Ifarhu: Complaints over Long Lines During Pase-U Payment Day in Bugaba

Hundreds of parents and guardians gathered outside the Bugaba fairgrounds in Panama’s Chiriquí province from the day before to collect Pase-U scholarship payments, but long lines quickly sparked complaints.

Attendees criticised the organisation of the process and reported queue-cutting and other forms of disorder. Some questioned why the cards were not distributed through individual schools, saying that approach could have avoided concentrating thousands of people at one location.

Ifarhu officials said the operation had been planned in advance. They opened 45 counters, with capacity to serve about 1,500 people per hour, in an effort to speed up the process.

Authorities expect to serve nearly 10,000 Pase-U users in Bugaba, representing more than 2.9 million balboas in financial support. Across Chiriquí, about 27,000 students are expected to benefit from payments exceeding 9 million balboas.

The distribution began Monday in Puerto Armuelles, in the Barú district. It continues in Bugaba on Tuesday and Wednesday before moving to David on Thursday, where officials expect the largest concentration of users. Authorities urged guardians to follow the established instructions to reduce further problems.