I assume you're dealing with DebGambas here. Yes, the Debian config is different than PCLOS. However, it's easy to add a "favorite" to the left pane. It's called a "bookmark". (Don't ask me why.)
Open the folder you want as a favorite. While viewing the contents of that folder, click Bookmarks > Add To Bookmarks. Give it any name you want. Want to delete a "bookmark"? Right-click in the left pane and select "Remove from Bookmark".