Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi proposed and successfully passed a plan to create a new municipal company structured as a stock corporation. This company aims to modernize the city's administration through digitalization, automation, and the implementation of new technologies.
The company's objectives include digitalizing tax collection, automating administrative processes, creating electronic payment platforms, implementing e-identification systems, and using AI in decision-making. However, concerns were raised regarding the lack of detail, transparency mechanisms, and potential for it to function as a parallel, less accountable administration.
Councilman César Kiamco expressed reservations, highlighting the rushed approval process and lack of detailed discussion. He voiced concerns about the composition of the board, accountability mechanisms, and the company's scope. Councilman David Bernal, while supporting the project, criticized the limited debate within the Council. Mayor Mizrachi defended the project, stating it would allow the municipality to license its internally developed technology to other institutions and improve efficiency.
The proposal's legal basis rests on articles 247 of Panama's Constitution and Law 106 of 1973, which authorize municipalities to create companies for service provision. Mizrachi cited Medellín, Colombia's public companies as inspiration for this model.