DR1 Daily News next update
Central Bank: Many reasons to be bullish about Dominican economy
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero Ortiz rebuts statements by World Bank representative
Environment Minister Angel Estevez visits Bahoruco National Park with environmentalists
Political Parties Law 33-18: a gag law?
Residents concerned with increase in malaria in Santo Domingo West
Falcondo: responsible mining is doable, company shows progress
Participación Ciudadana alerts that premature campaigning has increased despite new regulatory law
Bus terminal in Parque del Este contested in court
One-year custody for Villanueva in Celea murder case
911 emergency services in La Romana
The DR1 Daily News next update on 10 September 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 10 September 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
Central Bank: Many reasons to be bullish about Dominican economy
Central Bank Governor Héctor Valdez at a meeting on Wednesday, 5 September 2018, with the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD) and the National Business Council (Conep) highlighted the high points of the Dominican economy. The presentation is posted on the Central Bank website.
Forecast GDP growth for 2018 is 6-6.5%. From January to July the economy grew 6.1%. Latin American average is 1.5%. The DR has sustained an average annual growth from 2013 to 2017 of 6.1%, with average inflation during the same period of 2.7%.
The Dominican Republic in 2017 was the leader in tourism receipts in South America, Central America and insular Caribbean with 7.2%.
The DR was second in remittances received, behind Guatemala, with US$5.91 billion.
In exports of goods and services, the DR was ranked third highest, behind Panama and Costa Rica with US$18.91 billion.
Dominican Republic was only second to Panama in foreign direct investment received in 2017 in the Central American region with US$3.57 billion.
Economic growth was 6.2% on average from January to July 2018. Sectors experiencing the most growth during the first half of the year were construction (10.6%), free zone manufacturing (10.1%), commerce (9%), health (8.3%), transport and warehousing (6.9%), commerce (8.4%), communications (7%), local manufacturing (6.5%), farming (6.2%), water and energy (6.4%), financial services (6.4%), and tourism (5.2%).
Non-resident travel to the country is up 5.9% from January to July 2018, with 227,140 more tourists arriving for a total of 4,106,474 during the first seven months of the year.
The country showed a public deficit of US$141 million, primarily due to the rising cost of fuel imports this year compared to 2017.
Exports are up to US$5.43 billion from US$5.01, including national and free zone exports. This is a 5% overall increase.
Tourism receipts are up US$205.7 million from January to July 2018, to US$4.69 billion. The increase is attributed to increased spending and more visitors, primarily from North America.
January to July 2018 remittances increased 11%, from US$3.42 billion in 2017 to US$3.80 billion in 2018.
Foreign Direct Investment increased to US$1.59 billion for January to June 2018, a significant 20.2% compared to the previous year. Investments have been in tourism, energy and mining.
International hard currency reserves, or the Gross International Reserve chapter at the Central Bank increased to US$7.43 billion, equivalent to 4.5 months of imports, not taking into consideration of the free zones.
Accumulated inflation from January to August 2018 is 1.44%, and inter-annual inflation from August 2017 to August 2018 was 3.87%.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...-enerojulio-del-2018--y-65-en-el-mes-de-julio
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...el-gobernador-hector-valdez-albizu-en-la-aird
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero Ortiz rebuts statements by World Bank representative
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero Ortiz rebuts statements by World Bank representative Alessandro Legrottaglie who on Tuesday, 4 September 2018 had expressed his concern for the rising Dominican debt. Hacienda Minister Guerrero Ortiz said the headline story that raises concerns about rising public debt is not supported by available data or hard evidence.
Guerrero Ortiz said the level of debt taken on by the Dominican government is not among the highest in the region. The Non-Financial Public Sector Debt is estimated at 39% of GDP at the close of 2017 that is lower than the region average of 44%. Guerrero Ortiz said that government efforts over the past five years of have lifted more than 1.2 million persons above the poverty line.
He went on to point out that taxation is low and that is the main limitation to government offering more public services.
He said the Dominican Republic has been very successful at placing sovereign bonds in international markets. Guerrero Ortiz also said that in recent years the proportion of debt in hard currency has dropped from 84% in 2013 to 74% as of June 2018 and that 88% of the debt is contracted at fixed rates.
On Monday, 3 September, Legrottaglie had spoken about the urgent need for a fiscal reform to bring new tax revenues in line with government expenditures. He said from 2004 to 2018 public debt has increased almost US$24 billion. As reported in the media, he said that the government needs to be more selective when investing in national productive sectors to avoid a rising indebtedness trend.
He recommended that the government pay more attention to health, education, agricultural and disaster mitigation. He also urged the government to complete the electricity pact and the fiscal pact. These are mandated by the National Development Strategy Law 1-12, dating back to 2012.
Legrottaglie made the statement while participating in a meeting on illegal fishing practices, organized by the Dominican Council for Fishing and Aquiculture (Codopesca) and the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO).
https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/09/05/531767/hacienda-defiende-manejo-de-la-deuda
http://www.cdn.com.do/2018/09/03/banco-mundial-esta-preocupado-endeudamiento-rd/
https://listindiario.com/economia/2...-al-gobierno-preocuparse-por-la-deuda-publica
Estevez visits Bahoruco National Park with environmentalists
Environment Minister Angel Estevez traveled to the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park together with environmentalists on Tuesday, 4 September 2018. Estevez had been criticized for promoting avocado plantations in vulnerable areas and for delaying to meet with the environmentalists and for an apparent back tracking of environmental protection plans in protected areas that had been put into place by his predecessor, Francisco Domínguez Brito.
The environmentalists had urged the halting of illegal farming in Bahoruco. Estévez was formerly minister of Agriculture.
Estévez met on site of the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park with was environmental activists Yolanda León, of the Grupo Jaragua and Iván Gómez of the Fundación Desde el Medio, among others. He also was there with deputy environment minister for forestry resources, Manuel Serrano; the Dominican consul in Belladere, Haiti, Maximo Feliz, and Francis Jiménez, provincial director for the Ministry of Environment in Pedernales.
All the politician, Estevez stressed in a press release that the protection of natural resources is not a task of the Ministry alone. He called for Dominicans to play an active role, especially those that are involved to find more timely and effective solutions. He said solutions needed to be found respecting human dignity. He said a meeting would be held with the environmental groups that for years have worked on the protection of the area. Estevez said that the government is making major investments in reforesting the mountains to conserve the water resources and will give high priority to the protected areas.
"There is a social reality that we must face, that for years this area has been exploited for agricultural purposes, and within the solutions to implement the human factor need to be contemplated to ensure they improve their quality of life without affecting natural resources and ensuring compliance with the law," he said.
http://elnacional.com.do/buscaran-s...rvando-el-area-con-respeto-a-dignidad-humana/
Political Parties Law 33-18: a gag law?
Lawyer Namphi Rodríguez says that “powers that be” have gathered under the shelter of the Law of Political Parties to instate fines of one year in prison and fines of up to 500 minimum wages for the spreading of “negative” ideas, opinions and messages regarding politicians in social media. Rodríguez, who presides the Fundación Pnresa y Derecho, says that the entity will submit a recourse to the Constitutional Court to establish that Art. 44, numeral 6 of Law 33-18, claiming that it is a gag law and is a serious violation of the freedom of expression rights enshrined in the Constitution.
"In the framework of an electoral campaign, citizens have the right to obtain information related to the actions of candidates, whether negative or positive, since the information guarantees transparency, allows public functions to be inspected, but above all, it is a form of strengthen democracy," he stresses.
The jurist argued that the criminalization of the dissemination of information on a candidate cannot depend on the fact that it is "negative.” "There are many cases in which information related to the public actions of a pre-candidate could compromise his image, but are necessary for transparency and public debate, so it is unconstitutional to prohibit it," he said.
http://hoy.com.do/namphi-rodriguez-...a-difusion-de-mensajes-en-las-redes-sociales/
http://hoy.com.do/namphi-rodriguez-...a-difusion-de-mensajes-en-las-redes-sociales/
Residents concerned with increase in malaria in Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo West mayor Francisco Peña has admitted to an increase in malaria in his municipality. The explanation he has given: “Where there are Haitians, there will be malaria,” he said. He explained that the Haitians have erected illegal housing that creates unsanitary conditions. He said around 100,000 Haitians live in the municipality and constantly travel to and from Haiti. Malaria is common in Haiti.
As reported in El Dia, 65% of the recent malaria cases have occurred in the Santo Domingo West municipality. Dr. Jose Manuel Puello of the Ministry of Public Health acknowledged the increase in malaria cases in the municipality over the past two months and said among control actions is the use of fumigating to eliminate the mosquitoes.
http://lalupadelsur.com/index.php/n...ncisco-pena-cionfirma-brote-de-malaria-en-sdo
http://www.cachicha.com/2018/09/el-...elacionarse-a-la-alta-poblacion-de-haitianos/
http://eldia.com.do/tras-detectarse-brote-malaria-residentes-temen-surja-epidemia/
Falcondo: responsible mining is doable, company shows progress
Falcondo, the large ferronickel mining company located in Bonao, is on a campaign trail to show it is now investing in mine rehabilitation and environmental sustainability. The reforestation program has increased the forest cover of past mined area. The company wants to show that the exploitation of Loma Miranda in La Vega in an area that has 40% of Dominican reserves of ferronickel can be done in a responsible manner in order to be awarded social and environmental permits from the Ministry of Environment.
Company executive director, Gabriel Rodriguez told El Dia that the company proposes to exploit 11% of the reserves for 20 years, and commits to restore the affected area in the manner it has done with Loma Ortega, that is located five kilometers south of the city of La Vega. To carry out the exploitation, Falcondo needs an environmental permission from the Ministry of Environment. Community activists, motivated by negative past track records of mining companies in general in the Dominican Republic, have opposed the project.
The company says that since the restart of mining operations in 2015 under the new ownership of Americano Nickel Limited, the company has increased over the projected seven year the production capacity of the plant to 100% through modernizing extraction and industrial processes. “We are making significant changes [in our mining operations], we trust in the business, the country and we hare making the investments that prove this to be the case,” he said in an interview with El Dia. He said they are optimistic the new actions will continue to transform the image of the company for the better.
Falcondo previously was managed by Canadian company Glencore Canada Corporation.
Now Falcondo vice president Edwin Deveaux says that there needs to be a connection between environmental stewardship and mining investment and the mining district can make major contributions to the country.
We have improved the quality of the mineral, we have reduced our costs, and mining material transfers by 60%. We have identified our risks and we know how to mitigate and minimize them, he explains.
He says the focus is on demonstrating the environmental protection measures that Falcondo will take to preserve the area. He argued: “95% of the population wants poverty to be reduced and to reduce poverty, these industrial projects are needed, including mining projects.”
Deveaux announced the company would restart the second line of production this month. The current capacity of the plant is approximately 15,000 tons/year. The second line is doubling production to 30,000 tons/year.
Company president and general manager, Ionnis Moutafis, has stated: “This also means we will have significantly more exports, more suppliers, and more resources in order to increase corporate social responsibility activities.
Nevertheless, the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic is among those that oppose the exploitation of the Loma de Miranda. In an article in El Dia, Milciades Mejia and Luis Scheker for the Academy say that they are against the issuing of the environmental and social licenses to the company even for explorations. “What Americano Nickel has to do is be more efficient in mining extraction where it already has operations and reduce the leakages of the La Peguera mine that affect the Hatillo Dam. The movement of contaminants is affecting the dam. The Academy spokesmen were also critical of the smoke and soot emissions by the company chimney. Scheker says that it is normal for a mining company to state it will not damage the environment.
http://eldia.com.do/loma-miranda-tiene-40-del-ferroniquel-que-hay-en-el-pais/
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...gunda-linea-de-produccion-este-mes-NH10718746
https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/09/06/531927/falcondo-operara-al-100-desde-este-mes
http://eldia.com.do/academia-esta-atenta-explotacion-de-mina/
Participación Ciudadana alerts that premature campaigning has increased despite new regulatory law
The civic society Participación Ciudadana, the local chapter for Transparency International, has sent a letter to the Central Electoral Board (JCE) expressing its concern that after the passing of the Political Parties Law 33-18 pre-election campaigning activities have intensified, rather than diminished. Participación Ciudadana alerts of the high cost of an extended political campaign. The civic watch group says that new Central Electoral Board rulings are not needed to instate controls. The JCE says that the electoral campaign should start no earlier than 7 July 2019.
"It is inconceivable that the enactment of the law has not stopped the premature pre-campaigning and, on the contrary, the campaigning acts have multiplied and the aspiring pre-candidates announce on national television, without any pruritus, that they will travel the country in search of the votes they need," the general coordinator of PC, Miriam Díaz Santana, said in the letter.
She added that the intention of the legislator in approving the Political Parties Law was to reduce the "very high" costs of campaigning activities by shortening the campaigning period.
"Our main concern at the moment is the tremendous damage that parties and aspirants do to the credibility of the Central Electoral Board,” highlights Participación Ciudadana. “We trust that the JCE will not delay much more in bringing order to the electoral process, applying, if necessary, the sanctions provided by law, especially the inadmissibility of the pre-candidacies of candidates who are in clear violation of the law, "said PC coordinator, Miriam Díaz.
https://acento.com.do/2018/politica...ontinua-desafiante-violacion-la-ley-partidos/
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado/2018/09/05/pc-se-canso-la-constante-violacion-ley-partidos.html
Bus terminal in Parque del Este contested in court
Claudio Caamaño, Miguel Ortega and former legislator Manuel Jiménez deposited a legal recourse against the construction of a bus terminal in the Parque del Este, in eastern Santo Domingo. The recourse was deposited before the Superior Administrative Court (TSA). The Parque del Este is where the Pan American Sports Games took place in 2003. It is the main park area for Santo Domingo East, where around two million people live.
In an interview with El Dia, Jiménez said the construction is a mutilation of public space in the most populated municipality of the country. Jiménez said the use of the space for recreation, sports and cultural activities is more important and rejected the use of the parking lot for the terminal. He also highlighted the touristic and ecologic importance of the Parque Ecológico Los Tres Ojos, that would be affected by the construction and operation of the bus terminal.
http://eldia.com.do/residentes-van-a-la-justicia-en-defensa-del-parque-del-este/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...onstruccion-de-parada-de-autobuses-FE10727615
One year custody for Villanueva in Celea murder case
National District Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso ordered one-year preventive custody to Gabriel Villanueva, the main suspect in the death of 21-year old Andreea Celea. Born in Romania, Celea had migrated to the Dominican Republic where she had lived since she was a young child.
Reynoso said there is sufficient evidence to test the theory in court that Celea was murdered. Reynoso says there is also evidence that Villanueva attempted to destroy important evidence of the scene of the crime. Reynoso made the remarks after Judge Alejandro Vargas ordered a year of pre-trial custody against Villanueva for the murder of his girlfriend.
The custody will be served at the Centro de Corrección y Rehabilitación de San Pedro de Macorís.
Celea died after falling from the eighth floor of a Bella Vista city sector hotel in the National District where the couple booked a room on Saturday, 1 September 2018.
Marino Elsevif, defense lawyer for Villanueva, told the press his client insists he has not carried out any action that would have caused the death of the woman.
A month ago, the Public Ministry had issued a restraining order for Villanueva to stay away from Celea.
http://hoy.com.do/caso-andreea-cele...lanueva-robo-evidencias-de-escena-del-crimen/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...yeni-berenice-dice-imputado-oculto-evidencias
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...iel-rehuso-firmar-en-hotel-donde-cayo-andreea
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...eva-no-pretende-sustraer-al-joven-del-proceso
http://eldia.com.do/a-un-mes-de-emitirse-orden-villanueva-mata-a-su-pareja/
911 emergency services in La Romana
La Romana and Bayahibe in La Altagracia province have been added to the 911 Emergency Services and Security Service network. President Danilo Medina was in La Romana on Tuesday, 4 September 2018, to cut the symbolic ribbon that inaugurated the service in the two provinces.
Presidency Minister Gustavo Montalvo said the system can be the difference between life and death. The service will be available for residents in the municipalities of Guaymate, Villa Hermosa, La Romana, including Caleta and Cumayasa and in the touristic district of Bayahibe, in La Altagracia province. The system has a new staff of around 400 persons.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...en-funcionamiento-911-en-la-romana-y-bayahibe
Central Bank: Many reasons to be bullish about Dominican economy
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero Ortiz rebuts statements by World Bank representative
Environment Minister Angel Estevez visits Bahoruco National Park with environmentalists
Political Parties Law 33-18: a gag law?
Residents concerned with increase in malaria in Santo Domingo West
Falcondo: responsible mining is doable, company shows progress
Participación Ciudadana alerts that premature campaigning has increased despite new regulatory law
Bus terminal in Parque del Este contested in court
One-year custody for Villanueva in Celea murder case
911 emergency services in La Romana
The DR1 Daily News next update on 10 September 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 10 September 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
Central Bank: Many reasons to be bullish about Dominican economy
Central Bank Governor Héctor Valdez at a meeting on Wednesday, 5 September 2018, with the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD) and the National Business Council (Conep) highlighted the high points of the Dominican economy. The presentation is posted on the Central Bank website.
Forecast GDP growth for 2018 is 6-6.5%. From January to July the economy grew 6.1%. Latin American average is 1.5%. The DR has sustained an average annual growth from 2013 to 2017 of 6.1%, with average inflation during the same period of 2.7%.
The Dominican Republic in 2017 was the leader in tourism receipts in South America, Central America and insular Caribbean with 7.2%.
The DR was second in remittances received, behind Guatemala, with US$5.91 billion.
In exports of goods and services, the DR was ranked third highest, behind Panama and Costa Rica with US$18.91 billion.
Dominican Republic was only second to Panama in foreign direct investment received in 2017 in the Central American region with US$3.57 billion.
Economic growth was 6.2% on average from January to July 2018. Sectors experiencing the most growth during the first half of the year were construction (10.6%), free zone manufacturing (10.1%), commerce (9%), health (8.3%), transport and warehousing (6.9%), commerce (8.4%), communications (7%), local manufacturing (6.5%), farming (6.2%), water and energy (6.4%), financial services (6.4%), and tourism (5.2%).
Non-resident travel to the country is up 5.9% from January to July 2018, with 227,140 more tourists arriving for a total of 4,106,474 during the first seven months of the year.
The country showed a public deficit of US$141 million, primarily due to the rising cost of fuel imports this year compared to 2017.
Exports are up to US$5.43 billion from US$5.01, including national and free zone exports. This is a 5% overall increase.
Tourism receipts are up US$205.7 million from January to July 2018, to US$4.69 billion. The increase is attributed to increased spending and more visitors, primarily from North America.
January to July 2018 remittances increased 11%, from US$3.42 billion in 2017 to US$3.80 billion in 2018.
Foreign Direct Investment increased to US$1.59 billion for January to June 2018, a significant 20.2% compared to the previous year. Investments have been in tourism, energy and mining.
International hard currency reserves, or the Gross International Reserve chapter at the Central Bank increased to US$7.43 billion, equivalent to 4.5 months of imports, not taking into consideration of the free zones.
Accumulated inflation from January to August 2018 is 1.44%, and inter-annual inflation from August 2017 to August 2018 was 3.87%.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...-enerojulio-del-2018--y-65-en-el-mes-de-julio
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...el-gobernador-hector-valdez-albizu-en-la-aird
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero Ortiz rebuts statements by World Bank representative
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero Ortiz rebuts statements by World Bank representative Alessandro Legrottaglie who on Tuesday, 4 September 2018 had expressed his concern for the rising Dominican debt. Hacienda Minister Guerrero Ortiz said the headline story that raises concerns about rising public debt is not supported by available data or hard evidence.
Guerrero Ortiz said the level of debt taken on by the Dominican government is not among the highest in the region. The Non-Financial Public Sector Debt is estimated at 39% of GDP at the close of 2017 that is lower than the region average of 44%. Guerrero Ortiz said that government efforts over the past five years of have lifted more than 1.2 million persons above the poverty line.
He went on to point out that taxation is low and that is the main limitation to government offering more public services.
He said the Dominican Republic has been very successful at placing sovereign bonds in international markets. Guerrero Ortiz also said that in recent years the proportion of debt in hard currency has dropped from 84% in 2013 to 74% as of June 2018 and that 88% of the debt is contracted at fixed rates.
On Monday, 3 September, Legrottaglie had spoken about the urgent need for a fiscal reform to bring new tax revenues in line with government expenditures. He said from 2004 to 2018 public debt has increased almost US$24 billion. As reported in the media, he said that the government needs to be more selective when investing in national productive sectors to avoid a rising indebtedness trend.
He recommended that the government pay more attention to health, education, agricultural and disaster mitigation. He also urged the government to complete the electricity pact and the fiscal pact. These are mandated by the National Development Strategy Law 1-12, dating back to 2012.
Legrottaglie made the statement while participating in a meeting on illegal fishing practices, organized by the Dominican Council for Fishing and Aquiculture (Codopesca) and the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO).
https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/09/05/531767/hacienda-defiende-manejo-de-la-deuda
http://www.cdn.com.do/2018/09/03/banco-mundial-esta-preocupado-endeudamiento-rd/
https://listindiario.com/economia/2...-al-gobierno-preocuparse-por-la-deuda-publica
Estevez visits Bahoruco National Park with environmentalists
Environment Minister Angel Estevez traveled to the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park together with environmentalists on Tuesday, 4 September 2018. Estevez had been criticized for promoting avocado plantations in vulnerable areas and for delaying to meet with the environmentalists and for an apparent back tracking of environmental protection plans in protected areas that had been put into place by his predecessor, Francisco Domínguez Brito.
The environmentalists had urged the halting of illegal farming in Bahoruco. Estévez was formerly minister of Agriculture.
Estévez met on site of the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park with was environmental activists Yolanda León, of the Grupo Jaragua and Iván Gómez of the Fundación Desde el Medio, among others. He also was there with deputy environment minister for forestry resources, Manuel Serrano; the Dominican consul in Belladere, Haiti, Maximo Feliz, and Francis Jiménez, provincial director for the Ministry of Environment in Pedernales.
All the politician, Estevez stressed in a press release that the protection of natural resources is not a task of the Ministry alone. He called for Dominicans to play an active role, especially those that are involved to find more timely and effective solutions. He said solutions needed to be found respecting human dignity. He said a meeting would be held with the environmental groups that for years have worked on the protection of the area. Estevez said that the government is making major investments in reforesting the mountains to conserve the water resources and will give high priority to the protected areas.
"There is a social reality that we must face, that for years this area has been exploited for agricultural purposes, and within the solutions to implement the human factor need to be contemplated to ensure they improve their quality of life without affecting natural resources and ensuring compliance with the law," he said.
http://elnacional.com.do/buscaran-s...rvando-el-area-con-respeto-a-dignidad-humana/
Political Parties Law 33-18: a gag law?
Lawyer Namphi Rodríguez says that “powers that be” have gathered under the shelter of the Law of Political Parties to instate fines of one year in prison and fines of up to 500 minimum wages for the spreading of “negative” ideas, opinions and messages regarding politicians in social media. Rodríguez, who presides the Fundación Pnresa y Derecho, says that the entity will submit a recourse to the Constitutional Court to establish that Art. 44, numeral 6 of Law 33-18, claiming that it is a gag law and is a serious violation of the freedom of expression rights enshrined in the Constitution.
"In the framework of an electoral campaign, citizens have the right to obtain information related to the actions of candidates, whether negative or positive, since the information guarantees transparency, allows public functions to be inspected, but above all, it is a form of strengthen democracy," he stresses.
The jurist argued that the criminalization of the dissemination of information on a candidate cannot depend on the fact that it is "negative.” "There are many cases in which information related to the public actions of a pre-candidate could compromise his image, but are necessary for transparency and public debate, so it is unconstitutional to prohibit it," he said.
http://hoy.com.do/namphi-rodriguez-...a-difusion-de-mensajes-en-las-redes-sociales/
http://hoy.com.do/namphi-rodriguez-...a-difusion-de-mensajes-en-las-redes-sociales/
Residents concerned with increase in malaria in Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo West mayor Francisco Peña has admitted to an increase in malaria in his municipality. The explanation he has given: “Where there are Haitians, there will be malaria,” he said. He explained that the Haitians have erected illegal housing that creates unsanitary conditions. He said around 100,000 Haitians live in the municipality and constantly travel to and from Haiti. Malaria is common in Haiti.
As reported in El Dia, 65% of the recent malaria cases have occurred in the Santo Domingo West municipality. Dr. Jose Manuel Puello of the Ministry of Public Health acknowledged the increase in malaria cases in the municipality over the past two months and said among control actions is the use of fumigating to eliminate the mosquitoes.
http://lalupadelsur.com/index.php/n...ncisco-pena-cionfirma-brote-de-malaria-en-sdo
http://www.cachicha.com/2018/09/el-...elacionarse-a-la-alta-poblacion-de-haitianos/
http://eldia.com.do/tras-detectarse-brote-malaria-residentes-temen-surja-epidemia/
Falcondo: responsible mining is doable, company shows progress
Falcondo, the large ferronickel mining company located in Bonao, is on a campaign trail to show it is now investing in mine rehabilitation and environmental sustainability. The reforestation program has increased the forest cover of past mined area. The company wants to show that the exploitation of Loma Miranda in La Vega in an area that has 40% of Dominican reserves of ferronickel can be done in a responsible manner in order to be awarded social and environmental permits from the Ministry of Environment.
Company executive director, Gabriel Rodriguez told El Dia that the company proposes to exploit 11% of the reserves for 20 years, and commits to restore the affected area in the manner it has done with Loma Ortega, that is located five kilometers south of the city of La Vega. To carry out the exploitation, Falcondo needs an environmental permission from the Ministry of Environment. Community activists, motivated by negative past track records of mining companies in general in the Dominican Republic, have opposed the project.
The company says that since the restart of mining operations in 2015 under the new ownership of Americano Nickel Limited, the company has increased over the projected seven year the production capacity of the plant to 100% through modernizing extraction and industrial processes. “We are making significant changes [in our mining operations], we trust in the business, the country and we hare making the investments that prove this to be the case,” he said in an interview with El Dia. He said they are optimistic the new actions will continue to transform the image of the company for the better.
Falcondo previously was managed by Canadian company Glencore Canada Corporation.
Now Falcondo vice president Edwin Deveaux says that there needs to be a connection between environmental stewardship and mining investment and the mining district can make major contributions to the country.
We have improved the quality of the mineral, we have reduced our costs, and mining material transfers by 60%. We have identified our risks and we know how to mitigate and minimize them, he explains.
He says the focus is on demonstrating the environmental protection measures that Falcondo will take to preserve the area. He argued: “95% of the population wants poverty to be reduced and to reduce poverty, these industrial projects are needed, including mining projects.”
Deveaux announced the company would restart the second line of production this month. The current capacity of the plant is approximately 15,000 tons/year. The second line is doubling production to 30,000 tons/year.
Company president and general manager, Ionnis Moutafis, has stated: “This also means we will have significantly more exports, more suppliers, and more resources in order to increase corporate social responsibility activities.
Nevertheless, the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic is among those that oppose the exploitation of the Loma de Miranda. In an article in El Dia, Milciades Mejia and Luis Scheker for the Academy say that they are against the issuing of the environmental and social licenses to the company even for explorations. “What Americano Nickel has to do is be more efficient in mining extraction where it already has operations and reduce the leakages of the La Peguera mine that affect the Hatillo Dam. The movement of contaminants is affecting the dam. The Academy spokesmen were also critical of the smoke and soot emissions by the company chimney. Scheker says that it is normal for a mining company to state it will not damage the environment.
http://eldia.com.do/loma-miranda-tiene-40-del-ferroniquel-que-hay-en-el-pais/
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...gunda-linea-de-produccion-este-mes-NH10718746
https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/09/06/531927/falcondo-operara-al-100-desde-este-mes
http://eldia.com.do/academia-esta-atenta-explotacion-de-mina/
Participación Ciudadana alerts that premature campaigning has increased despite new regulatory law
The civic society Participación Ciudadana, the local chapter for Transparency International, has sent a letter to the Central Electoral Board (JCE) expressing its concern that after the passing of the Political Parties Law 33-18 pre-election campaigning activities have intensified, rather than diminished. Participación Ciudadana alerts of the high cost of an extended political campaign. The civic watch group says that new Central Electoral Board rulings are not needed to instate controls. The JCE says that the electoral campaign should start no earlier than 7 July 2019.
"It is inconceivable that the enactment of the law has not stopped the premature pre-campaigning and, on the contrary, the campaigning acts have multiplied and the aspiring pre-candidates announce on national television, without any pruritus, that they will travel the country in search of the votes they need," the general coordinator of PC, Miriam Díaz Santana, said in the letter.
She added that the intention of the legislator in approving the Political Parties Law was to reduce the "very high" costs of campaigning activities by shortening the campaigning period.
"Our main concern at the moment is the tremendous damage that parties and aspirants do to the credibility of the Central Electoral Board,” highlights Participación Ciudadana. “We trust that the JCE will not delay much more in bringing order to the electoral process, applying, if necessary, the sanctions provided by law, especially the inadmissibility of the pre-candidacies of candidates who are in clear violation of the law, "said PC coordinator, Miriam Díaz.
https://acento.com.do/2018/politica...ontinua-desafiante-violacion-la-ley-partidos/
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado/2018/09/05/pc-se-canso-la-constante-violacion-ley-partidos.html
Bus terminal in Parque del Este contested in court
Claudio Caamaño, Miguel Ortega and former legislator Manuel Jiménez deposited a legal recourse against the construction of a bus terminal in the Parque del Este, in eastern Santo Domingo. The recourse was deposited before the Superior Administrative Court (TSA). The Parque del Este is where the Pan American Sports Games took place in 2003. It is the main park area for Santo Domingo East, where around two million people live.
In an interview with El Dia, Jiménez said the construction is a mutilation of public space in the most populated municipality of the country. Jiménez said the use of the space for recreation, sports and cultural activities is more important and rejected the use of the parking lot for the terminal. He also highlighted the touristic and ecologic importance of the Parque Ecológico Los Tres Ojos, that would be affected by the construction and operation of the bus terminal.
http://eldia.com.do/residentes-van-a-la-justicia-en-defensa-del-parque-del-este/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...onstruccion-de-parada-de-autobuses-FE10727615
One year custody for Villanueva in Celea murder case
National District Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso ordered one-year preventive custody to Gabriel Villanueva, the main suspect in the death of 21-year old Andreea Celea. Born in Romania, Celea had migrated to the Dominican Republic where she had lived since she was a young child.
Reynoso said there is sufficient evidence to test the theory in court that Celea was murdered. Reynoso says there is also evidence that Villanueva attempted to destroy important evidence of the scene of the crime. Reynoso made the remarks after Judge Alejandro Vargas ordered a year of pre-trial custody against Villanueva for the murder of his girlfriend.
The custody will be served at the Centro de Corrección y Rehabilitación de San Pedro de Macorís.
Celea died after falling from the eighth floor of a Bella Vista city sector hotel in the National District where the couple booked a room on Saturday, 1 September 2018.
Marino Elsevif, defense lawyer for Villanueva, told the press his client insists he has not carried out any action that would have caused the death of the woman.
A month ago, the Public Ministry had issued a restraining order for Villanueva to stay away from Celea.
http://hoy.com.do/caso-andreea-cele...lanueva-robo-evidencias-de-escena-del-crimen/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...yeni-berenice-dice-imputado-oculto-evidencias
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...iel-rehuso-firmar-en-hotel-donde-cayo-andreea
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...eva-no-pretende-sustraer-al-joven-del-proceso
http://eldia.com.do/a-un-mes-de-emitirse-orden-villanueva-mata-a-su-pareja/
911 emergency services in La Romana
La Romana and Bayahibe in La Altagracia province have been added to the 911 Emergency Services and Security Service network. President Danilo Medina was in La Romana on Tuesday, 4 September 2018, to cut the symbolic ribbon that inaugurated the service in the two provinces.
Presidency Minister Gustavo Montalvo said the system can be the difference between life and death. The service will be available for residents in the municipalities of Guaymate, Villa Hermosa, La Romana, including Caleta and Cumayasa and in the touristic district of Bayahibe, in La Altagracia province. The system has a new staff of around 400 persons.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...en-funcionamiento-911-en-la-romana-y-bayahibe