DR1 Daily News - Wednesday, 9 May 2018

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May 3, 2000
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President Medina arrives in Costa Rica for inauguration
National District government presents its land use plan to businesses
Work to start on garbage deposits
DR joins international securities commission
PRM united in rejection of open primaries
Marcha Verde urges investigating electoral campaign funding
Participacion Ciudadana publishes Q&A on Odebrecht case
Horses and carriages disappear from Santiago
Bridges down in San Cristobal province
Baby twin kidnapped from hospital in Santiago
Search for lost sport fishing boat
Man who cut off girl’s arms is still free after nearly a year
Happy ending to apparent suicide
Comedy at Palacio de Bellas Artes



President Medina arrives in Costa Rica for inauguration
President Danilo Medina arrived in Costa Rica on Tuesday 8 May 2018, to attend the inauguration of President-elect Carlos Alvarado Quesada, elected for a 2018-2022 term.

Medina flew in a private jet from San Isidro Air Force Base to Juan Santamaria International airport in San José, Costa Rica where he was greeted by the Dominican ambassador to Costa Rica, Octavio Lister. Medina returned to the Dominican Republic that same evening.

Accompanying Medina on the brief visit to Costa Rica were the Administrative Minister of the Presidency, José Ramón Peralta, the General Administrator of the Banco de Reservas, Simón Lizardo; his assistants Carlos Pared and Miguel Mercedes, along with the Head of the Presidential Security, Major General Adán Cáceres Silvestre.

http://elnacional.com.do/danilo-medina-llega-a-costa-rica/


No more Venezuelan talks for President Medina
President Danilo Medina has announced that he will not mediate again in any talks between the Venezuelan government and the coalition of opposition parties. The statement was made hours after his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, said that he would be calling for talks with the opposition following the elections that are due on 20 May 2018.

Maduro said that he had asked for help once again from Medina, but according to a tweet from the Administrative Minister for the Presidency José Ramón Peralta, President Medina had not received notice of the proposed talks and not only would he not chair the talks, he would also not participate.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...vamente-entre-maduro-y-la-oposicion-CY9818253


National District government presents its land use plan to businesses
National District (Santo Domingo) Mayor David Collado presented to urban experts and businesses the Strategic Land Use Plan that would be adopted for the capital city through 2030. The purpose of the presentation was to get feedback from experts and key business sector constituents before the bill goes before the City Council by the end of May 2018.

"It is a vision we have of the city by 2030,” he announced. He said: “For the first time the city of Santo Domingo has its Territorial Ordinance Plan, with proposed rules that will strengthen foreign investment”. The proposed plan is comprehensive and includes new zoning rules that outline the maximum number of stories allowed for buildings in different parts of the city.

Present at the event were representatives of the National Business Council (Conep), the Association of Industries (AIRD), the Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores), the Association of Builders and Developers of Housing and the Hotel Association of Santo Domingo, international organizations, including the USAID and UNDP, among others.
Mayor David Collado has signed an agreement to implement the plan and strengthen Santo Domingo as a resilient city with the representative of the United Nations Development Program, Lorenzo Jiménez de Luis.

During the presentation of the plan, Jesús D'Alessandro, director of the Strategic Plan of the National District, said that the issues of urban density, interconnection, decentralization and pedestrianization of the city of Santo Domingo have been addressed in the plan. He stressed that the ideal city of Santo Domingo, needs a fast transit system and that the expansion of the subway system is required to connect passengers to more destinations, to facilitate the efficient mobilization of approximately 25% of the metropolitan population. He said currently fast mass transit system only serves 10% of the transport users.

D’Alessandro spoke of the problems related to approximately 7 km of informal settlements that strangle efficient vehicular flow that must be addressed. In particular, he mentioned the chaotic layout of Ensanche Quisqueya and Los Praditos sectors.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...erritorial-a-empresarios-y-sectores-JL9814784


Work to start on garbage deposits
Dominicana Limpia, a government-backed project that seeks to improve waste disposal, will be soon implementing new strategies at 7 of 17 priority garbage deposits as part of a nationwide program for solid wastes. Domingo Contreras, director of the program, said the seven places that will be impacted as of 27 June 2018 are Santo Domingo Este, San Francisco de Macorís, Santiago, Villa Altagracia, Azua, Verón and Moca.

Contreras also announced the celebration of Recycling Week from 14-17 May 2018 with exhibitions of recycled materials at the Municipal League (LMD) offices. "Everything we call junk has the potential to be recycled in the cultural industry and other markets in the country," the official said. Contreras is also the director of the Special Programs of the Presidency (Digepep). He said the recycling industry as a profitable business is on the agenda to be discussed with representatives of the People’s Republic of China, as part of the new relations with that country.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...os-a-partir-del-27-de-junio-proximo-GG9822910
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep.../entidades-celebraran-la-semana-del-reciclaje


DR joins international securities commission
Superintendency of the Securities Market of the Dominican Republic (SIV) formally became a member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), an entity that has 218 members and that regulates more than 95% of the world’s securities market. The joining of the organization was described as part of the Superintendency’s commitment to position the Dominican Stock Market as an efficient and transparent market, according to the best international standards.

The announcement came during the participation of SIV officials in the 43rd Annual Conference of the International Organization of Securities Commissions. The official signing of the Superintendency of the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Consultations, Cooperation and Exchange of Information (MMoU) was held in the city of Budapest, Hungary. The document was signed by Gabriel Castro, Superintendent of Securities, and Paul Andrews, Secretary General of IOSCO.

The securities markets in the Dominican Republic are regulated by Law 249-17.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/05/09/siv-se-convierte-en-miembro-de-oicv-iosco-es-paso-de-avance/
http://siv.gob.do/
https://www.iosco.org/


PRM united in rejection of open primaries
Former Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch has assured on 8 May 2018 that the Revolutionary Modern Party (PRM) has acted with institutional sensibility and conviction when the PRM convention ratified on Monday, 7 May 2018, its support for simultaneous closed primaries in the proposed Political Parties Bill.

In a note sent to Diario Libre, Ortiz Bosch said that the party would have a united front among its legislators when the bill is presented again today in the Chamber of Deputies.

She explained the reasons why the party appeared to change its position on the bill, following the mixed messages emanating from Hipolito Mejia. She said that when they were part of the PRD they defended primaries with candidates being chosen simultaneously and open voting registers and with the supervision of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), but she said that since 2012, the PLD has become an electoral and political instrument to favor their own party and that the political landscape has shifted.

The PRM has said they would vote for the bill to go to a special commission where it would be studied prior to the bill returning to the floor for the vote.

The Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 9 May 2018 to continue the discussions on the bill.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...el-prm-apoya-las-primarias-cerradas-MX9819952

Marcha Verde urges investigating electoral campaign funding
Marcha Verde, the civic society group that promotes an end to impunity for corruption in government, called for Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez to investigate suspect funding by Odebrecht-related sources to electoral campaigns in the Dominican Republic.

The movement said the Odebrecht investigation must include the illegal financing of electoral campaigns, because that was the mechanism used by Odebrecht throughout the American and African continents. Moreso, Marcha Verde says that already a member of the political committee of the ruling PLD political party has recognized the crime. Marcha Verde also points out that Brazilian Joao Santana was prosecuted in Brazil for being part of the international construction fund triangulation scheme. At the time of his arrest, Joao Santana was the key electoral campaign strategist for President Danilo Medina. “Leaving this issue out of the case is pure and hard complicity”, the group said in a statement.

The movement recalled that the former Minister of Industry and Commerce and member of the Political Committee of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Temístocles Montás, acknowledged receiving money from Ángel Rondón (the commercial representative of Odebrecht in the Dominican Republic) to finance the campaigns presidential elections of Leonel Fernández (2008) and Danilo Medina (2012 and 2016) in the southern region.

http://eldia.com.do/marcha-verde-af...sion-de-odebrecht-en-campanas-electorales-rd/
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...penal-campanas-financiadas-por-odebrecht.html


Participacion Ciudadana publishes Q&A on Odebrecht case
Civic society watchdog group, Participación Ciudadana announced the publishing online of a Question & Answer on the Odebrecht case in the Dominican Republic. The document compiles 129 short answers to questions based on statements by Odebrecht officers following the investigations in Brazil and the United States, claims and published media articles.

The document is titled “Odebrecht-Punta Catalina: Más Corrupción Impune” (Odebrecht-Punta Catalina: More Unpunished Corruption) and makes the point the Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Power Plant, under construction in Peravia province, is the largest Odebrecht project in the country. The Attorney General Office had announced early on that the project would not be investigated until it is concluded.

Participación Ciudadana says that the questions and answers seek to make easier to understand for anyone the Odebrecht case in the Dominican Republic.

The Attorney General Office has until 9 June 2018 to conclude investigations and present the case.

https://pciudadana.org/?p=6160


Horses and carriages disappear from Santiago
The horse and carriage, a centuries-old tradition in Santiago has disappeared, following the confiscation by the city hall of the 18 carriages and the execution of eight of the horses that proved positive for the Infectious Equine Anemia disease (AIE).

The drivers of the carriages have now announced that they are prepared to take Mayor Abel Martínez, to court, saying his administration unjustifiably euthanized their horses. Fernando Ramírez, official spokesman of City Hall told the Diario Libre reporter that any citizen who feels they were negatively impacted by the actions of the municipal authorities should take all measures necessary to rectify the situation. Ramirez announced that they were ready to face any lawsuit.

The city spokesman said that the municipality had followed Law 248-12 on the protection of animals and that the horses that were victims of their owners as well, as they had not been cared for properly.

Máximo Paulino, Santiago Almonte, Hidalgo Pichardo and Carlos Antonio Castro said that in total 40 carriages had stopped working over the last month, following the confiscation of the horses in the area of the Santiago Restoration Monument, and that municipality wanted to introduce tricycles instead. The men said the tourists preferred the horse-drawn carriages.

Santiago Almonte, owner of one of the executed horses, said that there was no reason to kill his horse, El Amarillo, as he was healthy as well as the other seven which were killed.

Meanwhile, Doctor Marilyn Lois Liranzo, head of the animal protection unit at the Attorney General’s Office said that three veterinary surgeons from the Livestock Department had euthanized the horses following the analysis that confirmed the existence of Equine Infectious Anemia. They were killed at a farm in Laguna Salada in Valverde province and the remaining horses are still in quarantine.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...ches-de-santiago-estan-en-extincion-KL9814194


Bridges down in San Cristobal province
Two bridges that link the municipality of Yaguate in San Cristóbal to the municipal district of Doña Ana and the village of Pujavante were destroyed by heavy rains over the weekend that led to the failure of the bridges. Yaguate is now cut off. According to local residents, vehicles cannot cross the bridges over the El Paso de Mapunga stream and to Doña Ana. Residents explain that you can cross on foot but not using any type of vehicle, even motorcycles.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...e-comunican-al-municipio-de-yaguate-MY9818824


Baby twin kidnapped from hospital in Santiago
Yesterday morning, Tuesday 8 May 2018, a newborn baby was stolen from one of the birthing rooms at the Presidente Estrella Ureña Hospital in Santiago. The baby girl was a twin, and her sister was left behind. The kidnapping was confirmed by the director of the hospital, Dr. Juan Ferreras who said the case is currently under investigation by government security forces.

According to Carlita Sánchez, her daughter, Nolia Sánchez, gave birth on Monday, 7 May to twin girls when an unknown woman said she would help her to change them, and then disappeared with one of the girls. Sanchez lives in the Cienfuegos area to the west of the city.

Her family has complained about the lack of security at the hospital, a situation that was denied by the director. Nevertheless, the director acknowledged the security cameras inside the hospital were not working, but said they are being assisted by surveillance cameras managed by entities outside the hospital that could detect the person leaving the hospital with the baby.

http://elnacional.com.do/roban-nina-recien-nacida-en-un-hospital-de-santiago/
https://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2018/05/09/514107/investigan-sustraccion-de-recien-nacida
http://hoy.com.do/familiares-tuvieron-contacto-con-joven-habria-robado-nina/


Search for lost sport fishing boat
Members of the Dominican Armada (Navy) are searching off the coast of Samana for the occupants of the boat “Alejandro II” that set off on Sunday, 6 May 2018 to go fishing in Las Galeras but has never returned to the dock. According to a press release, the searched is underway by the crew of the Navy patrol boat “Capotillo” PM-204 and the Dominican Coastguard’s “Canopus” GC-107.

“Alejandro II” is captained by Eduardo Eusebio. Also on board was Kennedy King Johnson. The boat’s captain did possess the relevant permissions from the authorities to fish from Samana to the Banco de la Navidad.

When they left, so did another boat, the “Briyitt” was also heading for Las Galeras. The Bryitt returned to port due to the bad weather and rough seas.

The boat, “Alejandro II” is 19 feet long and is blue and black and the authorities believe it is in the Atlantic Ocean and could be in need of assistance.

http://elnacional.com.do/armada-busca-embarcacion-desaparecida-con-dos-personas-abordo-en-samana/


Man who cut off girl’s arms is still free after nearly a year
The father of 15-year old Cielo, who had both her arms amputated by an attacker, said that he feels destroyed as even after almost a year after the event, the man only known as Haitian national named Jeffrey Cecilí still has not been arrested. Fausto Sena complained that he has not had any reply from the authorities even though Jeffrey is in the country and posting on social media. In addition, at a press conference he said that he has had 20 voice messages from Cecilí, mocking the fact that he has not been arrested. “I feel devastated because on the 17th of this month it will be a year, and I have had no response from the Police. I am talking like a father in pain because I have seen how other cases have been resolved. I have 20 voice notes from that individual and it is not possible that I have located these and the authorities have not," he complained.
Cielo was attacked in Pedro Brand on 17 May 2017, when she left with a group of friends to go the river. Jeffrey Cecilí then appeared and without speaking attacked her with a machete, leaving her for dead. Media reports said the attack was because the girl did not want to have sex with him.

https://listindiario.com/la-republi...a-su-hija-sigue-burlandose-por-redes-sociales
http://hoy.com.do/haitiano-mutilo-brazos-adolescente-la-amenaza-de-muerte/


Happy ending to apparent suicide
A 16-year old girl was rescued by the Firemen of Santo Domingo East and the Dominican Armada after she dove into the Caribbean Sea from near the Juan Carlos Bridge off Las Americas Expressway. The rescue workers also assisted Luis Alberto, a 22-year old, who jumped into the sea to help the teenager. The action took place at around 4:30pm on Tuesday, 8 May 2018. It took the rescue workers two hours to rescue the young people because of the strong waves in the area.
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...n-sanos-y-salvos-a-jovenes-se-lanzaron-al-mar


Comedy at Palacio de Bellas Artes
In a third time replay, the play “Each sheep with its pair” will be performed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Santo Domingo the weekend of Thursday, 24 May to Sunday, 27 May 2018. Shows are at 8:30pm, with the exception of at 6:30pm on Sunday. Tickets are for sale at the Palacio de Bellas Artes box office.

The comedy was first staged in 1981, returning to theaters in 2011. In its third showing, Felipe and Henry (Kenny Grullón and Irving Alberti), owners of a publishing company about to go bankrupt, find a way to get a contract with a popular children’s book writer Montalvo (Milagros Germán), that leads to a long string of laugh-provoking mishaps. The play is directed this time around by Camilo Landestoy. Other stars are Luis José Germán, Hony Estrella, Pamela Sued, and José Germán.