Legislative studies bill to merge regulators

Panama's legislative assembly is studying a bill to merge the public services regulator ERSP with the antimonopoly and consumer defense commission Clicac, Panamanian daily El Panama America reported. Bill author Elias Castillo, of the PRD party, said his aim is to cut bureaucracy and to ensure that the ERSP is more consumer orientated. Within Clicac would be a consumer defense commissioner to ensure that the two institutions are responding adequately to consumers' filings. Castillo also proposed that the proceeds of any sanctions the ERSP imposes on service providers should be used to create a fund to cover compensation of users with valid complaints. The bill would also seek to justify the US$10,000 monthly salaries paid to each organization's three directors.