In her view, this move also disregards the Supreme Court of Justice ruling from November 2023, as well as the legal mechanisms that ought to underpin a decision of such magnitude.

  The legislator maintained that restarting mining operations serves the interests of a small economic group rather than the country’s priorities.

  Hernandez emphasized to the newspaper *La Estrella de Panama* that any potential reopening would require adherence to procedures such as a public tender and a public consultation via a referendum, in addition to compliance with the existing legal framework.

  “It’s not about what a small group wants; it is about what the country wants,” she stressed, while also questioning the State’s technical capacity to adequately oversee an activity of this scale.

  In this regard, she noted that officials responsible for monitoring extractive activities have at times relied on resources provided by the concession-holding companies themselves—a practice that, in her opinion, compromises the transparency and independence of environmental oversight.

  The economy can and needs to improve; progress can be made in sectors such as tourism, ports, logistics, other concessions, and infrastructure. There are many untapped opportunities—such as those in Colon —that could generate development and jobs.

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