Government Rescates Building of Portobelo Royal Customs and Reforms Order to Rehab Streets in Colón City

The Building of the Royal Customs of Portobelo forms part of the 1.108 works that have been abandoned by previous administrations.
-At the GTC, President Cortizo Cohen gave an order to proceed to rehabilitate 135 streets in seven cordments of the city of Colón.

In his Community Work Tour (GTC) No. 139, in 47 months of management, the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, opened the works of restoration of the building of the Royal Customs of Portobelo and the Afro-panamaic memory museum, projects that drive and add new tourist attractions for the economic recovery of the Coast Below Colón.

Also during the GTC, President Cortizo Cohen did another important activity by giving, with public works ministers (MOP), Rafael Sabonge, an order to proceed with the financing and rehabilitation of the streets of the town of Colón with an investment of B / .31 million.

The Portobelo Customs Building was built by the Spanish in 1630 and had an important role during the famous Portobelo Fairs and was the subject of some refurbishment in the 1990s, but as President Cortizo Cohen currently manages to rescue his monument with an important historic value and with an estimated cost of B / .3.7 million, financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID).

It should be noted that 90% of the labour force employed in construction, restoration and museography works was contracted between the population of Portobelo and Colón province.

President Cortizo Cohen emphasized that the Customs Building forms part of the works abandoned by previous administrations and that this government has rescued. "That building is a pride for colonians," the president said.

He indicated that the current administration rescued at Colón other important works that were abandoned by earlier governments such as Amador Guerrero Hospital and Roberto Mariano Bula stadium.

He announced his next works at Colón as the Colón ITR, the Anastasia Mitre school at Palmas Bellas, the House of Culture and the road from Achiote, Batteries 35 to Miguel de la Borda.

In addition to the full restoration of the Portobelo Royal Customs Building, three rooms will be built at the bottom. One of them will tell the history of people of African descent at Portobelo, while the other will have a sample of the intangible heritage of Colón Province, especially Portobelo. It shows the ritual and festive expressions of the congoes, which is the world heritage of UNESCO.

There will also be a section that will discuss aspects related to rituals, beliefs and history of the arrival of the Black Christ at Portobelo.

Rehab of streets for Colón

The order to conduct by President Cortizo Cohen includes the rehabilitation of 135 streets in seven cordments in the Colón district: Escobal, Cristóbal, Cristóbal Oriental, Cativa, Sabanitas, Buena Vista and Santa Rosa. With this project run by the MOP, more than 150,000 people will benefit.

The work includes the design and construction of two two-track vehicles with pedestrian sidewalk (New Mexico and Polvorín street bridge) and the rehabilitation of seven vehicles bridges onto Irving Saladino (onto the highway), broken with verbena N ° 1 and N ° 2, Coco Solo N ° 1 and N ° 2, Escondado N ° 1 and N ° 2.

During these activities, ministers Giselle González (Culture) and Rafael Sabonge (MOP), Irasema de Dale, Governor of Colón, Alexander Leicht, regional director of UNESCO, Nilda Quijano, founder and executive director of the Portobelo and Fort San Lorenzo, and other guests, accompanied the president.