DR1 Daily News next update on 19 November 2018
Holidays in 2019
Coming soon: pre-set medical appointments in public health system
Dominican Republic will have satellite to monitor climate change
Trapped manatee rescued in Luperon Bay
Mayor of Santiago complains about Haitian migration
Florida export sales mission is visiting to find Dominican partners
PRM delegates travel to Washington to complain about Dominican justice
Haiti prosecutor unblocks accounts to give time in PetroCaribe investigation
Macabre scene at Mirador del Norte Park
Latin Grammy Awards recognizes Wilfrido Vargas’ musical legacy
DR1 Daily News next update on 19 November 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 19 November 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
Holidays in 2019
The Ministry of Labor has published the country’s official holidays calendar for 2019. The calendar establishes 12 holidays for the year. This year, only two holidays are moved – Labor Day and Constitution Day. The dates are important for vacation planners, as domestic demand peaks on the six long weekends that will happen in 2019.
The established holidays in 2019 are:
Tuesday, 1 January: New Year’s Day
Sunday, 6 January: Three Kings Day
Monday, 21 January: Our Lady of Altagracia Day
Saturday, 26 January: Duarte Day
Wednesday, 27 February: Independence Day
Friday, 19 April: Holy Friday
Wednesday, 1 May: Labor Day. It will be moved to Monday, 29 April.
Thursday, 20 June: Corpus Christi Day
Friday, 16 August: Restoration Day
Tuesday, 24 September: Our Lady of Mercedes Day
Wednesday, 6 November: Constitution Day. It will be moved to Monday, 4 November.
Wednesday, 25 December: Christmas Day
Long weekends, meaning peak times for hotel accommodations nationwide:
The first week in January, rolled over from Monday, 31 December. The 31st of December is a big day for family gatherings and celebrations, so for many this will become a long weekend.
The third week in January, with the Our Lady of Altagracia long weekend. Many will take off from Friday 18, Saturday 19, Sunday 20 and return on Monday, 21 January.
Easter Week is the country’s leading holiday. The long weekend begins on Thursday all through Sunday, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 April.
Restoration Day will result in a long weekend just before the restart of school days. The event is celebrated on Friday, 16 August, created the long weekend of 16, 17, 18 August.
Tuesday, 24 September is a religious holiday, celebrating the patron of the Dominican people, Our Lady of Mercedes. That means that while not a holiday, many people will make a long weekend of Friday 20, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 September.
Constitution Day creates the long weekend in the first week of November, when it is moved to 4 November, creating the long weekend of Friday 1, Saturday 2, Sunday 3 and Monday 4 November.
http://mt.gob.do/index.php/noticias...informa-feriados-correspondientes-al-ano-2021
Coming soon: pre-set medical appointments in public health system
The executive director of the National Health System (SNS), economist Chanel Rosa Chupany announced that his department is working on instating a system whereby appointments can be made by telephone and thus patients will have less wait times at the health facilities nationwide. He revealed this news during an interview with the Grupo de Comunicaciones Corripio.
Rosa Chupany said that the appointments would initially be able to be made by telephone but eventually they could also be booked over the Internet. Users will be able to call *767 and *SNS free of charge. They will then be given the date, place and hour of the appointment. He did not specify a date for the start of the new appointment system.
Rosa Chupany oversees 186 public medical centers and 1,622 public primary care centers.
https://elnacional.com.do/video-ros...ios-aplicara-sistema-de-citas-via-telefonica/
Dominican Republic will have satellite to monitor climate change
Víctor Gómez, deputy rector at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Intec) in Santo Domingo says that efforts are underway to launch an artificial satellite to monitor climate change. He made the announcement during Science Week at the Intec.
The artificial satellite will use sensors to detect climate variability, and vulnerability to climate change and temperatures in the middle and lower regions of the atmosphere over the island. The project is the result of efforts of a consortium of international institutions that are backing research, development and the manufacturing of this initiative together with scientists at Intec.
Gomez said that the project is in the first phase when the sensors are being tested. He said the tests will take approximately three years prior to the launching.
The academic said that the impact of climate change on ecosystems and agriculture demands the creation of a more resilient society. The satellite will allow for the studying of carbon stocks to take measures that improve the country’s scientific capacity and actions to mitigate damages.
The artificial satellite is one of 19 research projects underway at Intec of around 60 that call for an investment of RD$340 million.
http://eldia.com.do/republica-domin...-artificial-para-monitorear-cambio-climatico/
Trapped manatee rescued in Luperon Bay
Ministry of Environment and National Aquarium staff rescued a female manatee that was found stranded in La Alhorrada gully in Luperón Bay, Puerto Plata. The manatee, that measures 1.5 meters, had become trapped between roots and mangroves.
Pablo Rodríguez, administrator of the Refugio Vida Silvestre of the Luperón Bay, said that the animal was taken to Santo Domingo because she was very stressed and dehydrated. He said that once the manatee recovered, she will be returned to her natural habitat.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...straba-gran-estado-de-estres-y-deshidratacion
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...rescatan-manati-en-una-canada-de-puerto-plata
Mayor of Santiago complains about Haitian migration
Mayor of Santiago Abel Martínez says that the municipality is affected by the effective takeover of public spaces by large numbers of undocumented Haitians and that the situation is of concern to his administration. The mayor estimated that over two million the undocumented Haitians are residing in the country.
In a press release, he also expressed concern about the large numbers of Haitian women who come to the Dominican Republic to give birth motivated apparently by free health services available at public hospitals. He says these patients occupy beds that could be used by Dominicans in public hospitals. He said no one can give him an answer to how so many women come to give birth, those that stay and those that return. He criticized the increasing share of the Dominican public health budget that is spent on the Haitian population.
The mayor’s complaint coincided with a cartoon published by El Dia where it shows a lock on a single door at the border and the overflowing of immigrants from all around the door.
The mayor is recognized for his efforts for efficient garbage collection and elimination of visual contamination in the city. The Martínez city government has also tackled illegal occupancy of city streets and public spaces by vendors.
http://hoy.com.do/alcalde-denuncia-haitianos-copan-espacio-santiago/
http://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-1321/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ciudad/santiago-libre-de-contaminacion-visual-ND11309114
Florida export sales mission is visiting to find Dominican partners
Enterprise Florida senior vice president of international trade and development, Manny Mencía is leading a small and mid-sized business export sales mission from the state of Florida that is visiting 13-16 November 2018. He says that Dominican exports to the state of Florida are at around US$2.85 billion, while imports are slightly greater, at around US$3 billion. Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), is the state of Florida’s principal economic development organization.
“The Dominican Republic is Florida’s leading trading partner in the Caribbean Basin,” he said. He observed that trade was up last year more than 8%. He is in the Dominican Republic heading a trade mission of 26 Florida companies that are holding meetings with Dominican businesses through 16 November.
Florida exports are mainly vehicles, autoparts, apparel, and jewelry. The Dominican Republic exports cigars, apparel and medical devices to Florida.
Positioned as the largest economy in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic presents great trade opportunities for Florida companies, facilitated by the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement and benefiting from reduced tariffs and barriers.
PRM delegates travel to Washington to complain about Dominican justice
A special commission of members of the leading opposition political party, the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) traveled to Washington, D. C. to meet with regional human rights organizations. A press release from the PRM says they are concerned with the evident signs of the deterioration of the judicial system in the country over the past few years. The commission is meeting with representatives of the Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Foundation, Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF) and Interamerican Dialogue (IAD).
According to the leaders, "the greatest evidence of the deterioration of justice in the country is the absolutely irregular oversight that has been given to the so-called Odebrecht case, which, according to the commission, the Public Prosecutor's Office has turned into a process with clear political motives, which far from imposing true justice, only seeks to intimidate and bully key leaders of the opposition.”
Members of the commission are PRM delegate to the Central Electoral Board Orlando Jorge Mera; legal director Sigmund Freud and Manuel Conde, who is one of the defending lawyers of former senator Jesus (Chu) Vasquez.
As part of the visit to Washington, meetings were also arranged with Jean Michel Arrighi, secretary of legal affairs of the Organization of American States; Gabriel Bidegaín, advisor to secretary general Luis Almagro and with Roger Noriega, former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.
Haiti prosecutor unblocks accounts to give time in PetroCaribe investigation
Haiti government commissioner Clamé-Ocman Daméus issued a statement on 13 November 2018 whereby the Public Prosecutor’s Office would cancel the request to banks to block bank accounts of companies targeted by provisional measures on 12 November 2018 for their ties to PetroCaribe transactions. The announcement comes 24 hours after the Government Commissioner had asked the banks to suspend the accounts of 36 commercial companies as a precautionary measure. The decision is to allow the companies time to present files for a thorough analysis of their situation.
Dominican companies Constructora Hadom, Hadom S.A., Construcciones y Diseños, Rofi S.A. and Constructora Mar are on the list of companies under investigation.
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-...n-his-request-for-blocking-bank-accounts.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-...ks-to-block-the-accounts-of-36-companies.html
Macabre scene at Mirador del Norte Park
Seven human limbs were found during a routine clean-up operation at the Mirador del Norte Park, becoming the breaking news for Wednesday, 14 November 2018. The garbage was identified as contaminated hospital wastes in violation of all health protocols. Why was it dumped in the park remains unknown.
Some seven human limbs were identified by epidemiologist Jose Agustin Sehouerer. They were in state of decomposition in plastic bags and were found near door No. 5 of the Parque Mirador Norte in Santo Domingo Norte.
“This is serious because it reflects a violation of all sanitary laws in our country,” said the physician. He said it also reflects structural weakness of where the amputations were carried out because all the public and private hospitals have an epidemiological protocol that regulates and control surgical procedures. The organs and limbs should have been taken to an incinerator. But he explained that in some cases these are buried and others irresponsibly put the wastes in plastic bags and deposit these as solid wastes to be picked up by the waste trucks and taken to the municipal dumps. But he said what happens is that the human wastes when they decompose into highly contaminating bacteria and microbes. He called for more sanitary controls on behalf of the authorities.
“This is irresponsibility and shows very little epidemiological surveillance,” he said. He called for more controls by the Ministry of Public Health.
The bags have the logo of the Hospital Salvador B. Gautier. Hospital director Franklin Gomez says an investigation is underway. He said the hospital has a contract with a funeral home for the burial of biological wastes and with a transport company for material that would be incinerated.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...eligro-de-salud-que-se-agrava-con-las-lluvias
http://eldia.com.do/autoridades-investigan-origen-restos-humanos-hallados-ayer/
Latin Grammy Awards recognizes Wilfrido Vargas’ musical legacy
Dominican merengue composer and singer, Wilfrido Vargas was honored with a special award during the Latin Grammys organized by the Latin Recording Academy. During the private ceremony held on 13 November 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Vargas received a lifetime achievement award for his unprecedented contributions of outstanding artistic significant to Latin music. The awards recognize his artistic legacy. During the ceremony, he received the award from legendary Johnny Ventura.
Others receiving the award in 2018 were Erasmo Carlos, Dyango, Andy Montañez, José María Napoleón, Chucho Valdes and Yuri.
https://www.grammy.com/grammys/vide...-awards-honors-yuri-dyango-chucho-valdés-more
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/8472777/latin-grammys-2018-special-award-honorees
http://eldia.com.do/wilfrido-vargas-es-excelencia-musical/
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/11...o-vargas-recibe-premio-la-excelencia-musical/
Holidays in 2019
Coming soon: pre-set medical appointments in public health system
Dominican Republic will have satellite to monitor climate change
Trapped manatee rescued in Luperon Bay
Mayor of Santiago complains about Haitian migration
Florida export sales mission is visiting to find Dominican partners
PRM delegates travel to Washington to complain about Dominican justice
Haiti prosecutor unblocks accounts to give time in PetroCaribe investigation
Macabre scene at Mirador del Norte Park
Latin Grammy Awards recognizes Wilfrido Vargas’ musical legacy
DR1 Daily News next update on 19 November 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 19 November 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
Holidays in 2019
The Ministry of Labor has published the country’s official holidays calendar for 2019. The calendar establishes 12 holidays for the year. This year, only two holidays are moved – Labor Day and Constitution Day. The dates are important for vacation planners, as domestic demand peaks on the six long weekends that will happen in 2019.
The established holidays in 2019 are:
Tuesday, 1 January: New Year’s Day
Sunday, 6 January: Three Kings Day
Monday, 21 January: Our Lady of Altagracia Day
Saturday, 26 January: Duarte Day
Wednesday, 27 February: Independence Day
Friday, 19 April: Holy Friday
Wednesday, 1 May: Labor Day. It will be moved to Monday, 29 April.
Thursday, 20 June: Corpus Christi Day
Friday, 16 August: Restoration Day
Tuesday, 24 September: Our Lady of Mercedes Day
Wednesday, 6 November: Constitution Day. It will be moved to Monday, 4 November.
Wednesday, 25 December: Christmas Day
Long weekends, meaning peak times for hotel accommodations nationwide:
The first week in January, rolled over from Monday, 31 December. The 31st of December is a big day for family gatherings and celebrations, so for many this will become a long weekend.
The third week in January, with the Our Lady of Altagracia long weekend. Many will take off from Friday 18, Saturday 19, Sunday 20 and return on Monday, 21 January.
Easter Week is the country’s leading holiday. The long weekend begins on Thursday all through Sunday, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 April.
Restoration Day will result in a long weekend just before the restart of school days. The event is celebrated on Friday, 16 August, created the long weekend of 16, 17, 18 August.
Tuesday, 24 September is a religious holiday, celebrating the patron of the Dominican people, Our Lady of Mercedes. That means that while not a holiday, many people will make a long weekend of Friday 20, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 September.
Constitution Day creates the long weekend in the first week of November, when it is moved to 4 November, creating the long weekend of Friday 1, Saturday 2, Sunday 3 and Monday 4 November.
http://mt.gob.do/index.php/noticias...informa-feriados-correspondientes-al-ano-2021
Coming soon: pre-set medical appointments in public health system
The executive director of the National Health System (SNS), economist Chanel Rosa Chupany announced that his department is working on instating a system whereby appointments can be made by telephone and thus patients will have less wait times at the health facilities nationwide. He revealed this news during an interview with the Grupo de Comunicaciones Corripio.
Rosa Chupany said that the appointments would initially be able to be made by telephone but eventually they could also be booked over the Internet. Users will be able to call *767 and *SNS free of charge. They will then be given the date, place and hour of the appointment. He did not specify a date for the start of the new appointment system.
Rosa Chupany oversees 186 public medical centers and 1,622 public primary care centers.
https://elnacional.com.do/video-ros...ios-aplicara-sistema-de-citas-via-telefonica/
Dominican Republic will have satellite to monitor climate change
Víctor Gómez, deputy rector at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Intec) in Santo Domingo says that efforts are underway to launch an artificial satellite to monitor climate change. He made the announcement during Science Week at the Intec.
The artificial satellite will use sensors to detect climate variability, and vulnerability to climate change and temperatures in the middle and lower regions of the atmosphere over the island. The project is the result of efforts of a consortium of international institutions that are backing research, development and the manufacturing of this initiative together with scientists at Intec.
Gomez said that the project is in the first phase when the sensors are being tested. He said the tests will take approximately three years prior to the launching.
The academic said that the impact of climate change on ecosystems and agriculture demands the creation of a more resilient society. The satellite will allow for the studying of carbon stocks to take measures that improve the country’s scientific capacity and actions to mitigate damages.
The artificial satellite is one of 19 research projects underway at Intec of around 60 that call for an investment of RD$340 million.
http://eldia.com.do/republica-domin...-artificial-para-monitorear-cambio-climatico/
Trapped manatee rescued in Luperon Bay
Ministry of Environment and National Aquarium staff rescued a female manatee that was found stranded in La Alhorrada gully in Luperón Bay, Puerto Plata. The manatee, that measures 1.5 meters, had become trapped between roots and mangroves.
Pablo Rodríguez, administrator of the Refugio Vida Silvestre of the Luperón Bay, said that the animal was taken to Santo Domingo because she was very stressed and dehydrated. He said that once the manatee recovered, she will be returned to her natural habitat.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...straba-gran-estado-de-estres-y-deshidratacion
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...rescatan-manati-en-una-canada-de-puerto-plata
Mayor of Santiago complains about Haitian migration
Mayor of Santiago Abel Martínez says that the municipality is affected by the effective takeover of public spaces by large numbers of undocumented Haitians and that the situation is of concern to his administration. The mayor estimated that over two million the undocumented Haitians are residing in the country.
In a press release, he also expressed concern about the large numbers of Haitian women who come to the Dominican Republic to give birth motivated apparently by free health services available at public hospitals. He says these patients occupy beds that could be used by Dominicans in public hospitals. He said no one can give him an answer to how so many women come to give birth, those that stay and those that return. He criticized the increasing share of the Dominican public health budget that is spent on the Haitian population.
The mayor’s complaint coincided with a cartoon published by El Dia where it shows a lock on a single door at the border and the overflowing of immigrants from all around the door.
The mayor is recognized for his efforts for efficient garbage collection and elimination of visual contamination in the city. The Martínez city government has also tackled illegal occupancy of city streets and public spaces by vendors.
http://hoy.com.do/alcalde-denuncia-haitianos-copan-espacio-santiago/
http://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-1321/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ciudad/santiago-libre-de-contaminacion-visual-ND11309114
Florida export sales mission is visiting to find Dominican partners
Enterprise Florida senior vice president of international trade and development, Manny Mencía is leading a small and mid-sized business export sales mission from the state of Florida that is visiting 13-16 November 2018. He says that Dominican exports to the state of Florida are at around US$2.85 billion, while imports are slightly greater, at around US$3 billion. Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), is the state of Florida’s principal economic development organization.
“The Dominican Republic is Florida’s leading trading partner in the Caribbean Basin,” he said. He observed that trade was up last year more than 8%. He is in the Dominican Republic heading a trade mission of 26 Florida companies that are holding meetings with Dominican businesses through 16 November.
Florida exports are mainly vehicles, autoparts, apparel, and jewelry. The Dominican Republic exports cigars, apparel and medical devices to Florida.
Positioned as the largest economy in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic presents great trade opportunities for Florida companies, facilitated by the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement and benefiting from reduced tariffs and barriers.
PRM delegates travel to Washington to complain about Dominican justice
A special commission of members of the leading opposition political party, the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) traveled to Washington, D. C. to meet with regional human rights organizations. A press release from the PRM says they are concerned with the evident signs of the deterioration of the judicial system in the country over the past few years. The commission is meeting with representatives of the Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Foundation, Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF) and Interamerican Dialogue (IAD).
According to the leaders, "the greatest evidence of the deterioration of justice in the country is the absolutely irregular oversight that has been given to the so-called Odebrecht case, which, according to the commission, the Public Prosecutor's Office has turned into a process with clear political motives, which far from imposing true justice, only seeks to intimidate and bully key leaders of the opposition.”
Members of the commission are PRM delegate to the Central Electoral Board Orlando Jorge Mera; legal director Sigmund Freud and Manuel Conde, who is one of the defending lawyers of former senator Jesus (Chu) Vasquez.
As part of the visit to Washington, meetings were also arranged with Jean Michel Arrighi, secretary of legal affairs of the Organization of American States; Gabriel Bidegaín, advisor to secretary general Luis Almagro and with Roger Noriega, former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.
Haiti prosecutor unblocks accounts to give time in PetroCaribe investigation
Haiti government commissioner Clamé-Ocman Daméus issued a statement on 13 November 2018 whereby the Public Prosecutor’s Office would cancel the request to banks to block bank accounts of companies targeted by provisional measures on 12 November 2018 for their ties to PetroCaribe transactions. The announcement comes 24 hours after the Government Commissioner had asked the banks to suspend the accounts of 36 commercial companies as a precautionary measure. The decision is to allow the companies time to present files for a thorough analysis of their situation.
Dominican companies Constructora Hadom, Hadom S.A., Construcciones y Diseños, Rofi S.A. and Constructora Mar are on the list of companies under investigation.
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-...n-his-request-for-blocking-bank-accounts.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-...ks-to-block-the-accounts-of-36-companies.html
Macabre scene at Mirador del Norte Park
Seven human limbs were found during a routine clean-up operation at the Mirador del Norte Park, becoming the breaking news for Wednesday, 14 November 2018. The garbage was identified as contaminated hospital wastes in violation of all health protocols. Why was it dumped in the park remains unknown.
Some seven human limbs were identified by epidemiologist Jose Agustin Sehouerer. They were in state of decomposition in plastic bags and were found near door No. 5 of the Parque Mirador Norte in Santo Domingo Norte.
“This is serious because it reflects a violation of all sanitary laws in our country,” said the physician. He said it also reflects structural weakness of where the amputations were carried out because all the public and private hospitals have an epidemiological protocol that regulates and control surgical procedures. The organs and limbs should have been taken to an incinerator. But he explained that in some cases these are buried and others irresponsibly put the wastes in plastic bags and deposit these as solid wastes to be picked up by the waste trucks and taken to the municipal dumps. But he said what happens is that the human wastes when they decompose into highly contaminating bacteria and microbes. He called for more sanitary controls on behalf of the authorities.
“This is irresponsibility and shows very little epidemiological surveillance,” he said. He called for more controls by the Ministry of Public Health.
The bags have the logo of the Hospital Salvador B. Gautier. Hospital director Franklin Gomez says an investigation is underway. He said the hospital has a contract with a funeral home for the burial of biological wastes and with a transport company for material that would be incinerated.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...eligro-de-salud-que-se-agrava-con-las-lluvias
http://eldia.com.do/autoridades-investigan-origen-restos-humanos-hallados-ayer/
Latin Grammy Awards recognizes Wilfrido Vargas’ musical legacy
Dominican merengue composer and singer, Wilfrido Vargas was honored with a special award during the Latin Grammys organized by the Latin Recording Academy. During the private ceremony held on 13 November 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Vargas received a lifetime achievement award for his unprecedented contributions of outstanding artistic significant to Latin music. The awards recognize his artistic legacy. During the ceremony, he received the award from legendary Johnny Ventura.
Others receiving the award in 2018 were Erasmo Carlos, Dyango, Andy Montañez, José María Napoleón, Chucho Valdes and Yuri.
https://www.grammy.com/grammys/vide...-awards-honors-yuri-dyango-chucho-valdés-more
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/8472777/latin-grammys-2018-special-award-honorees
http://eldia.com.do/wilfrido-vargas-es-excelencia-musical/
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/11...o-vargas-recibe-premio-la-excelencia-musical/
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