A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the state, President José Raúl Mulino announced Thursday.
Juan Bautista Quiroz waited 60 years for the official document confirming ownership of the land where he has lived for 90 years in the coffee-growing district of Boquete, in the agricultural province of Chiriquí, near the Costa Rican border.
“The delivery was made at his home in Chiriquí, as recognition of his perseverance—because honestly, waiting 60 years takes perseverance,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference. “It satisfies me as a public official, but it embarrasses me as a Panamanian,” the president added.
Quiroz received the two-hectare land title from the director of the National Land Administration Authority (Anati), Andrés Pagés, last week. His granddaughter, Lucía Del Carmen Espinoza, said that her grandfather has worked on that land his entire life, growing onions, carrots, and other vegetables.
He first requested the land title in 1965, as required by law, but bureaucratic hurdles and family disputes delayed the process. “Now he’s very happy. He even says he wants to plant corn and beans, that he’ll find someone to work the land while he supervises,” Espinoza said.
Despite his age, “grandpa is sharp, walks around his land, and has lived there for 90 years,” she added, visibly moved. The titling process sped up in December after the granddaughter sent an email to President Mulino explaining the situation.
“We’re extremely grateful for his patience and perseverance, which has finally paid off,” said Anati’s director in a video posted to Instagram.
