DR1 Daily News - Thursday, 19 January 2017

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Moise promises ID documents, tours industries
Labor Ministry says 21 January, a Saturday, is a holiday
Coming soon? Prisoners to lose their phone connections
High Court rejects injunction request from Valle Nuevo farmers
Dominquez Brito says Valle Nuevo badly damaged
AG executes search warrant at Odebrecht
Estrella Group clarifies position of Rodolfo Cabello
Diario Libre: Corruption and impunity
Vladimir Guerrero almost makes Cooperstown
Baseball playoffs: Licey vs Aguilas
Martin Giner comedy at Casa de Teatro


Moise promises ID documents, tours industries
President-elect of Haiti Jovenel Moise guaranteed that the around 30,000 Haitians that are waiting to receive identity documentation from Haiti will obtain their documents in a reasonable time frame. Passports and birth certificates are needed for thousands of Haitian residents in the Dominican Republic to complete the legalizing of their status. Moise made the statement to the press speaking at the Presidential Palace at the end of a two-day visit that began on Monday, 16 January 2017.

Moreover, he expressed his intent to strengthen relations between the two island-nations. “As president-elect I am sending a message to the whole world and the Dominican people. Together we can improve the conditions of our countries. The Dominican Republic and Haiti are two sister countries,” he said.

During his two-day visit, the president-elect of Haiti visited the construction site for the Punta Catalina 720-megawatt coal-fired plant yesterday, and private installations of the Monte Plata solar plant, and the AES natural gas installations, both the largest of their kind in the Caribbean region. On those visits, Moise was hosted by the executive vice president of the Dominican Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE), Ruben Jiménez Bichara.

President Medina also shared information with Moise on poultry production, and public health and education programs. Moise visited the Dario Contreras Trauma Hospital. He was also given explanations on the government programs of Banca Solidaria (low cost loans to microbusinesses), Quisqueya Aprende Contigo (teaching to read and write), Tanda Extendida (extended school programs), housing projects among others.

https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ece-hospitalidad-del-presidente-danilo-medina


Labor Ministry says 21 January, a Saturday, is a holiday
The Ministry of Labor reminded all workers, including management personnel in the Dominican Republic, that Saturday, 21 January 2017, is the day Of Our Lady of High Grace (La Altagracia) the protector of the country and is not a movable feast day and therefore it is a work holiday applicable to all. The Ministry of Labor says that those companies that by their nature should remain open to the public will have to pay their workers overtime.

In the meantime, Thursday 26 January 2017, the Day of Founding Father Juan Pablo Duarte, will be a workday and the holiday will be transferred to Monday, 30 January.


Coming soon? Prisoners to lose their phone connections
The Chamber of Deputies approved during the Wednesday, 18 January 2017 session a first reading on the bill that would ban the use of cell phones and establish the blocking of microwave transmissions to and from the nation’s penitentiaries. The legislation was written by deputy Juan Julio Campos and proposes to regulate phone calls to prison inmates. The proposal calls for setting up phone booths where the prison authorities can control who makes the calls and to whom.

Campos (PLD-La Altagracia) said that the lack of controls has enabled prisoners to plan other crimes while serving their sentences.

He said a similar bill had expired during the previous session and thus is well known by the legislators. He expects the bill’s second reading to pass the lower chamber.


High Court rejects injunction request from Valle Nuevo farmers
The Superior Administrative Tribunal (TSA) rejected on Wednesday, 18 January 2017, the request for an injunction presented by three companies who own land in the Valle Nuevo National Park in Constanza. The companies, Granja Mora, Flores Purama and Flores Antillana argued that the expiration date for the 120-day grace period granted by the Ministry of Environment in their efforts to rescue the protected area was scheduled to end on 10 March and not on 29 January.

During the hearing, Judge Rafael Vasquez Goico set a date for a new hearing next Wednesday, 25 January, as part of an in depth investigation into the appeal filed by these companies that seeks to revoke Resolution 14-2016 issued by the Ministry of the Environment.

The legal representatives of the companies reiterated that the resolution should have been published in a nationwide newspaper. However, lawyers for the Ministry said that the companies cannot allege a lack of knowledge of the resolution since it was published.


Dominquez Brito says Valle Nuevo badly damaged
Environment Minister Francisco Dominguez Brito, told El Nacional reporters on Wednesday, 18 January 2017 that the Valle Nuevo National Park has suffered “irreparable” damage. He said, however, that the Ministry was working to return this protected area to its former splendor. As he took part in a brunch organized by the National Network of Business Support of Environmental Protection, the Minister said that he hopes that there will be no violence when the 120-day grace period ends on 29 January.

“Everything is going according to plan, everything is going according to the procedures which we talked about, it is simply not possible to delay this decision and as a result we expect that everything will occur as orderly as possible,”  he said.

Dominquez Brito suggested that talks are ongoing with individuals and sectors that may be affected by the government’s decision, but to continue farming in Valle Nuevo “is not open to discussion.”

The Minister said that because of the cold weather that occurs in the area it is almost impossible to reforest the Valle Nuevo area.

Likewise the official guaranteed that as soon as the process in Valle Nuevo is finished, the other protected areas that will be looked after by the Ministry are the Sierra of Bahoruco and Los Haitises. He expressed his appreciation for the assistance the private sector is providing to the environment.


AG executes search warrant at Odebrecht
The Attorney General of the Republic reported on Wednesday, 18 January 2017 in the afternoon, that they were executing a search warrant in the offices of the Brazilian engineering firm of Odebrecht on Pedro Henriquez Ureña Avenue in the National District.

Diario Libre reported that two truckloads of specialized police units took part in the search. The Attorney General’s office issued a tweet that read: “AG confirms search with judicial warrant of the offices of Odebrecht in the Dominican Republic. More details to follow.”

Inside the same building are the offices of the Odebrecht commercial representative, Angel Rondon Rijo, who on two occasions has sat for questioning by state prosecutors.

The spokesperson for the Attorney General, Tessie Sánchez, said that the search warrant was only executed on the offices of Odebrecht.

The police impeded the curious from entering the building.

The early reports said that some eight vehicles departed from the offices of the Attorney General of the Republic and headed towards the offices of the Brazilian construction company. Odebrecht has admitted to paying US$92 million between 2001 and 2014 to Rondon who says the payments were his commission for securing work for the company in the Dominican Republic.

According to the Diario Libre the search of the Odebrecht offices lasted for more than five hours.


Estrella Group clarifies position of Rodolfo Cabello
The president of the Board of Directors of the Estrella Group, Manuel Estrella, sent to the Diario Libre a letter on Wednesday, 18 January 2017, that explained the relationship of the construction company with Chilean energy expert Rodolfo Cabello. In Wednesday morning’s edition, the Diario Libre ran a story headlined: “He directed the tender for Punta Catalina and is a member of the board of directors of Estrella Group.”

Manuel Estrella pointed out that the “Board of Directors of Estrella was created on 28 January 2016, three years after the tender for the Catalina project, so that in no way could his status as a member of this board have affected the results of that international tender.”

The business leader pointed out that “Mr. Cabello is a highly regarded international expert who has worked for years with the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and many major corporations.”
Estrella says that Cabello was named to his company’s board of directors “in order to reinforce the technical capacity of Estrella Group’s recent investments in the energy sector.”

In a press release sent out by the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) in 2013, the government entity had announced that the tender to choose the companies to build the Punta Catalina coal-fired installation would be directed by international consultant Rodolfo Cabello.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...-miembro-consejo-del-grupo-estrella-MF6016853
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...-misma-sobre-asesor-rodolfo-cabello-BD6027030


Diario Libre: Corruption and impunity
In an editorial today in Diario Libre, editor Ines Aizpún writes:
“The economic cost of not reaching the bottom on the issue of Odebrecht’s bribes far exceeds the payment of what was stolen. If the Dominican Republic does not punish the bribers… will it be the only country in the region that does not? What is the message we would be sending?

How will this be received by international capitals seeking new markets or places to invest? What will be the reaction of the companies that do not bribe, those that look for places with legal security? How will companies that already are installed here take this?
Who has to pay back the US$92 million and the overpricing of the public works? Those who gave the money or those who received the money? Odebrecht is already reaching agreements in other countries to return stolen money. If the case advances here as it is to be desired (and demanded)... will we ask Odebrecht to pay or those who received it?

"The case of Odebrecht's bribes will continue to be covered in the press for a long time. If the rope is pulled with courage and honesty, many others will be dragged along. This is the opportunity to dismantle the apparatus of complicity, nepotism and structural prevarication in our political system and government. The PLD   Leonel Fernández concretely   was who put numbers to the corruption in Dominican Republic: RD$30,000 million a year, he said in the distant 90s when he had not yet been president for the first time. As of then, each deficit and each international loan announcement and each tax hike is a slap to the taxpayer.

Corruption is a problem. Corruption with impunity is a tragedy.”

http://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/am/la-corrupcion-y-la-impunidad-CF6025949


Vladimir Guerrero almost makes Cooperstown
On Wednesday, 18 January 2017, the Baseball Writers Association of America finished their voting for this year’s selection of players to enter the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Dominican slugger Vladimir Guerrero just missed out, earning 71.7% of the votes and falling short by a little over 3%. Only Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez received more than 75% of the votes from the baseball writers.

Guerrero who spent 16 years in the Big Leagues had 2590 base hits, 1496 RBIs, 1328 runs scored, 449 home runs, 477 doubles and an OPS of .931. Many baseball observers thought that Vladimir Guerrero would make the Hall of Fame this year, his first year on the list of possible candidates – only Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez made the Hall of Fame on his first try. Jeff Bagwell appeared for the seventh time on the ballot and Tim Raines got in on his 10th try.


Baseball playoffs: Licey vs Aguilas
After a four team round-robin, where each team played 18 games and which saw a changing scenario up until the very last out, only the Aguilas Cibaeñas and the Tigres Del Licey emerged to play the Final Series for the 20th time between these two teams. Licey leads the series 10 – 9. On Thursday, 19 January 2017, at the Estadio Cibao the Aguilas will begin their run to their first championship in nearly a decade. Tickets are available in the grandstand and bleachers. Gametime is 8 PM.

The final standings of the round robin:
Aguilas (14 wins, 4 losses), Licey (9 wins, 9 losses, five games behind), Gigantes (8 wins, 10 losses, six games behind), Escogido (5 wins, 13 losses, nine games behind).


Martin Giner comedy at Casa de Teatro
Producciones Noventu presents “Terapia” as part of the Casa de Teatro 2017 Theater Week. The drama-comedy is by Argentinean playwright Martin Giner. It will be staged at the Cristóbal de Llerena auditorium on 27 and 28 January 2017 at 8:30pm. The lead roles are played by Isaac Núñez and Noel Ventura. Terapia tells the story of a man who fixes a date for his invisible mother with a psychoanalyst. Tickets: RD$400. For more information call 809 689-3430.

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http://www.dr1.com/calendar


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