Bill 330.

Summary.

The bill proposes creating the Living Holy Week Board of Pesé (Patronato de la Semana Santa Viviente de Pesé) in the District of Pesé, the corregimiento (district) of Pesé, Herrera province. It would organize the religious celebration and safeguard its transmission and reenactment across generations as a community tradition. The proposal cites Law No. 75 of November 3, 2020, the General Culture Law (Ley General de Cultura), and the national culture chapter of the Political Constitution of Panama (Constitución Política de Panamá) as its basis. The board would have legal personality, its own assets and autonomy. It would organize and hold Living Holy Week to highlight the celebration’s cultural dimension and preserve its religious tradition.

The board would include a representative of the Catholic Church, the district mayor, two civil society representatives and a private sector representative. Each principal member would have an alternate from the same organization, and members would be selected for a term of no more than two years. The board would have a governing board and any administrative units needed for its operation, chosen democratically from among its members. It would adopt internal rules and select a president, vice president, secretariat, member at large, and auditor or treasurer under those rules. Board members and those serving on its governing board and administrative units would work without pay. Decisions would be made by majority vote; the president would decide a tie. The governing board would establish committees for the celebration’s tasks and appoint community members to them, subject to the internal rules.

The board’s duties would include ensuring that Living Holy Week is held annually, involving civil society, government and religious institutions and private businesses, and coordinating the celebration. It would engage national and local authorities and the media to promote the event as a religious tourism attraction. It would manage its tangible and intangible assets and use the resources it receives solely for the celebration, promotion and staging of the event. It would prepare periodic statements of income and expenditure and, within the three months before the relevant fiscal year end, submit a financial report to the board, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la Republica) and civil society.

Its assets would comprise acquired or donated movable and immovable property, as well as donations from nongovernmental and international organizations and private businesses. The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República) would oversee contributed funds and could conduct periodic inspections and cash counts with or without prior notice. The board would be exempt from national taxes. The proposed law would take effect two months after its promulgation.

The bill concerns the board, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Catholic Church, District of Pesé authorities and participating government institutions. Its provisions could affect or interest residents of the corregimiento (district) of Pesé, civil society, religious organizations, the media, the tourism sector and private businesses involved in the celebration.