DR1 Daily News next update on 6 August 2018
CEI-RD: Exports up in first half of the year
Economy grows 6.7% in first half of 2018
Better days ahead for small business?
Intrant and Digesett locate critical points on Duarte Highway
Agriculture ups price on surplus bananas
Mafias blamed for recycling difficulties
Coraasan invests RD$3 billion in improvements
Specialist warns of diabetes risks
DNI says it has 2,000 informants
BHD Leon announces the “women who change he world”
Only 38% breastfeed at birth
Castaños Guzmán of Finjus calls for answers to questions on prosecutor selection process
Robinson Canó could play ball for the Estrellas Orientales
Luguelin Santos wins gold in Barranquilla 2018
Laquan Smith runway show in Santo Domingo
Amanda Mena makes top 5 of America’s Got Talent reality
Lissette Alvarez and La Sophy at the Jaragua
DR1 Daily News next update on 6 August 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 6 August 2018. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the Forums. See the DR1 Forum at http://www.dr1.com
CEI-RD: Exports up in first half of the year
Marius de Leon, executive director of the Center for Export and Investment (CEI-RD) announced that Dominican exports for the first half of the year are up 9.38% compared to the same period in 2017. He said exports were US$4.75 billion.
De Leon highlighted the diversifying of markets. “Today we export to 154 destinations/countries and have diversified the matrix of products from 2,872 products to 3,127 products in the past six years,” he said during a press conference.
He also highlighted that in 2017 the country attracted US$3.57 billion in direct foreign investment (FDI), up 48% over investment in 2016. He said the trend for 2018 is upwards, as already the country has attracted US$809.8 million in direct foreign investment from January to March 2018, up 13.7% compared to 2017. He said the UNCTAD reported the Dominican Republic was the leader in attracting FDI in the Caribbean, with 51.8% of all investments. It is second in Central America, with 22.4%.
He said recent actions to promote exports have been the creation of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, the automatic renewal of sanitary registrations, the single window for foreign trade (VUCE) facility and the new procedures for companies to become Authorized Economic Operators (OEA).
De León said perspectives are good for working with the Chinese market in a strategic manner. He says pineapples, cacao, rum and avocados have been identified as potential export products to China. “China is a great opportunity for the country and we are taking concrete, well planned and strategic steps, to become the hub for their distribution,” he said during a press conference, as reported in El Dinero.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economia/rd-exporta-us-4-749-mm-en-primer-semestre-2018-JC10473857
https://www.eldinero.com.do/64769/e...18-las-exportaciones-de-bienes-crecieron-9-8/
Economy grows 6.7% in first half of 2018
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reported that the Monthly Indicator of Economic Activity (IMAE) showed that the Dominican economy experienced a 7.3% growth in June and a first-half year growth of 6.7% for 2018. The Central Bank reported: “This performance is the result of a 6.4% variation between January and March and a 7.1% growth between April and June of the present year.”
The Central Bank says that the most dynamic economic activities during the first half of the year were: construction, up 13.2%; manufacturing in export free zones, up 11.0%; health 8.2%; commerce, 8.1%; local manufacturing, 6.8%; transportation and warehousing, up 6.8%. At the same time energy and water sectors grew by 6.4%, financial services by 5.8%; communications were up 5.6%; agriculture by 5.3% and hotels bars and restaurants were in the black by 5.2%.
The Central Bank notes that construction has been the activity with the greatest impact on economic performance during 2018, showing a year-to-year growth of 13.2%. The development of major housing projects are helping to reduce the deficit in Greater Santo Domingo as well as in other areas of the nation, says the Central Bank, as well as major construction in the tourism and energy sectors.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...-promediando-67-en-el-primer-semestre-de-2018
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...-6-7-en-el-primer-semestre-de-2018-LC10471318
Better days ahead for small business?
The deputy minister for small business at the Ministry of Industry & Commerce (MICM), Ignacio Mendez, said the government has taken on the challenge to formalize half of the small business in the country, estimated to be around 1.5 million businesses. Speaking during the swearing in of the president of the Confederation of Commerce and Small Business in the Dominican Republic (Confecomercio), Mendez said that 90% of the 1.5 million small businesses are not registered as a legal entity.
Recently, Gustavo Montalvo, Minister of the Presidency, announced that the Tax Agency would soon roll out a simplified taxation procedure for small companies that would be exempted from the requirement of paying estimated advance taxes that are generated from projected future sales. This measure goes a step beyond the present Simplified Tax Procedure (PST) in terms of ease of use for small business owners.
During the swearing in of Confecomercio president, Gilberto Luna he called for the urgent amendment to the Labor Code because the rigidity and high costs it creates. Luna blamed the Labor Code as a principal cause for the low number of formal jobs in the country. He also called for the legislators to approve the Bill for Real Estate Guarantees that will enable that a large number of small business people can access financing for their business activities. At present, banks require a real estate property and a guarantor in order to lend money.
Intrant and Digesett locate critical points on Duarte Highway
The National Traffic and Transportation Institute (Intrant) and the General of Traffic Safety Agency (Digesett) have begun to identify the most dangerous areas of the nation’s most traveled highway, the Duarte Highway that connects Santiago and Santo Domingo. The two agencies will also analyze various factors at critical points along the highway where there are a high numbers of accidents. The survey is aimed at identifying the problems that compromise highway safety with the goal reducing the number of accidents on the highway.
The survey is being carried out by technicians from the two agencies that are analyzing safety weaknesses from Kilometer 9 in Santo Domingo to Kilometer 147 in the province of Santiago. The technicians say critical points have already been identified at Kilometer 28, the entrance to Merca Santo Domingo, La Guayiga, and Villa Altagracia and Bonao.
https://acento.com.do/2018/actualid...identifican-puntos-criticos-autopista-duarte/
Agriculture ups price on surplus bananas
In a meeting that took place 31 July 2018 in Mao, Valverde province, Minister of Agriculture Osmar Benitez, negotiated with the representatives of the Dominican Association of Banana Producers (ADOBANANO) and offered a 75% increase in the initial government offer to purchase hundreds of tons of surplus bananas from this summer’s harvest.
Benitez told reporters from the Diario Libre that the government was investing some RD$300 million in order to preserve the viability of this export crop and the 32,000 jobs it provides along the northwest part of the country. The bananas, originally destined for export, will be sold instead to the government at export prices.
The minister said that beginning next week the bananas will be distributed to such diverse places as army outposts, police stations, military bases, the Comedores Economicos, the Presidential Social Plan and public hospitals.
The Association of Banana Producers said that it will support the state in its efforts to alleviate the current glut of bananas in the marketplace, accepting the price offered by the government for some 120 containers each week over the next 18 weeks or so as a huge summer-fall harvest reaches its peak.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...umenta-oferta-para-comprar-bananos-GC10471034
Mafias blamed for recycling difficulties
The lack of a recycling culture and the weaknesses exhibited in the handling of solid waste are impeding exporters of plastic waste from having access to materials in good conditions and at reasonable prices without intermediaries.
As readers might remember, at the Duquesa garbage dump, a group of men and women known as “divers” (buzos) are the ones who pick through the solid waste as it arrives every day and from sunup to sundown, scavenge for anything plastic, metal, or any other recyclable item. At sundown they gather their treasure trove and place it in a dumpster until they have a sufficient amount to fill one or two trucks.
It is at this point that the intermediaries enter the picture, and a group which calls itself the Recyclers’ Association, and the divers are forced to sell their recycled materials to them. This group has prohibited the divers from selling their recycled materials directly to formal (i.e. legally constituted) or informal recyclers.
This forces processors and exporters to purchase their materials from “suppliers” according to Carlos Mancebo who heads a recycling firm. He told EL DIA that “there is no law that regulates this business and so we have to buy our materials this way.” Apparently, the garbage truck drivers for the different city governments take advantage of the market and before they even arrive at the Duquesa site they take out the plastic at sites provided by either formal or informal recyclers according to another report.
The informal recyclers offer better prices because they don’t pay any taxes. According to Green Love, a recycling outfit, they have received 280,000 pounds of plastic over the last four years.
http://eldia.com.do/mafias-dificultan-el-reciclaje-de-residuos/
Coraasan invests RD$3 billion in improvements
The Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan) reported that it has invested some RD$3 billion over the last six years in the restructuring and strengthening of its water system in the province. Silvio Durán, the director general of Coraasan, and a team of technicians visited El Nacional newspaper and talked about the different projects being carried out by this agency.
Durán said that his efforts, with the exception of a water treatment plant in Cienfuegos, have been directed at refurbishing a system that had outlived its usefulness. Some readers might remember that Italconsult rebuilt the Santiago water system in 1974 and estimated a 20-year life expectancy of the system. Over that period, Santiago has more than doubled in size.
The director general went on to say that they recover the system costs much less than rebuilding or constructing a new system and they have managed to save millions of gallons of water each day that were lost through leaks or deficiencies in the system.
The work by Coraasan is being assisted by funds from the central government as well as the Inter-American Development Bank and the French Agency for Development. Currently, the government is investing RD $500 million each year to solve the problems of drinking water in the province, while previous governments had only allotted RD $60 million. Duran and was especially proud of the work being carried out on the Yapor Dumit Avenue in the South part of the city as well as the efforts in Gurabo to install a new water tank and pumping station with an investment of over RD$500 million.
http://elnacional.com.do/coraasan-invierte-3-mil-millones-en-el-sistema-agua/
Specialist warns of diabetes risks
Ammar Ibrahim, the director of the National Diabetes Endocrinology and Nutrition Institute, noted that 13.45% of the Dominican population suffers from diabetes in some form or another. He insisted that the nation’s eating habits need to be improved to counter the surge of this very serious illness. He said that in addition to the 13.45% that suffer from actual diabetes, 9.3% have a condition known as pre-diabetes something that generally appears in patients after 50 years of age. He said: “Diabetes by itself produces little direct fatalities but, the majority of diabetic patients die from a heart attack, kidney failure, or brain hemorrhaging, conditions that were worsened by being diabetic. He made the comments on occasion of August being “Diabetes Month.”
The specialist also noted that families suffer when a member is diagnosed with diabetes. Such a diagnosis alters the lifestyle of the person diagnosed and also all of those around the patient.
José Rodriguez, the president of the Dominican Diabetic Society, said that the causes of this illness, beyond genetics, are related to a lack of exercise and the poor diet. He complained of the sedentary lifestyle, the epidemic of overweight and obese people and the unhealthy diet, together with genetics as the root causes of diabetes.
Dr. Noris Solano added that juvenile diabetes is a silent disease that is affecting more and more children and adolescence without any regard for geography or social class. She estimated that between eight and 10% of the juvenile population are affected by diabetes.
DNI says it has 2,000 informants
Fifty years ago, if you called someone a “calié” (informant), you were likely going to be slapped, punched, or perhaps even killed, as this word was closely associated with the SIM, the secret police used by the dictator Trujillo to weed out dissidence.
On 31 August 2018, Admiral Sigfrido Pared Perez, the director of the National Investigation Department (DNI) revealed that his agency has some 2,000 informants on the streets, supporting the work of the agencies that combat drug trafficking, illegal immigration, corruption and street crime.
Pared Perez told reporters that a large percentage of the drug shipments recently seized by the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) are the result of information provided by these informants.
Pared Perez also said that they have offices that are permanently supporting prosecutors who are investigating cases of corruption. He said 80% of the DNI offices are civilians and 20% belong to the Armed Forces.
The specialized blog Notihistoria Dominicana explains that “calié” has its origin in the French word for a notebook: “cahier.” The blog says that during the dictatorship of Ulises Heureaux (Lilises) a large intelligence group was formed, and they carried around a notebook (cahier) as well is a code to send secret information by telegraph. These agents were notice caliéses and since then this is the term used to describe any government intelligence agent.
http://elnacional.com.do/revela-tiene-dos-mil-calieses-en-las-calles/
BHD Leon announces the “women who change he world”
The BHD Bank announced the winners of the 2018 contest “Women Who Change the World.” The contest seeks to honor women who have made a difference in the country. The winner this year is Zeneida Perez, creator of a community development model in San Jose de las Matas, Santiago province. Second places went to Maria Josefina Paulino, defender of children and teenager rights in tourism coastal areas and Michela Izzo, for reforestation projects and installation of 40 community hydroelectric plants in remote areas across the country.
Other finalists were:
Alba Maria Reyes, for programs to strengthen citizen participation in programs
Carmen Ofrocina Montero, founder of the Centro de Educacion Epeical Celida Luisa Perez de Crespo in Azua
Elsa Johanne Sanchez, leadership promoter among young people
Esperanza Marte, creator of the Club de madres La Nueva Esperanza
Guadalupe Valdez, special ambassador of the FAO program Hambre Cero
Juana Adita Tavares, promoter of the Program for Development and Forestation training
Maria Elena Moreno, creator of the Fundacion Dominican Republic Jazz Festival
The winner received RD$1 million in prize money, the two second places received RD$500,000 and the seven finalists received RD$100,000 each.
Only 38% breastfeed at birth
Breastfeeding culture at birth in the Dominican Republic is very low, estimated at 38%, according to the recent Capture the Moment report by Unicef.
Commercial baby milk brands are known to have penetrated the market, and their representatives work hard at convincing new mothers that their products are better than maternal milk. Also affecting breastfeeding is the high C-Section birth rate in the country at around 56% of births, reducing the possibility of mothers feeding their child right after birth.
The regional Latin American and Caribbean average of 52%, according to the Unicef Capture the Moment report.
https://data.unicef.org/resources/capture-the-moment/
https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/
https://acento.com.do/2018/actualid...a-hora-vida-menor-al-40-republica-dominicana/
Castaños Guzmán of Finjus calls for answers to questions on prosecutor selection process
The Attorney General Office has appointed Fernando Quezada as juror to choose the country’s prosecutors in a fast-tracked selection process that is taking place. Quezada is remembered as the Constanza prosecutor who failed to pursue the case against Father Johnny for pedophilia and sexual abuse in Constanza arguing there was lack of evidence. After prosecutor Fernando Quezada filed the accusations, the Roman Catholic Church announced the defrocking of the priest on grounds of the same available evidence.
Investigative reporter Edith Febles on Monday, 30 July 2018, presented on the Enfoque Matinal TV show, this and other evidence that questions the legitimacy of the selection process recently called by the Public Ministry to choose the new prosecutors, including many in key positions. Febles and fellow talk show hosts Altagracia Salazar and Ricardo Nieves expressed their concern the process was being rigged to ensure Attorney General Office control of future decisions by the to-be-appointed prosecutors.
On Tuesday, 31 August, Foundation of Institutionality and Justice (Finjus) executive vice president Servio Tulio Castaños said he would like to hear the replies the Public Ministry has to the revelations on the process to choose new prosecutors that have been made in the media. Castaños said there are many questions left open in reference to the fast tracking of the process, the members chosen for the assessment committee and the participation of members of the Superior Council of the Public Ministry as candidates for positions.
On 24 July 2018, Castaños had first stated that the process was “completely normal” and mandated by the law. He then expressed expectations then that the process would be done “with the greatest transparency.”
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/07...s-en-escogencia-de-miembros-titulares-del-mp/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...luacion-de-fiscales-y-procuradores-KE10418064
https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/172693-Wednesday,+1+August+2018?kl=1902745#jj5
Robinson Canó could play ball for the Estrellas Orientales
Robinson Canó has announced that he could play in the Dominican Winter Professional Baseball League. He encouraged other teammates to join the Estrellas Orientales during the regular season to help the team make it beyond the regular season. The season takes starts in mid October and the playoffs are usually the first week of February.
The second base of the Seattle Mariners was suspended for 80 games in Major League Baseball after testing positive for PEDs.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/08...las-estrellas-orientales-en-beisbol-invernal/
https://www.diariolibre.com/deporte...ugara-con-las-estrellas-orientales-PC10470395
Luguelin Santos wins gold in Barranquilla 2018
Luguelin Santos won the gold medal in 400 meters competition in the Central American and Caribbean Games on Wednesday, 1 August 2018. He ran the race in 44.59 seconds. Luguelin Santos was a silver medallist in the London Olympic Games in 2012 with a time of 44.46. His brother Juander Santos also won bronze in the 400 meters hurdles in the same Baranquilla 2018 sports games.
On the same day, Lewis Medina also won gold in the 100 kilogram category of judo competition.
On Wednesday, 1 August, the Dominican Republic picked up 11 medals, for a total of 95 medals. The DR is in 5th place in the standing, behind Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Laquan Smith runway show in Santo Domingo
The New York designer who according to Vogue “made a splash at the New York Fashion Week” will be one of the opening designers for the RD Fashion Week to take place at Hotel Embassy Suites by Hilton, from 8 to 11 August 2018. Smith’s runway show will be on Friday, 10 August at 8pm. Vogue describes him as “a favorite of chart-topping divas, reality starlets, and anyone committed to making an entrance.” He has dressed Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Rihanna, Tinashe, Cardi B and Hailey Baldwin, among others.
Experienced designers take part in RDFW, but the focus of the show is on new emerging Dominican designers. The event is organized by the Association of Dominican Designers as a platform for promoting Dominican fashion. Melkis Diaz, president of the association has stated: "In this tenth edition of RD Fashion Week, we focus on supporting young talent and contributing to the development of their fashion career. That is why we are very happy to be able to include new professionals in the industry, and give them participation in an event that has national and international coverage."
Among others with runway shows are:
Jose Cristian Lagares (Chaotic Blooming Pret-a-Porter SS’19), Colectiva Achadom, Nina Vasquez, Noel Newman, David Dovente, Savina Rey, Doris Feliz, Nereyda Bravo, Bianna Candelario, Joel Reyes for the Dominican Republic.
Several Venezuelan designers are participating. These are: Douglas Tapia, Francisco Escobar, Idol Jose, Honicer Sandoval, Avocado Couture.
Also participating are: Morena Valley and Ingrid Tejeda (US), Kelly Palacio (Colombia), and Jose Zafra (Peru).
The closing show will be with Micaela Oliveira from Portugal on Saturday, 11 August at 10pm.
https://www.vogue.com/article/laquan-smith-spring-2018-new-york-fashion-week-show
http://www.micaelaoliveira.com/pt/
http://rdfw.com.do/
Amanda Mena makes top 5 of America’s Got Talent reality
Dominican-born singer, Amanda Mena made it to the top five that will be performing in the live shows of the finals of America’s Got Talent starting 14 August 2018. Mena, who is 15 years old, was chosen by former Spice Girl Mel B.
https://www.pantagraph.com/entertai...cle_434db0dd-4e6e-5688-8a84-17d1bee663d5.html
Lissette Alvarez and La Sophy at the Jaragua
Cuban-Peruvian Lissette Alvarez and Puerto Rican La Sophy will be on the stage of the Teatro La Fiesta of the Jaragua Renaissance Hotel for a memorable show on Saturday, 4 August 2018, at 9pm.
The show is promoted by Cesar Suarez who convinced the singers to do acts together during their “De Mujer a Mujer” concert. This will be a memorable evening of romantic songs bringing back nostalgia for all who have followed the careers of these two Latin American legendary singers. Tickets for sale online at Uepa Tickets.
CEI-RD: Exports up in first half of the year
Economy grows 6.7% in first half of 2018
Better days ahead for small business?
Intrant and Digesett locate critical points on Duarte Highway
Agriculture ups price on surplus bananas
Mafias blamed for recycling difficulties
Coraasan invests RD$3 billion in improvements
Specialist warns of diabetes risks
DNI says it has 2,000 informants
BHD Leon announces the “women who change he world”
Only 38% breastfeed at birth
Castaños Guzmán of Finjus calls for answers to questions on prosecutor selection process
Robinson Canó could play ball for the Estrellas Orientales
Luguelin Santos wins gold in Barranquilla 2018
Laquan Smith runway show in Santo Domingo
Amanda Mena makes top 5 of America’s Got Talent reality
Lissette Alvarez and La Sophy at the Jaragua
DR1 Daily News next update on 6 August 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 6 August 2018. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the Forums. See the DR1 Forum at http://www.dr1.com
CEI-RD: Exports up in first half of the year
Marius de Leon, executive director of the Center for Export and Investment (CEI-RD) announced that Dominican exports for the first half of the year are up 9.38% compared to the same period in 2017. He said exports were US$4.75 billion.
De Leon highlighted the diversifying of markets. “Today we export to 154 destinations/countries and have diversified the matrix of products from 2,872 products to 3,127 products in the past six years,” he said during a press conference.
He also highlighted that in 2017 the country attracted US$3.57 billion in direct foreign investment (FDI), up 48% over investment in 2016. He said the trend for 2018 is upwards, as already the country has attracted US$809.8 million in direct foreign investment from January to March 2018, up 13.7% compared to 2017. He said the UNCTAD reported the Dominican Republic was the leader in attracting FDI in the Caribbean, with 51.8% of all investments. It is second in Central America, with 22.4%.
He said recent actions to promote exports have been the creation of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, the automatic renewal of sanitary registrations, the single window for foreign trade (VUCE) facility and the new procedures for companies to become Authorized Economic Operators (OEA).
De León said perspectives are good for working with the Chinese market in a strategic manner. He says pineapples, cacao, rum and avocados have been identified as potential export products to China. “China is a great opportunity for the country and we are taking concrete, well planned and strategic steps, to become the hub for their distribution,” he said during a press conference, as reported in El Dinero.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economia/rd-exporta-us-4-749-mm-en-primer-semestre-2018-JC10473857
https://www.eldinero.com.do/64769/e...18-las-exportaciones-de-bienes-crecieron-9-8/
Economy grows 6.7% in first half of 2018
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reported that the Monthly Indicator of Economic Activity (IMAE) showed that the Dominican economy experienced a 7.3% growth in June and a first-half year growth of 6.7% for 2018. The Central Bank reported: “This performance is the result of a 6.4% variation between January and March and a 7.1% growth between April and June of the present year.”
The Central Bank says that the most dynamic economic activities during the first half of the year were: construction, up 13.2%; manufacturing in export free zones, up 11.0%; health 8.2%; commerce, 8.1%; local manufacturing, 6.8%; transportation and warehousing, up 6.8%. At the same time energy and water sectors grew by 6.4%, financial services by 5.8%; communications were up 5.6%; agriculture by 5.3% and hotels bars and restaurants were in the black by 5.2%.
The Central Bank notes that construction has been the activity with the greatest impact on economic performance during 2018, showing a year-to-year growth of 13.2%. The development of major housing projects are helping to reduce the deficit in Greater Santo Domingo as well as in other areas of the nation, says the Central Bank, as well as major construction in the tourism and energy sectors.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...-promediando-67-en-el-primer-semestre-de-2018
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...-6-7-en-el-primer-semestre-de-2018-LC10471318
Better days ahead for small business?
The deputy minister for small business at the Ministry of Industry & Commerce (MICM), Ignacio Mendez, said the government has taken on the challenge to formalize half of the small business in the country, estimated to be around 1.5 million businesses. Speaking during the swearing in of the president of the Confederation of Commerce and Small Business in the Dominican Republic (Confecomercio), Mendez said that 90% of the 1.5 million small businesses are not registered as a legal entity.
Recently, Gustavo Montalvo, Minister of the Presidency, announced that the Tax Agency would soon roll out a simplified taxation procedure for small companies that would be exempted from the requirement of paying estimated advance taxes that are generated from projected future sales. This measure goes a step beyond the present Simplified Tax Procedure (PST) in terms of ease of use for small business owners.
During the swearing in of Confecomercio president, Gilberto Luna he called for the urgent amendment to the Labor Code because the rigidity and high costs it creates. Luna blamed the Labor Code as a principal cause for the low number of formal jobs in the country. He also called for the legislators to approve the Bill for Real Estate Guarantees that will enable that a large number of small business people can access financing for their business activities. At present, banks require a real estate property and a guarantor in order to lend money.
Intrant and Digesett locate critical points on Duarte Highway
The National Traffic and Transportation Institute (Intrant) and the General of Traffic Safety Agency (Digesett) have begun to identify the most dangerous areas of the nation’s most traveled highway, the Duarte Highway that connects Santiago and Santo Domingo. The two agencies will also analyze various factors at critical points along the highway where there are a high numbers of accidents. The survey is aimed at identifying the problems that compromise highway safety with the goal reducing the number of accidents on the highway.
The survey is being carried out by technicians from the two agencies that are analyzing safety weaknesses from Kilometer 9 in Santo Domingo to Kilometer 147 in the province of Santiago. The technicians say critical points have already been identified at Kilometer 28, the entrance to Merca Santo Domingo, La Guayiga, and Villa Altagracia and Bonao.
https://acento.com.do/2018/actualid...identifican-puntos-criticos-autopista-duarte/
Agriculture ups price on surplus bananas
In a meeting that took place 31 July 2018 in Mao, Valverde province, Minister of Agriculture Osmar Benitez, negotiated with the representatives of the Dominican Association of Banana Producers (ADOBANANO) and offered a 75% increase in the initial government offer to purchase hundreds of tons of surplus bananas from this summer’s harvest.
Benitez told reporters from the Diario Libre that the government was investing some RD$300 million in order to preserve the viability of this export crop and the 32,000 jobs it provides along the northwest part of the country. The bananas, originally destined for export, will be sold instead to the government at export prices.
The minister said that beginning next week the bananas will be distributed to such diverse places as army outposts, police stations, military bases, the Comedores Economicos, the Presidential Social Plan and public hospitals.
The Association of Banana Producers said that it will support the state in its efforts to alleviate the current glut of bananas in the marketplace, accepting the price offered by the government for some 120 containers each week over the next 18 weeks or so as a huge summer-fall harvest reaches its peak.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...umenta-oferta-para-comprar-bananos-GC10471034
Mafias blamed for recycling difficulties
The lack of a recycling culture and the weaknesses exhibited in the handling of solid waste are impeding exporters of plastic waste from having access to materials in good conditions and at reasonable prices without intermediaries.
As readers might remember, at the Duquesa garbage dump, a group of men and women known as “divers” (buzos) are the ones who pick through the solid waste as it arrives every day and from sunup to sundown, scavenge for anything plastic, metal, or any other recyclable item. At sundown they gather their treasure trove and place it in a dumpster until they have a sufficient amount to fill one or two trucks.
It is at this point that the intermediaries enter the picture, and a group which calls itself the Recyclers’ Association, and the divers are forced to sell their recycled materials to them. This group has prohibited the divers from selling their recycled materials directly to formal (i.e. legally constituted) or informal recyclers.
This forces processors and exporters to purchase their materials from “suppliers” according to Carlos Mancebo who heads a recycling firm. He told EL DIA that “there is no law that regulates this business and so we have to buy our materials this way.” Apparently, the garbage truck drivers for the different city governments take advantage of the market and before they even arrive at the Duquesa site they take out the plastic at sites provided by either formal or informal recyclers according to another report.
The informal recyclers offer better prices because they don’t pay any taxes. According to Green Love, a recycling outfit, they have received 280,000 pounds of plastic over the last four years.
http://eldia.com.do/mafias-dificultan-el-reciclaje-de-residuos/
Coraasan invests RD$3 billion in improvements
The Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan) reported that it has invested some RD$3 billion over the last six years in the restructuring and strengthening of its water system in the province. Silvio Durán, the director general of Coraasan, and a team of technicians visited El Nacional newspaper and talked about the different projects being carried out by this agency.
Durán said that his efforts, with the exception of a water treatment plant in Cienfuegos, have been directed at refurbishing a system that had outlived its usefulness. Some readers might remember that Italconsult rebuilt the Santiago water system in 1974 and estimated a 20-year life expectancy of the system. Over that period, Santiago has more than doubled in size.
The director general went on to say that they recover the system costs much less than rebuilding or constructing a new system and they have managed to save millions of gallons of water each day that were lost through leaks or deficiencies in the system.
The work by Coraasan is being assisted by funds from the central government as well as the Inter-American Development Bank and the French Agency for Development. Currently, the government is investing RD $500 million each year to solve the problems of drinking water in the province, while previous governments had only allotted RD $60 million. Duran and was especially proud of the work being carried out on the Yapor Dumit Avenue in the South part of the city as well as the efforts in Gurabo to install a new water tank and pumping station with an investment of over RD$500 million.
http://elnacional.com.do/coraasan-invierte-3-mil-millones-en-el-sistema-agua/
Specialist warns of diabetes risks
Ammar Ibrahim, the director of the National Diabetes Endocrinology and Nutrition Institute, noted that 13.45% of the Dominican population suffers from diabetes in some form or another. He insisted that the nation’s eating habits need to be improved to counter the surge of this very serious illness. He said that in addition to the 13.45% that suffer from actual diabetes, 9.3% have a condition known as pre-diabetes something that generally appears in patients after 50 years of age. He said: “Diabetes by itself produces little direct fatalities but, the majority of diabetic patients die from a heart attack, kidney failure, or brain hemorrhaging, conditions that were worsened by being diabetic. He made the comments on occasion of August being “Diabetes Month.”
The specialist also noted that families suffer when a member is diagnosed with diabetes. Such a diagnosis alters the lifestyle of the person diagnosed and also all of those around the patient.
José Rodriguez, the president of the Dominican Diabetic Society, said that the causes of this illness, beyond genetics, are related to a lack of exercise and the poor diet. He complained of the sedentary lifestyle, the epidemic of overweight and obese people and the unhealthy diet, together with genetics as the root causes of diabetes.
Dr. Noris Solano added that juvenile diabetes is a silent disease that is affecting more and more children and adolescence without any regard for geography or social class. She estimated that between eight and 10% of the juvenile population are affected by diabetes.
DNI says it has 2,000 informants
Fifty years ago, if you called someone a “calié” (informant), you were likely going to be slapped, punched, or perhaps even killed, as this word was closely associated with the SIM, the secret police used by the dictator Trujillo to weed out dissidence.
On 31 August 2018, Admiral Sigfrido Pared Perez, the director of the National Investigation Department (DNI) revealed that his agency has some 2,000 informants on the streets, supporting the work of the agencies that combat drug trafficking, illegal immigration, corruption and street crime.
Pared Perez told reporters that a large percentage of the drug shipments recently seized by the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) are the result of information provided by these informants.
Pared Perez also said that they have offices that are permanently supporting prosecutors who are investigating cases of corruption. He said 80% of the DNI offices are civilians and 20% belong to the Armed Forces.
The specialized blog Notihistoria Dominicana explains that “calié” has its origin in the French word for a notebook: “cahier.” The blog says that during the dictatorship of Ulises Heureaux (Lilises) a large intelligence group was formed, and they carried around a notebook (cahier) as well is a code to send secret information by telegraph. These agents were notice caliéses and since then this is the term used to describe any government intelligence agent.
http://elnacional.com.do/revela-tiene-dos-mil-calieses-en-las-calles/
BHD Leon announces the “women who change he world”
The BHD Bank announced the winners of the 2018 contest “Women Who Change the World.” The contest seeks to honor women who have made a difference in the country. The winner this year is Zeneida Perez, creator of a community development model in San Jose de las Matas, Santiago province. Second places went to Maria Josefina Paulino, defender of children and teenager rights in tourism coastal areas and Michela Izzo, for reforestation projects and installation of 40 community hydroelectric plants in remote areas across the country.
Other finalists were:
Alba Maria Reyes, for programs to strengthen citizen participation in programs
Carmen Ofrocina Montero, founder of the Centro de Educacion Epeical Celida Luisa Perez de Crespo in Azua
Elsa Johanne Sanchez, leadership promoter among young people
Esperanza Marte, creator of the Club de madres La Nueva Esperanza
Guadalupe Valdez, special ambassador of the FAO program Hambre Cero
Juana Adita Tavares, promoter of the Program for Development and Forestation training
Maria Elena Moreno, creator of the Fundacion Dominican Republic Jazz Festival
The winner received RD$1 million in prize money, the two second places received RD$500,000 and the seven finalists received RD$100,000 each.
Only 38% breastfeed at birth
Breastfeeding culture at birth in the Dominican Republic is very low, estimated at 38%, according to the recent Capture the Moment report by Unicef.
Commercial baby milk brands are known to have penetrated the market, and their representatives work hard at convincing new mothers that their products are better than maternal milk. Also affecting breastfeeding is the high C-Section birth rate in the country at around 56% of births, reducing the possibility of mothers feeding their child right after birth.
The regional Latin American and Caribbean average of 52%, according to the Unicef Capture the Moment report.
https://data.unicef.org/resources/capture-the-moment/
https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/
https://acento.com.do/2018/actualid...a-hora-vida-menor-al-40-republica-dominicana/
Castaños Guzmán of Finjus calls for answers to questions on prosecutor selection process
The Attorney General Office has appointed Fernando Quezada as juror to choose the country’s prosecutors in a fast-tracked selection process that is taking place. Quezada is remembered as the Constanza prosecutor who failed to pursue the case against Father Johnny for pedophilia and sexual abuse in Constanza arguing there was lack of evidence. After prosecutor Fernando Quezada filed the accusations, the Roman Catholic Church announced the defrocking of the priest on grounds of the same available evidence.
Investigative reporter Edith Febles on Monday, 30 July 2018, presented on the Enfoque Matinal TV show, this and other evidence that questions the legitimacy of the selection process recently called by the Public Ministry to choose the new prosecutors, including many in key positions. Febles and fellow talk show hosts Altagracia Salazar and Ricardo Nieves expressed their concern the process was being rigged to ensure Attorney General Office control of future decisions by the to-be-appointed prosecutors.
On Tuesday, 31 August, Foundation of Institutionality and Justice (Finjus) executive vice president Servio Tulio Castaños said he would like to hear the replies the Public Ministry has to the revelations on the process to choose new prosecutors that have been made in the media. Castaños said there are many questions left open in reference to the fast tracking of the process, the members chosen for the assessment committee and the participation of members of the Superior Council of the Public Ministry as candidates for positions.
On 24 July 2018, Castaños had first stated that the process was “completely normal” and mandated by the law. He then expressed expectations then that the process would be done “with the greatest transparency.”
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/07...s-en-escogencia-de-miembros-titulares-del-mp/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...luacion-de-fiscales-y-procuradores-KE10418064
https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/172693-Wednesday,+1+August+2018?kl=1902745#jj5
Robinson Canó could play ball for the Estrellas Orientales
Robinson Canó has announced that he could play in the Dominican Winter Professional Baseball League. He encouraged other teammates to join the Estrellas Orientales during the regular season to help the team make it beyond the regular season. The season takes starts in mid October and the playoffs are usually the first week of February.
The second base of the Seattle Mariners was suspended for 80 games in Major League Baseball after testing positive for PEDs.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/08...las-estrellas-orientales-en-beisbol-invernal/
https://www.diariolibre.com/deporte...ugara-con-las-estrellas-orientales-PC10470395
Luguelin Santos wins gold in Barranquilla 2018
Luguelin Santos won the gold medal in 400 meters competition in the Central American and Caribbean Games on Wednesday, 1 August 2018. He ran the race in 44.59 seconds. Luguelin Santos was a silver medallist in the London Olympic Games in 2012 with a time of 44.46. His brother Juander Santos also won bronze in the 400 meters hurdles in the same Baranquilla 2018 sports games.
On the same day, Lewis Medina also won gold in the 100 kilogram category of judo competition.
On Wednesday, 1 August, the Dominican Republic picked up 11 medals, for a total of 95 medals. The DR is in 5th place in the standing, behind Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Laquan Smith runway show in Santo Domingo
The New York designer who according to Vogue “made a splash at the New York Fashion Week” will be one of the opening designers for the RD Fashion Week to take place at Hotel Embassy Suites by Hilton, from 8 to 11 August 2018. Smith’s runway show will be on Friday, 10 August at 8pm. Vogue describes him as “a favorite of chart-topping divas, reality starlets, and anyone committed to making an entrance.” He has dressed Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Rihanna, Tinashe, Cardi B and Hailey Baldwin, among others.
Experienced designers take part in RDFW, but the focus of the show is on new emerging Dominican designers. The event is organized by the Association of Dominican Designers as a platform for promoting Dominican fashion. Melkis Diaz, president of the association has stated: "In this tenth edition of RD Fashion Week, we focus on supporting young talent and contributing to the development of their fashion career. That is why we are very happy to be able to include new professionals in the industry, and give them participation in an event that has national and international coverage."
Among others with runway shows are:
Jose Cristian Lagares (Chaotic Blooming Pret-a-Porter SS’19), Colectiva Achadom, Nina Vasquez, Noel Newman, David Dovente, Savina Rey, Doris Feliz, Nereyda Bravo, Bianna Candelario, Joel Reyes for the Dominican Republic.
Several Venezuelan designers are participating. These are: Douglas Tapia, Francisco Escobar, Idol Jose, Honicer Sandoval, Avocado Couture.
Also participating are: Morena Valley and Ingrid Tejeda (US), Kelly Palacio (Colombia), and Jose Zafra (Peru).
The closing show will be with Micaela Oliveira from Portugal on Saturday, 11 August at 10pm.
https://www.vogue.com/article/laquan-smith-spring-2018-new-york-fashion-week-show
http://www.micaelaoliveira.com/pt/
http://rdfw.com.do/
Amanda Mena makes top 5 of America’s Got Talent reality
Dominican-born singer, Amanda Mena made it to the top five that will be performing in the live shows of the finals of America’s Got Talent starting 14 August 2018. Mena, who is 15 years old, was chosen by former Spice Girl Mel B.
https://www.pantagraph.com/entertai...cle_434db0dd-4e6e-5688-8a84-17d1bee663d5.html
Lissette Alvarez and La Sophy at the Jaragua
Cuban-Peruvian Lissette Alvarez and Puerto Rican La Sophy will be on the stage of the Teatro La Fiesta of the Jaragua Renaissance Hotel for a memorable show on Saturday, 4 August 2018, at 9pm.
The show is promoted by Cesar Suarez who convinced the singers to do acts together during their “De Mujer a Mujer” concert. This will be a memorable evening of romantic songs bringing back nostalgia for all who have followed the careers of these two Latin American legendary singers. Tickets for sale online at Uepa Tickets.