, General Manuel Noriega. As a result of
the action a portion of the El Chorrillo neighborhood, which consisted mostly
of old wood-framed buildings dating back to the 1900s (though still a large
slum area), was destroyed by fire. Eventually, the U.S. helped finance the
construction of large cinder block apartment buildings to replace the destroyed
structures. Panama City remains a banking center, although with very visible
controls in the flow of cash. Shipping is handled through port facilities in
the area of Balboa operated by the Hutchison Whampoa Company of Hong Kong and
through several ports on the Caribbean side of the isthmus. Balboa, which is
located within the greater Panama City metropolitan area, was formerly part of
the Panama Canal Zone, and in fact the administration of the former Panama
Canal Zone was headquartered there
