Panama. The Panamanian Association of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (Apayre) expressed its discomfort with the statements of the mayor of Panama City, Roxana Méndez, made to local media, in which she speaks of the flexibility in the approval of building plans for their construction, after an agreement with a group of architects and the Directorate of Municipal Works and Constructions (Doycm).
"This surprised us, since for years Apayre has fought against the disastrous practice of issuing provisional construction permits that allow the start of works without having plans of air conditioning, alarm and fire extinguishing systems, electricity, ventilation, plumbing and others, duly reviewed and approved by the competent entities, which are essential to guarantee the safety of the life and property of the users of those buildings", says the official bulletin of the Association.
This reaction was supported by the mechanical, electrical and electronics guilds such as the IEEE Panama Chapter, Ashrae of Panama and the Ciemi of the Spia. Apayre is clear in mentioning that he is not opposed to provisional permits, but that they do not meet the requirements of the Municipal Council of Panama.
"In practice this is not being fulfilled, with a serious damage to the professional practice of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineers, also representing a threat to the safety of the users of these buildings. We are waiting for the meeting with the municipal authorities to learn about the reforms that were not consulted with our unions."
