This is a very scary but true story of a land grabber here in Panama and the threats to the region caused by exploitation of our natural resources.
The road being opened through the mountains of Veraguas was planned in the mid 1970s, during the regime of General Omar Torrijos.
The commander of a country occupied by United States military bases and cut in two by a canal that was not theirs, Torrijos thought these mountains would feed the national riches. These were not the times of climate change or environmental apocalypse. Deforestation was not a suicidal decision, but one of hope: the expansion of the agricultural frontier could be the engine of development.
Sounds like this article was written by comrade Che or comrade Fidel.
In reference tonthen”Conquest ofnthe Atlantic” (Caribbean) There are several land grabbers. Here is how some operate: They call on the father of the manager of the land titling company at his home or some provate space. They come to an agreemant on a plot of land. The order goes out to the son to book the sale. Money transfers at some point. They all belong to the same political party as the chief. It is then registered in the public registry which is also run by a member of the same party. Everyone is happy so long as the property had no previous owner or was not in the archaic titling process to another person who lacks the connections. Very, very sad.