What Happened
The National Assembly ratified Antonio Tercero González as the new director of the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers, better known as Idaan, during Monday night’s session on April 27. The vote came after an extended debate centered on the country’s water crisis and the state of the public utility.
According to the count announced by Secretary General Carlos Alvarado, 60 deputies voted in favor of the appointment. The chamber approved the nomination after the Credentials Committee had already recommended ratification earlier in the day.
Why the Appointment Drew Debate
Lawmakers used the floor debate to revisit chronic problems in Panama’s water system, including shortages, poor distribution, and the strain those failures place on public health and national development. Several deputies argued that Idaan’s challenges go beyond maintenance and touch on the broader management of a basic service that affects communities across the country.
Ernesto Cedeño of the Movimiento Otro Camino was among the first to question Tercero González’s suitability for the post. He said the nominee lacked the technical profile he considered necessary for the job and suggested he might be better suited for the position of fiscal de cuentas, a post that will become vacant when Jaime Barroso becomes a magistrate of the Electoral Tribunal next year.
Unlike many former Idaan directors, who have been engineers, Tercero González is a lawyer. That contrast became a central theme in the discussion, as deputies debated whether the leadership of an institution responsible for operating and maintaining water systems should be entrusted to someone with a legal rather than engineering background.
Calls to Fix the Water System
Benicio Robinson of the Democratic Revolutionary Party focused on the institution’s structural limitations, arguing that Idaan has long suffered from a lack of resources and operational capacity. He also criticized the use of water tanker trucks, questioning how long the country would keep turning that service into a business model.
His colleague Raphael Buchanan echoed that criticism and urged the elimination of tanker-truck dependence in favor of reliable water delivery directly to households. He also described the long-running deterioration of potable water service as the product of years of poor decisions by previous authorities.
Roberto Zúñiga of the Vamos coalition also pressed the same point, saying Panama’s water management must be handled with a state vision rather than political interests. The debate reflected growing pressure on Idaan to improve service in a country where water access remains one of the most visible public frustrations.
What Tercero González Told Deputies
During his appearance before the Credentials Committee, Tercero González said he would face multiple challenges at the head of Idaan and cautioned that solutions would not come immediately or through a “magic wand.” The committee, chaired by officialist lawmaker Dana Castañeda, endorsed his nomination before the full chamber voted.
The ratification places Tercero González at the center of one of Panama’s most persistent public service problems. His administration will now be expected to respond to complaints over water scarcity, distribution failures, and the reliance on emergency delivery systems that have become a defining feature of the crisis.