Digital form enabled to register businesses affected by the earthquake in Panama

Damage caused by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that occurred on Friday, October 9, with its epicenter in Tonosí, province of Los Santos, Panama. EFE/ Bienvenido Velasco Businesses in the provinces of Coclé, Veraguas, Los Santos, and Herrera, hit by the recent earthquake that shook the country on October 9, now have a digital channel to report their losses. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) has enabled an online form so that owners of businesses and industries can register the damage suffered. The tool seeks to document, case by case, the impact of the seismic event on the productive sector of the four provinces. It is part of a broader information-gathering effort being carried out by the institution. Access is available, and from there merchants fill in their contact details and describe the exact location of the affected establishment. The registration also requires a description of the damage or difficulties each business is facing. In addition, it is mandatory to attach photographs that make it possible to verify the reported damage. A merchant enters tax information into a digital form from the counter of a grocery store. (Illustrative image Infobae) Authorities in the sector explained that the ministry is working to identify the needs of affected companies, which is why they called on merchants and business owners in the affected areas to contact the institution to document each case. Those who prefer a channel other than the form can call line 311 or go directly to the MICI regional offices. The institution stressed the importance of keeping the registry up to date in order to accurately identify the needs of the sector. Without the data provided by the business owners themselves, the picture of the damage would be incomplete. That is why the institution emphasized that the response of business owners is what will make it possible to reflect the real conditions of each establishment. With that information, it was reported, the aim is to guide assistance and recovery actions in the four provinces. The stated goal is to support the continuity of productive activities and protect employment in the affected communities. While addressing the earthquake emergency, the ministry also activated a technological improvement on its procedures platform. The lack of synchronization between records could lead to municipal charges for businesses that had already closed. Panamá Emprende incorporated an automatic notification that alerts the Municipality of Panama every time an operating notice is closed. The change addresses a specific problem, since until now that communication did not happen automatically. The lack of synchronization between the two records could result in municipal charges for businesses that had already closed, as well as obstacles in other procedures for former owners. The procedure carried out by the user does not change. The owner, legal representative, or authorized person enters the system and closes the operating notice just as they always did. The difference occurs afterward, invisibly to the applicant. From that moment on, the notification is sent automatically to the municipality, which can update its own records without the citizen having to complete an additional procedure. The Minister of Commerce and Industries, Julio Moltó, linked the improvement to a broader policy of streamlining procedures. The Minister of Commerce and Industries, Julio Moltó, linked the improvement to a broader policy of streamlining procedures. EFE/ Carlos Lemos "This improvement in Panamá Emprende means that when a person cancels their operating notice, that information goes directly to the Municipality of Panama, avoiding later charges and problems with other procedures," said the Minister of Commerce and Industries. "It is another step in the work we are doing to have more agile, simpler, and connected services," the official added. For the Municipality of Panama, the direct connection represents an improvement in the quality of its own records. The corporation can now distinguish with greater certainty which operating notices are still active and which have already been closed by their holders. That precision facilitates both the municipality's internal management and its service to taxpayers who come to carry out other procedures. The Municipality of Panama is, for now, the first corporation connected to the system.