Mel Gibson Spends The Last Days of 2008 Visiting Panama

(30 December 2008) Panama America - American actor and producer Mel Gibson was in Panama to review some investments and to legalize several projects and spend New Years Eve in Panama, local press reports today. Gibson, who has several properties in Pedasí in the district of Los Santos in the central region of the country, during his stay will review some investments and will legalize some local projects, according to the "Panama America" newspaper. The director of the films " Braveheart" (1995) and "Apocalypse" (2006) started a tour last Monday with a trip to Bahía Piña in the jungle region of the Darién near the Panama - Colombia border. He later went to Boquete in the Western part of the country and will finish with a tour of the Azuero peninsula in the central region. According to the newspaper, which does not specify exactly when Gibson will be in Panama, the artist will stay at the Casita Margarita, a small and cozy hotel in the Azuero. Gibson is expected to stay perhaps until his birthday on 3 January 2009. Gibson has met on other occasions with the Panamanian president, Martin Torrijos, the actor and minister of Tourism, Rubén Blades, and former Minister of Commerce and Industry Carmen Gisela Vergara, to speak on the development of the real estate market in the country and the natural scenery Panama would potentially provide for future film projects. This is the fifth time the producer of the "The Passion of Christ" has visited Panama since 2007. (See Comments)

Editor's Comment: Mel Gibson is spending some $12 million dollars on real estate along Panama's Pacific coast, specifically around the "Ensenada de Cativo." Recently I was able to confirm Gibson is using a real estate company called Panama Land Capital to put the deal together. And, the location of the land purchase published by Templar Panama in promotional information to their clients was both was accurate and correct. The deal supposedly is not completely done yet, in that there are actually some 78 parcels of land that have to be purchased in order to form the larger parcel Gibson will use to build a 300 room hotel and resort, but some two-thirds of the land has been acquired and the rest of the deals are in process. In fact Gibson is one shareholder of a larger consortium that's going to be working on this project in an area of Panama where land prices along the Pacific coast are still approachable.

Mel Gibson pasa los últimos días del 2008 visitando varias regiones de Panamá

PANAMÁ EFE

Mel Gibson/Foto Archivo. El actor y realizador estadounidense Mel Gibson se encuentra en Panamá para revisar algunas inversiones y legalizar varios proyectos y pasará la nochevieja en este país, informa hoy la prensa local.

Gibson, quien cuenta con varias propiedades en Pedasí, distrito de la provincia de Los Santos, en la región central del país, durante su estancia en Panamá revisará algunas inversiones y legalizará algunos proyectos locales, según el diario "Panamá América".

El director de las películas "Braveheart" (1995) y "Apocalypto" (2006), inició este lunes una gira por Bahía Piña en la provincia selvática de Darién, limítrofe con Colombia- para luego dirigirse hacia Boquete, en el occidente del país, y terminar su recorrido en la península de Azuero, en la región central.

Según el diario, que no precisa desde cuando Gibson se encuentra en Panamá, el artista se hospedará en el Casita Margarita, un pequeño y acogedor hotel en Azuero y pasará la nochevieja en ese lugar y tal vez hasta su cumpleaños el próximo 3 de enero.

Gibson se ha reunido en otras ocasiones con el presidente panameño, Martín Torrijos, el actor y ministro de Turismo, Rubén Blades, y la ex ministra de Comercio e Industrias Carmen Gisela Vergara, para hablar sobre el desarrollo del mercado de bienes raíces en el país y los escenarios naturales que brinda Panamá para futuras producciones cinematográficas.

Para el productor de "La Pasión de Cristo" ésta es la quinta ocasión desde el 2007 que visita Panamá.