Kids poisoned with PAN food but deliveries continued
Despite reports of children in Veraguas and Cocle, poisoned by eating expired dehydrated food in 2010, the now former Minister of Education Lucy Molinar, as a member of the board of the National Assistance Program (PAN) authorized the direct purchase of more supplies until 2014 from Lerkshore International.
Although the first reports of poisoned children in five schools in Veraguas and three in Cocle were in September 2010, on October 7 the PAN board met to approve, among other things, the hiring of Lerkshore for "good results", while reports of sick children were ignored, reports La Prensa.
"To authorize direct contracting until 2014, the company Lerkshore International to purchase dried food for universal lunches in public schools nationwide, in view of the success we've had with the administrative body and teachers foods," says the official document.
Make that also went ahead with the contract because it would be "risky" start between trial and error, a new hire.
However, the document warns that in case of default of the company, the board of PAN would hire another. That day $2 million was approved for hauling, settlement, custody and distribution of products in schools.
In December 2010, the contract between the PAN and Lerkshore International for $ 44.9 million was signed.
La Prensa had access to the minutes of meeting in which the names of Molinar and former Minister of Public Works, Federico Suarez appear. Then there are the headings of the then director of PAN Giacomo Tamburelli; the MP for Democratic Change, Fernando Carrillo, and the deputy ministers of Social Development, Marta Susana Varela, and the Presidency, Maria Fabrega. The latter chaired the meeting.
A revealing fact is that the document referred to the importance of passing all points on that day, because of "the commitment of the President [Ricardo Martinelli] " Prominent among them was the direct contract for nearly $45 million to get dehydrated food reports La Prensa.
Voluminous documents files are scattered in PAN files warning that the dehydrated food was reaching the plates of children with "waste glass and expiration dates expired.
No less than 300 pages of reports from 2011 and 2012 show that packets of soup and chicken rice had expired and contained glass-like objects.
In the reports there is a note of July 5, 2011, the Ministry of Education (Meduca), in which it requested removing the food from schools. But apparently, the document was ignored because 2012 reports show pictures of crystallized objects found in food says La Prensa.
Ex-Minister Molinar said that although "it placed on record in writing and in a dozen occasions that Meduca disagreed with that [the purchase of food]," delivery to schools continued.
La Prensa asked Molinar, a former broadcast journalist with a reputation for castigating government misssteps, why she did not disclose any irregularities found in food that threatened students. "That is not resolved in the media, that resolves within in the PAN" she replied.
“You did not think that it should be made public?”
"You know how many things h had to stop halfway without making a public scandal?" She asked in reply.Kids poisoned with PAN food but deliveries continued
Despite reports of children in Veraguas and Cocle, poisoned by eating expired dehydrated food in 2010, the now former Minister of Education Lucy Molinar, as a member of the board of the National Assistance Program (PAN) authorized the direct purchase of more supplies until 2014 from Lerkshore International.
Although the first reports of poisoned children in five schools in Veraguas and three in Cocle were in September 2010, on October 7 the PAN board met to approve, among other things, the hiring of Lerkshore for "good results", while reports of sick children were ignored, reports La Prensa.
"To authorize direct contracting until 2014, the company Lerkshore International to purchase dried food for universal lunches in public schools nationwide, in view of the success we've had with the administrative body and teachers foods," says the official document.
Make that also went ahead with the contract because it would be "risky" start between trial and error, a new hire.
However, the document warns that in case of default of the company, the board of PAN would hire another. That day $2 million was approved for hauling, settlement, custody and distribution of products in schools.
In December 2010, the contract between the PAN and Lerkshore International for $ 44.9 million was signed.
La Prensa had access to the minutes of meeting in which the names of Molinar and former Minister of Public Works, Federico Suarez appear. Then there are the headings of the then director of PAN Giacomo Tamburelli; the MP for Democratic Change, Fernando Carrillo, and the deputy ministers of Social Development, Marta Susana Varela, and the Presidency, Maria Fabrega. The latter chaired the meeting.
A revealing fact is that the document referred to the importance of passing all points on that day, because of "the commitment of the President [Ricardo Martinelli] " Prominent among them was the direct contract for nearly $45 million to get dehydrated food reports La Prensa.
Voluminous documents files are scattered in PAN files warning that the dehydrated food was reaching the plates of children with "waste glass and expiration dates expired.
No less than 300 pages of reports from 2011 and 2012 show that packets of soup and chicken rice had expired and contained glass-like objects.
In the reports there is a note of July 5, 2011, the Ministry of Education (Meduca), in which it requested removing the food from schools. But apparently, the document was ignored because 2012 reports show pictures of crystallized objects found in food says La Prensa.
Ex-Minister Molinar said that although "it placed on record in writing and in a dozen occasions that Meduca disagreed with that [the purchase of food]," delivery to schools continued.
La Prensa asked Molinar, a former broadcast journalist with a reputation for castigating government misssteps, why she did not disclose any irregularities found in food that threatened students. "That is not resolved in the media, that resolves within in the PAN" she replied.
“You did not think that it should be made public?”
"You know how many things had to stop halfway without making a public scandal?" She asked in reply.
