Accountant named Minister of Education
JCE says automated voting is not electronic voting
ID program arouses suspicion so close to elections
13.63% of eligible voters reside outside the Dominican Republic
Rosa Encarnación leaves La Z con el Pueblo talk show
CONEP says politics as usual killed the Electricity Pact
Central Bank says GDDS compiles DR macroeconomic data
Aviation services agreement to facilitate direct flights from Israel
Agriculture Ministry tries to help farmers in Northwest
DR forest cover at 43%, says new study
SOECI warns 80% of rivers are dry
Public school teachers call for a “sit-down” strike on Thursday
Army chief says his men don’t take bribes
Primary care still a topic for debate
Diaz Rua legal defense calls charges “selective, arbitrary and slanted”
DR keeps hopes high for qualifying for FIBA World Cup
Accountant named Minister of Education
President Danilo Medina appointed 60-year old accountant Antonio Peña Mirabal his new Minister of Education. He replaces architect Andrés Navarro who had resigned to seek the presidential candidacy for the ruling PLD party. At the time of his appointment, Peña Mirabal was the director of the Promese /CAL program of the government, the low cost pharmacy program. Prior to his appointment to Promese in September 2016, he had been vice minister in charge of finances at the Ministry of Education.
In the same Decree 71-19, President Medina appointed former Santo Domingo mayor, Esmérito Antonio (Roberto) Salcedo Gavilán, as minister without portfolio for citizen security to replace Franklin Almeyda Rancier.
News commentators say that the 16 changes made purge these positions of persons known to be followers of former President Leonel Fernández. Fernández seeks to be the PLD presidential candidate in the 2020 general elections. Franklin Almeyda was one who promptly thanked Medina for his removal, saying he would now fully dedicate himself to the Fernández presidential campaign project.
Others appointed are: Enriquillo Matos to direct Promese/CAL. Luis Miguel Piccirilo McCabe, director of the State Sugar Council (CEA), replacing Pedro Mota Pacheco. Pedro Mota Pacheco is named governor of the province of San Pedro de Macorís, replacing Luis Miguel Piccirilo McCabe.
Juan Francisco Caraballo to direct the Fondo Especial para el Desarrollo Agropecuario (FEDA), replacing José Casimiro Ramos. José Casimiro Ramos is named director of the Instituto Nacional del Tabaco (Intabaco), replacing Juan Francisco Caraballo.
Miguel Mercedes is named manager of the Lotería Nacional, replacing José Francisco Peña Tavárez.
Milton Reyes is named rector of the Instituto Técnico Comunitario de San Luis (ITSC), replacing Víctor Hugo Deláncer. Deláncer is named advisor of the ITSC. Rosa Emilia Martes Jiménez is appointed vice administrative rector of the ITSC replacing Julio Peña, who had resigned.
Raquel Hernández is named manager of the Parque de Mirador Santo Domingo Norte replacing Leandro González Mejía.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...bal-el-nuevo-ministro-de-educacion-DF12176234
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ece-a-danilo-el-haberlo-sustituido-GF12176044
JCE says automated voting is not electronic voting
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) disputes the arguments for rejecting their proposed automated voting system presented by Delia Ferreira, chair of Transparency International. The president of the JCE, Julio Cesar Castaños Guzmán says that the proposed automated voting system is different from electronic voting. Ferreira had stated that only four countries in the world have implemented electronic voting – Brazil, Venezuela, Congo and India due to the high risk of the system being hacked and voter privacy violated.
On Thursday, 21 February 2019, the JCE called a press conference to address the two main concerns raised by Ferreira. The director of Informatics of the JCE Miguel Ángel García and deputy director of Informatics Johnny Rivera shared details of the proposal that has been presented to delegates of the political parties. They explained the JCE is aware of the objections to electronic voting and that is why the proposed automated voting system includes a mechanism whereby traceability is broken to preserve voter privacy. He also said that voters will receive a physical voucher that they will deposit in a box making the process auditable.
Participating in the meeting with the press were JCE judges Roberto Saladín, Rosario Graciano de los Santos, Henry Mejía Oviedo, and director of elections, Mario Núñez.
Guillermo Moreno, of AlPais, a minority political party, says that the use of the automated voting system for the 6 October 2019 primaries will make it possible to test the system in time for the February and May general elections.
https://jce.gob.do/Noticias/jce-realiza-demostracion-de-trazabilidad-de-voto-automatizado
https://eldia.com.do/partidos-prefieren-voto-automatizado-a-manual/
https://twitter.com/laperiodistaros?lang=en
ID program arouses suspicion so close to elections
The recently announced program “I am a Person” that would issue birth certificates and IDs to some 600,000 persons who do not have the identification documents has generated a lot of suspicion in different political circles due to the upcoming elections. The program is sponsored by the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), in coordination with the Central Electoral Board (JCE) with funding from the Presidency Special Programs Agency (Digepep).
Media reports point out that in previous pre-electoral years, such as those of 1994 and 1996, there were similar programs to issue IDs/voting cards to Haitians looking to vote. The secretary general of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), Ramon Rogelio Genao told reporters that it was risky to put such a plan into place during an election year, even if it is a “noble and necessary plan.” Other political leaders said the ID programs should be left exclusively up to the Central Electoral Board.
In an interview with Diario Libre, Digepep program director, Domingo Contreras said the program is not new. He said it calls for issuing birth certificates to minors, not eligible voters. He explained the object of the program is that all in the Dominican Republic have legal identity. He said the 600,000 number presented at the presentation of the program in a press conference was exaggerated, but did not give another number of possible beneficiaries.
Deputy director of Digepep Ajacx Mercedes added that the program cannot be put on hold because it would be a step back for the National Development Strategy. Mercedes says that the actions of the program have already reduced the number of children under five that do not have birth certificates from 25% in 2000 to 9% in 2017.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-de-nacimiento-en-ano-preelectoral-JH12154278
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...torga-actas-en-un-ano-preelectoral-FF12173327
13.63% of eligible voters reside outside the Dominican Republic
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has a registry of 543,000 voters residing outside the DR that are eligible for the 2020 general election. This is 159,060 more voters than the 2016 registered voter list of 384,523.
Dominican expat voters make up 13.63% of all voters eligible for the 2020 general elections. Most of the voters are located in the United States – 366,118 voters or 63% followed by Spain with 77,812 voters, for 13.4%.
There is a significant number of registered voters in Puerto Rico (32,883), Italy (13,550), Lesser Antilles (11,944), Panama (10,667), Switzerland, Venezuela, Chile, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Argentina.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...il-votos-en-el-exterior-en-elecciones-de-2020
Rosa Encarnación leaves La Z con el Pueblo talk show
Investigative journalist Rosa Encarnación was part of the team that worked on the “La Z con el Pueblo” afternoon talk show together with Andrés L. Mateo, Julissa Céspedes, Fafa Taveras, Eddy Alcántara and recently Esteban Delgado. The program discussed political, social issues and current affairs. Encarnación was the talk show coordinator.
A YouTube video of her 19 February 2019 talk show where she describes as free spending alcoholic beverage purchases in July and December 2018 for RD$1.7 million by the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency went viral last week. On the same show, Encarnación had also criticized the purchase of a RD$156,350 gold-laminated pen and another RD$8 million in restaurant vouchers.
Shortly after these facts were reported, Encarnación’s contract was changed leading to her resignation. In her seven months in this position, she has spoken out often in regards to government waste and perceived political shenanigans. She is being replaced by Esteban Delgado who is widely seen a solid supporter of President Medina.
Rosa Encarnación is also part of the “El Despertador” morning talk show of Noticias SIN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uPcafd7pBA
http://hoy.com.do/periodista-rosa-e...rque-me-cambiaron-las-condiciones-de-trabajo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig6HYiiVMbU
CONEP says politics as usual killed the Electricity Pact
The head of the National Business Council (CONEP), Pedro Brache told the media that his membership feels that the enactment of the Electricity Pact was halted solely for political interests. Brache said that his members are very disappointed at this turn of events. He argued the pact would benefit the population and urged the signing as soon as possible. The government had agreed to make more transparent its management of the power distributors.
The National Development Strategy (END) Law 1-12 ordered the signing of the pact. The electricity agreement should have been signed by 2013, according to Law 1-12. There were difficulties from the start and the discussions would not start until 2014.
https://eldia.com.do/presidente-del-conep-dice-pacto-electrico-no-fue-firmado-por-razones-politicas/
Central Bank says GDDS compiles DR macroeconomic data
The Dominican Republic is publishing the National Summary Data Page with the main macroeconomic data most relevant in the country on the Central Bank website. In this way, the Central Bank takes a step forward in implementing the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) for the best practices for the dissemination of macroeconomic statistics.
The GDDS provides the country’s economic authorities, national and international investors, credit rating agencies and the general public with easy access to relevant information for monitoring the main macroeconomic variables of the country.
The Central Bank began implementing the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) in 2005, and has been submitting to the IMF the required metadata, which are used to calculate the macroeconomic variables of each of the sectors of the Dominican economy. In 2015, a set of government institutions proceeded to update this metadata.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4158-national-summary-data-page-nsdp
https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gdds/guide/2013/gddsguide13.pdf
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...e-datos-del-fondo-monetario-internacional-fmi
Aviation services agreement to facilitate direct flights from Israel
Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas signed an aviation services agreement with Israeli Deputy Director General of Foreign Relations Minister Naom Katz during his visit to Tel Aviv, Israel. In addition to the meeting with Katz, Vargas met with other Israeli government officers and private businessmen in a new push to strengthen ties in tourism, investment and trade. The aviation services agreement paves the way for the start of direct flights from Israel.
http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noticias/canciller-vargas-se-reune-con-empresarios-israelies
Agriculture Ministry tries to help farmers in Northwest
Agriculture Minister Osmar Benitez announced in Montecristi that the government would make every effort to assist the farmers of the drought-stricken Northwest. Cattlemen and farmers have suffered extended dry spells before, but his one seems to have hit harder.
Over 20,000 quintals of feed have been distributed, 10,000 temporary silos made available, 25 truckloads of batata fans (what is left after harvesting), and 20,000 gallons of molasses have also been dispersed as part of this effort. Benitez says that his teams have built over 100 lagoons to store rainwater, and they are drilling wells as fast as they can. Some 140 water trucks are being used for the distribution of water to animals and families.
The minister spent two days last week in the area, listening to the concerns of various agricultural groups.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/02/21/...ncion-productores-y-ganaderos-linea-noroeste/
DR forest cover at 43%, says new study
The Ministry of Environment shared findings of the National Forestry Inventory 2018 (INF-RD) at the National Library on Friday, 22 February 2019. The findings were presented by Environment Minister Ángel Estévez, deputy minister for forestry resources Manuel Serrano and Daniel Valerio for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Costa Rican consultant Germán Obando.
The study reveals that seven types of forest ecosystems with an area of 2,103,645.32 hectares cover 43.6% of the country. The study cost US$3 million.
The main objective of the inventory was to quantify and characterize the existing forest in the country, in order to promote the importance of these for human life, highlight the importance of the conservation efforts, and consider their impact on food security, the production of water, as well as the protection of the soil and generation of electrical energy.
According to the study, the forests with the largest area are the broad-leaved humid forest (37.75%) and the dry forest (24.05%), which represent 61.80% of the total forest area. The third area in importance corresponds to the semi-humid broad-leaved forest, with 15.39%. The wetland forest represents only 1.41%. In many areas nationwide, natural old-growth forests have been replaced with a monoculture, such as avocado trees.
The inventory determined that the forests of the Dominican Republic currently store a total of 1,978,618,539 tons of carbon (CO2).
According to all the biodiversity indexes, the semi-humid broadleaf forest and moist broadleaf forest strata have the greatest diversity of species, with 235 and 230 different plant species present. It is followed by the dry forest that averages 177 species.
Regarding the regeneration of forests, the report shows that the average density is 28,014 plants/ha (plants per hectare). In the strata of mangroves, humid broadleaved forest and dry forest, the greatest amount of regeneration was found, with 52,233 plants/ha, 35,098 plants/ha and 32,623 plants/ha.
The inventory began in 2015 with the planning and execution phase. The previous forest cover study dated to 1972, by an initiative of the United Nations Food Organization (FAO).
The 2018 study was funded by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and its Regional Program for Reduction of Deforestation Emissions and Forests Degradation in Central America and the Dominican Republic, the Central American Commission for Environment and development and the Cooperative Fund for Forests Carbon of the World Bank.
https://ambiente.gob.do/ministerio-...nal-forestal-de-la-republica-dominicana-2018/
SOECI warns 80% of rivers are dry
Dire warnings from the Cibao Ecological Society (SOECI) are reporting that 80% of the rivers and streams in the Cibao Valley are dry at this time. They say the deforestation is the main contributing factor to this very serious problem.
Luis Polanco, the executive director, attributes mining operations, slash and burn farming and housing projects for much of the damage. He mentioned a sector of the small village of Tamboril where a part of the forest was cut down to put up shacks. The area’s main water source, the Licey River is currently dry as a bone. He said that the shortsightedness of Environment Minister Angel Estevez keeps provincial offices short-handed and handicapped.
The months-long drought has very seriously affected the nation’s forests and watercourses, causing water rationing in many places.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/02/21/panorama/region-norte/soeci-afirma-80-de-rios-estan-secos/
Public school teachers call for a “sit-down” strike on Thursday
The Dominican Public School Teachers’ Association (ADP) called a sit-down strike for this Thursday, 28 February 2019 to protest the government’s failure to comply with agreements that are now over two years old. The head of the group, Xiomara Guante, told reporters: “We have reached the limits of our patience.”
The ADP said that if the Ministry of Education does not fulfill its obligations with regards to the arrears stemming from teacher assessments, they will call for a demonstration by the national assembly of public school teachers on Friday, 1 March, in front of the Ministry of Education on Av. Máximo Gómez in Santo Domingo.
According to the ADP, of the 21 agreements reached in discussions over two years ago, the Ministry has only complied with one of them, leaving 20 issues pending solution. Regarding the arrears owed to the teachers, the ADP said that over 17,000 teachers that successfully met performance standards have not been paid as agreed.
President Danilo Medina on Sunday, 24 February announced the appointment of a new minister of education, accountant Antonio Peña Mirabal.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/02/21/...o-jueves-a-jornada-nacional-de-brazos-caidos/
Army chief says his men don’t take bribes
Perhaps the headlines were meant to attract attention, but according to El Nacional newspaper’s reporters, the Army’s commanding general, Estanislao Gonel Regalado, said that he had not received reports of improper acts by any of his men over the past few months. The general said that any such report is dealt with immediately and the punishment is handed out right away.
At the same time, the Army chief announced that as a result of Operation Border Fence, some 24,000 undocumented persons were prevented from entering the country from across the border. Together with this effort, the operation also stopped contraband, all the while staying attentive to the events unfolding across the border in Haiti. He noted that the border is manned by 1,200 soldiers, and the border patrol units have been reinforced as well as the elite units and commandoes.
The Dominican border with Haiti is around 376 km long.
https://elnacional.com.do/miembros-del-ejercito-no-macutean-asegura-su-comandante-general/
Primary care still a topic for debate
Looking at an increase of life expectancy of between 5% and 7%, with an eventual 11% on the horizon by 2030, the Dominican Social Security Institute is under pressure to institute the Primary Care System of Health. This was the position of Gustavo Güilamo, the Social Security Coordinator at the Ministry of Labor, set forth during the first international seminar on the issue of Primary Care. The event was held by INTEC’s Social Security Observatory, and the former Health Minister from Colombia, Alejandro Gaviria and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) health specialist Ricardo Perez Cuevas offered their perspectives on a primary care system.
Gaviria Uribe, an economist who directs the Center for the Sustainable Development Objectives for Latin American and the Caribbean, said that the countries in the area needed to work together in order to regulated fair pricing for medicines and other health related products. For his part, Perez Cuevas presented primary care experiences in several countries in the region including Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Brazil. A survey by the IDB showed that between 82% and 90% of those surveyed felt that their health care system needed work.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...nutren-de-experiencias-extranjeras-MH12154091
Díaz Rúa legal defense calls charges “selective, arbitrary and slanted”
Once again the accusations against government officials allegedly involved in the Brazilian Odebrecht construction company scandal are again being called into question based on the selectivity of the charges pressed by the Attorney General prosecutors. The team defending the former head of the National Water Institute (INDRHI) and the former Minister of Public Works Victor Diaz Rua told the court that the allegations are “selective, arbitrary and slanted” during the latest session late last week. The lawyers for the accused, Miguel Valerio and Ramon Emilio Núñez, told the court that when Díaz Rúa was minister of Public Works, the government awarded Odebrecht 12 of the 17 contracts covered in the scandal. However, the lawyers asked the court, why was their defendant is only being accused of corruption in seven of these 12 projects?
Nuñez noted that this is a case of state involvement, since in March 2005, the former minister traveled to Brazil together with Danilo Medina, who at the time was Technical Secretary for the Presidency. Back then, the mission traveled to Brazil to find ways to ease the restriction of funds in order to expand the Northwest Aqueduct and to expand Brazilian contracts.
Díaz Rúa asked the court, perhaps factiously, to note that mentioning Danilo Medina is not necessarily to tie him to the crimes committed in this case, but rather a sign that there could not have been any bribes exchanging hands. Díaz Rúa said that “everybody knows of the honesty of the President of the Republic.”
As one of several examples, the defense cited the case of the Samaná aqueduct, which has so far used up, according to the Diario Libre, the staggering sum of US$286 million (about RD$14.4 billion at today’s rates). They told the court that Díaz Rúa was only responsible for the money spent in Samana itself, which amounted to US$61 million, and others have handled the rest. They noted that it was Mariano Germán, the brother of the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who added the Hermanas Mirabal aqueduct to the project.
His lawyers argued that much of which their defendant is being accused of is a regular practice under incumbent public works minister Gonzalo Castillo.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...nisterio-publico-en-caso-odebrecht-FH12156344
http://hoy.com.do/diaz-rua-vs-gonzalo-castillo-en-caso-sobornos-odebrecht/
DR keeps hopes high for qualifying for FIBA World Cup
A full house of Dominican fans celebrated on Thursday, 21 February 2019, the Dominican Republic defeat of Venezuela 72-67 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier game played at the Palacio de los Deportes in Santo Domingo. The game was a difficult one with the DR making good in the last minutes of the game. Venezuela has already qualified for the China FIBA World Cup.
FIBA basketball described the game as “a huge leap toward the World Cup matches in China.” The Dominican Republic now holds a 7-4 record in Group F of the Americas Qualifiers. The Dominican Republic is tied with Puerto Rico and still has a good chance at winning a slot. This will be decided in the conclusion of the sixth and final games to played over the course of Saturday-Sunday-Monday. (23, 24, 25 February 2019).
According to FIBA, the DR is well positioned to win the remaining Americas slot as best 4th-placed team. As reported, the DR is one victory short, but even if suffering a defeat in the game set for Brazil on Monday, 25 February 2019, the possibilities are good because the goal average favors the team. The game will be at 8:30pm at the Palacio de los Deportes in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center. The two remaining slots are sought by Uruguay, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/americas-qualifiers/groups
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...s/news/lopez-the-guys-evidenced-their-efforts
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...inican-republic-take-a-huge-leap-toward-china
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...he-dominican-republic-wants-to-join-the-party
https://elnacional.com.do/al-horford-con-posibilidad-de-ir-al-mundial/
JCE says automated voting is not electronic voting
ID program arouses suspicion so close to elections
13.63% of eligible voters reside outside the Dominican Republic
Rosa Encarnación leaves La Z con el Pueblo talk show
CONEP says politics as usual killed the Electricity Pact
Central Bank says GDDS compiles DR macroeconomic data
Aviation services agreement to facilitate direct flights from Israel
Agriculture Ministry tries to help farmers in Northwest
DR forest cover at 43%, says new study
SOECI warns 80% of rivers are dry
Public school teachers call for a “sit-down” strike on Thursday
Army chief says his men don’t take bribes
Primary care still a topic for debate
Diaz Rua legal defense calls charges “selective, arbitrary and slanted”
DR keeps hopes high for qualifying for FIBA World Cup
Accountant named Minister of Education
President Danilo Medina appointed 60-year old accountant Antonio Peña Mirabal his new Minister of Education. He replaces architect Andrés Navarro who had resigned to seek the presidential candidacy for the ruling PLD party. At the time of his appointment, Peña Mirabal was the director of the Promese /CAL program of the government, the low cost pharmacy program. Prior to his appointment to Promese in September 2016, he had been vice minister in charge of finances at the Ministry of Education.
In the same Decree 71-19, President Medina appointed former Santo Domingo mayor, Esmérito Antonio (Roberto) Salcedo Gavilán, as minister without portfolio for citizen security to replace Franklin Almeyda Rancier.
News commentators say that the 16 changes made purge these positions of persons known to be followers of former President Leonel Fernández. Fernández seeks to be the PLD presidential candidate in the 2020 general elections. Franklin Almeyda was one who promptly thanked Medina for his removal, saying he would now fully dedicate himself to the Fernández presidential campaign project.
Others appointed are: Enriquillo Matos to direct Promese/CAL. Luis Miguel Piccirilo McCabe, director of the State Sugar Council (CEA), replacing Pedro Mota Pacheco. Pedro Mota Pacheco is named governor of the province of San Pedro de Macorís, replacing Luis Miguel Piccirilo McCabe.
Juan Francisco Caraballo to direct the Fondo Especial para el Desarrollo Agropecuario (FEDA), replacing José Casimiro Ramos. José Casimiro Ramos is named director of the Instituto Nacional del Tabaco (Intabaco), replacing Juan Francisco Caraballo.
Miguel Mercedes is named manager of the Lotería Nacional, replacing José Francisco Peña Tavárez.
Milton Reyes is named rector of the Instituto Técnico Comunitario de San Luis (ITSC), replacing Víctor Hugo Deláncer. Deláncer is named advisor of the ITSC. Rosa Emilia Martes Jiménez is appointed vice administrative rector of the ITSC replacing Julio Peña, who had resigned.
Raquel Hernández is named manager of the Parque de Mirador Santo Domingo Norte replacing Leandro González Mejía.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...bal-el-nuevo-ministro-de-educacion-DF12176234
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ece-a-danilo-el-haberlo-sustituido-GF12176044
JCE says automated voting is not electronic voting
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) disputes the arguments for rejecting their proposed automated voting system presented by Delia Ferreira, chair of Transparency International. The president of the JCE, Julio Cesar Castaños Guzmán says that the proposed automated voting system is different from electronic voting. Ferreira had stated that only four countries in the world have implemented electronic voting – Brazil, Venezuela, Congo and India due to the high risk of the system being hacked and voter privacy violated.
On Thursday, 21 February 2019, the JCE called a press conference to address the two main concerns raised by Ferreira. The director of Informatics of the JCE Miguel Ángel García and deputy director of Informatics Johnny Rivera shared details of the proposal that has been presented to delegates of the political parties. They explained the JCE is aware of the objections to electronic voting and that is why the proposed automated voting system includes a mechanism whereby traceability is broken to preserve voter privacy. He also said that voters will receive a physical voucher that they will deposit in a box making the process auditable.
Participating in the meeting with the press were JCE judges Roberto Saladín, Rosario Graciano de los Santos, Henry Mejía Oviedo, and director of elections, Mario Núñez.
Guillermo Moreno, of AlPais, a minority political party, says that the use of the automated voting system for the 6 October 2019 primaries will make it possible to test the system in time for the February and May general elections.
https://jce.gob.do/Noticias/jce-realiza-demostracion-de-trazabilidad-de-voto-automatizado
https://eldia.com.do/partidos-prefieren-voto-automatizado-a-manual/
https://twitter.com/laperiodistaros?lang=en
ID program arouses suspicion so close to elections
The recently announced program “I am a Person” that would issue birth certificates and IDs to some 600,000 persons who do not have the identification documents has generated a lot of suspicion in different political circles due to the upcoming elections. The program is sponsored by the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), in coordination with the Central Electoral Board (JCE) with funding from the Presidency Special Programs Agency (Digepep).
Media reports point out that in previous pre-electoral years, such as those of 1994 and 1996, there were similar programs to issue IDs/voting cards to Haitians looking to vote. The secretary general of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), Ramon Rogelio Genao told reporters that it was risky to put such a plan into place during an election year, even if it is a “noble and necessary plan.” Other political leaders said the ID programs should be left exclusively up to the Central Electoral Board.
In an interview with Diario Libre, Digepep program director, Domingo Contreras said the program is not new. He said it calls for issuing birth certificates to minors, not eligible voters. He explained the object of the program is that all in the Dominican Republic have legal identity. He said the 600,000 number presented at the presentation of the program in a press conference was exaggerated, but did not give another number of possible beneficiaries.
Deputy director of Digepep Ajacx Mercedes added that the program cannot be put on hold because it would be a step back for the National Development Strategy. Mercedes says that the actions of the program have already reduced the number of children under five that do not have birth certificates from 25% in 2000 to 9% in 2017.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-de-nacimiento-en-ano-preelectoral-JH12154278
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...torga-actas-en-un-ano-preelectoral-FF12173327
13.63% of eligible voters reside outside the Dominican Republic
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has a registry of 543,000 voters residing outside the DR that are eligible for the 2020 general election. This is 159,060 more voters than the 2016 registered voter list of 384,523.
Dominican expat voters make up 13.63% of all voters eligible for the 2020 general elections. Most of the voters are located in the United States – 366,118 voters or 63% followed by Spain with 77,812 voters, for 13.4%.
There is a significant number of registered voters in Puerto Rico (32,883), Italy (13,550), Lesser Antilles (11,944), Panama (10,667), Switzerland, Venezuela, Chile, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Argentina.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...il-votos-en-el-exterior-en-elecciones-de-2020
Rosa Encarnación leaves La Z con el Pueblo talk show
Investigative journalist Rosa Encarnación was part of the team that worked on the “La Z con el Pueblo” afternoon talk show together with Andrés L. Mateo, Julissa Céspedes, Fafa Taveras, Eddy Alcántara and recently Esteban Delgado. The program discussed political, social issues and current affairs. Encarnación was the talk show coordinator.
A YouTube video of her 19 February 2019 talk show where she describes as free spending alcoholic beverage purchases in July and December 2018 for RD$1.7 million by the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency went viral last week. On the same show, Encarnación had also criticized the purchase of a RD$156,350 gold-laminated pen and another RD$8 million in restaurant vouchers.
Shortly after these facts were reported, Encarnación’s contract was changed leading to her resignation. In her seven months in this position, she has spoken out often in regards to government waste and perceived political shenanigans. She is being replaced by Esteban Delgado who is widely seen a solid supporter of President Medina.
Rosa Encarnación is also part of the “El Despertador” morning talk show of Noticias SIN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uPcafd7pBA
http://hoy.com.do/periodista-rosa-e...rque-me-cambiaron-las-condiciones-de-trabajo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig6HYiiVMbU
CONEP says politics as usual killed the Electricity Pact
The head of the National Business Council (CONEP), Pedro Brache told the media that his membership feels that the enactment of the Electricity Pact was halted solely for political interests. Brache said that his members are very disappointed at this turn of events. He argued the pact would benefit the population and urged the signing as soon as possible. The government had agreed to make more transparent its management of the power distributors.
The National Development Strategy (END) Law 1-12 ordered the signing of the pact. The electricity agreement should have been signed by 2013, according to Law 1-12. There were difficulties from the start and the discussions would not start until 2014.
https://eldia.com.do/presidente-del-conep-dice-pacto-electrico-no-fue-firmado-por-razones-politicas/
Central Bank says GDDS compiles DR macroeconomic data
The Dominican Republic is publishing the National Summary Data Page with the main macroeconomic data most relevant in the country on the Central Bank website. In this way, the Central Bank takes a step forward in implementing the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) for the best practices for the dissemination of macroeconomic statistics.
The GDDS provides the country’s economic authorities, national and international investors, credit rating agencies and the general public with easy access to relevant information for monitoring the main macroeconomic variables of the country.
The Central Bank began implementing the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) in 2005, and has been submitting to the IMF the required metadata, which are used to calculate the macroeconomic variables of each of the sectors of the Dominican economy. In 2015, a set of government institutions proceeded to update this metadata.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4158-national-summary-data-page-nsdp
https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gdds/guide/2013/gddsguide13.pdf
https://www.bancentral.gov.do/a/d/4...e-datos-del-fondo-monetario-internacional-fmi
Aviation services agreement to facilitate direct flights from Israel
Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas signed an aviation services agreement with Israeli Deputy Director General of Foreign Relations Minister Naom Katz during his visit to Tel Aviv, Israel. In addition to the meeting with Katz, Vargas met with other Israeli government officers and private businessmen in a new push to strengthen ties in tourism, investment and trade. The aviation services agreement paves the way for the start of direct flights from Israel.
http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noticias/canciller-vargas-se-reune-con-empresarios-israelies
Agriculture Ministry tries to help farmers in Northwest
Agriculture Minister Osmar Benitez announced in Montecristi that the government would make every effort to assist the farmers of the drought-stricken Northwest. Cattlemen and farmers have suffered extended dry spells before, but his one seems to have hit harder.
Over 20,000 quintals of feed have been distributed, 10,000 temporary silos made available, 25 truckloads of batata fans (what is left after harvesting), and 20,000 gallons of molasses have also been dispersed as part of this effort. Benitez says that his teams have built over 100 lagoons to store rainwater, and they are drilling wells as fast as they can. Some 140 water trucks are being used for the distribution of water to animals and families.
The minister spent two days last week in the area, listening to the concerns of various agricultural groups.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/02/21/...ncion-productores-y-ganaderos-linea-noroeste/
DR forest cover at 43%, says new study
The Ministry of Environment shared findings of the National Forestry Inventory 2018 (INF-RD) at the National Library on Friday, 22 February 2019. The findings were presented by Environment Minister Ángel Estévez, deputy minister for forestry resources Manuel Serrano and Daniel Valerio for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Costa Rican consultant Germán Obando.
The study reveals that seven types of forest ecosystems with an area of 2,103,645.32 hectares cover 43.6% of the country. The study cost US$3 million.
The main objective of the inventory was to quantify and characterize the existing forest in the country, in order to promote the importance of these for human life, highlight the importance of the conservation efforts, and consider their impact on food security, the production of water, as well as the protection of the soil and generation of electrical energy.
According to the study, the forests with the largest area are the broad-leaved humid forest (37.75%) and the dry forest (24.05%), which represent 61.80% of the total forest area. The third area in importance corresponds to the semi-humid broad-leaved forest, with 15.39%. The wetland forest represents only 1.41%. In many areas nationwide, natural old-growth forests have been replaced with a monoculture, such as avocado trees.
The inventory determined that the forests of the Dominican Republic currently store a total of 1,978,618,539 tons of carbon (CO2).
According to all the biodiversity indexes, the semi-humid broadleaf forest and moist broadleaf forest strata have the greatest diversity of species, with 235 and 230 different plant species present. It is followed by the dry forest that averages 177 species.
Regarding the regeneration of forests, the report shows that the average density is 28,014 plants/ha (plants per hectare). In the strata of mangroves, humid broadleaved forest and dry forest, the greatest amount of regeneration was found, with 52,233 plants/ha, 35,098 plants/ha and 32,623 plants/ha.
The inventory began in 2015 with the planning and execution phase. The previous forest cover study dated to 1972, by an initiative of the United Nations Food Organization (FAO).
The 2018 study was funded by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and its Regional Program for Reduction of Deforestation Emissions and Forests Degradation in Central America and the Dominican Republic, the Central American Commission for Environment and development and the Cooperative Fund for Forests Carbon of the World Bank.
https://ambiente.gob.do/ministerio-...nal-forestal-de-la-republica-dominicana-2018/
SOECI warns 80% of rivers are dry
Dire warnings from the Cibao Ecological Society (SOECI) are reporting that 80% of the rivers and streams in the Cibao Valley are dry at this time. They say the deforestation is the main contributing factor to this very serious problem.
Luis Polanco, the executive director, attributes mining operations, slash and burn farming and housing projects for much of the damage. He mentioned a sector of the small village of Tamboril where a part of the forest was cut down to put up shacks. The area’s main water source, the Licey River is currently dry as a bone. He said that the shortsightedness of Environment Minister Angel Estevez keeps provincial offices short-handed and handicapped.
The months-long drought has very seriously affected the nation’s forests and watercourses, causing water rationing in many places.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/02/21/panorama/region-norte/soeci-afirma-80-de-rios-estan-secos/
Public school teachers call for a “sit-down” strike on Thursday
The Dominican Public School Teachers’ Association (ADP) called a sit-down strike for this Thursday, 28 February 2019 to protest the government’s failure to comply with agreements that are now over two years old. The head of the group, Xiomara Guante, told reporters: “We have reached the limits of our patience.”
The ADP said that if the Ministry of Education does not fulfill its obligations with regards to the arrears stemming from teacher assessments, they will call for a demonstration by the national assembly of public school teachers on Friday, 1 March, in front of the Ministry of Education on Av. Máximo Gómez in Santo Domingo.
According to the ADP, of the 21 agreements reached in discussions over two years ago, the Ministry has only complied with one of them, leaving 20 issues pending solution. Regarding the arrears owed to the teachers, the ADP said that over 17,000 teachers that successfully met performance standards have not been paid as agreed.
President Danilo Medina on Sunday, 24 February announced the appointment of a new minister of education, accountant Antonio Peña Mirabal.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/02/21/...o-jueves-a-jornada-nacional-de-brazos-caidos/
Army chief says his men don’t take bribes
Perhaps the headlines were meant to attract attention, but according to El Nacional newspaper’s reporters, the Army’s commanding general, Estanislao Gonel Regalado, said that he had not received reports of improper acts by any of his men over the past few months. The general said that any such report is dealt with immediately and the punishment is handed out right away.
At the same time, the Army chief announced that as a result of Operation Border Fence, some 24,000 undocumented persons were prevented from entering the country from across the border. Together with this effort, the operation also stopped contraband, all the while staying attentive to the events unfolding across the border in Haiti. He noted that the border is manned by 1,200 soldiers, and the border patrol units have been reinforced as well as the elite units and commandoes.
The Dominican border with Haiti is around 376 km long.
https://elnacional.com.do/miembros-del-ejercito-no-macutean-asegura-su-comandante-general/
Primary care still a topic for debate
Looking at an increase of life expectancy of between 5% and 7%, with an eventual 11% on the horizon by 2030, the Dominican Social Security Institute is under pressure to institute the Primary Care System of Health. This was the position of Gustavo Güilamo, the Social Security Coordinator at the Ministry of Labor, set forth during the first international seminar on the issue of Primary Care. The event was held by INTEC’s Social Security Observatory, and the former Health Minister from Colombia, Alejandro Gaviria and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) health specialist Ricardo Perez Cuevas offered their perspectives on a primary care system.
Gaviria Uribe, an economist who directs the Center for the Sustainable Development Objectives for Latin American and the Caribbean, said that the countries in the area needed to work together in order to regulated fair pricing for medicines and other health related products. For his part, Perez Cuevas presented primary care experiences in several countries in the region including Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Brazil. A survey by the IDB showed that between 82% and 90% of those surveyed felt that their health care system needed work.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...nutren-de-experiencias-extranjeras-MH12154091
Díaz Rúa legal defense calls charges “selective, arbitrary and slanted”
Once again the accusations against government officials allegedly involved in the Brazilian Odebrecht construction company scandal are again being called into question based on the selectivity of the charges pressed by the Attorney General prosecutors. The team defending the former head of the National Water Institute (INDRHI) and the former Minister of Public Works Victor Diaz Rua told the court that the allegations are “selective, arbitrary and slanted” during the latest session late last week. The lawyers for the accused, Miguel Valerio and Ramon Emilio Núñez, told the court that when Díaz Rúa was minister of Public Works, the government awarded Odebrecht 12 of the 17 contracts covered in the scandal. However, the lawyers asked the court, why was their defendant is only being accused of corruption in seven of these 12 projects?
Nuñez noted that this is a case of state involvement, since in March 2005, the former minister traveled to Brazil together with Danilo Medina, who at the time was Technical Secretary for the Presidency. Back then, the mission traveled to Brazil to find ways to ease the restriction of funds in order to expand the Northwest Aqueduct and to expand Brazilian contracts.
Díaz Rúa asked the court, perhaps factiously, to note that mentioning Danilo Medina is not necessarily to tie him to the crimes committed in this case, but rather a sign that there could not have been any bribes exchanging hands. Díaz Rúa said that “everybody knows of the honesty of the President of the Republic.”
As one of several examples, the defense cited the case of the Samaná aqueduct, which has so far used up, according to the Diario Libre, the staggering sum of US$286 million (about RD$14.4 billion at today’s rates). They told the court that Díaz Rúa was only responsible for the money spent in Samana itself, which amounted to US$61 million, and others have handled the rest. They noted that it was Mariano Germán, the brother of the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who added the Hermanas Mirabal aqueduct to the project.
His lawyers argued that much of which their defendant is being accused of is a regular practice under incumbent public works minister Gonzalo Castillo.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...nisterio-publico-en-caso-odebrecht-FH12156344
http://hoy.com.do/diaz-rua-vs-gonzalo-castillo-en-caso-sobornos-odebrecht/
DR keeps hopes high for qualifying for FIBA World Cup
A full house of Dominican fans celebrated on Thursday, 21 February 2019, the Dominican Republic defeat of Venezuela 72-67 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier game played at the Palacio de los Deportes in Santo Domingo. The game was a difficult one with the DR making good in the last minutes of the game. Venezuela has already qualified for the China FIBA World Cup.
FIBA basketball described the game as “a huge leap toward the World Cup matches in China.” The Dominican Republic now holds a 7-4 record in Group F of the Americas Qualifiers. The Dominican Republic is tied with Puerto Rico and still has a good chance at winning a slot. This will be decided in the conclusion of the sixth and final games to played over the course of Saturday-Sunday-Monday. (23, 24, 25 February 2019).
According to FIBA, the DR is well positioned to win the remaining Americas slot as best 4th-placed team. As reported, the DR is one victory short, but even if suffering a defeat in the game set for Brazil on Monday, 25 February 2019, the possibilities are good because the goal average favors the team. The game will be at 8:30pm at the Palacio de los Deportes in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center. The two remaining slots are sought by Uruguay, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/americas-qualifiers/groups
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...s/news/lopez-the-guys-evidenced-their-efforts
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...inican-republic-take-a-huge-leap-toward-china
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...he-dominican-republic-wants-to-join-the-party
https://elnacional.com.do/al-horford-con-posibilidad-de-ir-al-mundial/