Government justifies spending

Panama's Communications Secretary, Erich Rodríguez Auerbach justified the expenses by saying that the priority of the government is to keep the population well informed about the work that it carries out as well as to promote the good name of Panama abroad and put the record straight to fight misinformation.

Rodriguez insisted that giving information to citizens is a community service and not auto-promotion. He also mentioned that the government carries out this work through radio stations, television channels, newspapers, and web sites in the country and abroad.

The secretary insisted that the government’s ads are authorized by the law and that the advertisement companies used are local, with good reputations. The investment is carefully monitored to establish the effectiveness of the campaigns.

“This is not a waste of time, but a responsibility. The government has to carry out campaigns to orientate the population in different areas such as energy, education, health and give up to date information about projects,” concluded Rodriguez.