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First of all, "Petaquilla es Panama!!" is a slogan shouted by marchers from the 'pueblo' or non-affiliated supporters during various marches over the last few years during various moments. I think there is a picture of one march in the photo gallery. It is sometimes used as a symbol of the cultural pride or sense of ownership in the various pueblos in Cocle and Donoso that have been helped by the company. Inmet IMO discounted that feeling at their own peril. The government is very sensitive to public feelings, especially in election years.
PDI is at the moment just a subsidiary of Petaquilla and not really well known since it does not stand alone. Never heard "PDI es Panama!". Petaquilla is well known at the number one exporter in the country.
IMO, which is not shared by everyone holding large blocks of stock, PDI has a much greater potential in the long run than Petaquilla's gold operations. There is an article in today's papers reflecting that Panama is the number one location in Central America, and number five in the 26 Latin American countries for starting business whether commercial or industrial. Panama is 68% totally undeveloped tropical jungle and mountains. If not brought into just a subsidiary of FQM, it has the potential to become a huge infrastructure/service with vines stretching into nearly every corner of development.
The next twenty years will see huge growth in Panama and the law gives domestic companies first crack at the business. The elite of all major political parties also have huge holdings in Petaquilla and will influence the future development. So maybe if all things were equal, I would rather hold PDI and sell something else if that were necessary. A JV with Carlos Slim would be ideal, and he is very aware of PDI and their potential.
