business & economy

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Damani Beach project raises questions about developer, Ngobe politics, media

by Eric Jackson, mainly from other media

In July, Panamanians opened their Spanish-language newspapers to find that the Bocas del Toro region of the Ngobe-Bugle Comarca, Ño Kibro, had made an extraordinary deal with an American named Mark Henderson and his company, Damani Beach SA.

The region purported to cede the entire 4,154 square kilometers of its territory to the company in an exclusive 45-year concession, that could be renewed for another 40 years. In return, the region would receive two percent of any profits that the company reported. The company put up a website featuring some aerial beach photos of its "titled land."

In the days that followed, the deal was roundly denounced from several directions:

·         The Nobe-Bugle General Congress said that the regions don't have the power to grant any such concession, and furthermore pointed out that those who purportedly signed the agreement on behalf of the region, Enrique Pineda and Jhony Bonilla, had been removed from their as president of the regional comarca and the regional cacique respectively by the Ngobe Bugle General Congress in March of 2006;

·         The national government likewise declared the deal illegal on a number of grounds, including violation of the nation's beach and island concessions law, the creation of an illegal monopoly and constitutionally impermissible cession of national territory and power grabs by a local unit of government;

·         The Bokota, a distinct ethnic group that lives in the area to be conceded, were quite upset that their traditional homes were being given to an American without there having been the slightest consultation with them; and

·         Environmentalist, human rights and leftist groups complained of probable ecological destruction, unconscionable exploitation of desperately poor communities and a new beachhead for foreign colonialism.

That would seem to have been that, especially given the national government's opposition.

But wait!

Fast forward to mid-September, and see the September 18 issue of the new kid on the block in Panama's English-language media, the Panama Star. On page three, we read a tale without a byline, "Three-day Indian meeting favors eco resort project."

"A large number of Indians were not deterred by bad weather," the story, which was illustrated with a file photo of another event, most of whose participants don't actually appear to be Ngobe, Bugle or Bokota. "They participated in an extraordinary Congress in which they approved by a large majority the project "Damania Beach Resort." They reported that Pineda --- identifying him as president of the regional congress without mentioning the General Congress's rejection of that claim --- "indicated that the current regional leadership is in tune with the development of its region with the perspective of offering equal opportunities in the use of all natural resources."

The Star did not mention the terms of the proposal, the objections that have been raise or the national government's continued opposition.

It was left to other, Spanish-language, media to report that despite a bit of tinkering to the July version of the agreement like redrawing the boundaries of the concession and increasing the local cut to four percent, the national government and the Ngobe-Bugle General Congress still reject the proposal out of hand.

So what's the deal with the Star?

It's published by the company that also produces the respectable La Estrella and the sensationalist necro-porn tabloid El Siglo. One of its editors came to the new venture from The Visitor and the other is Ted James, an Australian who for many years published The Bulletin, a shipping paper containing articles mainly taken from other publications and with a reputation for occasionally publishing fabrications of the whole cloth that tend to support very narrow and specific economic interests.

One example, several years back, was a series of five articles in The Bulletin about how the United States had imposed economic sanctions on Argentina because the latter country did not allow "call-back" long distance telephone services. Actually there were never any such sanctions imposed. When The Panama News inquired about that incongruity we were served with a demand from a lawyer to publish a front-page retraction for a asking a rude question. Nothing further came from that threat of legal action.

So what's going on in the Ngobe-Bugle Comarca?

Ngobe politics are notoriously fractious, the area has among the highest poverty and illiteracy rates in Panama and there is a long history of outside corporate interests selecting and promoting "leaders" of their choice to give their blessing to projects that may or may not be good for the communities involved. Peneda and Bonilla do have their supporters, but also incite adamant opposition from many of the people in whose names they purport to deal.

And who is this guy Mark Henderson?

By his own online description he's a former Mormon missionary who made a lot of money collecting bad debts in Southern California and has "Expertise in Real Estate Sales / Mortgage Banking / Asset Management / Deal Structuring / Business Development / Debt Capital Market."

He's also promoting a big beachfront project near the Panama Oeste community of Cermeño, using this advertising hook online: "Enjoy no language barriers, no currency exchange, year-round beautiful weather, inexpensive medical care, safe cities, and the most exclusive suburb of Panama City.... Measuring over 9 km in length, it includes nine white sand beaches, five private islands, sprawling mangroves.... The developer of Ocean Oasis has successfully acquired 2,000 hectares of contiguous land. All 45 parcels are expected to be fully titled within the next six months."

Developers with a track record of building things in Panama tell The Panama News that Henderson may intend to do what he says, but he's been talking about big real estate projects around Boquete, Volcan and elswhere in the country for a few years, and has yet to actually produce anything.

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Business & Economy Briefs