Roberto “Bobby” Eisenmann Jr., the businessman turned journalist who founded La Prensa under military dictatorship and endured exile, arson, and censorship to help restore Panamanian democracy, is being honored in a heartfelt tribute as a “Panamanian Don Quixote” — a man whose battles against corruption shaped the modern nation.
What Happened
A personal testimonial published in La Prensa celebrates Eisenmann’s life and legacy while he is still living, describing him as an intelligent, creative, brave, and audacious man with a deep love for Panama. Born in Panama City in 1937, Eisenmann built a distinguished business career before entering the fight of his life against the military dictatorship.
He followed his father’s legacy by turning Coronado into a first-world vacation destination, ran successful retail stores, and helped found a major Panamanian bank. But it was his resistance to dictatorship that defined him. In 1976, after daring to criticize the regime, he was seized by the military, put on a plane without explanation, and expelled from his own country.
In exile in the United States, he and other banished Panamanians founded and successfully ran Dadeland Bank in Miami. After returning in 1979, he took the most important step of his life: founding the newspaper La Prensa, whose first edition hit the streets on August 4, 1980 — an act he himself acknowledged was “a true madness” in the middle of a dictatorship. To ensure no single group could control or bend the paper, he gathered thousands of small shareholders, working alongside figures such as Ricardo Arias Calderón, Ricardo Alberto Arias, Fabián Echevers, and Ricardo J. Bermúdez.
La Prensa became the only newspaper that dared publish the regime’s crimes and abuses, including the murder of Dr. Hugo Spadafora. In 1986, after telling the truth about Manuel Antonio Noriega, the regime’s Assembly declared Eisenmann a “traitor to the homeland,” forcing him into a second exile — first as a Nieman fellow at Harvard, then in Miami, where he became the voice of the Panamanian opposition on U.S. television and helped the international press expose Noriega’s dirty dealings.
The retaliation was brutal. In July 1987, at the height of the Civic Crusade, some fifty armed men burned down the Dante department store while police, on orders from above, looked the other way. The regime shut the newspaper down weeks later, and again in 1988.
Background
Eisenmann’s fight unfolded during the darkest chapter of modern Panamanian history: the military dictatorship. His struggles in exile, detailed in his autobiographical book “Fragmentos de mi memoria,” set the stage for his return to Panama to confront dictators and corrupt officials face to face, repeatedly risking his own life and those of his children.
Throughout his battles, he was accompanied by his wife, Maruja Vallarino, described in the tribute as the tireless warrior and the “wind behind his sail.”
The turning point came in December 1989, when Operation Just Cause dismantled the Panama Defense Forces, democracy was recovered, and what the author calls a “new nation” began. Capital that had fled the financial system returned, confidence was restored, and the reverted Canal areas — which the military leadership had hoped to divide as spoils — were freed for the development of all Panamanians. In January 1990, La Prensa returned to circulation. Eisenmann remarked that it was the first time they published the newspaper without threats and without a gun to their heads.
What This Means for Panama
After democracy was restored, La Prensa became a permanent watchdog of democracy and a leading source of information on irregularities. Following Eisenmann’s example, what the tribute calls a “Silent Army” of public officials and anonymous collaborators in financial institutions has joined the newspaper’s crusade, supplying documented information on illicit acts and fraud that drain state coffers.
One notable investigation identified a strange real estate purchase by a Supreme Court magistrate, sparking public indignation and greater citizen vigilance over opaque dealings — a vigilance that continues to surface wrongdoing regularly. The world has recognized Eisenmann’s contributions as well: in 1995, he received the María Moors Cabot Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism in the Americas.
The tribute closes with a message of gratitude, arguing that Panama owes Eisenmann far more than he imagines. His example, it says, has inspired countless Panamanians to live honestly, love their country, and remain constant guardians of democracy — a mission that, thanks to his legacy, continues today.
This story was originally reported by La Prensa.