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P
a n a m a 14. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND ACCESS
TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION The Constitution provides in Art. 41 the right to submit respectful
petitions and complaints to public officials for reasons of social
or personal interest and to receive prompt response from them. Law 67 of 1978, in Art. 22, states that journalists shall have
access to all public acts and information sources, for which the
State shall render them assistance and facilitate access to information
sources for the full implementation of their mission, except in
special cases. The constitutional provision on the right to petition is regulated
by Law 15 of 1957, according to which public officials who do not
respond to a petition within 30 days shall be penalized with a fine
of ten to one hundred dollars the first time, and for double this
amount if they fail to do so again. Three omissions shall result
in dismissal. These provisions seemingly uphold the right of access, but
in practice officials usually fail to supply information in a timely
manner.
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