By The Visitor Panama

Since its introduction in late 2010, the toll-free Citizen Service Center 3-1-1, has processed up to 71,661 complaints, which demonstrates the confidence that both tourists and residents in Panama have shown in this form of complaint against public administrations.

The Citizen's Service Center operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is not limited to reporting on an irregular situation like political corruption or any offense related to a public service. Many tourists use it to request information regarding a hotel address or phone number while they are staying in the country.

One of the most reported cases, however, has to do with restrictions on water, broken pipes or standing water, but the list could be endless: power lines loosening, sewers uncovered, holes on the road, over-charging of taxis, and much more.

The Citizen's Service Center, part of the National Authority for Government Innovation (AlG), is responsible for processing complaints to the relevant agencies which have to comply with deadlines to correct the problem. In cases related to water and power lines, for example, this period is 30 days. If the problem persists after this time, the applicant must call again to 3-1-1, where after verifying their ID card or passport number, they will raise the case to higher authorities.

The website of the Citizen's Service Center is www.311.gob.pa to make a report any time of day, any day of the year.