A typical Panamanian makes around $20 a day for construction work. The current price of a gallon of gas is around $5, $1.40 a liter. Many of these Panamanians don't drive a car, but they do ride in taxis and on buses whose prices have increased.
The producers who have to deliver the food are having to pay to deliver, so the price of food has been going up. Even staples like rice, eggs, beans...
Teachers are saying they have not been paid what they are due. Doctors and nurses are saying their needs are not being met to do basic work, and they have also not been paid.
Because of all of the above, many Panamanians have taken to the street to protest. Their form of getting the government's attention is blocking roads. Lots of them. Main roads.
Currently, it is impossible to get from one side of the country to the other in one day. They say even the airline tickets are all sold out. There is one main road to Panama City from the Costa Rica border - Highway 1. It is currently closed in multiple locations.
Yesterday the president tried to address the situation. He had already worked with commercial vehicles to help them with the price of gas, but a typical Panamanian was still filling the pain at the pump. He met with the leaders of various unions and came up with an agreement - freeze the cost of gas for the whole country at $3.95 a gallon. He also was going to subsidize the price of various items in the "basic basic" for food.
After announcing his plan, the protestors were still not happy. Protests continue. Roads are blocked. If someone tries to drive through the blockade or doesn't participate in the protest, they will destroy the vehicle (like the bus pictured above).
Text messages have been going on all day long asking where the blockages are. Friends of ours are stuck somewhere on Hwy 1 outside of Panama City trying to get back to their home near us.
The Panamanians want to continue their protests because they want more. They want the price of gasoline down to $3 a gallon. They want the price of food and medication to be lowered and frozen. So more roads close today (like the one going into our town and down in David).
We have nothing to do but try to stay home and hope it ends soon.
I know this is going on around the world in different places and in different ways. It is hard when it strikes so close to home!