” of various ministries including the legislative and judicial branches.

In 2013, the  pre-election year, the Ricardo Martinelli administration disbursed $ 79.8 million in self promotion almost double the amount of 2010: $ 42.4 million.

The state agency that got the biggest outreach budget($99.1 million.)  was the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), under the guidance of Solomon Shamah, a key player in the election dirty tricks campaign and a profligate spender on the Panama Carnaval.

The Ministry of the Presidency, initially fronted by Demetrio Papadimitriu and after his rupture with the president in mod term, by Roberto Henríquez, managed to spend $57 million on self-promotion

The total advertising expenditure of $274.8 million was more than the annual budget of the Ministry of Social Development, which for 2014year was allocated $ 249 million.

In early August, the Electoral Tribunal announced the opening of a legal process that includes 47 government institutions, which in the run up  to  the  last election  showed an excess of promotional spending in media advertising, in clear violation of the Electoral Code, reports La Prensa.

DROP-OUT PLAN- A draft law has been proposed to give bicycles to students and teachers who attend schools in remote areas-. It will be discussed on first reading by the Commission on Labor, Health and Social Development. The preamble says the move would “facilitate transportation of students and teachers who must travel long distances and who do not have other means of transportation other than their own feet … and will help decrease the number of dropouts."

The initiative would be supervised by the regional offices of the Ministry of Education. The suggestion comes from the opposition CD.