And the political currents were running strongly against Phaethon here.
To some degree, the project's fate is a hostage to wider political currents.
"If you follow the political currents of the last 10 years, they point in that direction."
He wasn't sure which way the political currents were running.
In time, political currents could become associated with such a team, although precisely how this happened is unclear.
When he was its leader, it was a movement, pulling together different political currents.
But his sensitivity to political currents has also brought him criticism.
The tricky part, according to people here, will be navigating the local political currents.
The liberal current is one of the main political currents in Panama.
"I have not followed the political currents, so I'm not aware that he is running for office."