Summary.
The draft bill provides for the State, through the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura), to promote assistance and technical support programs for artisans who make the Ocu white hat and wish to promote and market it within Panama and abroad, as contemplated by Law 175 of 2020 (Ley 175 de 2020). It also proposes that the State encourage study and transmission of the knowledge used to make the hats as part of local and regional traditions, together with conservation and production of bellota palm, the principal material used in their manufacture.
The text creates the Governing Board of the National Ocu White Hat Festival (Patronato del Festival Nacional del Sombrero Blanco Ocueño) and assigns it responsibility for directing the festival and organizing and promoting its activities. The board would also conduct and publicize other activities each year to promote hatmaking, present the hat as part of the nation’s cultural heritage, and highlight its historical connection with the district of Ocu (distrito de Ocu). Its remit thus covers the festival’s own events and the further activities it organizes during the year for the purposes stated in the bill.
The proposed board would include the mayor of the district of Ocu, as chair; the president and one representative of the Municipal Council (Consejo Municipal); and representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Ministerio de Trabajo y Desarrollo Laboral), the Panama Tourism Authority (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá), and the Tourism Chamber of the District of Ocu. It would also include two representatives of artisans from the district of Ocu and two civil society representatives selected and appointed by the mayor. The membership provision accordingly brings together local officials, public institutions, tourism representatives, artisans, and civil society in the body responsible for the festival.
The property allocated to the board would consist of movable and immovable property it acquires; property donated or transferred by public or private entities; bequests and inheritances received for its benefit; and income from investments, services, activities, and commercial operations. The draft bill would exempt the board from national taxes and levies. It assigns the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República) oversight of the management of the board’s funds and property, including authority to conduct periodic audits, inspections, and cash counts without prior notice. The board would submit reports to that office and the Ministry of Culture before the close of each fiscal year.
The proposed law would take effect on the day following its promulgation. Its provisions concern the Ministry of Culture, the Municipal Council, the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development, the Panama Tourism Authority, and the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, as well as artisans, tourism, civil society, and cultural activities in the district of Ocu.
What it proposes.
- Promotion of Ocu white hat production and marketing.
- Organization of the National Ocu White Hat Festival.
- Membership, property, and oversight of the festival’s governing board.
- Exemption of the board from national taxes and levies.
Who it would affect.
- Artisans who make the Ocu white hat.
- Governing Board of the National Ocu White Hat Festival.
- Public institution, tourism, and civil society representatives who would serve on the board.
Key points.
- Through the Ministry of Culture, the State would provide assistance and technical support to artisans seeking to promote and market the Ocu white hat in Panama and abroad.Art. 2
- The State would promote the transmission of hatmaking knowledge and the conservation and production of bellota palm.Art. 3
- The Governing Board of the National Ocu White Hat Festival would be created to direct the festival and organize and publicize activities promoting hatmaking.Art. 4
- The board would comprise local officials, representatives of public institutions and tourism, artisans, and civil society members appointed by the mayor.Art. 5
- The board’s property would include acquired assets, donations, transfers, bequests, inheritances, and income from investments, services, activities, and commercial operations.Art. 6
- The board would be exempt from national taxes and levies.Art. 7
- The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic would oversee the board’s funds and property and could conduct audits, inspections, and cash counts without notice; the board would submit reports before the close of each fiscal year.Art. 8
- The proposed law would take effect on the day following its promulgation.Art. 9