What Happened
According to La Prensa’s column “Tal cual” (March 20, 2026), Public Works Minister Luis Andrade was cited to appear before the National Assembly on Monday, March 23, but notified legislators he will not attend. Instead, Andrade told the Assembly he will send written answers to a questionnaire about the eviction of small businesses in Parque Lefevre and Río Abajo linked to works on the Vía España expansion.
At the same plenary session, deputy Camacho confronted colleague Alexandra Brenes of the Vamos party, accusing her of shelving a bill to create the National Institute for Women (Inamu) that had passed first debate in the Commission on Women and Family. Camacho also interrupted discussion of a bill from Walkiria Chandler intended to speed up inheritance processing; he continued to make remarks even after his microphone was turned off and the session was recessed until next Monday.
Other Notes from the Day
The column also noted social activity in David: several public figures — Juan Diego Vásquez, Javier Yap, Janine Prado, Augusto Palacios, Jorge Bloises, Pérez Barboni and Jorge González — took part in the Cabalgata de San José de David. The piece mentions a wedding in Boquete tomorrow for Gabriel Silva. Separately, Betserai Richards criticized government spending on nutrition programs, saying a guava provides more than the cookies distributed in public schools, and flagged figures alleging $29 million spent on cream, milk and a nutritional cookie versus $200 million on food for inmates.
Background
The issues raised touch on several ongoing tensions: infrastructure projects that require relocations or evictions, the oversight role of the National Assembly when ministers are summoned, and internal legislative disputes that can stall or politicize bills such as the proposed Inamu or procedural reforms for inheritance cases. The budget comparison between school nutrition items and prisoner food has emerged as a point of public debate in recent reporting.
What This Means
Andrade’s decision not to appear in person may heighten scrutiny of the Vía España expansion and the treatment of affected small businesses in Parque Lefevre and Río Abajo. The disruptive exchanges in the plenary illustrate partisan friction that can delay legislative business and complicate progress on social and administrative reforms. Meanwhile, public criticism of spending priorities could increase pressure on authorities to explain budget allocations for school nutrition and prison food.