--- title: "Mariato Mayor Denies Mulino Claim He Diverted Earthquake Aid to Allies" date: 2026-10-12 author: "Panama Daily News" url: https://panamadaily.news/2026/10/12/mariato-mayor-denies-mulino-claim-he-diverted-earthquake-aid-to-allies/ categories: - "Politics" --- # Mariato Mayor Denies Mulino Claim He Diverted Earthquake Aid to Allies A public clash has erupted between President José Raúl Mulino and Ángel Batista, the opposition Panameñista mayor of Mariato, over the distribution of humanitarian aid following the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Panama on Friday, October 9. Batista has firmly rejected the president’s accusation that he diverted food aid meant for earthquake victims to members of his own party. ## What Happened During a visit on Sunday to areas affected by the earthquake, Mulino blamed the mayor for a protest in the community of Torio, in Veraguas province, where residents blocked a road and burned tires. The president said he learned of the case through a video, remarking, “That happened because the mayor distributed what arrived to his party members” and adding, “No wonder they were angry.” The president also warned against politicizing the tragedy. “I don’t want political games with this tragedy, with the food bags, and with the water,” he said. Mulino announced he would remove local authorities from the distribution process and ordered the Institute of Agricultural Marketing (IMA) to deliver food directly, house by house. Batista responded in a video of his own, presenting a different timeline. According to the mayor, residents in Torio closed the street at 11:00 a.m., while the IMA food bags only arrived between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., carried by aircraft from the National Aeronaval Service (Senan). “Where are those bags the mayor took for his party members?” he asked, insisting the food was distributed “family by family” in the community, located some 20 kilometers from the earthquake’s epicenter. The mayor said the protest actually began for another reason. That morning, two helicopters carrying Public Works Minister José Luis Andrade and Vice Minister Iván de Ycaza had landed in Torio. Residents believed the officials had come to inspect their collapsed homes after 72 hours without electricity, water, food, or shelter. “They are right,” Batista said, adding that if the state had arrived to solve Torio’s problems, “people don’t take to the streets.” Batista said it was he who negotiated with protesters to clear the road. “I had to face the people. And now the villain of the story is Ángel Batista,” he complained. ## Background The dispute comes amid a massive relief effort following one of the strongest earthquakes in Panama’s recent history. According to the IMA, the institution has mobilized more than 37,000 food bags: around 16,000 to Herrera, 12,000 to Los Santos, and nearly 12,000 to Penonomé. Batista said the limited aid managed by his municipality came from private companies and a donation from Panama City’s mayor’s office. With those supplies, the municipality served shelters in Palo Seco, where more than 180 people were staying, as well as Malena, and delivered “a minimal amount” to Torio. The mayor also questioned the feasibility of the president’s order for the IMA to distribute aid directly. “How many employees does the IMA have to move across these three provinces? That has to be organized with local governments and community boards,” he said. The Cabinet Council has declared a national emergency and authorized up to $100 million for procurement without tendering until December 31 to fund the response. Batista stressed that rebuilding homes and restoring water and electricity services is the state’s responsibility. “It’s a country with many resources, but they don’t arrive where they should. So before making statements, one should investigate,” he said. ## What This Means for Panama The episode highlights the political tensions complicating disaster response in the earthquake-affected regions of Veraguas, Herrera, and Cocle, and raises questions about how aid logistics will function now that local authorities have been removed from distribution. The mayor’s doubts about the IMA’s capacity to deliver house by house across three provinces point to potential practical challenges in implementing the president’s order. Batista, who says he has respected Mulino since the president’s time as Security Minister and denies ever conspiring against him, called on the IMA to bring food to communities he says remain without supplies, including Las Bocas, Arenas, Varadero, and Bajo Grande. “The people know who is who,” he concluded. How effectively the government reaches those isolated communities in the coming days will likely shape public perceptions of both the administration and local officials in the disaster zone. This story was originally reported by [La Prensa](https://www.prensa.com/politica/alcalde-de-mariato-responde-a-mulino-jamas-uso-los-recursos-del-estado-con-fines-politicos/).