Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero: Need for more taxes
DR to Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi
Intrant resolution seeks to prevent old tire blowouts
Intrant offers concession on Lincoln bust rout for 21 years
Increase in government minimum wage could keep traffic fines low
Labor unions applaud lower commissions for pension fund managers
The slow death of Los Haitises National Park
Boycott to the national carnival parade on Sunday
Almanzar of AIRD: No way for industries to grant a 30% wage hike
Too many heart procedures being carried out?
Dominican doctor wins Latin American medical congress award
CMD: Cabral y Baez Hospital is “dramatic”
Court orders AG to present accusations in Yuniol Ramirez case
Dodge Ram seized with 254 packages suspect cocaine
Puerto Rican gang members fugitive in DR?
Preventive custody to park assailants
Wedding crashes with punch to Victor Diaz Rúa
Women’s Volleyball tournament
Robinson Chalapud wins Vuelta Independencia
Covi Quintana: Soy Dominicana
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero: Need for more taxes
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero says the Dominican economic model is working. Guerrero made the statement when interviewed for El Caribe newspaper. He highlighted the high level of growth. “I could say that not only did we grow 7%, but there was growth with price and exchange rate stability, and the reverting in the trend of poverty levels that had practically stagnated after the financial crisis of 2003," Guerrero told journalists from the El Caribe.
He observed that around 660,000 jobs have been created from 2013 to 2018, and poverty has declined from 49.7% to 25.5%. He said the country generated over US$30 billion in hard currency in 2018. There are around 1,247,000 students in the new all-day curricula schools, and more than 1.8 million students receive food at public schools. In the six-years of Medina administration, more than 19,400 new schoolrooms have been built.
“That is a true social revolution that has lead the economy to exhibit high levels of growth, a matter of pride for the country and of admiration by other nations. That growth has been achieved with stability and by reducing poverty. That is a successful model," he continued to stress.
He considered the weakness of the Dominican system that taxation is below the average for Latin America. He said the tax burden for 2018 closed at 15% of GDP, when the average for Latin America is 20%. He said there is a need to increase government tax revenues to sustain the social programs. Guerrero advocated for less tax evasion and less tax exemptions and incentives. He said incentives are at present around 5.5% or 6% of GDP.
He defended government spending, saying the Medina administration is one of the most prudent in spending in Latin America. "There are only two countries that are at our level or below, which are Guatemala and Costa Rica. We have - last year - a total spending pressure on the Gross Domestic Product of 17.4%. The average of Latin America exceeds 24%," he explained.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/02...co-esta-produciendo-los-resultados-esperados/
DR to Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi
First Lady Cándida Montilla will head the Dominican sports delegation to the Special Olympics World Games that will take place in Abu Dhabi. The games will take place 8-22 March 2019. Elba Nicasio will be the chief of the 21-athlete strong Dominican team. The team will be accompanied by a support staff of 15. Dominicans will compete in athletics, bowling, open water swimming, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, triathlon, and beach volleyball. Bowlers Anthony Hidalgo and Genesis Graciano were named the flag-bearers for the team.
The first lady has been a champion for persons with disabilities in the country. From early in the first government of her husband President Danilo Medina, Montilla spearheaded the Centro de Atención Integral para la Discapacidad (CAID) model program that is the leading educational center for persons with special needs.
In the 2015 Special Olympics World Games that took place in 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA, the Dominican Republic won three gold, three silver and three bronze in open waters, athletics, swimming, softball and triathlon competitions. Winners that year included Alejandro Batlle (triathlon), Juan Cortorreal and Reina Astrid Curiel in open waters, Daniel Fortuna in swimming.
Anthony Hidalgo is a bronze medal winner from the III Latin American Games that took place in Panama in 2017.
https://www.abudhabi2019.org/sports/world-games-2019
https://elnacional.com.do/video-can...diales-de-olimpiadas-especiales-en-abu-dhabi/
Intrant resolution seeks to prevent old tire blowouts
The National Traffic and Ground Transportation Institute (Intrant) issued Resolution 002-2019 whereby traffic agents can retain vehicles transiting with deteriorated tires until the tires are replaced by the owners. The vehicles are said to be road hazards, vulnerable to causing lethal traffic accidents. As the tires age and are exposed to heat, the rubber deteriorates and at high speeds are vulnerable to causing blowouts, putting to danger the driver’s life, that of vehicle passengers, and others on the road.
The president of the Conatra transport company, Antonio Marte, backed the resolution but urged the government reduce taxes on tires. Other spokesmen for large transport companies, Juan Hubieres of Fenatrano and William Pérez Figuereo of CNTU also backed the resolution. The resolution gives drivers 60 days (through 26 April 2019) to comply with Intrant tire requirements.
https://intrant.gob.do/transparenci...las Vias Publicas del territorio Nacional.pdf
https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2019/03/02/555800/vehiculos-con-gomas-lisas-seran-retenidos
Intrant offers concession on Lincoln bust rout for 21 years
The National Institute of Traffic and Ground Transportation (Intrant) has opened a tender for the concession of a highly trafficked bus route in Greater Santo Domingo.
The bus route would go from Intrant offices in Los Rios, in northern Santo Domingo, all the way to the Av. Jiménez Moya near the Malecon, by way of Av. Abraham Lincoln. The 19 km stretch also covers Av. El Sol Poniente, Av. República de Colombia, and Av. Los Próceres in northern Santo Domingo.
Intrant requires a fleet of 26 buses with capacity for 90 passengers, 20% of seating to accommodate persons with disabilities plus a prudent number in reserve.
According to Intrant, the fare on this line should be RD$30.00 maximum. The buses would operate from Monday until Saturday from 5:30am until 10:30pm. On Sundays and holidays, the schedule would be from 6am until 10pm.
Tender offers will be received until 16 April 2019. The contract for the concession is set to be signed on 14 June and operations are to begin on 21 June.
The new bus route connects two Santo Domingo Metro stations.
Private operators complain they are having to compete with the government owned Omsa bus agency.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...anos-los-detalles-de-la-licitacion-AB12206644
Increase in government minimum wage could keep traffic fines low
The Intrant has desisted from applying the RD$5,117 fine on traffic violations contemplated in Transit Law 63-17 on grounds these are too high. Traffic expert Dary Terrero told El Nacional that by law the fine was increased to RD$10,000 given that Law 63-17 pegs the fines to the minimum wage in government. President Danilo Medina announced on 27 February 2019 address that he was raising minimum wages in government to RD$10,000. Meanwhile, the government continues to apply the same fines as ordered by Law 241-67, that is no longer in effect. These are mostly RD$1,000 fines for the traffic violations.
If applied correctly, the increased fines would be a windfall in revenues for Intrant and the government. Terrero said efforts are underway to amend Art. 281 of Law 63-17 so the fines are instead gradually increased. The lawmakers had expectations that the high fines would discourage traffic violations.
https://elnacional.com.do/multa-minima-por-violar-ley-transito-sera-de-10-mil-pesos/
http://digesett.gob.do/index.php/destacados/item/369-tarifario-de-multas
Labor unions applaud lower commissions for pension fund managers
The nation’s labor unions came out loudly in support of the measure announced by President Danilo Medina in his State of the Republic address on Wednesday, 27 February 2019. Medina promised to lower the commission charged by all of the country’s pension fund managers.
Labor leaders Gabriel del Rio Doñé and Jacobo Ramos were clear in their support of the measure. However, Kirsis Jáquez, the executive president of the Dominican Association of Pension Fund Managers (ADAPF) told reporters from the Diario Libre that her association understands the importance of the proposal and that Medina had consulted with the association regarding the proposal and the association is studying it at this time.
The union leaders, who represent a majority of unionized labor in the country, were hard on the AFPs, charging them with a “ferocious appetite for earnings at the expense of the workers.” For her part, Jáquez said that the ADAPF was cooperating with the changes to the social security system that would provide more coverage and provide more and better pensions.
https://elnacional.com.do/apoyan-baja-a-ganancias-de-las-afp/
The slow death of Los Haitises National Park
Reporter Carlos M. Batista of Diario Libre reveals just how much damage is being done to the very unique Los Haitises National Park. The park is protected under laws 202-04 and 64-00 as well as by Articles 14 and 16 of the Dominican Constitution. None of this really matters, reports Batista.
He highlighted in the feature that because of its location besides the Samana Bay and its dense forests, the area attracts clouds that deliver rains that are stored in the underground caverns of that national park. The Los Haitises National Park is a limestone karst plateau with conical hills, sinkholes and caverns and is regarded as an important reservoir for drinking water. The area has an annual precipitation estimated at around 2,000 mm (79 in).
The importance of the park area is that the clouds it attracts also move on to other forest areas that are equally protected by laws and located in the center of the island: Valle Nuevo, Ebano Verde, Las Neblinas, J. Armando Bermudez, Montaña La Humeadora and many others.
The reporter details how he flew over the area, noting that from afar, he and his team could see the smoke from the fires of the “slash and burn” farmers and much human activity in the entire region. During the flight, the reporter took over 100 photographs of the fires, huts, and of cattle and pigs in the park where all human activity is banned.
Environmentalists have been critical of the new Environment Minister Angel Estévez, saying he is the first minister to foster agriculture over environment protection.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...a-del-parque-nacional-los-haitises-AA12210011
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...toridades-por-las-areas-protegidas-CA12217775
Boycott to the national carnival parade on Sunday
Thousands of residents in Greater Santo Domingo showed up on Sunday, 3 March 2019 to watch the national carnival parade that gathers carnival groups from all around the country. They were disappointed. A boycott to the organizers left city residents without being able to see many of the most popular carnival groups, a major disappointment for the large turnout on the Malecón boulevard. This is the first time the groups boycott the carnival.
Many of the 80 carnival groups that were scheduled did not come to the city protesting the reduction of the stipend of RD$1,000 per participant to RD$300 this year. The groups also protested the reduction of the cash prizes. While in the past these had been RD$100,000, R$150,000, RD$200,000, RD$500,000 and RD$1,000,000, this year all categories would receive a maximum cash award of RD$50,000. Likewise, the Ministry of Culture did not cover the transport of the groups from the towns, leaving this responsibility up to the city governments.
Earlier it had been known that Puerto Plata, to whom the carnival would be dedicated this year, had announced it would not participate. The Ministry of Culture announced the carnival would be dedicated to Barahona that participated with a colorful group. During the carnival, tribute was rendered to Casandra Damirón, a native of Barahona best known for her contributions to Dominican folklore music and dance.
https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...rroche-de-colorido-y-dominicanidad-CD12227647
https://eldia.com.do/desfile-carnaval-con-coloridas-comparsas/
http://hoy.com.do/carnaval-deslucido-por-menos-comparsas-de-las-provincias/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ucha-gente-pero-pocas-comparsas-en-el-malecon
Almanzar of AIRD: No way for industries to grant a 30% wage hike
In the Dominican Republic there do not exist the conditions for a 30% wage increase as proposed by the nation’s unions. According to Circe Almanzar, the executive vice-president of the Dominican Republic Association of Industries (AIRD), a 30% increase would generate a “very tricky situation” for industry and the business sector.
Almanzar says that if there is compliance with the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Law, companies would be in a better condition to restructure salaries. “Talks have started and we will see what will happen,” she said.
The AIRD has advocated a reclassification of businesses arguing that a micro-business cannot be subject to the same wage scale as a large corporation. She further noted that the minimum wage in the industrial sector in the Dominican Republic is above RD$20,000, but this goes up as commissions are earned. This is unlikely to happen in micro-businesses.
Finally, Almanzar noted that the business sector does not want to remove labor benefits. What it is proposes is a change of model focused on what an employee produces and not how many hours worked.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...nes-para-aumentar-un-30-a-salarios-BA12214335
Too many heart procedures being carried out?
Are unnecessary cardiac procedures being carried out in the Dominican Republic? An article in Hoy alerts that many cardiac stent implants may be unnecessary. Doctors suspect many procedures are to cash in on insurance coverage. They say the focus should be on prevention and early detection of cardiac problems to take other measures. While lifesaving, the cardiac procedures are costly to the health system and to patients, especially because of the costly meds the patient will need to take following the procedures.
Data from the Superintendence of Health and Labor Risks (Sisalril) reveals that in the past three years in the Dominican Republic there has been a marked increased in catheterization, angioplasties and stent implants in patients who required or supposedly required a cardiovascular procedure. The ARS paid for 20,507 procedures for a total of RD$1.7 billion. This was RD$493.9 million in 2016, RD$650.7 billion in 2017 and RD$590.3 billion in 2018.
Data from only the government health provider, Senasa reveals that in the past three years, 11,701 affiliates received 6,920 catheterizations, 4,810 angioplasties and 9,842 stent implants. The medical standard is 2.2 diagnostics per stent implanted, while Senasa numbers indicate 3.5.
The report in Hoy says this is evidence of the increase in the implanting of stents in regards to catheterizations. The concern is that while the high number of interventions is due to the greater access to health services, specialists in the area who asked to reserve their names say that the stenting could be to cash in on the insurance, despite considerations of medical ethics and quality of care.
ARS directors say that the Ministry of Public Health is not supervising the quality of the procedures. Hoy reports that in 2018, at least five new catheterization centers were opened in Moca, Santiago, San Francisco de Macoris and La Romana.
http://hoy.com.do/alarma-en-rd-alta-cifra-implantes-dispositivos-cardiacos-ven-negocio/
https://www.vox.com/science-and-hea...ent-chest-pain-treatment-angina-not-effective
Dominican doctor wins Latin American medical congress award
Dr. Glorinil Mercedes Germán, sixth year resident at the Residencia Nacional de Cirugía Plástica, Reconstructiva y Estética (RENACIP) of the Hospital Salvador B. Gautier, a public hospital, in the National District won first place for her paper presented at the Plastic Surgery Residents contest organized as part of the activities of the XII Congreso de Cirugía Plástica y Reconstructiva “Unidos en Ciencia y Confraternidad” organized by the Federación Ibero-Latinoamericana de Cirugía Plástica (FILACP), from 20-24 February 2019 in Panamá.
She presented the paper “Variations of lipid fractions in patients submitted to abdominoplasty at the Hospital Dr. Salvador B. Gautier, from January to May 2018.
The RENACIP is the only plastic surgery school in the Dominican Republic.
The next congress will take place in the Dominican Republic in 2020. She received a cash prize and the cost of participating in the 2020 congress.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...na-concurso-internacional-de-cirugia-plastica
CMD: Cabral y Baez Hospital is “dramatic”
The leadership of the Dominican Medical Guild (CMD), including its president Dr. Wilson Roa, says the situation at the Jose Maria Cabral y Baez Regional University Public Hospital in Santiago is “dramatic, interminable and unbearable.” This was Roa’s comment after touring the largest public hospital in the Cibao, and certainly one of the largest in the nation. The hospital has been undergoing a remodeling for the last five years.
Dr. Roa said that a similar situation is experienced at the Altagracia Maternity Hospital in Santo Domingo and other public hospitals subject to remodeling. He said that the problem is that while the remodeling slowly proceeds, the hospitals are invalidated from providing the services required by the people, and there is no end in sight.
He said the CMD is fighting for a real health system, “because business cannot be the guideline for the right to public health for Dominicans.” He said that little by little the health service of the country has fallen into the hands of “intermediaries”—the local HMOs—and this is not a good thing for preventive medicine.
https://elnacional.com.do/cmd-ve-dramatica-situacion-hospital-cabral-y-baez/
Court orders AG to present accusations in Yuniol Ramirez case
The Third Court of Instruction for the National District has issued a demand before the office of the prosecutor for the Attorney General of the Republic to a formal accusation against the defendants within the next 15 days in the Yuniol Ramírez murder case. Judge Amauri Marcos Martinez Abreau, who presides over the court hearing the case, issued the court order after taking into consideration the fact that in December of 2018 the prosecutors were given an extension of two months to conclude their investigation and prepare their accusations in this murder case and they have yet to do so.
The judge said that if the prosecutors do not present a formal accusation within the time granted by the court, and there are no requests or injunctions from the parties, the judge could close the criminal case due to the poor performance of the prosecutors, according to Art. 151 of the Penal Process Code.
Yuniol Ramirez was murdered shortly after he denounced in public major corruption going on in the OMSA government bus agency.
Within 24 hours, the spokesperson for the Attorney General of the Republic told reporters that in the coming week, at the latest, they would present a formal accusation against those person indicted in this case. Julieta Tejada, the spokeswoman for the AG’s office, said that it must be remembered that the case had been moved from the province of Santo Domingo to the jurisdiction of the District Attorney of the National District. As a result, the DA had to go over every single piece of evidence in the case, down to the most minute detail, since the case was declared to be “complex.” She assured the reporters that next week they would be depositing in the court, the documents and the formal accusations. The alleged killer, himself, is still in New York City awaiting extradition.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...del-caso-yuniol-ramirez-en-15-dias-GB12206527
https://elnacional.com.do/pgr-afirm...o-oportuno-acusacion-por-asesinato-de-yuniol/
Dodge Ram seized with 254 packages suspect cocaine
A Dodge Ram pick up was abandoned with 254 packages of a white substance suspect of being cocaine on Oscar de la Renta Expressway (Autovía del Coral) between Veron and Punta Cana in eastern La Altagracia province. The DNCD agents had ordered the vehicle to stop. As reported, officers of the DNCD were carrying out a surveillance operation on the highway when the vehicle tried to evade the order to stop for check. A patrol fired several warning shots, but the driver did not stop and a persecution began.
As reported, the driver escaped and is now a fugitive. The vehicle was searched and the packages detected. Also found were several smart phones, personal documents among other docs. The packages were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) for verification.
http://dncd.gob.do/index.php/notici...sumiblemente-cocaina-encaletados-en-camioneta
https://eldia.com.do/dncd-decomisa-254-paquetes-de-cocaina-encaletados-en-camioneta/
Puerto Rican gang members fugitive in DR?
Dangerous criminals members of the Puerto Rico drug trafficking gang Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Cantera (FARC) are suspect of hiding out in the Dominican Republic. As reported, 40 of the a 75 men criminal group were arrested and are in jail, Puerto Rican Federal prosecutor Rosa Emilia Rodríguez said on Wednesday, 27 February 2019. She made the statement on occasion of the accusation of 75 gang members in Puerto Rico.
The prosecutor explained the gang controlled drug distribution in Santurce, Puerto Rico since 2006. The gang also smuggled cocaine into the United States.
There has been conflicting information on the presence of the gang members in the Dominican Republic. Director of the Police Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said that two of these persons were arrested, while the director of the National Department of Investigations (DNI) said Puerto Rico had not alerted Dominican authorities.
The Attorney General Office says, together with the National Police, National Drug Control Agency and National Department of Investigations, it is in contact with the Puerto Rican authorities on the case.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...antes-boricuas-se-encuentran-en-rd-GA12213858
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...presencia-de-narcos-de-puerto-rico-en-el-pais
https://eldia.com.do/autoridades-investigan-si-peligrosa-banda-narco-boricua-esta-en-el-pais/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...cos-a-rd-pillo-por-sorpresa-a-las-autoridades
http://hoy.com.do/pgr-inicia-investigacion-narcos-boricuas-en-el-pais/
Preventive custody to park assailants
Hours after President Danilo Medina announced in his state of the nation address at the National Assembly on the morning of Wednesday, 27 February 2019 that crime was at an all-time record, a gang of assailants hit upon 11 people taking a stroll in the Las Praderas park area in the National District at around 4pm.
The Police were prompt in making arrests. On Sunday, 3 March 2019, Judge José Alejandro Vargas sentenced the first two of the suspects Leonel Francés Guzmán and Waldy David González de Jesús to three-months preventive custody.
What is known is that individuals assaulted at gunpoint the strolling families. The assailants then left on a motorcycle. More are sought in the case.
The families said that five masked and armed men assaulted them when they were on their Independence Day stroll in Las Praderas Park, that is located off Av. Gustavo Mejía Ricart near Av. Núñez de Cáceres.
The victims were identified as Margarita Emilia Roa Sánchez, Jonathan Bobea Roberts, Edmundo Messina Viña, Raúl Alejandro Cuevas Tejada, Diana Carolina Polanco Báez, Paola Mariel Espinosa Castro, Ricardo Ernesto Corporán Peguero, Gerda María Soro Sención, Joao Mohadib Viñas Asenjo, José Adolfo Sánchez Hernández y Zacarías Dael Garib Pimentel who said they belongings, including mobiles, jewelry and cash were stolen.
Within two hours, the National Police had arrested two of the men who admitted to their crime and identified the remaining members, at least by their nicknames: Guajiro, Jordan and Abuelo. These three are being pursued by the police.
According to the police report the five men managed to steal from 11 persons articles that included money, rings, watches, cell phones and even personal documents. This was done at around 4:30pm and by 6:30pm the Police had captured two of the assailants. The director general of the National Police, Ney Bautista Almonte, reported that the two men arrested have a long history of arrests for assaults and robberies.
https://elnacional.com.do/asaltan-a-once-familias-parque-las-praderas/
https://elnacional.com.do/conocen-este-domingo-coercion-asaltantes-parque-las-praderas/
https://www.metrord.do/do/noticias/...alidad-se-redujo-24-2012-10-4-al-dia-hoy.html
Wedding crashes with punch to Victor Diaz Rúa
Lawyer Julio Cury punched former Minister of Public Works Víctor Díaz Rúa during the wedding of socialites reportedly, bringing the wedding to a crash on Saturday, 2 March 2019 as the two got involved in a fistfight. The wedding had practically inaugurated the newly remodeled Santa Barbara church in the Colonial City. The punch was the talk of the town in social media over the weekend. Cury would apologize in a tweet, explaining he reacted to offensive comments by Díaz Rúa. Both were guests at the wedding.
Víctor Díaz Rúa is one of the accused of taking bribes for Odebrecht construction work.
https://eldia.com.do/diaz-rua-y-julio-cury-se-pelean-a-las-trompadas-en-una-boda/
https://eloriental.com.do/victor-di...ean-a-los-punos-en-la-boda-de-manuel-peynado/
https://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-1397/
http://actualidaddominicana.com/ind...tre-julio-cury-y-diaz-rua&Itemid=1252&lang=es
Women’s Volleyball tournament
Those that enjoy a good game of women’s volleyball are invited to watch the games of the Liga Superior de Voleibol Femenino 1-22 March 2019 regular season. Playing are many of the leading world ranked 9th Dominican women’s team. Teams include Mirador, Guerreras, Caribeñas and Cristo Rey. The team is working to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The FIVB recently congratulated the country for being in the top ten women’s FIVB World Ranking in all categories as of 1 January 2019.
Women’s volleyball is world class in the Dominican Republic.
Read more and see the games schedule:
http://www.fedovoli.org/noticias/20...ota-26-en-triunfo-de-caribeñas-en-5-sets.aspx
Robinson Chalapud wins Vuelta Independencia
Representing Medellín, Colombia, world-class cyclist Robinson Chalapud won the 40th National Independence Cycling Tour that ended on Sunday, 3 March 2019 in the city of Santiago. His team also finished first.
Some of the best cyclists from the Caribbean, Central America and South America participated in the race. The seven-day stage race took cyclists throughout the country. It is part of the America Tour 2019 (UCI class 2.2) and allows cyclists to earn points towards qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Ismael Sánchez was the best for the Dominican Republic, ending in 5th place.
https://eldia.com.do/chalapud-conquista-vuelta-independencia/
Covi Quintana: Soy Dominicana
On occasion of the 175th Independence Day celebrations on 27 February 2019, a video with a remake of the 2015 song written by songwriter and singer Covi Quintana went viral. The video was released as part of the “Orgullo de Mi Tierra” campaign by Centro Cuesta Nacional. This time, Covi Quintana on the guitar was joined by the legendary voices of 18 famous Dominican performers and 42 musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra. The musical directors of the production were Alex Mansilla and Allan Leschorn.
Performing in the video were Covi Quintana, Johnny Ventura, Pavel Núñez, Techy Fatule, Manny Cruz, Milly Quezada, Jochy Santos, Nashla Bogaert, Fefita La Grande, Diomary “La Mala”, Eddy Herrera, Raymond Pozo, Miguel Céspedes, Los Hermanos Rosario, Luz García, Frank Ceara, Pedro Martínez and Mark B. They invited Dominicans all to look ahead with optimism and pride in the land.
The audiovisual was produced by Archie López and Panamericana de Producciones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGQjJz0aee0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/02...a-de-optimismo-hacia-la-republica-dominicana/
https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...ominicana-covi-quintana-lo-explica-CL12190929
DR to Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi
Intrant resolution seeks to prevent old tire blowouts
Intrant offers concession on Lincoln bust rout for 21 years
Increase in government minimum wage could keep traffic fines low
Labor unions applaud lower commissions for pension fund managers
The slow death of Los Haitises National Park
Boycott to the national carnival parade on Sunday
Almanzar of AIRD: No way for industries to grant a 30% wage hike
Too many heart procedures being carried out?
Dominican doctor wins Latin American medical congress award
CMD: Cabral y Baez Hospital is “dramatic”
Court orders AG to present accusations in Yuniol Ramirez case
Dodge Ram seized with 254 packages suspect cocaine
Puerto Rican gang members fugitive in DR?
Preventive custody to park assailants
Wedding crashes with punch to Victor Diaz Rúa
Women’s Volleyball tournament
Robinson Chalapud wins Vuelta Independencia
Covi Quintana: Soy Dominicana
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero: Need for more taxes
Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero says the Dominican economic model is working. Guerrero made the statement when interviewed for El Caribe newspaper. He highlighted the high level of growth. “I could say that not only did we grow 7%, but there was growth with price and exchange rate stability, and the reverting in the trend of poverty levels that had practically stagnated after the financial crisis of 2003," Guerrero told journalists from the El Caribe.
He observed that around 660,000 jobs have been created from 2013 to 2018, and poverty has declined from 49.7% to 25.5%. He said the country generated over US$30 billion in hard currency in 2018. There are around 1,247,000 students in the new all-day curricula schools, and more than 1.8 million students receive food at public schools. In the six-years of Medina administration, more than 19,400 new schoolrooms have been built.
“That is a true social revolution that has lead the economy to exhibit high levels of growth, a matter of pride for the country and of admiration by other nations. That growth has been achieved with stability and by reducing poverty. That is a successful model," he continued to stress.
He considered the weakness of the Dominican system that taxation is below the average for Latin America. He said the tax burden for 2018 closed at 15% of GDP, when the average for Latin America is 20%. He said there is a need to increase government tax revenues to sustain the social programs. Guerrero advocated for less tax evasion and less tax exemptions and incentives. He said incentives are at present around 5.5% or 6% of GDP.
He defended government spending, saying the Medina administration is one of the most prudent in spending in Latin America. "There are only two countries that are at our level or below, which are Guatemala and Costa Rica. We have - last year - a total spending pressure on the Gross Domestic Product of 17.4%. The average of Latin America exceeds 24%," he explained.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/02...co-esta-produciendo-los-resultados-esperados/
DR to Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi
First Lady Cándida Montilla will head the Dominican sports delegation to the Special Olympics World Games that will take place in Abu Dhabi. The games will take place 8-22 March 2019. Elba Nicasio will be the chief of the 21-athlete strong Dominican team. The team will be accompanied by a support staff of 15. Dominicans will compete in athletics, bowling, open water swimming, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, triathlon, and beach volleyball. Bowlers Anthony Hidalgo and Genesis Graciano were named the flag-bearers for the team.
The first lady has been a champion for persons with disabilities in the country. From early in the first government of her husband President Danilo Medina, Montilla spearheaded the Centro de Atención Integral para la Discapacidad (CAID) model program that is the leading educational center for persons with special needs.
In the 2015 Special Olympics World Games that took place in 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA, the Dominican Republic won three gold, three silver and three bronze in open waters, athletics, swimming, softball and triathlon competitions. Winners that year included Alejandro Batlle (triathlon), Juan Cortorreal and Reina Astrid Curiel in open waters, Daniel Fortuna in swimming.
Anthony Hidalgo is a bronze medal winner from the III Latin American Games that took place in Panama in 2017.
https://www.abudhabi2019.org/sports/world-games-2019
https://elnacional.com.do/video-can...diales-de-olimpiadas-especiales-en-abu-dhabi/
Intrant resolution seeks to prevent old tire blowouts
The National Traffic and Ground Transportation Institute (Intrant) issued Resolution 002-2019 whereby traffic agents can retain vehicles transiting with deteriorated tires until the tires are replaced by the owners. The vehicles are said to be road hazards, vulnerable to causing lethal traffic accidents. As the tires age and are exposed to heat, the rubber deteriorates and at high speeds are vulnerable to causing blowouts, putting to danger the driver’s life, that of vehicle passengers, and others on the road.
The president of the Conatra transport company, Antonio Marte, backed the resolution but urged the government reduce taxes on tires. Other spokesmen for large transport companies, Juan Hubieres of Fenatrano and William Pérez Figuereo of CNTU also backed the resolution. The resolution gives drivers 60 days (through 26 April 2019) to comply with Intrant tire requirements.
https://intrant.gob.do/transparenci...las Vias Publicas del territorio Nacional.pdf
https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2019/03/02/555800/vehiculos-con-gomas-lisas-seran-retenidos
Intrant offers concession on Lincoln bust rout for 21 years
The National Institute of Traffic and Ground Transportation (Intrant) has opened a tender for the concession of a highly trafficked bus route in Greater Santo Domingo.
The bus route would go from Intrant offices in Los Rios, in northern Santo Domingo, all the way to the Av. Jiménez Moya near the Malecon, by way of Av. Abraham Lincoln. The 19 km stretch also covers Av. El Sol Poniente, Av. República de Colombia, and Av. Los Próceres in northern Santo Domingo.
Intrant requires a fleet of 26 buses with capacity for 90 passengers, 20% of seating to accommodate persons with disabilities plus a prudent number in reserve.
According to Intrant, the fare on this line should be RD$30.00 maximum. The buses would operate from Monday until Saturday from 5:30am until 10:30pm. On Sundays and holidays, the schedule would be from 6am until 10pm.
Tender offers will be received until 16 April 2019. The contract for the concession is set to be signed on 14 June and operations are to begin on 21 June.
The new bus route connects two Santo Domingo Metro stations.
Private operators complain they are having to compete with the government owned Omsa bus agency.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...anos-los-detalles-de-la-licitacion-AB12206644
Increase in government minimum wage could keep traffic fines low
The Intrant has desisted from applying the RD$5,117 fine on traffic violations contemplated in Transit Law 63-17 on grounds these are too high. Traffic expert Dary Terrero told El Nacional that by law the fine was increased to RD$10,000 given that Law 63-17 pegs the fines to the minimum wage in government. President Danilo Medina announced on 27 February 2019 address that he was raising minimum wages in government to RD$10,000. Meanwhile, the government continues to apply the same fines as ordered by Law 241-67, that is no longer in effect. These are mostly RD$1,000 fines for the traffic violations.
If applied correctly, the increased fines would be a windfall in revenues for Intrant and the government. Terrero said efforts are underway to amend Art. 281 of Law 63-17 so the fines are instead gradually increased. The lawmakers had expectations that the high fines would discourage traffic violations.
https://elnacional.com.do/multa-minima-por-violar-ley-transito-sera-de-10-mil-pesos/
http://digesett.gob.do/index.php/destacados/item/369-tarifario-de-multas
Labor unions applaud lower commissions for pension fund managers
The nation’s labor unions came out loudly in support of the measure announced by President Danilo Medina in his State of the Republic address on Wednesday, 27 February 2019. Medina promised to lower the commission charged by all of the country’s pension fund managers.
Labor leaders Gabriel del Rio Doñé and Jacobo Ramos were clear in their support of the measure. However, Kirsis Jáquez, the executive president of the Dominican Association of Pension Fund Managers (ADAPF) told reporters from the Diario Libre that her association understands the importance of the proposal and that Medina had consulted with the association regarding the proposal and the association is studying it at this time.
The union leaders, who represent a majority of unionized labor in the country, were hard on the AFPs, charging them with a “ferocious appetite for earnings at the expense of the workers.” For her part, Jáquez said that the ADAPF was cooperating with the changes to the social security system that would provide more coverage and provide more and better pensions.
https://elnacional.com.do/apoyan-baja-a-ganancias-de-las-afp/
The slow death of Los Haitises National Park
Reporter Carlos M. Batista of Diario Libre reveals just how much damage is being done to the very unique Los Haitises National Park. The park is protected under laws 202-04 and 64-00 as well as by Articles 14 and 16 of the Dominican Constitution. None of this really matters, reports Batista.
He highlighted in the feature that because of its location besides the Samana Bay and its dense forests, the area attracts clouds that deliver rains that are stored in the underground caverns of that national park. The Los Haitises National Park is a limestone karst plateau with conical hills, sinkholes and caverns and is regarded as an important reservoir for drinking water. The area has an annual precipitation estimated at around 2,000 mm (79 in).
The importance of the park area is that the clouds it attracts also move on to other forest areas that are equally protected by laws and located in the center of the island: Valle Nuevo, Ebano Verde, Las Neblinas, J. Armando Bermudez, Montaña La Humeadora and many others.
The reporter details how he flew over the area, noting that from afar, he and his team could see the smoke from the fires of the “slash and burn” farmers and much human activity in the entire region. During the flight, the reporter took over 100 photographs of the fires, huts, and of cattle and pigs in the park where all human activity is banned.
Environmentalists have been critical of the new Environment Minister Angel Estévez, saying he is the first minister to foster agriculture over environment protection.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...a-del-parque-nacional-los-haitises-AA12210011
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...toridades-por-las-areas-protegidas-CA12217775
Boycott to the national carnival parade on Sunday
Thousands of residents in Greater Santo Domingo showed up on Sunday, 3 March 2019 to watch the national carnival parade that gathers carnival groups from all around the country. They were disappointed. A boycott to the organizers left city residents without being able to see many of the most popular carnival groups, a major disappointment for the large turnout on the Malecón boulevard. This is the first time the groups boycott the carnival.
Many of the 80 carnival groups that were scheduled did not come to the city protesting the reduction of the stipend of RD$1,000 per participant to RD$300 this year. The groups also protested the reduction of the cash prizes. While in the past these had been RD$100,000, R$150,000, RD$200,000, RD$500,000 and RD$1,000,000, this year all categories would receive a maximum cash award of RD$50,000. Likewise, the Ministry of Culture did not cover the transport of the groups from the towns, leaving this responsibility up to the city governments.
Earlier it had been known that Puerto Plata, to whom the carnival would be dedicated this year, had announced it would not participate. The Ministry of Culture announced the carnival would be dedicated to Barahona that participated with a colorful group. During the carnival, tribute was rendered to Casandra Damirón, a native of Barahona best known for her contributions to Dominican folklore music and dance.
https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...rroche-de-colorido-y-dominicanidad-CD12227647
https://eldia.com.do/desfile-carnaval-con-coloridas-comparsas/
http://hoy.com.do/carnaval-deslucido-por-menos-comparsas-de-las-provincias/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ucha-gente-pero-pocas-comparsas-en-el-malecon
Almanzar of AIRD: No way for industries to grant a 30% wage hike
In the Dominican Republic there do not exist the conditions for a 30% wage increase as proposed by the nation’s unions. According to Circe Almanzar, the executive vice-president of the Dominican Republic Association of Industries (AIRD), a 30% increase would generate a “very tricky situation” for industry and the business sector.
Almanzar says that if there is compliance with the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Law, companies would be in a better condition to restructure salaries. “Talks have started and we will see what will happen,” she said.
The AIRD has advocated a reclassification of businesses arguing that a micro-business cannot be subject to the same wage scale as a large corporation. She further noted that the minimum wage in the industrial sector in the Dominican Republic is above RD$20,000, but this goes up as commissions are earned. This is unlikely to happen in micro-businesses.
Finally, Almanzar noted that the business sector does not want to remove labor benefits. What it is proposes is a change of model focused on what an employee produces and not how many hours worked.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...nes-para-aumentar-un-30-a-salarios-BA12214335
Too many heart procedures being carried out?
Are unnecessary cardiac procedures being carried out in the Dominican Republic? An article in Hoy alerts that many cardiac stent implants may be unnecessary. Doctors suspect many procedures are to cash in on insurance coverage. They say the focus should be on prevention and early detection of cardiac problems to take other measures. While lifesaving, the cardiac procedures are costly to the health system and to patients, especially because of the costly meds the patient will need to take following the procedures.
Data from the Superintendence of Health and Labor Risks (Sisalril) reveals that in the past three years in the Dominican Republic there has been a marked increased in catheterization, angioplasties and stent implants in patients who required or supposedly required a cardiovascular procedure. The ARS paid for 20,507 procedures for a total of RD$1.7 billion. This was RD$493.9 million in 2016, RD$650.7 billion in 2017 and RD$590.3 billion in 2018.
Data from only the government health provider, Senasa reveals that in the past three years, 11,701 affiliates received 6,920 catheterizations, 4,810 angioplasties and 9,842 stent implants. The medical standard is 2.2 diagnostics per stent implanted, while Senasa numbers indicate 3.5.
The report in Hoy says this is evidence of the increase in the implanting of stents in regards to catheterizations. The concern is that while the high number of interventions is due to the greater access to health services, specialists in the area who asked to reserve their names say that the stenting could be to cash in on the insurance, despite considerations of medical ethics and quality of care.
ARS directors say that the Ministry of Public Health is not supervising the quality of the procedures. Hoy reports that in 2018, at least five new catheterization centers were opened in Moca, Santiago, San Francisco de Macoris and La Romana.
http://hoy.com.do/alarma-en-rd-alta-cifra-implantes-dispositivos-cardiacos-ven-negocio/
https://www.vox.com/science-and-hea...ent-chest-pain-treatment-angina-not-effective
Dominican doctor wins Latin American medical congress award
Dr. Glorinil Mercedes Germán, sixth year resident at the Residencia Nacional de Cirugía Plástica, Reconstructiva y Estética (RENACIP) of the Hospital Salvador B. Gautier, a public hospital, in the National District won first place for her paper presented at the Plastic Surgery Residents contest organized as part of the activities of the XII Congreso de Cirugía Plástica y Reconstructiva “Unidos en Ciencia y Confraternidad” organized by the Federación Ibero-Latinoamericana de Cirugía Plástica (FILACP), from 20-24 February 2019 in Panamá.
She presented the paper “Variations of lipid fractions in patients submitted to abdominoplasty at the Hospital Dr. Salvador B. Gautier, from January to May 2018.
The RENACIP is the only plastic surgery school in the Dominican Republic.
The next congress will take place in the Dominican Republic in 2020. She received a cash prize and the cost of participating in the 2020 congress.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...na-concurso-internacional-de-cirugia-plastica
CMD: Cabral y Baez Hospital is “dramatic”
The leadership of the Dominican Medical Guild (CMD), including its president Dr. Wilson Roa, says the situation at the Jose Maria Cabral y Baez Regional University Public Hospital in Santiago is “dramatic, interminable and unbearable.” This was Roa’s comment after touring the largest public hospital in the Cibao, and certainly one of the largest in the nation. The hospital has been undergoing a remodeling for the last five years.
Dr. Roa said that a similar situation is experienced at the Altagracia Maternity Hospital in Santo Domingo and other public hospitals subject to remodeling. He said that the problem is that while the remodeling slowly proceeds, the hospitals are invalidated from providing the services required by the people, and there is no end in sight.
He said the CMD is fighting for a real health system, “because business cannot be the guideline for the right to public health for Dominicans.” He said that little by little the health service of the country has fallen into the hands of “intermediaries”—the local HMOs—and this is not a good thing for preventive medicine.
https://elnacional.com.do/cmd-ve-dramatica-situacion-hospital-cabral-y-baez/
Court orders AG to present accusations in Yuniol Ramirez case
The Third Court of Instruction for the National District has issued a demand before the office of the prosecutor for the Attorney General of the Republic to a formal accusation against the defendants within the next 15 days in the Yuniol Ramírez murder case. Judge Amauri Marcos Martinez Abreau, who presides over the court hearing the case, issued the court order after taking into consideration the fact that in December of 2018 the prosecutors were given an extension of two months to conclude their investigation and prepare their accusations in this murder case and they have yet to do so.
The judge said that if the prosecutors do not present a formal accusation within the time granted by the court, and there are no requests or injunctions from the parties, the judge could close the criminal case due to the poor performance of the prosecutors, according to Art. 151 of the Penal Process Code.
Yuniol Ramirez was murdered shortly after he denounced in public major corruption going on in the OMSA government bus agency.
Within 24 hours, the spokesperson for the Attorney General of the Republic told reporters that in the coming week, at the latest, they would present a formal accusation against those person indicted in this case. Julieta Tejada, the spokeswoman for the AG’s office, said that it must be remembered that the case had been moved from the province of Santo Domingo to the jurisdiction of the District Attorney of the National District. As a result, the DA had to go over every single piece of evidence in the case, down to the most minute detail, since the case was declared to be “complex.” She assured the reporters that next week they would be depositing in the court, the documents and the formal accusations. The alleged killer, himself, is still in New York City awaiting extradition.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...del-caso-yuniol-ramirez-en-15-dias-GB12206527
https://elnacional.com.do/pgr-afirm...o-oportuno-acusacion-por-asesinato-de-yuniol/
Dodge Ram seized with 254 packages suspect cocaine
A Dodge Ram pick up was abandoned with 254 packages of a white substance suspect of being cocaine on Oscar de la Renta Expressway (Autovía del Coral) between Veron and Punta Cana in eastern La Altagracia province. The DNCD agents had ordered the vehicle to stop. As reported, officers of the DNCD were carrying out a surveillance operation on the highway when the vehicle tried to evade the order to stop for check. A patrol fired several warning shots, but the driver did not stop and a persecution began.
As reported, the driver escaped and is now a fugitive. The vehicle was searched and the packages detected. Also found were several smart phones, personal documents among other docs. The packages were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) for verification.
http://dncd.gob.do/index.php/notici...sumiblemente-cocaina-encaletados-en-camioneta
https://eldia.com.do/dncd-decomisa-254-paquetes-de-cocaina-encaletados-en-camioneta/
Puerto Rican gang members fugitive in DR?
Dangerous criminals members of the Puerto Rico drug trafficking gang Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Cantera (FARC) are suspect of hiding out in the Dominican Republic. As reported, 40 of the a 75 men criminal group were arrested and are in jail, Puerto Rican Federal prosecutor Rosa Emilia Rodríguez said on Wednesday, 27 February 2019. She made the statement on occasion of the accusation of 75 gang members in Puerto Rico.
The prosecutor explained the gang controlled drug distribution in Santurce, Puerto Rico since 2006. The gang also smuggled cocaine into the United States.
There has been conflicting information on the presence of the gang members in the Dominican Republic. Director of the Police Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said that two of these persons were arrested, while the director of the National Department of Investigations (DNI) said Puerto Rico had not alerted Dominican authorities.
The Attorney General Office says, together with the National Police, National Drug Control Agency and National Department of Investigations, it is in contact with the Puerto Rican authorities on the case.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...antes-boricuas-se-encuentran-en-rd-GA12213858
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...presencia-de-narcos-de-puerto-rico-en-el-pais
https://eldia.com.do/autoridades-investigan-si-peligrosa-banda-narco-boricua-esta-en-el-pais/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...cos-a-rd-pillo-por-sorpresa-a-las-autoridades
http://hoy.com.do/pgr-inicia-investigacion-narcos-boricuas-en-el-pais/
Preventive custody to park assailants
Hours after President Danilo Medina announced in his state of the nation address at the National Assembly on the morning of Wednesday, 27 February 2019 that crime was at an all-time record, a gang of assailants hit upon 11 people taking a stroll in the Las Praderas park area in the National District at around 4pm.
The Police were prompt in making arrests. On Sunday, 3 March 2019, Judge José Alejandro Vargas sentenced the first two of the suspects Leonel Francés Guzmán and Waldy David González de Jesús to three-months preventive custody.
What is known is that individuals assaulted at gunpoint the strolling families. The assailants then left on a motorcycle. More are sought in the case.
The families said that five masked and armed men assaulted them when they were on their Independence Day stroll in Las Praderas Park, that is located off Av. Gustavo Mejía Ricart near Av. Núñez de Cáceres.
The victims were identified as Margarita Emilia Roa Sánchez, Jonathan Bobea Roberts, Edmundo Messina Viña, Raúl Alejandro Cuevas Tejada, Diana Carolina Polanco Báez, Paola Mariel Espinosa Castro, Ricardo Ernesto Corporán Peguero, Gerda María Soro Sención, Joao Mohadib Viñas Asenjo, José Adolfo Sánchez Hernández y Zacarías Dael Garib Pimentel who said they belongings, including mobiles, jewelry and cash were stolen.
Within two hours, the National Police had arrested two of the men who admitted to their crime and identified the remaining members, at least by their nicknames: Guajiro, Jordan and Abuelo. These three are being pursued by the police.
According to the police report the five men managed to steal from 11 persons articles that included money, rings, watches, cell phones and even personal documents. This was done at around 4:30pm and by 6:30pm the Police had captured two of the assailants. The director general of the National Police, Ney Bautista Almonte, reported that the two men arrested have a long history of arrests for assaults and robberies.
https://elnacional.com.do/asaltan-a-once-familias-parque-las-praderas/
https://elnacional.com.do/conocen-este-domingo-coercion-asaltantes-parque-las-praderas/
https://www.metrord.do/do/noticias/...alidad-se-redujo-24-2012-10-4-al-dia-hoy.html
Wedding crashes with punch to Victor Diaz Rúa
Lawyer Julio Cury punched former Minister of Public Works Víctor Díaz Rúa during the wedding of socialites reportedly, bringing the wedding to a crash on Saturday, 2 March 2019 as the two got involved in a fistfight. The wedding had practically inaugurated the newly remodeled Santa Barbara church in the Colonial City. The punch was the talk of the town in social media over the weekend. Cury would apologize in a tweet, explaining he reacted to offensive comments by Díaz Rúa. Both were guests at the wedding.
Víctor Díaz Rúa is one of the accused of taking bribes for Odebrecht construction work.
https://eldia.com.do/diaz-rua-y-julio-cury-se-pelean-a-las-trompadas-en-una-boda/
https://eloriental.com.do/victor-di...ean-a-los-punos-en-la-boda-de-manuel-peynado/
https://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-1397/
http://actualidaddominicana.com/ind...tre-julio-cury-y-diaz-rua&Itemid=1252&lang=es
Women’s Volleyball tournament
Those that enjoy a good game of women’s volleyball are invited to watch the games of the Liga Superior de Voleibol Femenino 1-22 March 2019 regular season. Playing are many of the leading world ranked 9th Dominican women’s team. Teams include Mirador, Guerreras, Caribeñas and Cristo Rey. The team is working to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The FIVB recently congratulated the country for being in the top ten women’s FIVB World Ranking in all categories as of 1 January 2019.
Women’s volleyball is world class in the Dominican Republic.
Read more and see the games schedule:
http://www.fedovoli.org/noticias/20...ota-26-en-triunfo-de-caribeñas-en-5-sets.aspx
Robinson Chalapud wins Vuelta Independencia
Representing Medellín, Colombia, world-class cyclist Robinson Chalapud won the 40th National Independence Cycling Tour that ended on Sunday, 3 March 2019 in the city of Santiago. His team also finished first.
Some of the best cyclists from the Caribbean, Central America and South America participated in the race. The seven-day stage race took cyclists throughout the country. It is part of the America Tour 2019 (UCI class 2.2) and allows cyclists to earn points towards qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Ismael Sánchez was the best for the Dominican Republic, ending in 5th place.
https://eldia.com.do/chalapud-conquista-vuelta-independencia/
Covi Quintana: Soy Dominicana
On occasion of the 175th Independence Day celebrations on 27 February 2019, a video with a remake of the 2015 song written by songwriter and singer Covi Quintana went viral. The video was released as part of the “Orgullo de Mi Tierra” campaign by Centro Cuesta Nacional. This time, Covi Quintana on the guitar was joined by the legendary voices of 18 famous Dominican performers and 42 musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra. The musical directors of the production were Alex Mansilla and Allan Leschorn.
Performing in the video were Covi Quintana, Johnny Ventura, Pavel Núñez, Techy Fatule, Manny Cruz, Milly Quezada, Jochy Santos, Nashla Bogaert, Fefita La Grande, Diomary “La Mala”, Eddy Herrera, Raymond Pozo, Miguel Céspedes, Los Hermanos Rosario, Luz García, Frank Ceara, Pedro Martínez and Mark B. They invited Dominicans all to look ahead with optimism and pride in the land.
The audiovisual was produced by Archie López and Panamericana de Producciones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGQjJz0aee0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/02...a-de-optimismo-hacia-la-republica-dominicana/
https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...ominicana-covi-quintana-lo-explica-CL12190929
Last edited: