President Torrijos, who, last July 3, ceded the presidency of the Republic to Ricardo Martineli, who won at the last presidential elections, took advantage of his last official visit in Changuinola to express appreciation to Father Corpus Lopez de Ciordia for his many years of service to the Panamanian society principally in the mission territory, where Father Corpus has developed a great work of leading many gnob indigenous communities from isolation by constructing roads, schools, aqueducts and chapels.
At his almost eighty-years, this untiring missionary, who does not give-in to unconcern nor to rest, continues to dream new projects that will improve the life of the gnob communities of Bocas del Toro.
At the act of recognition, in addition to the civil authorities who accompanied President Torrijos, the Prelate of Bocas del Toro, Monsignor Anihal Saldaña and some of the Augustinian Recollect missionaries were also present.
During the awarding ceremony, President Torrijos stressed that it has been a while that he wanted to make this act of recognition to Father Corpus and that he did not want to leave the presidency of the Republic without making this act which he considered to be “justice” for a man who has given all his life to the development and promotion of the natives.
Father Corpus, a person who has not given into worldly vanities as the people who were present during the awarding ceremony say about him, took advantage of the occasion to solicit more official help for the new project, that is to open a small canal that facilitates the visits of the missionaries to the communities on the other side of the Valiente peninsula and provides communications of the inhabitants of these far-flung communities. In reality, this route must be created through the sea which is often in risky conditions.
It seems that the president went there prepared and together with the certificate and medal of recognition, he also handed him a check of forty-five thousand dollars to continue this work of distinctive engineering of three kilometer that will reduce for at least an hour the travelling time, which normally takes eight hours.
The relations of President Torrijos with the Augustinian Recollects of Bocas del Toro begun when he was still vice-minister and he was frequently travelling to the mission in the house of Changuinola to deal with the affairs of the government with the indigenous communities.
The Order of Amador Guerrero is the highest award that the Panamanian government bestows since 1955 to personalities of social and political life, both national and international, like the former UN Secretary General Koffi Anan.