---
title: "Panama Diverts $6 Million From School Construction to Security Helicopter Maintenance"
date: 2026-10-08
author: "Panama Daily News"
url: https://panamadaily.news/2026/10/08/panama-diverts-6-million-from-school-construction-to-security-helicopter-maintenance/
categories:
  - "Politics"
---

# Panama Diverts $6 Million From School Construction to Security Helicopter Maintenance

Panama’s National Assembly Budget Commission has approved transferring $6 million originally earmarked for school construction to the Ministry of Public Security, drawing criticism from lawmakers who question the country’s spending priorities as classrooms wait for repairs.

## What Happened

In a session on Thursday, October 8, the Budget Commission voted 11-0 to approve the budget transfer to the Ministry of Public Security (Minseg) for the maintenance of helicopters operated by the National Air and Naval Service (Senan). The funds will come from the Ministry of Education’s (Meduca) school construction program.

Public Security Minister Frank Ábrego and his team presented the request before deputies. No lawmaker present voted against the measure.

According to documents reviewed by La Prensa, the $6 million from the “Construction 7% GDP Education” project will now fund the maintenance of eight twin-engine UH-1ST helicopters and six single-engine UH-1H aircraft, along with tools and training for 145 Senan members.

The funds are tied to the CARSI/Mérida agreement between Panama and the United States. CARSI stands for the Central America Regional Security Initiative. Under Amendment 28 of the agreement, the 12-month program began on March 1, 2026, with Panama committing to pay $6 million for aircraft maintenance.

## Background

The transfer sparked debate among deputies. Vamos party lawmaker Yamireliz Chong questioned pulling $6 million from school construction to service helicopters, asking which schools would go unattended and whether they would be in Colón, San Miguelito, or Panama City. She also asked for an explanation from a representative of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) present at the session. PRD deputy Jairo Salazar raised similar concerns.

Valerio González of the National Budget Directorate explained that due to Meduca’s slow budget execution timelines, the ministry would not be able to spend the amount before year’s end.

Commission president Eduardo Vásquez, a CD deputy, revealed that of the $80 million Meduca budgeted this year for school repairs, only $32.4 million had been executed. “We are in October 2026. October, November and December… There is no way they will execute the budget, and it is a sadness, because in my Capira we are missing a new school that costs $25 million,” he lamented.

## What This Means for Panama

The vote highlights the tension between Panama’s security commitments and its chronic under-execution of education infrastructure budgets. While officials argue the money would otherwise go unspent, critics point to communities still waiting for promised schools.

The stakes are significant on the security front. In a note presented to the Budget Commission, Minseg warned that failing to honor the commitment “compromises the continuity of this program and others maintained by the United States Government” with Panama, and would weaken the fight against criminal groups in the province of Darién.

The episode also puts renewed pressure on Meduca’s spending capacity, with fewer than three months left in the fiscal year and less than half of the school repair budget executed. Watch for whether the full Assembly ratifies the transfer and whether Meduca faces accountability demands over its execution record.

This story was originally reported by [La Prensa](https://www.prensa.com/politica/presupuesto-de-construccion-de-escuelas-del-meduca-pagara-mantenimiento-de-helicopteros-del-ministerio-de-seguridad/).