The Chinese are coming! No, they are here
Dominican Week in the UK
Brazil is looking for more Dominican buyers
DR-Colombia trade now at US$167 million, balance very favorable for Colombia
Data methodology change is why DR moved up in Competitiveness Ranking
Political Parties Law is threat to freedom of press in the DR
Pension funds have RD$870 million belonging to pension plan heirs
Av. Lope de Vega stretch restored to two-directions traffic
Former head of National Social Security Council says primary care is a must
Pelegrin Castillo calls for nullifying recent preclearance agreement
Wandering city crocodile sent to National Zoo for care, search for another still on
Trending topic: Bible study in public schools?
Dominicans talk lots of politics on social media
Green March political movement calls for removing “political surliness”
Fernandez to preside WFUNA
Let’s not fool around, this is cancer prevention month
Orthopedists go on strike
Accused in Los Tres Brazos real estate fraud allowed to post bail
Engineer wins RD$146 million in Leidsa Lottery
The Chinese are coming! No, they are here
President Danilo Medina inaugurated the first installation for the manufacture of vulcanized rubber boots for use in rain and snow in the Dominican Republic. The plant is owned by the Chinese DJM Footwear Corporation. The company is located in the Tamboril Industrial Free Zone and is a subsidiary of the Chinese Ningshing Holdings Corporation, a world leader in the production of vulcanized footwear. DJ
As reported in El Dia, EM Footwear Corporation is the second manufacturing company from China to take advantage of local industrial free zones incentives laws.
Micalo Bermudez welcomed President Medina and the Chinese company executives during the inaugural ceremony saying that the Santiago industrial community appreciates the trust entrusted by the multinational Ningshing Holdings in the Tamboril free zone manufacturing center that he proudly said has over 21 years of experience in the footwear manufacturing. It is expected that the new factory will produce 500 new jobs in the factory and as many as 1,000 indirect jobs.
http://eldia.com.do/empresa-de-china-inicia-operaciones-en-santiago/
Dominican Week in the UK
The Dominican Embassy in London, the British Chamber of Commerce and the UK Embassy in the Dominican Republic opened the events for the 7th Dominican Week in the United Kingdom in an event head by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado in London last week. Activities are coordinated by Dominican ambassador in the UK, Federico Cuello Camilo, the president of the British Chamber of Commerce, Leonel Melo and UK Ambassador in the Dominican Republic Chris Campbell who together with Vargas Maldonado traveled to London for the event. The event included a seminar on how to do business in the Dominican Republic as part of the Latin American Investment Forum.
“The Dominican Week brings together a dynamic agenda to spur the creation of networks and business relations between the United Kingdom and the Dominican Republic and is the main promotion space for bilateral investments among our nations," said Ambassador Camilo Camilo at the opening ceremony. Events are programmed through Friday, 26 October 2018.
He explained that the focus this year is on promoting trade and investment, with an emphasis on converting the country into the Americas Logistics Center, with access to the main markets of the world for exports of goods and services.
The Dominican Embassy spokesperson in the UK explained that the Dominican Week this year has the sponsorship of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic, the National Free Zones Council, the Films Agency (DGCine) the National Competiveness Council (CNC), Inicia, Pernod Ricard Dominicana, De la Rue, Lift Air Group, DP World, Air Europa, Banco Popular Dominicano, BanReservas, Diageo Dominicana, Revista Hola, among others.
http://eldia.com.do/arranca-en-londres-la-septima-semana-dominicana-en-reino-unido/
Brazil is looking for more Dominican buyers
A trade mission of 17 companies from Brazil will be meeting with potential Dominican buyers in Santo Domingo on 23 and 24 October and in Santiago on 25 and 26 October 2018. The mission is promoted by the Brazil Export Promotion Agency (Apex) and the Embassy of Brazil in the Dominican Republic. The meetings in Santo Domingo are taking place at the Embassy Suites and in Santiago at the Gran Almirante Hotel.
Marcia Nejaim, business director for Apex highlighted that the geographical location, culture and access to neighboring countries makes the Dominican Republic market a natural for Brazilian companies that want to learn to export or gain maturity in dealing with international markets. Brazilian ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Clemente Baena Soares explained bilateral trade is around US$700 million a year, with many opportunities for growth in export and import of goods and services.
https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/10/22/538476/mision-de-brasil-trae-oportunidades-al-pais
DR-Colombia trade now at US$167 million, balance very favorable for Colombia
Colombia exported US$230 million in non-mining or energy products to the Dominican Republic. As of July 2018, exports were at US$143 million, for a 9% increase over trade for the first seven months of 2017. The DR buys glass containers, plastics and construction materials, animal feed raw materials for local industries.
Colombia imported US$24 million. Pharmaceutical product and medical device are the main Dominican exports to Colombia. These were up 30% in 2017, according to data compiled by Pro Colombia export agency.
In an interview with Listin Diario, ProColombia president, Flavia Santoro Trujillo says Colombia-DR relations have brought an increase in exports, investment and tourism, for mutual benefit. While the trade balance favors Colombia, Santoro says many Colombian companies have invested in the DR creating new employment opportunities and business linkages for Dominicans. She said Colombian companies are using the Dominican Republic as a platform to access other areas in the Caribbean. She mentioned the companies PQP, Arclad and Grupo Nutresa as major investors in the Dominican market.
https://listindiario.com/economia/2...ambio-con-colombia-asciende-a-us-167-millones
Data methodology change is why DR moved up in Global Competitiveness ranking
Economist Miguel Ceara Hatton, who is the national public policy secretary for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), issued a press release late last week to dispute the government claim that the country has moved up 22 slots in the recent grading by the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index. Ceara Hatton says the statement by the president of the Conep and the CNC is misleading. He says the 2018 report corrects how the data is analyzed, and thus the misleading improvement. He explained that on the contrary, the competitiveness of the country is stalled. He explained that because the government compared two different methods, the statement by the National Competitiveness Council is incorrect.
He says that in effect, the World Economic Forum in the report establishes in a precise manner that the “Global Competitiveness Index 4.0” of 2018 presented methodological changes not comparable with previous years of version of the Global Competitiveness Index. In fact it is only comparable with a new calculation for 2017 when the 4.0 methodology for 2018 is applied. In other words, the statement by the government that the country has improved 22 positions is the result of an error in comparing numbers from different methodologies.
The economist notes that this is something that the change in methodology is repeatedly warned throughout the content of the report on the 2018 Global Competitiveness Index. He explained that when the Global Competitiveness Index is constructed with the same methodology used in 2018 and 2017, just as it appears in the report from the World Economic forum for 2018, the Dominican Republic positioning does not improve. Of 135 countries examined for both years it will be of note that in 2017 the position of the Dominican Republic was #82 on a scale of 1 being the best and 135 the worst, the DR at a grade of 55.6/100 and in 2018 it is in the same position (#82) with a score of 57.4/100. This is to say that the country did not move in its positioning, although it did register an improvement of 1.79 points.
Ceara Hatton stressed the urgent need to improve the nation’s competitiveness and productivity in order to increase its exports and deal with the challenges of improving the quality of life of the population.
http://eldia.com.do/prm-afirma-la-competitividad-en-el-pais-no-se-ha-movido-de-posicion/
http://reports.weforum.org/pdf/gci4-2018/WEF_GCI4_2018_Profile_DOM.pdf
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2018.pdf
Political Parties Law is threat to freedom of press in the DR
Eight separate challenges of the Political Parties Law 33-18 have been sent to the Constitutional Court within its first two months of going into effect. Opposition parties, middle ranking directors of the ruling PLD party, the Fundación Prensa y Derecho, and independent lawyers have presented the motions that seek to annul the implementation of the law that passed on 15 August 2018 to regulate the 2020 general elections.
The law has been accused of being a press gag law. Its Art. 44 restricts publishing “negative messages” in social media that could affect the public image of the candidates, among other debatable articles. Miguel Franjul, editor of Listin Diario and regional IAPA vice president, said at the most recent Interamerican Press Association general assembly in Salta, Argentina that the law is a threat to freedom of press in the Dominican Republic.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ey-de-partidos-acumula-ocho-demandas-en-el-tc
http://eldia.com.do/ley-de-partidos-y-proyecto-publicidad-amenazan-libertad-de-prensa-en-rd/
Pension funds have RD$870 million belonging to pension plan heirs
The Administrators of Pension Funds (AFP) have accumulated some RD $870 million in the individual Capitalization Accounts (or retirement accounts) that belong to 39,386 persons who have passed away and this money is not been claimed by any of the heirs.
According to Resolution 457-03 of 11 October 2018, the National Social Security Consul as published on its webpage that the Comptroller General of the entity has sent to the Superintendence of Pensions the results of the audit for 2014 with the startling discoveries and the accumulated amount in the retirement accounts. The information was sent to the Superintendence in August 2016 in a report that also expressed that the beneficiaries had not been contacted by the administrators of pension funds in order for the heirs to obtain the survivors pension that has a seven-year deadline after the death of the affiliate.
Given this situation, the general manager of the National Social Security Council, Rafael Perez Modesto, issued a call to the relatives of the deceased members to ask for the survivors pension at the different AFPs. He said that often times the heirs do not know that they have this right and the AFPs often times find the difficulty to locate the family and might even not know that the affiliate has passed away.
An editorial in Diario Libre in its El Espia commentary section on 20 October 2018 calls for the authorities of the Affiliates Information and Defense Agency (DIDA) to carry out a campaign to reach out to beneficiaries of around RD$900 million in unclaimed pension money. As reported the pension fund administrators will repossess the money if it is not claimed soon. The beneficiaries have only seven years to claim the money. The money will be paid to the survivors of pension plan holders, but these beneficiaries had to claim the cash. Diario Libre speculates that most of those who have not claimed the money are unaware of the existence of the facility. Major banks are the owners of the Pension Plan Administration companies in the Dominican Republic.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...familiares-de-afiliados-fallecidos-CF11057162
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/el-espia
Av. Lope de Vega stretch restored to two-directions traffic
After a two-year test period, the National Institute of Traffic and Ground Transport (Intrant) announced the Av. Lope de Vega stretch between Porfirio Herrera and Av. Roberto Pastoriza reverts back to its two-way status. The test had begun in August 2016.
The National Traffic Institute (Intrant) says that motorists will find the detour removed from Lope de Vega Avenue between Porfirio Herrera and Roberto Pastoriza no longer in effect this Monday. Now Intrant said that the test showed that traffic flows smoother without the one-way stretch.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-desvio-en-la-avenida-lope-de-vega-JG11064827
Former head of National Social Security Council says primary care is a must
Arismendy Diaz Santana, a social security expert, and former head of the National Social Security Council lashed out against private sector interests that have stalled the initiation of large-scale primary care in the Dominican Republic for eleven years. The primary care was ordered by law but he says that health service providers have preferred to continue to reaping high profits from those insured by employers, who instead of seeing a general practitioner head direct to specialists. Diaz Santana says this has meant more than RD$150 billion in out-of-pocket extra payments from health insurance affiliates. The primary care model would focus more on prevention than on curing patients.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2018/10/19/...ntana-dice-persiste-boicot-atencion-primaria/
Pelegrin Castillo calls for nullifying recent pre-clearance agreement
Pelegrin Castillo, the vice president of the Fuerza Nacional Progresista political party, called for annulling the Pre-Clearance Aviation Agreement signed by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas and former US Ambassador James Brewster. The agreement has not gone into effect after President Danilo Medina sent it to the Constitutional Court for an opinion on whether the agreement was in violation of the Constitution.
Castillo claims that the airline passenger agreement should be annulled because it violates the nation’s sovereignty. He said that he recognizes that the United States is the country’s main trading partner and an ally in security matters, however, what is stipulated in Article III, six, is unacceptable. The article establishes that a foreigner who is denied asylum or refugee status could remain the Dominican Republic indefinitely. The text was added as an annex to the pre-clearance aviation agreement.
Castillo went on to say that the agreement should be rejected by the Constitutional Court (TC) because it would violate Article 3 of the Constitution that establishes self-determination and no intervention.
In recent years, Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas has signed visa-free travel agreements with several Central American countries, the same that are pressuring the United States to grant them refugee status.
https://elnacional.com.do/pide-anular-acuerdo-con-eu-sobre-chequeo-pasajeros/
Wandering city crocodile sent to National Zoo for care, search for another still on
Ministry of Environment and National Police recovered a 1-1/2 meter long crocodile that had been meandering in a gully in Barrio Nuevo, Sabana Perdida, in north eastern Santo Domingo province and that had been captured on Saturday, 20 October 2018. The baby crocodile was sent to the National Zoo to receive care. The zoo authorities will decide to either keep the baby crocodile in the crocodile area of the zoo or return it to its natural habitat in Enriquillo Lake in southwestern Barahona.
Area resident, Aneudy Rivas had captured the crocodile in the early morning and requested a reward to deliver the reptile to the authorities. Rivas, who works in Juan Dolio, San Pedro de Macoris, went to work that day but kept in contact by phone with the authorities. Eventually, he agreed to voluntarily hand over the crocodile upon his return from San Pedro. The reptile was taken to the National Zoo for assessment.
In an early appraisal, zoo veterinarians told the press that the two to three year old baby crocodile measures 140 centimeters and weighs 12.1 lbs, that is below the normal weight of a crocodile of that size. The vets say it showed signs of weakness and intense stress. The vets say the crocodile will be kept under observation.
Supposedly, in the same area there is at least another crocodile. The Ministry of Environment has alerted the population to stay away to avoid injuries. Residents in Barrio Nuevo are on the lookout for a larger crocodile.
It is not known how the crocodiles came to live in the northern city area. The natural habitat of crocodiles is in Enriquillo Lake, in southwestern Barahona.
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...cocodrilo-habitaba-canada-sabana-perdida.html
https://noticiassin.com/zoologico-coqui-tiene-un-alto-grado-de-estres/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpLGQ_sF5aA/?taken-by=zoodomrd
https://elnacional.com.do/autoridades-rescatan-cocodrilo-alarmo-barrio/
Trending topic: Bible study in public schools?
Debates are ongoing after PQD deputy Besaida Mercedes Abreu submitted a resolution to the Chamber of Deputies calling for the Ministry of Education to implement Art. 25 of Law 44-00 that establishes the reading of biblical text after the raising of the flag and singing of the national anthem in schools. The article also calls for the study of the Bible at least once a week with programs to be presented by the Roman Catholic Church and the Dominican Confederation of Evangelical Unity (CODUE).
"In each public school, upon consensus of the competent religious bodies or authorities, a program of common biblical instruction will be offered or, failing that, two individual biblical instruction programs will be offered, one for each competent religious body or authority. The parents of the students or tutors, could choose between the two programs of biblical instruction by means of a simple written declaration, being able also to opt for the exemption of the matter, as prescribed by the General Law of Education ", establishes the article III.
The law also establishes that biblical instruction programs will be forwarded to the National Board of Education for appropriate approval.
Those that oppose the bill say that religion is a personal decision and cannot be imposed on the students. Those who defend the bill say that the study of the Bible will help develop values in students to help reduce delinquency and crime at an early age. The bill has the backing of the president of the Dominican Association of Lawyers (CARD) Miguel Surun who argues that the Constitution establishes we are a Christian country and thus the Bible should be taught in schools. Advocates also say that the Concordat signed with the Vatican in 1954 is still in effect.
http://eldia.com.do/la-lectura-de-la-biblia-fomentara-la-paz-en-el-pais/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...nstruccion-biblica-en-las-escuelas-OF11056091
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/s...seg-st_19540616_concordato-dominicana_sp.html
Dominicans talk lots of politics on social media
The Dominican Political Observatory (OPD), an initiative of the Global Democracy and Development Foundation (Funglode), the think tank of former President Leonel Fernandez, in collaboration with Interlat and Hootsuite, hosted a panel on findings from an analysis of what Dominicans are talking about on social media. The meeting took place on 17 October 2018 at the Funglode auditorium in Santo Domingo. The findings were part of the conference, “Stack Technology to Manage Citizen Interaction in Social Networks.”
Findings revealed on social media in the Dominican Republic included:
On Twitter, 49.9% of the posts are about sociopolitical issues. Sports follows with 21.9%. Facebook has 5.6 million users in the Dominican Republic, with 91% of these accessing via a smart phone. Of users, 50% are females. 65% of the Dominican population has access to the Internet and has been climbing around 10% annually from 2014 to 2018.
The most visited sites by Dominicans are YouTube and Facebook. The specialists said that there is more public following Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube in the Dominican Republic than the traditional media.
Héctor Nicolás Suero, coordinador de la Cyberpolitical Unit of the OPD-FUNGLODE and coordinator of the teams of Training In-Company at Interlat, said during the conference that 3,364 trending Twitter topics have generated from the Dominican Republic.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/10...-en-rd-trata-de-sociopolitica-segun-expertos/
Green March wants politics purged from judge-choosing CNM
The Green March political movement calls for removing “political surliness” (tigueraje politico) from the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM). In particular, the movement names the Attorney General. The Green March leaders warn the public that a well-known politician may be one of the judges the CNM is about to replace in the Constitutional Court or Supreme Court of Justice to ensure impunity for corrupt acts by government officers.
In a press release, the Green March leaders urge true political independence be exercised within the Attorney General Office and the Superior Council of the Public Ministry, to relieve it from the present dependence on the Presidency of the Republic. Marcha Verde also calls for creating a Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Agency, with its head to be named directly by the National Council of the Magristracy for a term of six years.
Marcha Verde criticized the accommodating of the judicial accountability actions to political patronage. "The center of political control of the Justice is now within Dominican Liberation Party that controls the National Council of Magistrates that has been designed in the image and likeness of political crime," the movement said. In this regard, the entity proposed a reconfiguration of the CNM to end the "mechanical control" of the justice system at the hands of President of the Republic.
"Guaranteeing the independence of the Justice is an indispensable task so that those who are corrupt are sent to jail and the country recovers the money that these corrupt officials have stolen from us," say the Green March leaders.
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...gueraje-politico-consejo-la-magistratura.html
https://www.facebook.com/CeroImpunidadRD/
http://marchaverde.com
Fernandez to preside WFUNA
Former President Leonel Fernandez is the new president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). He was elected during an assembly that took place at the Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana. The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) is a global nonprofit organization representing and coordinating a membership of over 100 national United Nations Associations. The event was organized by the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo, the Leonel Fernandez think tank, and the Association of the United Nations in the Dominican Republic (ANU-RD) and WFUNA.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/10/22/panorama/pais/leonel-asume-presidencia-de-organo-de-onu/
http://www.wfuna.org/
Let’s not fool around, this is cancer prevention month
The reason we see so many people dressed in pink these days is that October is Cancer Prevention Month, and many institutions are sponsoring workshops, roundtables, and public discussions on cancer prevention. Last Friday, National Breast Cancer Day, Public Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cardenas called on the population to be especially vigilant with regard to breast cancer that is one of the illnesses associated with the death of hundreds of women in this country. The good doctor said that prevention is the only way to survive this terrible disease, and it can only be countered with preventive measures, with routine breast examinations and early intervention.
During this activity there was testimony from three cancer survivors who told of their early detection and treatment of the disease. Doctor Veronica de la Rosa also spoke on the need for women to carry out self-examinations on a regular routine basis and report any possible lumps to the gynecologist. In October, the public is urged to wear pink.
35% of malignant tumors detected in the Dominican Republic are related to breast cancer, according to Ministry of Public Health data.
https://elnacional.com.do/piden-prevenir-el-cancer-de-mama/
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...-diagnosticados-en-rd-son-cancer-de-mama.html
Orthopedists go on strike
The Dominican Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology initiates a four-day strike against the services offered through the Labor Health Risk Insurance providers, the local ARL, (local HMO’s). This will oblige patients to pay the full amounts for implants and other equipment recommended by their orthopedic doctors who are affiliated. Between today and Friday the entity will not provide services to affiliates of the ARL.
According to Doctor Julio Landron, president of the Dominican Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology (SDOT), the society is also demanding action on the refusal of the ARLs to pay fees within 45 days; for refusal to authorize procedures in a timely fashion and signing off on the honorariums agreed to between the National Social Security Council, the Ministry of Labor and the Superintendence of Health and Labor Risks (SISALRIL).
The announcement of this strike was made late last week in the presence of the head of the Dominican Medical Guild (CMD), Dr. Wilson Roa. According to the Society of Orthopedics, they had previously held six meetings with the management of the insurance agency requesting compliance with the law regarding opportune assistance to the affiliates and the contracting of health service providers.
https://elnacional.com.do/ortopedas-anuncian-paro-dejaran-de-ofrecer-servicios-a-traves-de-la-arl/
Accused in Los Tres Brazos real estate fraud allowed to post bail
The Third Court of the Appeals Court of the National District authorized the home arrest for the former director of the Dominican Corporation of State Enterprises (Corde) Leoncio Almánzar and another six accused in the sale of Los Tres Brazos property in Santo Domingo East corruption case. The court also accepted to declare the case “complex” giving the parties more time to prepare the case.
It was ordered that instead, Almánzar, José Enrique de Pool Dominici, of Titulatec; and Carlos Gómez, of Infepa, who were serving pre-trial custody at the Najayo Jail in San Cristóbal, can leave the jail with the use of a custody bracelet and the payment of a bond for RD$10 million to the Attorney General Office account at the Banco Agrícola. The accused cannot leave the country and their passports have been retained by the judiciary.
The same court ordered that the others accused in the case, Manuel Aybar Ferrando, formerly of Inmobiliario; Julio César Gómez, of Infepa; and Juana Inés Gómez, of Proyecciones Inmobiliarias GOWI, post a bail of RD$5 million. And
Domingo Gerardo Lebrón de los Santos post bail of RD$3 million.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...manzar-en-el-caso-de-venta-de-los-tres-brazos
Engineer wins RD$146 million in Leidsa Lottery
33-year old electromechanical engineer José Euclides Féliz is the happy winner of the RD$146 million Leidsa Lottery ticket. Leidsa Lottery says the winning ticket was sold at the Farmacia Edivil in Fantino, Sánchez Ramírez province. The winning combination last Saturday, 20 October 2018 was: 07-18-24-25-26-35/ Loto Mas 9. Féliz is Leidsa millionaire No. 304.
https://elnacional.com.do/sacan-loto-de-146-millones-en-fantino-es-el-premio-mas-grande/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...mirez-se-gana-loto-de-146-millones-GH11070969
Dominican Week in the UK
Brazil is looking for more Dominican buyers
DR-Colombia trade now at US$167 million, balance very favorable for Colombia
Data methodology change is why DR moved up in Competitiveness Ranking
Political Parties Law is threat to freedom of press in the DR
Pension funds have RD$870 million belonging to pension plan heirs
Av. Lope de Vega stretch restored to two-directions traffic
Former head of National Social Security Council says primary care is a must
Pelegrin Castillo calls for nullifying recent preclearance agreement
Wandering city crocodile sent to National Zoo for care, search for another still on
Trending topic: Bible study in public schools?
Dominicans talk lots of politics on social media
Green March political movement calls for removing “political surliness”
Fernandez to preside WFUNA
Let’s not fool around, this is cancer prevention month
Orthopedists go on strike
Accused in Los Tres Brazos real estate fraud allowed to post bail
Engineer wins RD$146 million in Leidsa Lottery
The Chinese are coming! No, they are here
President Danilo Medina inaugurated the first installation for the manufacture of vulcanized rubber boots for use in rain and snow in the Dominican Republic. The plant is owned by the Chinese DJM Footwear Corporation. The company is located in the Tamboril Industrial Free Zone and is a subsidiary of the Chinese Ningshing Holdings Corporation, a world leader in the production of vulcanized footwear. DJ
As reported in El Dia, EM Footwear Corporation is the second manufacturing company from China to take advantage of local industrial free zones incentives laws.
Micalo Bermudez welcomed President Medina and the Chinese company executives during the inaugural ceremony saying that the Santiago industrial community appreciates the trust entrusted by the multinational Ningshing Holdings in the Tamboril free zone manufacturing center that he proudly said has over 21 years of experience in the footwear manufacturing. It is expected that the new factory will produce 500 new jobs in the factory and as many as 1,000 indirect jobs.
http://eldia.com.do/empresa-de-china-inicia-operaciones-en-santiago/
Dominican Week in the UK
The Dominican Embassy in London, the British Chamber of Commerce and the UK Embassy in the Dominican Republic opened the events for the 7th Dominican Week in the United Kingdom in an event head by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado in London last week. Activities are coordinated by Dominican ambassador in the UK, Federico Cuello Camilo, the president of the British Chamber of Commerce, Leonel Melo and UK Ambassador in the Dominican Republic Chris Campbell who together with Vargas Maldonado traveled to London for the event. The event included a seminar on how to do business in the Dominican Republic as part of the Latin American Investment Forum.
“The Dominican Week brings together a dynamic agenda to spur the creation of networks and business relations between the United Kingdom and the Dominican Republic and is the main promotion space for bilateral investments among our nations," said Ambassador Camilo Camilo at the opening ceremony. Events are programmed through Friday, 26 October 2018.
He explained that the focus this year is on promoting trade and investment, with an emphasis on converting the country into the Americas Logistics Center, with access to the main markets of the world for exports of goods and services.
The Dominican Embassy spokesperson in the UK explained that the Dominican Week this year has the sponsorship of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic, the National Free Zones Council, the Films Agency (DGCine) the National Competiveness Council (CNC), Inicia, Pernod Ricard Dominicana, De la Rue, Lift Air Group, DP World, Air Europa, Banco Popular Dominicano, BanReservas, Diageo Dominicana, Revista Hola, among others.
http://eldia.com.do/arranca-en-londres-la-septima-semana-dominicana-en-reino-unido/
Brazil is looking for more Dominican buyers
A trade mission of 17 companies from Brazil will be meeting with potential Dominican buyers in Santo Domingo on 23 and 24 October and in Santiago on 25 and 26 October 2018. The mission is promoted by the Brazil Export Promotion Agency (Apex) and the Embassy of Brazil in the Dominican Republic. The meetings in Santo Domingo are taking place at the Embassy Suites and in Santiago at the Gran Almirante Hotel.
Marcia Nejaim, business director for Apex highlighted that the geographical location, culture and access to neighboring countries makes the Dominican Republic market a natural for Brazilian companies that want to learn to export or gain maturity in dealing with international markets. Brazilian ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Clemente Baena Soares explained bilateral trade is around US$700 million a year, with many opportunities for growth in export and import of goods and services.
https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/10/22/538476/mision-de-brasil-trae-oportunidades-al-pais
DR-Colombia trade now at US$167 million, balance very favorable for Colombia
Colombia exported US$230 million in non-mining or energy products to the Dominican Republic. As of July 2018, exports were at US$143 million, for a 9% increase over trade for the first seven months of 2017. The DR buys glass containers, plastics and construction materials, animal feed raw materials for local industries.
Colombia imported US$24 million. Pharmaceutical product and medical device are the main Dominican exports to Colombia. These were up 30% in 2017, according to data compiled by Pro Colombia export agency.
In an interview with Listin Diario, ProColombia president, Flavia Santoro Trujillo says Colombia-DR relations have brought an increase in exports, investment and tourism, for mutual benefit. While the trade balance favors Colombia, Santoro says many Colombian companies have invested in the DR creating new employment opportunities and business linkages for Dominicans. She said Colombian companies are using the Dominican Republic as a platform to access other areas in the Caribbean. She mentioned the companies PQP, Arclad and Grupo Nutresa as major investors in the Dominican market.
https://listindiario.com/economia/2...ambio-con-colombia-asciende-a-us-167-millones
Data methodology change is why DR moved up in Global Competitiveness ranking
Economist Miguel Ceara Hatton, who is the national public policy secretary for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), issued a press release late last week to dispute the government claim that the country has moved up 22 slots in the recent grading by the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index. Ceara Hatton says the statement by the president of the Conep and the CNC is misleading. He says the 2018 report corrects how the data is analyzed, and thus the misleading improvement. He explained that on the contrary, the competitiveness of the country is stalled. He explained that because the government compared two different methods, the statement by the National Competitiveness Council is incorrect.
He says that in effect, the World Economic Forum in the report establishes in a precise manner that the “Global Competitiveness Index 4.0” of 2018 presented methodological changes not comparable with previous years of version of the Global Competitiveness Index. In fact it is only comparable with a new calculation for 2017 when the 4.0 methodology for 2018 is applied. In other words, the statement by the government that the country has improved 22 positions is the result of an error in comparing numbers from different methodologies.
The economist notes that this is something that the change in methodology is repeatedly warned throughout the content of the report on the 2018 Global Competitiveness Index. He explained that when the Global Competitiveness Index is constructed with the same methodology used in 2018 and 2017, just as it appears in the report from the World Economic forum for 2018, the Dominican Republic positioning does not improve. Of 135 countries examined for both years it will be of note that in 2017 the position of the Dominican Republic was #82 on a scale of 1 being the best and 135 the worst, the DR at a grade of 55.6/100 and in 2018 it is in the same position (#82) with a score of 57.4/100. This is to say that the country did not move in its positioning, although it did register an improvement of 1.79 points.
Ceara Hatton stressed the urgent need to improve the nation’s competitiveness and productivity in order to increase its exports and deal with the challenges of improving the quality of life of the population.
http://eldia.com.do/prm-afirma-la-competitividad-en-el-pais-no-se-ha-movido-de-posicion/
http://reports.weforum.org/pdf/gci4-2018/WEF_GCI4_2018_Profile_DOM.pdf
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2018.pdf
Political Parties Law is threat to freedom of press in the DR
Eight separate challenges of the Political Parties Law 33-18 have been sent to the Constitutional Court within its first two months of going into effect. Opposition parties, middle ranking directors of the ruling PLD party, the Fundación Prensa y Derecho, and independent lawyers have presented the motions that seek to annul the implementation of the law that passed on 15 August 2018 to regulate the 2020 general elections.
The law has been accused of being a press gag law. Its Art. 44 restricts publishing “negative messages” in social media that could affect the public image of the candidates, among other debatable articles. Miguel Franjul, editor of Listin Diario and regional IAPA vice president, said at the most recent Interamerican Press Association general assembly in Salta, Argentina that the law is a threat to freedom of press in the Dominican Republic.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ey-de-partidos-acumula-ocho-demandas-en-el-tc
http://eldia.com.do/ley-de-partidos-y-proyecto-publicidad-amenazan-libertad-de-prensa-en-rd/
Pension funds have RD$870 million belonging to pension plan heirs
The Administrators of Pension Funds (AFP) have accumulated some RD $870 million in the individual Capitalization Accounts (or retirement accounts) that belong to 39,386 persons who have passed away and this money is not been claimed by any of the heirs.
According to Resolution 457-03 of 11 October 2018, the National Social Security Consul as published on its webpage that the Comptroller General of the entity has sent to the Superintendence of Pensions the results of the audit for 2014 with the startling discoveries and the accumulated amount in the retirement accounts. The information was sent to the Superintendence in August 2016 in a report that also expressed that the beneficiaries had not been contacted by the administrators of pension funds in order for the heirs to obtain the survivors pension that has a seven-year deadline after the death of the affiliate.
Given this situation, the general manager of the National Social Security Council, Rafael Perez Modesto, issued a call to the relatives of the deceased members to ask for the survivors pension at the different AFPs. He said that often times the heirs do not know that they have this right and the AFPs often times find the difficulty to locate the family and might even not know that the affiliate has passed away.
An editorial in Diario Libre in its El Espia commentary section on 20 October 2018 calls for the authorities of the Affiliates Information and Defense Agency (DIDA) to carry out a campaign to reach out to beneficiaries of around RD$900 million in unclaimed pension money. As reported the pension fund administrators will repossess the money if it is not claimed soon. The beneficiaries have only seven years to claim the money. The money will be paid to the survivors of pension plan holders, but these beneficiaries had to claim the cash. Diario Libre speculates that most of those who have not claimed the money are unaware of the existence of the facility. Major banks are the owners of the Pension Plan Administration companies in the Dominican Republic.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...familiares-de-afiliados-fallecidos-CF11057162
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/el-espia
Av. Lope de Vega stretch restored to two-directions traffic
After a two-year test period, the National Institute of Traffic and Ground Transport (Intrant) announced the Av. Lope de Vega stretch between Porfirio Herrera and Av. Roberto Pastoriza reverts back to its two-way status. The test had begun in August 2016.
The National Traffic Institute (Intrant) says that motorists will find the detour removed from Lope de Vega Avenue between Porfirio Herrera and Roberto Pastoriza no longer in effect this Monday. Now Intrant said that the test showed that traffic flows smoother without the one-way stretch.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-desvio-en-la-avenida-lope-de-vega-JG11064827
Former head of National Social Security Council says primary care is a must
Arismendy Diaz Santana, a social security expert, and former head of the National Social Security Council lashed out against private sector interests that have stalled the initiation of large-scale primary care in the Dominican Republic for eleven years. The primary care was ordered by law but he says that health service providers have preferred to continue to reaping high profits from those insured by employers, who instead of seeing a general practitioner head direct to specialists. Diaz Santana says this has meant more than RD$150 billion in out-of-pocket extra payments from health insurance affiliates. The primary care model would focus more on prevention than on curing patients.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2018/10/19/...ntana-dice-persiste-boicot-atencion-primaria/
Pelegrin Castillo calls for nullifying recent pre-clearance agreement
Pelegrin Castillo, the vice president of the Fuerza Nacional Progresista political party, called for annulling the Pre-Clearance Aviation Agreement signed by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas and former US Ambassador James Brewster. The agreement has not gone into effect after President Danilo Medina sent it to the Constitutional Court for an opinion on whether the agreement was in violation of the Constitution.
Castillo claims that the airline passenger agreement should be annulled because it violates the nation’s sovereignty. He said that he recognizes that the United States is the country’s main trading partner and an ally in security matters, however, what is stipulated in Article III, six, is unacceptable. The article establishes that a foreigner who is denied asylum or refugee status could remain the Dominican Republic indefinitely. The text was added as an annex to the pre-clearance aviation agreement.
Castillo went on to say that the agreement should be rejected by the Constitutional Court (TC) because it would violate Article 3 of the Constitution that establishes self-determination and no intervention.
In recent years, Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas has signed visa-free travel agreements with several Central American countries, the same that are pressuring the United States to grant them refugee status.
https://elnacional.com.do/pide-anular-acuerdo-con-eu-sobre-chequeo-pasajeros/
Wandering city crocodile sent to National Zoo for care, search for another still on
Ministry of Environment and National Police recovered a 1-1/2 meter long crocodile that had been meandering in a gully in Barrio Nuevo, Sabana Perdida, in north eastern Santo Domingo province and that had been captured on Saturday, 20 October 2018. The baby crocodile was sent to the National Zoo to receive care. The zoo authorities will decide to either keep the baby crocodile in the crocodile area of the zoo or return it to its natural habitat in Enriquillo Lake in southwestern Barahona.
Area resident, Aneudy Rivas had captured the crocodile in the early morning and requested a reward to deliver the reptile to the authorities. Rivas, who works in Juan Dolio, San Pedro de Macoris, went to work that day but kept in contact by phone with the authorities. Eventually, he agreed to voluntarily hand over the crocodile upon his return from San Pedro. The reptile was taken to the National Zoo for assessment.
In an early appraisal, zoo veterinarians told the press that the two to three year old baby crocodile measures 140 centimeters and weighs 12.1 lbs, that is below the normal weight of a crocodile of that size. The vets say it showed signs of weakness and intense stress. The vets say the crocodile will be kept under observation.
Supposedly, in the same area there is at least another crocodile. The Ministry of Environment has alerted the population to stay away to avoid injuries. Residents in Barrio Nuevo are on the lookout for a larger crocodile.
It is not known how the crocodiles came to live in the northern city area. The natural habitat of crocodiles is in Enriquillo Lake, in southwestern Barahona.
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...cocodrilo-habitaba-canada-sabana-perdida.html
https://noticiassin.com/zoologico-coqui-tiene-un-alto-grado-de-estres/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpLGQ_sF5aA/?taken-by=zoodomrd
https://elnacional.com.do/autoridades-rescatan-cocodrilo-alarmo-barrio/
Trending topic: Bible study in public schools?
Debates are ongoing after PQD deputy Besaida Mercedes Abreu submitted a resolution to the Chamber of Deputies calling for the Ministry of Education to implement Art. 25 of Law 44-00 that establishes the reading of biblical text after the raising of the flag and singing of the national anthem in schools. The article also calls for the study of the Bible at least once a week with programs to be presented by the Roman Catholic Church and the Dominican Confederation of Evangelical Unity (CODUE).
"In each public school, upon consensus of the competent religious bodies or authorities, a program of common biblical instruction will be offered or, failing that, two individual biblical instruction programs will be offered, one for each competent religious body or authority. The parents of the students or tutors, could choose between the two programs of biblical instruction by means of a simple written declaration, being able also to opt for the exemption of the matter, as prescribed by the General Law of Education ", establishes the article III.
The law also establishes that biblical instruction programs will be forwarded to the National Board of Education for appropriate approval.
Those that oppose the bill say that religion is a personal decision and cannot be imposed on the students. Those who defend the bill say that the study of the Bible will help develop values in students to help reduce delinquency and crime at an early age. The bill has the backing of the president of the Dominican Association of Lawyers (CARD) Miguel Surun who argues that the Constitution establishes we are a Christian country and thus the Bible should be taught in schools. Advocates also say that the Concordat signed with the Vatican in 1954 is still in effect.
http://eldia.com.do/la-lectura-de-la-biblia-fomentara-la-paz-en-el-pais/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...nstruccion-biblica-en-las-escuelas-OF11056091
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/s...seg-st_19540616_concordato-dominicana_sp.html
Dominicans talk lots of politics on social media
The Dominican Political Observatory (OPD), an initiative of the Global Democracy and Development Foundation (Funglode), the think tank of former President Leonel Fernandez, in collaboration with Interlat and Hootsuite, hosted a panel on findings from an analysis of what Dominicans are talking about on social media. The meeting took place on 17 October 2018 at the Funglode auditorium in Santo Domingo. The findings were part of the conference, “Stack Technology to Manage Citizen Interaction in Social Networks.”
Findings revealed on social media in the Dominican Republic included:
On Twitter, 49.9% of the posts are about sociopolitical issues. Sports follows with 21.9%. Facebook has 5.6 million users in the Dominican Republic, with 91% of these accessing via a smart phone. Of users, 50% are females. 65% of the Dominican population has access to the Internet and has been climbing around 10% annually from 2014 to 2018.
The most visited sites by Dominicans are YouTube and Facebook. The specialists said that there is more public following Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube in the Dominican Republic than the traditional media.
Héctor Nicolás Suero, coordinador de la Cyberpolitical Unit of the OPD-FUNGLODE and coordinator of the teams of Training In-Company at Interlat, said during the conference that 3,364 trending Twitter topics have generated from the Dominican Republic.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/10...-en-rd-trata-de-sociopolitica-segun-expertos/
Green March wants politics purged from judge-choosing CNM
The Green March political movement calls for removing “political surliness” (tigueraje politico) from the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM). In particular, the movement names the Attorney General. The Green March leaders warn the public that a well-known politician may be one of the judges the CNM is about to replace in the Constitutional Court or Supreme Court of Justice to ensure impunity for corrupt acts by government officers.
In a press release, the Green March leaders urge true political independence be exercised within the Attorney General Office and the Superior Council of the Public Ministry, to relieve it from the present dependence on the Presidency of the Republic. Marcha Verde also calls for creating a Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Agency, with its head to be named directly by the National Council of the Magristracy for a term of six years.
Marcha Verde criticized the accommodating of the judicial accountability actions to political patronage. "The center of political control of the Justice is now within Dominican Liberation Party that controls the National Council of Magistrates that has been designed in the image and likeness of political crime," the movement said. In this regard, the entity proposed a reconfiguration of the CNM to end the "mechanical control" of the justice system at the hands of President of the Republic.
"Guaranteeing the independence of the Justice is an indispensable task so that those who are corrupt are sent to jail and the country recovers the money that these corrupt officials have stolen from us," say the Green March leaders.
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...gueraje-politico-consejo-la-magistratura.html
https://www.facebook.com/CeroImpunidadRD/
http://marchaverde.com
Fernandez to preside WFUNA
Former President Leonel Fernandez is the new president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). He was elected during an assembly that took place at the Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana. The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) is a global nonprofit organization representing and coordinating a membership of over 100 national United Nations Associations. The event was organized by the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo, the Leonel Fernandez think tank, and the Association of the United Nations in the Dominican Republic (ANU-RD) and WFUNA.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/10/22/panorama/pais/leonel-asume-presidencia-de-organo-de-onu/
http://www.wfuna.org/
Let’s not fool around, this is cancer prevention month
The reason we see so many people dressed in pink these days is that October is Cancer Prevention Month, and many institutions are sponsoring workshops, roundtables, and public discussions on cancer prevention. Last Friday, National Breast Cancer Day, Public Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cardenas called on the population to be especially vigilant with regard to breast cancer that is one of the illnesses associated with the death of hundreds of women in this country. The good doctor said that prevention is the only way to survive this terrible disease, and it can only be countered with preventive measures, with routine breast examinations and early intervention.
During this activity there was testimony from three cancer survivors who told of their early detection and treatment of the disease. Doctor Veronica de la Rosa also spoke on the need for women to carry out self-examinations on a regular routine basis and report any possible lumps to the gynecologist. In October, the public is urged to wear pink.
35% of malignant tumors detected in the Dominican Republic are related to breast cancer, according to Ministry of Public Health data.
https://elnacional.com.do/piden-prevenir-el-cancer-de-mama/
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...-diagnosticados-en-rd-son-cancer-de-mama.html
Orthopedists go on strike
The Dominican Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology initiates a four-day strike against the services offered through the Labor Health Risk Insurance providers, the local ARL, (local HMO’s). This will oblige patients to pay the full amounts for implants and other equipment recommended by their orthopedic doctors who are affiliated. Between today and Friday the entity will not provide services to affiliates of the ARL.
According to Doctor Julio Landron, president of the Dominican Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology (SDOT), the society is also demanding action on the refusal of the ARLs to pay fees within 45 days; for refusal to authorize procedures in a timely fashion and signing off on the honorariums agreed to between the National Social Security Council, the Ministry of Labor and the Superintendence of Health and Labor Risks (SISALRIL).
The announcement of this strike was made late last week in the presence of the head of the Dominican Medical Guild (CMD), Dr. Wilson Roa. According to the Society of Orthopedics, they had previously held six meetings with the management of the insurance agency requesting compliance with the law regarding opportune assistance to the affiliates and the contracting of health service providers.
https://elnacional.com.do/ortopedas-anuncian-paro-dejaran-de-ofrecer-servicios-a-traves-de-la-arl/
Accused in Los Tres Brazos real estate fraud allowed to post bail
The Third Court of the Appeals Court of the National District authorized the home arrest for the former director of the Dominican Corporation of State Enterprises (Corde) Leoncio Almánzar and another six accused in the sale of Los Tres Brazos property in Santo Domingo East corruption case. The court also accepted to declare the case “complex” giving the parties more time to prepare the case.
It was ordered that instead, Almánzar, José Enrique de Pool Dominici, of Titulatec; and Carlos Gómez, of Infepa, who were serving pre-trial custody at the Najayo Jail in San Cristóbal, can leave the jail with the use of a custody bracelet and the payment of a bond for RD$10 million to the Attorney General Office account at the Banco Agrícola. The accused cannot leave the country and their passports have been retained by the judiciary.
The same court ordered that the others accused in the case, Manuel Aybar Ferrando, formerly of Inmobiliario; Julio César Gómez, of Infepa; and Juana Inés Gómez, of Proyecciones Inmobiliarias GOWI, post a bail of RD$5 million. And
Domingo Gerardo Lebrón de los Santos post bail of RD$3 million.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...manzar-en-el-caso-de-venta-de-los-tres-brazos
Engineer wins RD$146 million in Leidsa Lottery
33-year old electromechanical engineer José Euclides Féliz is the happy winner of the RD$146 million Leidsa Lottery ticket. Leidsa Lottery says the winning ticket was sold at the Farmacia Edivil in Fantino, Sánchez Ramírez province. The winning combination last Saturday, 20 October 2018 was: 07-18-24-25-26-35/ Loto Mas 9. Féliz is Leidsa millionaire No. 304.
https://elnacional.com.do/sacan-loto-de-146-millones-en-fantino-es-el-premio-mas-grande/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...mirez-se-gana-loto-de-146-millones-GH11070969