New 400-meter long dock for Caucedo Port
Carmenchu Brusiloff wins 2018 National Journalism Award
Monte Plata gets 911 Emergency Service
National Budget 2019 will need RD$232 billion in financing, highest ever
US$100 million from World Bank to back educational reform
Deputies approve national zoning law and other institutions
Pedro Silverio: Little to show for Export Year 2018
DR wont sign the Global Pact on Refugees, costs are too high
Deputies advance on renting bill
Major solar energy farm for Azua
The poor are most prone to accidents according to national survey
Antonio Marte apologizes for Conatra order
Polyplas says it has reached an agreement “with gas supplier”
Las Americas Highway is still a racetrack for motors
Partido Verde favors convicted drug capo’s son for senator in border province
Two mummies decorated in gold found in Taposiri Magna
Baseball players to elect new federation board in January
A baseball series without the Aguilas
Toño Rosario and Conjunto Quisqueya at Hard Rock Live
New 400 meter long dock for Caucedo Port
President Danilo Medina was in Punta Caucedo in eastern Santo Domingo on Thursday, 13 December 2018, for the start of expansion works at the Multimodal Caucedo Port, the country’s largest freight port. Efforts are underway to turn it into the Caribbean’s prime logistics hub. The port is operated by DP World, one of the largest port operators in the world.
DP World Caucedo announced it would invest an additional RD$10 billion in the port to add a 400-meter long and 17-meter deep dock, additional area for freight container storage and the purchase of three new cranes of the largest capacity in the market. The expansion will allow the port to receive ships with capacity of up to 23,000 freight containers (TEUS) or Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units.
Speaking at the event, Samuel Conde, president of DP World Caucedo, heralded the significant increase in maritime connectivity for global trade the port has brought. He said this enables the country to take maximum advantage of its geographical positioning. "This new investment aims precisely to increase our physical capacity for the global interaction of the country and its foreign trade," said Conde. The expansion represents a 45% growth in the capacity of the terminal, from the current 1.4 million TEUS to 2.2 million TEUS.
Enrique Ramirez Paniagua, director general of Customs Agency (DGA), highlighted what the freight handling and logistics services mean for government revenues. He said revenues collected at the Caucedo port currently represent 42% of the DGA revenues, “which is money that supports the programs and actions of the Government for the development of the nation.”
The construction will begin in January 2019 with an estimated duration of one year. It is expected to be operational for the first quarter of 2020, which will make DP World Caucedo one of the ports with the greatest capacity in the region and the only one with the capacity to handle 23,000 TEU vessels.
https://en.caucedo.com
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...ion-del-puerto-de-dp-world-caucedo-GF11630060
Carmenchu Brusiloff of the Listin Diario wins 2018 National Journalism Award
Carmenchu Brusiloff was honored with the 2018 National Journalism Award for her more than 50 years in journalism. In accepting the award from President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace on Friday, 14 December 2018, she advocated for journalists to continue to present both sides of a story and avoid serving as biased judges. She challenged the new generation of journalists to instead approach their work with the highest ethical and professional practices.
Brusiloff is the daughter of Maria Ugarte, a Spanish immigrant who was a journalist at the El Caribe. In her acceptance speech, Brusiloff honored her mother and other journalists, such as Pia Rodriguez, first political news writer, also Mireya Castillo, first woman to direct a radio news show at Radio Clarin. She said she learned the ropes after being hired in the 60s to translate The New York Times and The Washington Post articles that were published in El Caribe. She also recalled Licelott Marte, Martha Olga García, Arita Bergés, Magaly Pineda and Fidelina Thormann and Clara Leyla Alfonso for their efforts in favor of equal rights for Dominican women. She also expressed gratitude to Jose Luis Corripio (Pepin) and Virgilio Alcantara and Rogelio Pellerano for their opportunities. She said that if El Caribe was her journalism school, Hoy was her university. She also expressed appreciation for joining the Listin Diario, taking on the role of the retired Susana Morillo as in charge of society.
She spoke up for legislators to pass the Bill on Communication Media that is in Congress to ensure that all the population has freedom of expression.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ribunas-para-convertirse-en-juez-parcializado
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...cional-de-periodismo-2018-carmenchu-brusiloff
Monte Plata gets 911 Emergency Service
The province of Monte Plata is now under 911 Emergency System coverage. President Danilo Medina was in the province on Thursday, 13 December 2018 for the ceremony marking the start of the service. 491 providers are now on payroll to offer 24 hour service. This includes 100 health providers (physicians, paramedics, nurses and ambulance drivers), 294 Police agents. The service was allotted 20 pickups, 29 motorcycles, for assistance. The new rural service will benefit the municipalities of Monte Plata, Yamasa, Peralvillo and Bayaguana.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...del-sistema-911-en-monte-plata-491-servidores
National Budget 2019 will need RD$232 billion in financing, highest ever
Over the last 10 years, the need to borrow to fund the National Budget has increased by 150%, which some experts see as a symbol of “poor quality in spending management.” In the recently approved National Budget of the State 2019, which amounts to RD$922 billion, there is some RD $232 billion in financing of which RD$76 billion are for net financing and RD $156 billion are for debt payment, according to a report in Diario Libre. This figure far surpasses the gross financing set aside by the National Budget Law for 2010 which was RD$116 billion of which RD$48 billion were set aside to cover the net financial deficit while just RD $68 billion were used to reduce public debt.
As reported in Diario Libre, a member of the faculty member of the Economics Department at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo said that the government is undervaluing the deficit in order to show that it is handling the finances in a proper manner, which he says “is not very realistic for 2019.”
The last budget presented by the administration of Leonel Fernandez in 2012 from, amounted to RD$430 billion with a gross deficit of RD$78 billion. Financing that year amounted to RD$22 billion and another RD$78 billion to pay public debt. At that time the net financial deficit fell to 0.9% of GDP that was less than the previous year which was pegged at 1.6% of GDP.
Beginning in 2013 under the Medina administration the budget reached RD$455 billion with a gross financial deficit shooting up to RD$146 billion and net financing of RD$70 billion and pegged at 2.8% of GDP for that year. Debt-taking would continue to increase in the next five years of Medina administration.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...l-2019-es-el-mas-alto-en-diez-anos-AF11633993
US$100 million from World Bank to back educational reform
The World Bank will be lending US$100 million to the Dominican government for efforts of the Ministry of Education to improve the quality of education. The funds will be used to advance a comprehensive plan of reforms underway for public education. These include the extended school day, improvements in teacher training and qualifications and the modernization of the Ministry of Education (MINERD).
The World Bank points out that improving student learning outcomes is the main challenge facing the Dominican Republic’s education system. Dominican students ranked last among the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, and only 27% of third grade students achieve a satisfactory level of learning in mathematics, according to a diagnostic by MINERD.
The World Bank says that the financing will be focused to further increasing the quality of teacher recruitment and training, institutionalizing the collection and use of student learning data, and decentralizing the management of public schools. The program will build on the existing Support to the National Education Pact Project, which launched a competitive selection system to raise academic standards of newly recruited teachers and improve education quality, and conducted a complete learning diagnostic of all third grade students to better inform education planning and adjust teacher training. In addition, the World Bank is providing technical assistance on strengthening statistical systems, leveraging technology to have a higher impact in learning, as well as on strengthening risk management in schools as part of the WB’s global Safe Schools Program.
Deputies approve national zoning law and other institutions
The Chamber of Deputies approved on Thursday, 13 December 2018, the National Zoning Bill that will govern the use of soil and the territorial divisions in the Dominican Republic. The Land Use Bill (Ley Organica de Ordenamiento Territorial, Uso de Suelo y Asentamiento Humano) passed with the vote in favor of 120 of the 126 legislators present, and only one against.
The bill now passes to the Senate for approval. If the Senate gives its support, the bill then moves on to the Presidency for signing. The Presidency then has a year to approve the ruling for its implementation.
The bill takes into consideration climate change, territorial imbalances and irregularities, environmental sustainability, risk management, economic competitiveness and quality of life issues. The National Plan of Territorial Organization (PNOT) is intended to establish the proper use of the land. The plan deals with land and soil use and adequate distribution of infrastructure and basic services, environmental protection and improvement and protection for natural resources.
https://elnacional.com.do/diputados...-que-regula-y-crea-el-colegio-de-odontologos/
http://economia.gob.do/mepyd/wp-con...e-ordenamiento-territorial-y-uso-de-suelo.pdf
Pedro Silverio: Little to show for Export Year 2018
Economist Pedro Silverio analyzes the gains during the Medina administration named “Export Year 2018.” He says the country continues to be primarily an exporter of raw material. Stats for the first nine months of the year show that around 35% of national exports are gold exports.
Farm exports are 12%, only a slight improvement over 2017. Bananas and cacao beans account for two thirds of the farm exports. Cacao beans had a good year with 76.5US$ in the first nine months of the year, for a 67.4% increase compared to January-September 2017.
Industrialized exports and granulated sugar continues to be the main industrialized export. Duty free industrial free zones represent 50% of the total exports, with US$4.53 billion, of which 3.5% is farm products, and the rest industrial exports. Medical devices are the main export with 20%, followed by electrical produces with 19.7%, apparel 17.5%, tobacco manufactured 14.4%, similar to previous years.
Exports are estimated to grow 10% this year, which would exceed the average for the past five years, but below that of 2011, when exports grew 22%.
Silverio says that in his inaugural speech in 2012, President Danilo Medina recognized the need to implement a change of economic model to reach higher development levels. “Six years have passed since that speech and the old economic model is still intact. That is why it is not a surprise that even in the year dedicated to exports, these continue trapped by the network of administrative obstacles and bad public policies.”
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/en-directo/2018-el-ano-de-las-exportaciones-DF11632742
DR won’t sign the Global Pact on Refugees, costs are too high
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado said the Dominican Republic would not be signing the Global Pact on Refugees on 17 December 2018, during the plenary session of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City. In a document explaining the Dominican position, Vargas said the country identifies with the spirit of the pact, but pulls out on grounds that it is based on conventions on stateless persons that the country has not ratified. Vargas says that all commitments taken on by the government need to comply with the Constitution and Dominican law.
Vargas argues, as stated in a press release, that in the national territory only the Dominican state can grant the condition of refugee. Nevertheless, the UN Pact seeks to provide a basis for the distribution of the burden and responsibility among UN member states that could be contrary to the national interest and Dominican law. From a practical point of view, that distribution of burdens and responsibilities could affect the capacity of the Dominican Republic to host considerable numbers of persons susceptible to be declared refugees according to the new international statutes.
Once the text of the pact became widely circulated in the media outlets throughout the country late last week, there was a crescendo of criticism. Many experts highlighted the porous Dominican border and the political, social and economic instability in neighboring Haiti as grave concerns for national security in the context of the proposed language in the pact.
The Dominican Republic in recent years is also experiencing an unprecedented influx of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants who are fleeing the economic turmoil and political unrest in their country. Contrary to the Haitians who usually are employed as unskilled laborers in the country, Venezuelans, many of whom are highly skilled and educated, are thought to be competing with professional, middle-class Dominicans for jobs in a wide range of industries and sectors.
PRSC president, Federico Antun Batlle, said that if the country signed the refugee agreement it was propitiating the destruction of the Dominican Republic. The PRSC president said that it is “unacceptable” that the Dominican government sign the Pact for Refugees after the generalized Dominican rejection of the Global Migration Compact that would have been signed in Marrakesh, Morocco on 7 December 2018. He said the Pact for Refugees puts in danger national sovereignty because it stimulates and protects undocumented Haitian immigrants who come en masse to the Dominican Republic and who have already taken over a large part of the national territory.
Santiago Mayor Abel Martinez spoke up forcefully to reject the Global Pact on Refugees promoted by the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees. He said it would have untellable consequences for the country. He urged the government not to sign because the pact obligates those signing to guarantee the entry, stay, feeding, health services, education, documentation and nationality of the undocumented that enter.
Martinez said the country is already a victim of what he called a “passive invasion of undocumented Haitians.” Undocumented Haitians receive free medical services and free education in the Dominican Republic. “Right now the country is full of undocumented Haitians; imagine if the government signs that pact. Then we would have a greater problem when Haitians begin to enter in caravans, effectively using the Pact promoted by the United Nations as an entry permit.” He called for a comprehensive solution to the problem of immigration of undocumented Haitians into the country.
A commentary in Pagina Abierta blog written by Central Bank staff and placed on the Central Bank web site observes that the pact represents indefinite expenditures that the country is not in the capacity to absorb. The blog says it would oblige the country to provide additional commitments without taking into consideration the local labor situation, the financial and economic costs of illegal immigration. Furthermore, the author says the Pact could open a debate on the right of even the existence of a nation-state and could provoke instability in the country.
In the blog, “A economic look at the proposed migratory pact,” the writer states that the concept of an open land, free to settle on demand, refers to the origins of human history, an era characterized by violence, where, with the exception of insurmountable geographies, every frontier was drawn by battle. In this sense, the Central Bank blog summarizes that the UN could, therefore, be inducing humanity to revive the dispute process by defining territorial spaces instead of defending peace and prosperity, its central and critical mandate.
http://www.mirex.gob.do/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-firmara-pacto-para-los-refugiados-AC11645335
http://eldia.com.do/gobierno-dominicano-no-firmara-pacto-global-sobre-los-refugiados-este-lunes/
http://hoy.com.do/prsc-advierte-fir...seria-la-destruccion-de-republica-dominicana/
http://hoy.com.do/la-advertencia-de-abel-martinez-sobre-entrada-en-caravana-de-haitianos-al-pais/
https://gdc.bancentral.gov.do/Commo...a_economica_al_pacto_migratorio_propuesto.pdf
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/12/1028641
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...o-firme-el-pacto-mundial-sobre-los-refugiados
Deputies advance on renting bill
The Chamber of Deputies passed a bill that heralds in new rules for renting residential, commercial and industrial property and eviction in the Dominican Republic. The bill was drafted by Deputies Henry Meran and Demostenes Martinez and now moves to the Senate. The legislation received support from most of the parties represented in the Chamber of Deputies.
http://eldia.com.do/diputados-aprueban-proyecto-ley-de-alquileres-de-bienes-inmuebles-y-desahucios/
http://sil.camaradediputados.gob.do:8095/ReportesGenerales/VerDocumento2?documentoId=80606
Major solar energy farm for Azua
The Dominican government represented by the National Energy Commission, granted a definitive concession to develop a 40MW solar energy project in Tabara Abajo, in southwestern Azua, close to a Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) substation in order to facilitate linking to the national electricity grid.
Angel Cano, the executive director of the CND, signed the agreement with the Levital Group Inversor. According to the press release, the first phase of the project would begin shortly.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2018/12/13/...esion-proyecto-fotovoltaico-de-us45-millones/
The poor are most prone to accidents according to national survey
The National Statistics Office (ONE) has begun releasing the results of a Multi – purpose National Survey of Households (Enhogar 2017). Enhogar 2017 includes for the first time a module on road safety in which households were polled about traffic accidents. The pollsters asked how many members were involved, their demographic characteristics, the time and place of the accident, what happened to the victims and the principle cause of the accident. They also asked about where the accident occurred, what type of vehicle was involved, what was the principal method of transportation, which in the rural areas was a motorcycle (71.9%) and in the city the percentage was at 57.9%.
The survey said that there is a marked difference in the proportion of persons who had accidents on a motorcycle or a motoconcho in the city or in the country: 61.8% versus 79.7%. The information also shows that a greater number of men (66.6%) said that they were on a motorcycle or a motoconcho at the time of the accident. This is in contrast to the women who said their accident involved a motorcycle or a motoconcho at 48.1%.
The study also said that the lowest social economical groups with those that presented the highest proportion of homes with at least one of their members involved in a traffic accident: 8% in the very poor group and 9.4% in the poor group. Of course, men far outnumbered women involved in accidents: 71.7% versus 28.3%. The survey also highlighted something that most observers already knew, that nearly half (43.7%) of the accident victims belonged to the age group 15-29 at the time of the accident.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...s-se-accidentan-segun-una-encuesta-AC11640066
Antonio Marte apologizes for Conatra order
Antonio Marte, the leader of the National Confederation of Transport Organizations (CONATRA) apologized late last week for his order to Conatra affiliates to not board Haitians. Marte had issued the order to protest for several of the Conatra buses having been seized by the authorities.
Following a generalized uproar among Dominicans at the order, Conatra tried to backtrack:
“Regarding my statements, I would like to apologize both to the Haitian people as well as the whole country in general,” he said. He assured the general public and the local Haitian population in particular, that the units belonging to the Confederation would provide service to everyone. Nevertheless, he would add that transportation in the Cibao would be paralyzed if the buses are not returned to him.
As reported, the buses were seized for carrying undocumented Haitians. Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez explained that strong evidence suggests that the buses were used to transport smuggled immigrants. “Migration received specific cases in several border provinces where it was suspected that there was trafficking in Haitian immigrants in violation of the law. These cases were brought before the judges who determined that the there was sufficient evidence that the buses (and those involved in their operation) were trafficking in Haitians into the Dominican Republic. Some vehicles have been returned to their owners, but several buses remain impounded by order of a judge,” said the Attorney General.
The president of Conatra has defended his transporters. “The operators of the buses routinely allow all passengers to board the bus. The authorities are permitted onboard the bus to check documents of passengers according to their rules and regulations. It is our position that if the passenger purchases a ticket in Dajabon, for example, we will not question their legal status. We assume that this responsibility lies with the authorities at the border”, said Marte.
Marte’s threat was hardly out of his mouth when the director of the National Traffic And Ground Transportation Institute (Intrant), Claudia Franchesca the Los Santos, warned him that if he were to maintain his instructions not to carry certain passengers, Intrant could very well revoke his permits to work certain routes. The director of the National Institute of Transit and Transport (Intrant) said the announcement violated the Constitution.
Antonio Marte did a quick about face and apologized for instructing his affiliates to not transport Haitians. He had given the order in protest for the seizing by the judicial authorities of several of Conatra units that have legal cases ongoing for illegal transporting of undocumented.
“I recognize it was not the best way, and after listening to the national opinion, the media and consulting with the authorities we decided to retract the statement and our position, which, without a doubt, would have affected the immigrant population,” he said.
An editorial in Diario Libre says that the discrimination connotation of the case has impeded seeing what really is going on. Diario Libre says that what is worse about his statement is that he felt he could use force to achieve the objectives, regardless of whether this was illegal. Diario Libre says this is becoming a regular way of acting among Dominicans and urges for a stop to this.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...n-el-pais-y-con-el-pueblo-haitiano-BF11635703
http://eldia.com.do/conatra-niega-que-choferes-trafiquen-ilegales/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...rte-en-el-cibao-si-no-le-devuelven-autobuses/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...rle-las-rutas-si-no-monta-haitianos-HF1163489
Polyplas says it has reached an agreement “with its gas supplier”
Polyplas and its natural gas supplier have begun the reparations to the plastic factory neighbors. The companies say reparations will be completed in less than 30 days. The reparations come after the tragedy in which eight persons are confirmed to have died and over 100 injured evolved into a mismatch of clashes between two large Dominican companies that seemed to play volleyball with who was to blame. Despite the many deaths, the Attorney General has not announced it has ordered an investigation.
The explosion became a textbook case of how not to handle a crisis and the absence of sufficient safety protocols that should be in place for the adequate management of a natural gas supply in a factory located in a heavily populated neighborhood.
The rector of the Catholic University of Santo Domingo, Monsignor Jesus Castro Marte, criticized the attitude assumed by the employers in the case of the explosion of the Polyplas plastics factory, in the Villas Agrícolas sector, which left eight dead and 103 wounded. "We are facing a reality and a picture where the human has been ignored. In contrast, we see how personal fulfillment, maintaining an image before society and not being affected by the lack of enforcement of security regulations has led a society to live a drama in which they, the poorest, are not the priority," he said.
Polyplas company executives said on an Alicia Ortega TV interview that they had protocols to deal with plastics emergencies, not fuel emergency, attributing this responsibility to the natural suppliers.
Furthermore, security expert Daniel Pou criticized that the NatGas operator was delivering the fuel by himself. When the operator attempted to take out the faulty hose, the natural gas froze his leg, causing major injuries. He was rescued by Polyplas personnel, but the explosion would happen shortly after.
Over the weekend, Telenoticias carried a story where it called for the firing of the director of the National District firemen, Rafael Rosario Valentin, for being partial to the Propagas supplier company and issuing premature statements blaming Polyplas for not turning off its boiler. The company later established the boiler was not affected.
Over the weekend, the trending topic on social media was the heated conversation between the president of Polyplas, Manuel Diez Cabral, and the president of Propagas, Arturo Santana. The discussion regarding the use or not of the brand name Propagas in the Polyplas explosion case went viral after the conversation between Diez and Santana was leaked to social media. In the conversation, Santana asks Diez to not use the name of Propagas and instead use that of Nat-Gas. He argues Nat-Gas was the name on the tanker-truck and the storage tank at the plastics factory that began the crisis. Santana argued he did not want to affect the long-term brand name. But Diez argued his lawyers said that the company had contracted Propagas not Nat-Gas division and lawyers advised that the name of Propagas should appear in the public dealings of the case. Santana argued that the tank was in the name of Nat-Gas, and that the truck supplying the fuel was Nat-Gas.
Grupo Propagas owns Nat-Gas, their division of natural gas (LNG). The group is also umbrella group for Propa-Gas that has over 70 stations for vehicular, industrial and commercial use, in addition to its tanker trucks. Next fuel stations (gasoline and diesel), Transporte de Gas (TransGas), a fuel transporting fleet with over 200 units, and Coastal Petroleum that imports and GLP, Avtur, diesel and gasoline.
Meanwhile, more than 25 families that had to be evacuated await insurance coverage. Polyplas lodged the families in a nearby hotel.
Subsequently, Polyplas would issue a press release saying the companies had reached an agreement with their “gas supplier.” But the recorded conversation between the two business magnates clearly revealed that the “gas supplier” that signed the contract with Polyplas was, indeed, Propagas, Manuel Diez Cabral refrained in his communiqué from mentioning that brand name.
The very diplomatic communiqué said that Polyplas feels it is time to lend help and assistance to those affected by the explosion and suggested that nothing positive would come from stimulating a confrontation with its gas supplier and that he had reached an agreement with the supplier. The explosion and resulting fires have, up until now, killed eight persons, wounded dozens and caused huge damages to businesses, houses, schools and many vehicles. 25 families had to be relocated.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...un-acuerdo-con-su-proveedor-de-gas-PF11639446
http://eldia.com.do/y-si-polyplas-fuera-el-boton-de-la-muestra/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCxzTj234Uc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCxzTj234Uc
http://eldia.com.do/polyplas-rechaz...s-sobre-mal-manejo-en-protocolo-de-seguridad/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywtx94fLr0A
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...gas-se-enfrentan-por-caso-polyplas-IF11635926
http://grupopropagas.com/nat-gas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ODc1Q5NHkQ
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...gas-se-enfrentan-por-caso-polyplas-IF11635926
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkCqnSDQ9cM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKar-Ve1d0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9hY2NKzeP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aTweFNOtic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_lbhyW7FwE
http://eldia.com.do/rector-universidad-catolica-critica-actitud-de-empresarios-caso-polyplas/
Las Americas Highway is still a racetrack for motorcycles
Wheelies and motorcycle racing continue on the Las Americas toll road, the Autovia del Este and Route 66 Avenue that leads into the Las Americas International Airport, as reported in El Nacional.
Over the last eight months, road statistics show 14 fatalities linked to these activities. Huge sums of money are bet on some of these races, which generally take place on the weekends right under the nose of police authorities, Digisett agents and the military units assigned to the Ministry of Public Works.
Residents of Boca Chica, and La Caleta, together with merchants and rental car agencies located on Route 66 Avenue that connects the Las Americas Airport with the highway say they live in fear of these motorcycle races that take place five days every week. Local residents say that the saddest thing is that the young kids go out to race right next door to police stations and Digisett offices and even close to the tollbooths.
Among the victims over the last eight months, eight died as they were taking part in races and five of the victims were pedestrians, one of them a 75-year-old schoolteacher who was mowed down near the entrance to Boca Chica because of the reckless maneuvers carried out by the motorcycles. There have also been vehicular accidents resulting from their antics. Although a meeting of community leaders from Andres, Boca Chica and La Caleta was held with the director of the National Police, no apparent action has been taken to end the races.
https://elnacional.com.do/indetenibles-carreras-de-motocicletas-las-americas/
Partido Verde favors convicted drug capo’s son for senator in border province
A son of convicted drug dealer Qurino E Paulino, Anderson Paulino seeks to run for senator for the province of Elias Piña on the border for the Partido Verde Dominicano. The same political party says it will take Enrique Crespo, of the Los Dueños del Circo TV program, for deputy for the National District, as reported in Diario Libre.
As reported, this is the same party that on 11 November had presented Karim Abu Naba as the pre-candidate for the presidential elections.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-candidato-a-senador-de-elias-pina-MF11630792
Two mummies decorated in gold found in Taposiri Magna
Kathleen Martinez, the Dominican archeologist who is on the search of the remains of Cleopatra in Egypt, announced the discovery of two mummies covered in gold ornaments at the Taposiri Magna cemetery in Egypt. Martinez has defended the theory that Cleopatra might be buried in a crumbling temple near the coastal desert town of Taposiris Magna (present-day Abu Sir), 28 miles west of Alexandria. Martinez argues that Cleopatra sought for Mark Antony and herself to be secretly buried where no one would disturb their eternal life together.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...o-de-dos-momias-intactas-en-egipto-IC11640091
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrSy751hIiS/
https://www.inside-egypt.com/where-...pt-cleopatra-and-her-husband-mark-antony.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/07/Cleopatra/
Baseball players to elect new federation board in January
Mario Melvin Soto announced that elections will be held on 11 January 2019 for the Federacion de Nacional de Peloteros Profesionales (Fenapepro). The announcement follows a meeting at the Casa Museo del Pelotero Profesinal with the participation of the Dominican Professional League, represented by Vitelio Mejia Ortiz, Winston Llenas and Erick Almonte. It was agreed to strengthen the federation and ensure due representation of the baseball players.
http://eldia.com.do/le-doblan-el-pulso-a-soto-haran-comicios-en-enero/
A baseball series without the Aguilas
The Aguilas defeated the Gigantes del Cibao on Saturday evening at their Cibao ball park 8-2, but the win was not enough, The Toros del Este had defeated the Leones del Escogido 2-0, and grabbed the coveted fourth place. The top four teams (Estrellas Orientales, Tigres del Licey, Leones del Escogido and Toros del Este) will now be playing in the round robin that starts after Christmas.
The series continued on Sunday and another game is scheduled for Monday, 17 December 2018, but all decided.
The series is now (as of 16 December 2018 games):
Estrellas Orientales (28-21)
Tigres del Licey (26-23)
Leones del Escogido (26-23)
Toros del Este (25-24)
Aguilas Cibaeñas (22-27)
Gigantes del Cibao (20-29)
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...ales-vencen-al-licey-y-ganan-la-serie-regular
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...l-valdes-coloca-a-los-toros-en-el-round-robin
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...aguilas-cibaenas-ganan-pero-quedan-eliminadas
Toño Rosario and Conjunto Quisqueya at Hard Rock Live
Hard Rock Live presents Los Monarcas, their 31 December 2018 end of year extravaganza. Toño Rosario, Rubby Perez, Ramon Orlando, Miriam Cruz, Aramis Camilo and the Conjunto Quisqueya promise an evening with the best of merengue over the years. Tickets are for sale online at Ticket Express and Uepa Tickets.
Carmenchu Brusiloff wins 2018 National Journalism Award
Monte Plata gets 911 Emergency Service
National Budget 2019 will need RD$232 billion in financing, highest ever
US$100 million from World Bank to back educational reform
Deputies approve national zoning law and other institutions
Pedro Silverio: Little to show for Export Year 2018
DR wont sign the Global Pact on Refugees, costs are too high
Deputies advance on renting bill
Major solar energy farm for Azua
The poor are most prone to accidents according to national survey
Antonio Marte apologizes for Conatra order
Polyplas says it has reached an agreement “with gas supplier”
Las Americas Highway is still a racetrack for motors
Partido Verde favors convicted drug capo’s son for senator in border province
Two mummies decorated in gold found in Taposiri Magna
Baseball players to elect new federation board in January
A baseball series without the Aguilas
Toño Rosario and Conjunto Quisqueya at Hard Rock Live
New 400 meter long dock for Caucedo Port
President Danilo Medina was in Punta Caucedo in eastern Santo Domingo on Thursday, 13 December 2018, for the start of expansion works at the Multimodal Caucedo Port, the country’s largest freight port. Efforts are underway to turn it into the Caribbean’s prime logistics hub. The port is operated by DP World, one of the largest port operators in the world.
DP World Caucedo announced it would invest an additional RD$10 billion in the port to add a 400-meter long and 17-meter deep dock, additional area for freight container storage and the purchase of three new cranes of the largest capacity in the market. The expansion will allow the port to receive ships with capacity of up to 23,000 freight containers (TEUS) or Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units.
Speaking at the event, Samuel Conde, president of DP World Caucedo, heralded the significant increase in maritime connectivity for global trade the port has brought. He said this enables the country to take maximum advantage of its geographical positioning. "This new investment aims precisely to increase our physical capacity for the global interaction of the country and its foreign trade," said Conde. The expansion represents a 45% growth in the capacity of the terminal, from the current 1.4 million TEUS to 2.2 million TEUS.
Enrique Ramirez Paniagua, director general of Customs Agency (DGA), highlighted what the freight handling and logistics services mean for government revenues. He said revenues collected at the Caucedo port currently represent 42% of the DGA revenues, “which is money that supports the programs and actions of the Government for the development of the nation.”
The construction will begin in January 2019 with an estimated duration of one year. It is expected to be operational for the first quarter of 2020, which will make DP World Caucedo one of the ports with the greatest capacity in the region and the only one with the capacity to handle 23,000 TEU vessels.
https://en.caucedo.com
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...ion-del-puerto-de-dp-world-caucedo-GF11630060
Carmenchu Brusiloff of the Listin Diario wins 2018 National Journalism Award
Carmenchu Brusiloff was honored with the 2018 National Journalism Award for her more than 50 years in journalism. In accepting the award from President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace on Friday, 14 December 2018, she advocated for journalists to continue to present both sides of a story and avoid serving as biased judges. She challenged the new generation of journalists to instead approach their work with the highest ethical and professional practices.
Brusiloff is the daughter of Maria Ugarte, a Spanish immigrant who was a journalist at the El Caribe. In her acceptance speech, Brusiloff honored her mother and other journalists, such as Pia Rodriguez, first political news writer, also Mireya Castillo, first woman to direct a radio news show at Radio Clarin. She said she learned the ropes after being hired in the 60s to translate The New York Times and The Washington Post articles that were published in El Caribe. She also recalled Licelott Marte, Martha Olga García, Arita Bergés, Magaly Pineda and Fidelina Thormann and Clara Leyla Alfonso for their efforts in favor of equal rights for Dominican women. She also expressed gratitude to Jose Luis Corripio (Pepin) and Virgilio Alcantara and Rogelio Pellerano for their opportunities. She said that if El Caribe was her journalism school, Hoy was her university. She also expressed appreciation for joining the Listin Diario, taking on the role of the retired Susana Morillo as in charge of society.
She spoke up for legislators to pass the Bill on Communication Media that is in Congress to ensure that all the population has freedom of expression.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ribunas-para-convertirse-en-juez-parcializado
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...cional-de-periodismo-2018-carmenchu-brusiloff
Monte Plata gets 911 Emergency Service
The province of Monte Plata is now under 911 Emergency System coverage. President Danilo Medina was in the province on Thursday, 13 December 2018 for the ceremony marking the start of the service. 491 providers are now on payroll to offer 24 hour service. This includes 100 health providers (physicians, paramedics, nurses and ambulance drivers), 294 Police agents. The service was allotted 20 pickups, 29 motorcycles, for assistance. The new rural service will benefit the municipalities of Monte Plata, Yamasa, Peralvillo and Bayaguana.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...del-sistema-911-en-monte-plata-491-servidores
National Budget 2019 will need RD$232 billion in financing, highest ever
Over the last 10 years, the need to borrow to fund the National Budget has increased by 150%, which some experts see as a symbol of “poor quality in spending management.” In the recently approved National Budget of the State 2019, which amounts to RD$922 billion, there is some RD $232 billion in financing of which RD$76 billion are for net financing and RD $156 billion are for debt payment, according to a report in Diario Libre. This figure far surpasses the gross financing set aside by the National Budget Law for 2010 which was RD$116 billion of which RD$48 billion were set aside to cover the net financial deficit while just RD $68 billion were used to reduce public debt.
As reported in Diario Libre, a member of the faculty member of the Economics Department at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo said that the government is undervaluing the deficit in order to show that it is handling the finances in a proper manner, which he says “is not very realistic for 2019.”
The last budget presented by the administration of Leonel Fernandez in 2012 from, amounted to RD$430 billion with a gross deficit of RD$78 billion. Financing that year amounted to RD$22 billion and another RD$78 billion to pay public debt. At that time the net financial deficit fell to 0.9% of GDP that was less than the previous year which was pegged at 1.6% of GDP.
Beginning in 2013 under the Medina administration the budget reached RD$455 billion with a gross financial deficit shooting up to RD$146 billion and net financing of RD$70 billion and pegged at 2.8% of GDP for that year. Debt-taking would continue to increase in the next five years of Medina administration.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...l-2019-es-el-mas-alto-en-diez-anos-AF11633993
US$100 million from World Bank to back educational reform
The World Bank will be lending US$100 million to the Dominican government for efforts of the Ministry of Education to improve the quality of education. The funds will be used to advance a comprehensive plan of reforms underway for public education. These include the extended school day, improvements in teacher training and qualifications and the modernization of the Ministry of Education (MINERD).
The World Bank points out that improving student learning outcomes is the main challenge facing the Dominican Republic’s education system. Dominican students ranked last among the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, and only 27% of third grade students achieve a satisfactory level of learning in mathematics, according to a diagnostic by MINERD.
The World Bank says that the financing will be focused to further increasing the quality of teacher recruitment and training, institutionalizing the collection and use of student learning data, and decentralizing the management of public schools. The program will build on the existing Support to the National Education Pact Project, which launched a competitive selection system to raise academic standards of newly recruited teachers and improve education quality, and conducted a complete learning diagnostic of all third grade students to better inform education planning and adjust teacher training. In addition, the World Bank is providing technical assistance on strengthening statistical systems, leveraging technology to have a higher impact in learning, as well as on strengthening risk management in schools as part of the WB’s global Safe Schools Program.
Deputies approve national zoning law and other institutions
The Chamber of Deputies approved on Thursday, 13 December 2018, the National Zoning Bill that will govern the use of soil and the territorial divisions in the Dominican Republic. The Land Use Bill (Ley Organica de Ordenamiento Territorial, Uso de Suelo y Asentamiento Humano) passed with the vote in favor of 120 of the 126 legislators present, and only one against.
The bill now passes to the Senate for approval. If the Senate gives its support, the bill then moves on to the Presidency for signing. The Presidency then has a year to approve the ruling for its implementation.
The bill takes into consideration climate change, territorial imbalances and irregularities, environmental sustainability, risk management, economic competitiveness and quality of life issues. The National Plan of Territorial Organization (PNOT) is intended to establish the proper use of the land. The plan deals with land and soil use and adequate distribution of infrastructure and basic services, environmental protection and improvement and protection for natural resources.
https://elnacional.com.do/diputados...-que-regula-y-crea-el-colegio-de-odontologos/
http://economia.gob.do/mepyd/wp-con...e-ordenamiento-territorial-y-uso-de-suelo.pdf
Pedro Silverio: Little to show for Export Year 2018
Economist Pedro Silverio analyzes the gains during the Medina administration named “Export Year 2018.” He says the country continues to be primarily an exporter of raw material. Stats for the first nine months of the year show that around 35% of national exports are gold exports.
Farm exports are 12%, only a slight improvement over 2017. Bananas and cacao beans account for two thirds of the farm exports. Cacao beans had a good year with 76.5US$ in the first nine months of the year, for a 67.4% increase compared to January-September 2017.
Industrialized exports and granulated sugar continues to be the main industrialized export. Duty free industrial free zones represent 50% of the total exports, with US$4.53 billion, of which 3.5% is farm products, and the rest industrial exports. Medical devices are the main export with 20%, followed by electrical produces with 19.7%, apparel 17.5%, tobacco manufactured 14.4%, similar to previous years.
Exports are estimated to grow 10% this year, which would exceed the average for the past five years, but below that of 2011, when exports grew 22%.
Silverio says that in his inaugural speech in 2012, President Danilo Medina recognized the need to implement a change of economic model to reach higher development levels. “Six years have passed since that speech and the old economic model is still intact. That is why it is not a surprise that even in the year dedicated to exports, these continue trapped by the network of administrative obstacles and bad public policies.”
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/en-directo/2018-el-ano-de-las-exportaciones-DF11632742
DR won’t sign the Global Pact on Refugees, costs are too high
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado said the Dominican Republic would not be signing the Global Pact on Refugees on 17 December 2018, during the plenary session of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City. In a document explaining the Dominican position, Vargas said the country identifies with the spirit of the pact, but pulls out on grounds that it is based on conventions on stateless persons that the country has not ratified. Vargas says that all commitments taken on by the government need to comply with the Constitution and Dominican law.
Vargas argues, as stated in a press release, that in the national territory only the Dominican state can grant the condition of refugee. Nevertheless, the UN Pact seeks to provide a basis for the distribution of the burden and responsibility among UN member states that could be contrary to the national interest and Dominican law. From a practical point of view, that distribution of burdens and responsibilities could affect the capacity of the Dominican Republic to host considerable numbers of persons susceptible to be declared refugees according to the new international statutes.
Once the text of the pact became widely circulated in the media outlets throughout the country late last week, there was a crescendo of criticism. Many experts highlighted the porous Dominican border and the political, social and economic instability in neighboring Haiti as grave concerns for national security in the context of the proposed language in the pact.
The Dominican Republic in recent years is also experiencing an unprecedented influx of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants who are fleeing the economic turmoil and political unrest in their country. Contrary to the Haitians who usually are employed as unskilled laborers in the country, Venezuelans, many of whom are highly skilled and educated, are thought to be competing with professional, middle-class Dominicans for jobs in a wide range of industries and sectors.
PRSC president, Federico Antun Batlle, said that if the country signed the refugee agreement it was propitiating the destruction of the Dominican Republic. The PRSC president said that it is “unacceptable” that the Dominican government sign the Pact for Refugees after the generalized Dominican rejection of the Global Migration Compact that would have been signed in Marrakesh, Morocco on 7 December 2018. He said the Pact for Refugees puts in danger national sovereignty because it stimulates and protects undocumented Haitian immigrants who come en masse to the Dominican Republic and who have already taken over a large part of the national territory.
Santiago Mayor Abel Martinez spoke up forcefully to reject the Global Pact on Refugees promoted by the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees. He said it would have untellable consequences for the country. He urged the government not to sign because the pact obligates those signing to guarantee the entry, stay, feeding, health services, education, documentation and nationality of the undocumented that enter.
Martinez said the country is already a victim of what he called a “passive invasion of undocumented Haitians.” Undocumented Haitians receive free medical services and free education in the Dominican Republic. “Right now the country is full of undocumented Haitians; imagine if the government signs that pact. Then we would have a greater problem when Haitians begin to enter in caravans, effectively using the Pact promoted by the United Nations as an entry permit.” He called for a comprehensive solution to the problem of immigration of undocumented Haitians into the country.
A commentary in Pagina Abierta blog written by Central Bank staff and placed on the Central Bank web site observes that the pact represents indefinite expenditures that the country is not in the capacity to absorb. The blog says it would oblige the country to provide additional commitments without taking into consideration the local labor situation, the financial and economic costs of illegal immigration. Furthermore, the author says the Pact could open a debate on the right of even the existence of a nation-state and could provoke instability in the country.
In the blog, “A economic look at the proposed migratory pact,” the writer states that the concept of an open land, free to settle on demand, refers to the origins of human history, an era characterized by violence, where, with the exception of insurmountable geographies, every frontier was drawn by battle. In this sense, the Central Bank blog summarizes that the UN could, therefore, be inducing humanity to revive the dispute process by defining territorial spaces instead of defending peace and prosperity, its central and critical mandate.
http://www.mirex.gob.do/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-firmara-pacto-para-los-refugiados-AC11645335
http://eldia.com.do/gobierno-dominicano-no-firmara-pacto-global-sobre-los-refugiados-este-lunes/
http://hoy.com.do/prsc-advierte-fir...seria-la-destruccion-de-republica-dominicana/
http://hoy.com.do/la-advertencia-de-abel-martinez-sobre-entrada-en-caravana-de-haitianos-al-pais/
https://gdc.bancentral.gov.do/Commo...a_economica_al_pacto_migratorio_propuesto.pdf
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/12/1028641
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...o-firme-el-pacto-mundial-sobre-los-refugiados
Deputies advance on renting bill
The Chamber of Deputies passed a bill that heralds in new rules for renting residential, commercial and industrial property and eviction in the Dominican Republic. The bill was drafted by Deputies Henry Meran and Demostenes Martinez and now moves to the Senate. The legislation received support from most of the parties represented in the Chamber of Deputies.
http://eldia.com.do/diputados-aprueban-proyecto-ley-de-alquileres-de-bienes-inmuebles-y-desahucios/
http://sil.camaradediputados.gob.do:8095/ReportesGenerales/VerDocumento2?documentoId=80606
Major solar energy farm for Azua
The Dominican government represented by the National Energy Commission, granted a definitive concession to develop a 40MW solar energy project in Tabara Abajo, in southwestern Azua, close to a Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) substation in order to facilitate linking to the national electricity grid.
Angel Cano, the executive director of the CND, signed the agreement with the Levital Group Inversor. According to the press release, the first phase of the project would begin shortly.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2018/12/13/...esion-proyecto-fotovoltaico-de-us45-millones/
The poor are most prone to accidents according to national survey
The National Statistics Office (ONE) has begun releasing the results of a Multi – purpose National Survey of Households (Enhogar 2017). Enhogar 2017 includes for the first time a module on road safety in which households were polled about traffic accidents. The pollsters asked how many members were involved, their demographic characteristics, the time and place of the accident, what happened to the victims and the principle cause of the accident. They also asked about where the accident occurred, what type of vehicle was involved, what was the principal method of transportation, which in the rural areas was a motorcycle (71.9%) and in the city the percentage was at 57.9%.
The survey said that there is a marked difference in the proportion of persons who had accidents on a motorcycle or a motoconcho in the city or in the country: 61.8% versus 79.7%. The information also shows that a greater number of men (66.6%) said that they were on a motorcycle or a motoconcho at the time of the accident. This is in contrast to the women who said their accident involved a motorcycle or a motoconcho at 48.1%.
The study also said that the lowest social economical groups with those that presented the highest proportion of homes with at least one of their members involved in a traffic accident: 8% in the very poor group and 9.4% in the poor group. Of course, men far outnumbered women involved in accidents: 71.7% versus 28.3%. The survey also highlighted something that most observers already knew, that nearly half (43.7%) of the accident victims belonged to the age group 15-29 at the time of the accident.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...s-se-accidentan-segun-una-encuesta-AC11640066
Antonio Marte apologizes for Conatra order
Antonio Marte, the leader of the National Confederation of Transport Organizations (CONATRA) apologized late last week for his order to Conatra affiliates to not board Haitians. Marte had issued the order to protest for several of the Conatra buses having been seized by the authorities.
Following a generalized uproar among Dominicans at the order, Conatra tried to backtrack:
“Regarding my statements, I would like to apologize both to the Haitian people as well as the whole country in general,” he said. He assured the general public and the local Haitian population in particular, that the units belonging to the Confederation would provide service to everyone. Nevertheless, he would add that transportation in the Cibao would be paralyzed if the buses are not returned to him.
As reported, the buses were seized for carrying undocumented Haitians. Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez explained that strong evidence suggests that the buses were used to transport smuggled immigrants. “Migration received specific cases in several border provinces where it was suspected that there was trafficking in Haitian immigrants in violation of the law. These cases were brought before the judges who determined that the there was sufficient evidence that the buses (and those involved in their operation) were trafficking in Haitians into the Dominican Republic. Some vehicles have been returned to their owners, but several buses remain impounded by order of a judge,” said the Attorney General.
The president of Conatra has defended his transporters. “The operators of the buses routinely allow all passengers to board the bus. The authorities are permitted onboard the bus to check documents of passengers according to their rules and regulations. It is our position that if the passenger purchases a ticket in Dajabon, for example, we will not question their legal status. We assume that this responsibility lies with the authorities at the border”, said Marte.
Marte’s threat was hardly out of his mouth when the director of the National Traffic And Ground Transportation Institute (Intrant), Claudia Franchesca the Los Santos, warned him that if he were to maintain his instructions not to carry certain passengers, Intrant could very well revoke his permits to work certain routes. The director of the National Institute of Transit and Transport (Intrant) said the announcement violated the Constitution.
Antonio Marte did a quick about face and apologized for instructing his affiliates to not transport Haitians. He had given the order in protest for the seizing by the judicial authorities of several of Conatra units that have legal cases ongoing for illegal transporting of undocumented.
“I recognize it was not the best way, and after listening to the national opinion, the media and consulting with the authorities we decided to retract the statement and our position, which, without a doubt, would have affected the immigrant population,” he said.
An editorial in Diario Libre says that the discrimination connotation of the case has impeded seeing what really is going on. Diario Libre says that what is worse about his statement is that he felt he could use force to achieve the objectives, regardless of whether this was illegal. Diario Libre says this is becoming a regular way of acting among Dominicans and urges for a stop to this.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...n-el-pais-y-con-el-pueblo-haitiano-BF11635703
http://eldia.com.do/conatra-niega-que-choferes-trafiquen-ilegales/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...rte-en-el-cibao-si-no-le-devuelven-autobuses/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...rle-las-rutas-si-no-monta-haitianos-HF1163489
Polyplas says it has reached an agreement “with its gas supplier”
Polyplas and its natural gas supplier have begun the reparations to the plastic factory neighbors. The companies say reparations will be completed in less than 30 days. The reparations come after the tragedy in which eight persons are confirmed to have died and over 100 injured evolved into a mismatch of clashes between two large Dominican companies that seemed to play volleyball with who was to blame. Despite the many deaths, the Attorney General has not announced it has ordered an investigation.
The explosion became a textbook case of how not to handle a crisis and the absence of sufficient safety protocols that should be in place for the adequate management of a natural gas supply in a factory located in a heavily populated neighborhood.
The rector of the Catholic University of Santo Domingo, Monsignor Jesus Castro Marte, criticized the attitude assumed by the employers in the case of the explosion of the Polyplas plastics factory, in the Villas Agrícolas sector, which left eight dead and 103 wounded. "We are facing a reality and a picture where the human has been ignored. In contrast, we see how personal fulfillment, maintaining an image before society and not being affected by the lack of enforcement of security regulations has led a society to live a drama in which they, the poorest, are not the priority," he said.
Polyplas company executives said on an Alicia Ortega TV interview that they had protocols to deal with plastics emergencies, not fuel emergency, attributing this responsibility to the natural suppliers.
Furthermore, security expert Daniel Pou criticized that the NatGas operator was delivering the fuel by himself. When the operator attempted to take out the faulty hose, the natural gas froze his leg, causing major injuries. He was rescued by Polyplas personnel, but the explosion would happen shortly after.
Over the weekend, Telenoticias carried a story where it called for the firing of the director of the National District firemen, Rafael Rosario Valentin, for being partial to the Propagas supplier company and issuing premature statements blaming Polyplas for not turning off its boiler. The company later established the boiler was not affected.
Over the weekend, the trending topic on social media was the heated conversation between the president of Polyplas, Manuel Diez Cabral, and the president of Propagas, Arturo Santana. The discussion regarding the use or not of the brand name Propagas in the Polyplas explosion case went viral after the conversation between Diez and Santana was leaked to social media. In the conversation, Santana asks Diez to not use the name of Propagas and instead use that of Nat-Gas. He argues Nat-Gas was the name on the tanker-truck and the storage tank at the plastics factory that began the crisis. Santana argued he did not want to affect the long-term brand name. But Diez argued his lawyers said that the company had contracted Propagas not Nat-Gas division and lawyers advised that the name of Propagas should appear in the public dealings of the case. Santana argued that the tank was in the name of Nat-Gas, and that the truck supplying the fuel was Nat-Gas.
Grupo Propagas owns Nat-Gas, their division of natural gas (LNG). The group is also umbrella group for Propa-Gas that has over 70 stations for vehicular, industrial and commercial use, in addition to its tanker trucks. Next fuel stations (gasoline and diesel), Transporte de Gas (TransGas), a fuel transporting fleet with over 200 units, and Coastal Petroleum that imports and GLP, Avtur, diesel and gasoline.
Meanwhile, more than 25 families that had to be evacuated await insurance coverage. Polyplas lodged the families in a nearby hotel.
Subsequently, Polyplas would issue a press release saying the companies had reached an agreement with their “gas supplier.” But the recorded conversation between the two business magnates clearly revealed that the “gas supplier” that signed the contract with Polyplas was, indeed, Propagas, Manuel Diez Cabral refrained in his communiqué from mentioning that brand name.
The very diplomatic communiqué said that Polyplas feels it is time to lend help and assistance to those affected by the explosion and suggested that nothing positive would come from stimulating a confrontation with its gas supplier and that he had reached an agreement with the supplier. The explosion and resulting fires have, up until now, killed eight persons, wounded dozens and caused huge damages to businesses, houses, schools and many vehicles. 25 families had to be relocated.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...un-acuerdo-con-su-proveedor-de-gas-PF11639446
http://eldia.com.do/y-si-polyplas-fuera-el-boton-de-la-muestra/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCxzTj234Uc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCxzTj234Uc
http://eldia.com.do/polyplas-rechaz...s-sobre-mal-manejo-en-protocolo-de-seguridad/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywtx94fLr0A
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...gas-se-enfrentan-por-caso-polyplas-IF11635926
http://grupopropagas.com/nat-gas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ODc1Q5NHkQ
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...gas-se-enfrentan-por-caso-polyplas-IF11635926
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkCqnSDQ9cM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKar-Ve1d0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9hY2NKzeP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aTweFNOtic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_lbhyW7FwE
http://eldia.com.do/rector-universidad-catolica-critica-actitud-de-empresarios-caso-polyplas/
Las Americas Highway is still a racetrack for motorcycles
Wheelies and motorcycle racing continue on the Las Americas toll road, the Autovia del Este and Route 66 Avenue that leads into the Las Americas International Airport, as reported in El Nacional.
Over the last eight months, road statistics show 14 fatalities linked to these activities. Huge sums of money are bet on some of these races, which generally take place on the weekends right under the nose of police authorities, Digisett agents and the military units assigned to the Ministry of Public Works.
Residents of Boca Chica, and La Caleta, together with merchants and rental car agencies located on Route 66 Avenue that connects the Las Americas Airport with the highway say they live in fear of these motorcycle races that take place five days every week. Local residents say that the saddest thing is that the young kids go out to race right next door to police stations and Digisett offices and even close to the tollbooths.
Among the victims over the last eight months, eight died as they were taking part in races and five of the victims were pedestrians, one of them a 75-year-old schoolteacher who was mowed down near the entrance to Boca Chica because of the reckless maneuvers carried out by the motorcycles. There have also been vehicular accidents resulting from their antics. Although a meeting of community leaders from Andres, Boca Chica and La Caleta was held with the director of the National Police, no apparent action has been taken to end the races.
https://elnacional.com.do/indetenibles-carreras-de-motocicletas-las-americas/
Partido Verde favors convicted drug capo’s son for senator in border province
A son of convicted drug dealer Qurino E Paulino, Anderson Paulino seeks to run for senator for the province of Elias Piña on the border for the Partido Verde Dominicano. The same political party says it will take Enrique Crespo, of the Los Dueños del Circo TV program, for deputy for the National District, as reported in Diario Libre.
As reported, this is the same party that on 11 November had presented Karim Abu Naba as the pre-candidate for the presidential elections.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-candidato-a-senador-de-elias-pina-MF11630792
Two mummies decorated in gold found in Taposiri Magna
Kathleen Martinez, the Dominican archeologist who is on the search of the remains of Cleopatra in Egypt, announced the discovery of two mummies covered in gold ornaments at the Taposiri Magna cemetery in Egypt. Martinez has defended the theory that Cleopatra might be buried in a crumbling temple near the coastal desert town of Taposiris Magna (present-day Abu Sir), 28 miles west of Alexandria. Martinez argues that Cleopatra sought for Mark Antony and herself to be secretly buried where no one would disturb their eternal life together.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...o-de-dos-momias-intactas-en-egipto-IC11640091
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrSy751hIiS/
https://www.inside-egypt.com/where-...pt-cleopatra-and-her-husband-mark-antony.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/07/Cleopatra/
Baseball players to elect new federation board in January
Mario Melvin Soto announced that elections will be held on 11 January 2019 for the Federacion de Nacional de Peloteros Profesionales (Fenapepro). The announcement follows a meeting at the Casa Museo del Pelotero Profesinal with the participation of the Dominican Professional League, represented by Vitelio Mejia Ortiz, Winston Llenas and Erick Almonte. It was agreed to strengthen the federation and ensure due representation of the baseball players.
http://eldia.com.do/le-doblan-el-pulso-a-soto-haran-comicios-en-enero/
A baseball series without the Aguilas
The Aguilas defeated the Gigantes del Cibao on Saturday evening at their Cibao ball park 8-2, but the win was not enough, The Toros del Este had defeated the Leones del Escogido 2-0, and grabbed the coveted fourth place. The top four teams (Estrellas Orientales, Tigres del Licey, Leones del Escogido and Toros del Este) will now be playing in the round robin that starts after Christmas.
The series continued on Sunday and another game is scheduled for Monday, 17 December 2018, but all decided.
The series is now (as of 16 December 2018 games):
Estrellas Orientales (28-21)
Tigres del Licey (26-23)
Leones del Escogido (26-23)
Toros del Este (25-24)
Aguilas Cibaeñas (22-27)
Gigantes del Cibao (20-29)
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...ales-vencen-al-licey-y-ganan-la-serie-regular
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...l-valdes-coloca-a-los-toros-en-el-round-robin
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...aguilas-cibaenas-ganan-pero-quedan-eliminadas
Toño Rosario and Conjunto Quisqueya at Hard Rock Live
Hard Rock Live presents Los Monarcas, their 31 December 2018 end of year extravaganza. Toño Rosario, Rubby Perez, Ramon Orlando, Miriam Cruz, Aramis Camilo and the Conjunto Quisqueya promise an evening with the best of merengue over the years. Tickets are for sale online at Ticket Express and Uepa Tickets.