Green March says NO to corruption
Political Parties Bill goes to the President
Solenodontes found in Puerto Plata
Big changes coming in military commands
Country mourns death of Fabio Mamerto Rivas, first Bishop of Barahona
Thousands visit “Tall Ships” on the Ozama River
Green March says NO to corruption
The entering into operation of the Santo Domingo Metro last week, the millions the Medina administration spends on propaganda every day, and the forecast of heavy rains were not able to dilute the hundreds of thousands from all around the Dominican Republic that turned up to add their presence to the Marcha Verde call to penalize corruption and impunity in government. A thunderstorm with intense rain fell on the marchers around noon but did not disperse the march. Aerial photos revealed comparative number of persons in the Sunday, 12 August march to previous marches on this route. Diario Libre reports that the spontaneous spirit of the march was the same as the legendary first Green March on 22 January 2017.
The march of people created a river of green that flowed alongside from Tiradentes, down Bolivar and then south of Av. Winston Churchill down the Av. Enrique Jimenez Moya to the Centro de los Héroes where the Supreme Court of Justice is located.
A document read by youth Danni Martinez in the name of the organizers of the Green March Movement said that the march called for penalties to those accused of corruption in public administration. “
"We clearly point to President Danilo Medina, former President Leonel Fernández and the Dominican Liberation Party leadership, as the main architects and responsible today for the present regime of theft of public resources. They undemocratically control the institutions for the prosecution of crime, the high courts and important media of the country, to prevent justice being done in the Odebrecht case and in other important cases for which President Medina himself must be politically tried, and an independent criminal investigation be held to ensure exemplary penalties.” The PLD has been government in the Dominican Republic continuously from 2004.
Diario Libre reported that among those who accompanied Martinez were former Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch and Jose Ignacio Paliza of the PRM political party, Max Puig of Alianza para la Democracia, legislator Guadalupe Valdez, gender activist Lourdes Contreras, singer-politician Manuel Jimenez, environmentalist Luis Carvajal.
Shortly before the delivering of the march manifest, journalists Huchi Lora, Altagracia Salazar had called for the need to reform the constitution to impede that a militant politician be named the country’s attorney general.
The speeches were made from the Centro de los Heroes where the National Congress and Supreme Court of Justice and the Attorney General offices are located. Marching under the banners of the Green March, the crowds proclaimed that they would continue to protest until all those who have benefited from the illegal use of state funds are properly investigated, charged and convicted. The spokesperson of Marcha Verde said that any involvement of President Danilo Medina in corruption should be thoroughly investigated by an independent counsel.
One of the slogans most heard during the demonstration was the shout: “We are a united and strong people!”
In a statement that called for the impeachment of Medina, the protestors criticized President Medina as the “client and electoral beneficiary of international criminal Joao Santana.”
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/marcha-verde-pone-foco-en-medina-y-fernandez-JA10547781
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...so-odebrecht-y-se-procese-a-danilo-LA10546195
https://marchaverde.com/
Political Parties Bill goes to the President
The Political Parties and Groups Bill is now in the Presidential Palace waiting for the signature of President Danilo Medina after it was passed by the Senate on Friday, 10 August 2018. It had passed on Tuesday, 7 August in the Chamber of Deputies. According to the explanations given by the legal advisor to the President, Flavio Dario Espinal, the legislation is following the normal course and no date has been discussed for its enactment.
Yesterday, the Bishop of the Bani diocese Victor Masalles gave thanks for the passage of the legislation and said that this is the way to begin to put rules in place for the political party system. Bishop Victor Masalles also commented on the efforts of some politicians to modify the Constitution in order to allow President Medina to opt for a third, consecutive term. Masalles said that the Constitution “should not be touched further, because the people want clear rules.”
In another news story, the Diario Libre named President Danilo Medina the “Person of the Week.” In fact, it could be argued that the president did indeed have a good week. First, The National Congress passed the Political Parties and Groups Bill, and second he was able to inaugurate Line 2B of the Santo Domingo Metro.
The passage of the Law on Political Parties was particularly savory to the president since the final language in the bill was been strongly opposed by the followers of former President Leonel Fernandez. It should be noted that it took nearly 20 years for this bill to get through the Congress with some groups who had formerly oppose the bill (such as the Modern Revolutionary Party-PRM) ended up voting in favor of the legislation. It has been suggested that the PRM made a deal with the government in exchange for backing the legislation in the Chamber of Deputies where it might have stalled because of the Fernandez opposition. In the Senate, there was no problem since Medina controls a large majority of the senators.
During the inauguration of the second line of the Santo Domingo Metro a group of Danilo supporters outside the Maria Concepcion Bona Station (named after the woman who sewed the first Dominican flag) called for Medina to run for four more years.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/ley-de-partidos-ya-en-palacio-nacional-KH10539542
https://www.diariolibre.com/portada...idos-e-inaugura-linea-2b-del-metro-NA10543284
Solenodontes found in Puerto Plata
Some really good news for Dominican wildlife. There is news coming out of Puerto Plata that technicians from the Ministry of Environment have found a population of Solenodontes, a Dominican native mammal that is in extreme danger of extinction, in the area of the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua in Puerto Plata province.
The administrator of the Natural Monument of Damajagua, Robert Luis Gomez Santana, said that researchers from the ministry were able to identify the group of Solenodontes.
The full report will be made public tomorrow at 11am from the visitor center in this protected area.
The Solenodontes is the only native mammal on the island of Hispaniola and is apparently almost a throwback to the age of the dinosaurs. It is nocturnal and feeds mostly on insects and is rarely seen by humans. A distant cousin of the species survives in Cuba. At the present time, according to the International Union for Nature Conservation, Solenodontes are in danger of extinction. The research that led to discovering this group of mammals in Damajagua was led by a José Mateo Feliz, who is the director of Biodiversity at the Ministry of the Environment.
http://eldia.com.do/hallan-poblacion-de-Solenodontes-en-el-monumento-saltos-de-damajagua/
Big changes coming in military commands
El Nacional newspaper said yesterday that the assignments of all of high ranking military officers will have to be changed this coming Thursday, having had served two years in their posts, according to the Organic Law of the Armed the Forces. This law, Law 139-13, states in Article 33 that officers will remain it in their duties for a maximum of two years. The law also instructs the president to appoint a chief of staff of the Armed Forces as well as commanding generals of the different branches and the Inspector General of the Armed Forces, and these will be chosen among the generals and admirals currently in command positions as long as they have complied with the law with regards to time served in order to be considered for these top positions.
The Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ruben Paulino Sem, was appointed on 16 August 2016 and his term will end on Thursday, that commemorates the 155th anniversary of the War of Restoration.
The current commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force will all be relieved of their commands. Curiously enough, the head of the National Directorate of Drug Control (DNCD) will also be replaced, as will be the commanding officer of the Presidential Guard.
http://elnacional.com.do/pe-deberia-remover-a-los-jefes-militares/
Country mourns death of Fabio Mamerto Rivas, first Bishop of Barahona
The passing of Monsignor Rivas, the retired bishop of Barahona and a member of the Order of Don Bosco, was received with profound sadness by the many people who knew and respected him.
As the first Bishop of Barahona, Rivas became the voice that denounced everything that was wrong in his diocese: drug trafficking, human trafficking, contraband and abuses of the laborers in the area. He was often times threatened, but he never backed down. Politicians, religious leaders and civil groups are all mourning his loss, which came early Saturday morning to Jarabacoa, where he was living. His legacy of honesty, love and support for his flock will be long remembered.
One politician said: “Monsignor Fabio Mamerto Rivas was a good, consecrated pastor at the service of his people and of his Church… Although reserved and friendly he knew how to say many truths and to defend good causes.”
http://eldia.com.do/politicos-y-otras-personalidades-lamentan-deceso-de-fabio-mamerto-rivas/
Thousands visit “Tall Ships” on the Ozama River
Thousands of persons visited the Tall Ships taking part in “Latin America Sails” in the port of Don Diego on the Ozama River. The visit was part of activity that happens every four years with tall ships from several Latin American countries making port calls in the region.
According to an officer from the Chilean Navy the visit has been a huge success in the Dominican capital. The ships docked last week and will sail on Monday. The ships are from the navies of Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina and began their trip on 25 March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Visitors were allowed to board the vessels from nine in the morning until six in the afternoon.
http://elnacional.com.do/miles-visitan-barcos-puerto-don-diego/
Political Parties Bill goes to the President
Solenodontes found in Puerto Plata
Big changes coming in military commands
Country mourns death of Fabio Mamerto Rivas, first Bishop of Barahona
Thousands visit “Tall Ships” on the Ozama River
Green March says NO to corruption
The entering into operation of the Santo Domingo Metro last week, the millions the Medina administration spends on propaganda every day, and the forecast of heavy rains were not able to dilute the hundreds of thousands from all around the Dominican Republic that turned up to add their presence to the Marcha Verde call to penalize corruption and impunity in government. A thunderstorm with intense rain fell on the marchers around noon but did not disperse the march. Aerial photos revealed comparative number of persons in the Sunday, 12 August march to previous marches on this route. Diario Libre reports that the spontaneous spirit of the march was the same as the legendary first Green March on 22 January 2017.
The march of people created a river of green that flowed alongside from Tiradentes, down Bolivar and then south of Av. Winston Churchill down the Av. Enrique Jimenez Moya to the Centro de los Héroes where the Supreme Court of Justice is located.
A document read by youth Danni Martinez in the name of the organizers of the Green March Movement said that the march called for penalties to those accused of corruption in public administration. “
"We clearly point to President Danilo Medina, former President Leonel Fernández and the Dominican Liberation Party leadership, as the main architects and responsible today for the present regime of theft of public resources. They undemocratically control the institutions for the prosecution of crime, the high courts and important media of the country, to prevent justice being done in the Odebrecht case and in other important cases for which President Medina himself must be politically tried, and an independent criminal investigation be held to ensure exemplary penalties.” The PLD has been government in the Dominican Republic continuously from 2004.
Diario Libre reported that among those who accompanied Martinez were former Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch and Jose Ignacio Paliza of the PRM political party, Max Puig of Alianza para la Democracia, legislator Guadalupe Valdez, gender activist Lourdes Contreras, singer-politician Manuel Jimenez, environmentalist Luis Carvajal.
Shortly before the delivering of the march manifest, journalists Huchi Lora, Altagracia Salazar had called for the need to reform the constitution to impede that a militant politician be named the country’s attorney general.
The speeches were made from the Centro de los Heroes where the National Congress and Supreme Court of Justice and the Attorney General offices are located. Marching under the banners of the Green March, the crowds proclaimed that they would continue to protest until all those who have benefited from the illegal use of state funds are properly investigated, charged and convicted. The spokesperson of Marcha Verde said that any involvement of President Danilo Medina in corruption should be thoroughly investigated by an independent counsel.
One of the slogans most heard during the demonstration was the shout: “We are a united and strong people!”
In a statement that called for the impeachment of Medina, the protestors criticized President Medina as the “client and electoral beneficiary of international criminal Joao Santana.”
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/marcha-verde-pone-foco-en-medina-y-fernandez-JA10547781
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...so-odebrecht-y-se-procese-a-danilo-LA10546195
https://marchaverde.com/
Political Parties Bill goes to the President
The Political Parties and Groups Bill is now in the Presidential Palace waiting for the signature of President Danilo Medina after it was passed by the Senate on Friday, 10 August 2018. It had passed on Tuesday, 7 August in the Chamber of Deputies. According to the explanations given by the legal advisor to the President, Flavio Dario Espinal, the legislation is following the normal course and no date has been discussed for its enactment.
Yesterday, the Bishop of the Bani diocese Victor Masalles gave thanks for the passage of the legislation and said that this is the way to begin to put rules in place for the political party system. Bishop Victor Masalles also commented on the efforts of some politicians to modify the Constitution in order to allow President Medina to opt for a third, consecutive term. Masalles said that the Constitution “should not be touched further, because the people want clear rules.”
In another news story, the Diario Libre named President Danilo Medina the “Person of the Week.” In fact, it could be argued that the president did indeed have a good week. First, The National Congress passed the Political Parties and Groups Bill, and second he was able to inaugurate Line 2B of the Santo Domingo Metro.
The passage of the Law on Political Parties was particularly savory to the president since the final language in the bill was been strongly opposed by the followers of former President Leonel Fernandez. It should be noted that it took nearly 20 years for this bill to get through the Congress with some groups who had formerly oppose the bill (such as the Modern Revolutionary Party-PRM) ended up voting in favor of the legislation. It has been suggested that the PRM made a deal with the government in exchange for backing the legislation in the Chamber of Deputies where it might have stalled because of the Fernandez opposition. In the Senate, there was no problem since Medina controls a large majority of the senators.
During the inauguration of the second line of the Santo Domingo Metro a group of Danilo supporters outside the Maria Concepcion Bona Station (named after the woman who sewed the first Dominican flag) called for Medina to run for four more years.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/ley-de-partidos-ya-en-palacio-nacional-KH10539542
https://www.diariolibre.com/portada...idos-e-inaugura-linea-2b-del-metro-NA10543284
Solenodontes found in Puerto Plata
Some really good news for Dominican wildlife. There is news coming out of Puerto Plata that technicians from the Ministry of Environment have found a population of Solenodontes, a Dominican native mammal that is in extreme danger of extinction, in the area of the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua in Puerto Plata province.
The administrator of the Natural Monument of Damajagua, Robert Luis Gomez Santana, said that researchers from the ministry were able to identify the group of Solenodontes.
The full report will be made public tomorrow at 11am from the visitor center in this protected area.
The Solenodontes is the only native mammal on the island of Hispaniola and is apparently almost a throwback to the age of the dinosaurs. It is nocturnal and feeds mostly on insects and is rarely seen by humans. A distant cousin of the species survives in Cuba. At the present time, according to the International Union for Nature Conservation, Solenodontes are in danger of extinction. The research that led to discovering this group of mammals in Damajagua was led by a José Mateo Feliz, who is the director of Biodiversity at the Ministry of the Environment.
http://eldia.com.do/hallan-poblacion-de-Solenodontes-en-el-monumento-saltos-de-damajagua/
Big changes coming in military commands
El Nacional newspaper said yesterday that the assignments of all of high ranking military officers will have to be changed this coming Thursday, having had served two years in their posts, according to the Organic Law of the Armed the Forces. This law, Law 139-13, states in Article 33 that officers will remain it in their duties for a maximum of two years. The law also instructs the president to appoint a chief of staff of the Armed Forces as well as commanding generals of the different branches and the Inspector General of the Armed Forces, and these will be chosen among the generals and admirals currently in command positions as long as they have complied with the law with regards to time served in order to be considered for these top positions.
The Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ruben Paulino Sem, was appointed on 16 August 2016 and his term will end on Thursday, that commemorates the 155th anniversary of the War of Restoration.
The current commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force will all be relieved of their commands. Curiously enough, the head of the National Directorate of Drug Control (DNCD) will also be replaced, as will be the commanding officer of the Presidential Guard.
http://elnacional.com.do/pe-deberia-remover-a-los-jefes-militares/
Country mourns death of Fabio Mamerto Rivas, first Bishop of Barahona
The passing of Monsignor Rivas, the retired bishop of Barahona and a member of the Order of Don Bosco, was received with profound sadness by the many people who knew and respected him.
As the first Bishop of Barahona, Rivas became the voice that denounced everything that was wrong in his diocese: drug trafficking, human trafficking, contraband and abuses of the laborers in the area. He was often times threatened, but he never backed down. Politicians, religious leaders and civil groups are all mourning his loss, which came early Saturday morning to Jarabacoa, where he was living. His legacy of honesty, love and support for his flock will be long remembered.
One politician said: “Monsignor Fabio Mamerto Rivas was a good, consecrated pastor at the service of his people and of his Church… Although reserved and friendly he knew how to say many truths and to defend good causes.”
http://eldia.com.do/politicos-y-otras-personalidades-lamentan-deceso-de-fabio-mamerto-rivas/
Thousands visit “Tall Ships” on the Ozama River
Thousands of persons visited the Tall Ships taking part in “Latin America Sails” in the port of Don Diego on the Ozama River. The visit was part of activity that happens every four years with tall ships from several Latin American countries making port calls in the region.
According to an officer from the Chilean Navy the visit has been a huge success in the Dominican capital. The ships docked last week and will sail on Monday. The ships are from the navies of Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina and began their trip on 25 March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Visitors were allowed to board the vessels from nine in the morning until six in the afternoon.
http://elnacional.com.do/miles-visitan-barcos-puerto-don-diego/