Panama, February 14, 2025 The National Assembly's Budget Commission approved to the Ministry of Culture two shipments of items amounting to a total amount of B /. 7,957,081.00 for the comprehensive restoration projects of the Reina Torres de Araúz Anthropological Museum (MARTA), specifically for the construction of the new maintenance building, the payment of the storage service of the pieces of this museum and the urbanization of its surroundings.

María Eugenia Herrera, Minister of Culture, supported the request from these funds to address the inadequacy of budget balances and to guarantee the continuity of important investment projects in implementation, financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID).

Other projects to be developed for the conservation of cultural heritage have included production of studies for the development of building maintenance programs, such as fortifics of the Caribbean. Also, some of the budget will cover the restoration work of the Colón Fine Arts Center.

Under this heading, MiCultura will also start the process for the implementation of management systems based on ISO 37001 and ISO 19600 standards, as they fall under the anti-bribe management system 37301: 2021 of the Compliance Management System. Also, it will be possible to conduct the pre- feasibility for the construction of film studies in the provinces of Colón and Panama.

During her speech, Minister Herrera emphasized the importance of these funds for the preservation of his cultural heritage and the impetus to cultural infrastructure.