▁by ▁her ▁m istr ust ▁of ▁Tor rij os , ▁saying , ▁" I ▁knew ▁that ▁if ▁these ▁men ▁stayed ▁here , ▁they ▁would ▁be ▁extr ad ited ▁to ▁Cuba ▁and ▁Venezuela , ▁and ▁there ▁they ▁were ▁surely ▁going ▁to ▁kill ▁them ▁there ." ▁ ▁Pres iden cy ▁( 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 9 ) ▁▁ ▁In ▁May ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁the ▁Tor rij os ▁government ▁proposed ▁increasing ▁p ension ▁contributions ▁and ▁raising ▁the ▁ret irement ▁age ▁to ▁help ▁pay ▁off ▁the ▁nation ' s ▁increasing ▁foreign ▁deb t . ▁The ▁changes ▁triggered ▁several ▁weeks ▁of ▁protest s , ▁strik es , ▁and ▁a ▁student - led ▁closure ▁of ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Pan ama , ▁and ▁the ▁proposal ▁to ▁increase ▁the ▁ret irement ▁age ▁was ▁post pon ed . ▁Following ▁opposition ▁from ▁the ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁and ▁union ▁leaders , ▁Tor rij os ▁also ▁initially ▁post pon ed ▁plans ▁to ▁reform ▁social ▁security , ▁though ▁he ▁successfully ▁passed ▁a ▁reform ▁measure ▁later ▁in ▁his ▁term . ▁ ▁Tor rij os ' s ▁temporary ▁un pop ular ity ▁forced ▁him ▁also ▁post p one ▁plans ▁for ▁w iden ing ▁the ▁Pan ama ▁Canal ▁until ▁ 2 0 0 6 . ▁In ▁April ▁of ▁that ▁year , ▁he ▁presented ▁a ▁plan , ▁calling ▁it ▁" pro bably ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁decision ▁of ▁this ▁generation ". ▁The ▁expansion ▁was ▁project ed ▁to ▁double ▁the ▁canal ' s ▁sh ipping ▁capacity ▁and ▁allow ▁it ▁to ▁handle ▁oil ▁tank ers ▁and