DR1 Daily News - Monday, 6 May 2019

D

Dolores

Guest
Santo Domingo Book Fair was a big success
59% voters say they are independent
Leonel Fernández says he has 2 million followers
CMD signs with HMO Humano and others; strike ends
Did Mrs. Maduro travel to Punta Cana?
Dominican plant could prevent death by cancer
Workers reject management proposal to amend severance payments
Fenatrado to go on strike tomorrow on tread issues
Privatizing Bahía de las Aguilas access; residents complain of detour of access road
Moca honors Diario Libre director Adriano Miguel Tejada
No results on two foreigners shot and killed in Sosua
Strong 4.6 quake rocks in parts of the South
Two Dominican Emmy award-winning news reporters
“Travesías en Sugar “ to be shown at Quinta Dominica



Santo Domingo Book Fair was a big success
Culture Minister Eduardo Selman announced the Santo Domingo Book Fair would continue to be celebrated in the Colonial City. He made the announcement at the Sunday, 5 May 2019 closing of the 10-day cultural event that lured hundreds of thousands of people to activities in the Colonial City. For the event, zone streets were closed off and cultural centers and museums within the core of the historical area were open and free to pedestrians in the city. An estimated million persons visited the Colonial City for the event.


59% voters say they are independent
The 14-17 April 2019 Mark Penn poll reveals that most eligible voters in the Dominican Republic are not partisan to any political party. To the question: “Are you partisan to a political party or an independent?”, 59% of voters answered independent, 23% favor the PLD and 13% the PRM, 2% the PRD and 1% the PRSC.

The most pressing problems in the Dominican Republic identified by the poll are crime (32%), unemployment (17%), corruption (13%), and cost of living (10%).

The poll was released on Wednesday, 1 May 2019. It was carried out with 1,007 persons eligible to vote polled from 14 to 17 April 2019. The margin of error is +/- 3%.

The Mark Penn April 2019 poll indicates that so far no politician has enough support to win in a first-round vote. This includes President Danilo Medina of the ruling PLD party, who by constitutional mandate is banned from running. The poll revealed he has a 41% intention of vote backing. If former President Leonel Fernández were chosen as the ruling PLD candidate, he would receive 38% of the voter intention. This compares to 33% of PRM leading pre-candidate Luis Abinader. The Mark Penn poll confirms earlier findings by Asisa Research poll that none of the candidates has enough voter backing to win in a first round.

The April poll indicates that 30% of voters would like President Medina to be the ruling party candidate in the 2020 presidential election; 24% say they would prefer Leonel Fernández, and 23% would like to see Vice President Margarita Cedeño be chosen. Among those that say they are members or followers of the PLD, 43% prefer Danilo Medina; 38% prefer Leonel Fernández and 15% prefer Margarita Cedeño.

The poll shows 47% of PRM voters favor a return of Luis Abinader as the PRM candidate. This compares to 76% of PLD voters who favor President Medina being the party’s candidate.

To the question: “Who do you think should be the PLD candidate?”, 30% responded President Danilo Medina, 24% responded former President Leonel Fernandez, and 23% responded Vice President Cedeño.

According to the April 2019 Mark Penn poll, 77% of eligible voters believe President Medina will move his political forces to amend the Constitution in order to run for reelection. Only 16% said he will not give it a try, and 8% said they do not have an opinion. The ruling PLD party has a majority in Congress and technically has enough votes. But the party is divided among those who back President Danilo Medina and those who back former President Leonel Fernandez, who is the president of the PLD. Fernandez was President during the terms 1996-2000, 2004-2008 and 2008-2012.

Vice President Margarita Cedeño (PLD), who happens to be the wife of former President Leonel Fernández, leads in popularity ranking when positive and negative ratings are considered. The poll indicates she scored 54 points in favor and 41 against, followed by opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) pre-candidate Luis Abinader with 51 points in favor and 40 unfavorable; and President Danilo Medina (PLD), with 51 positive points and 46 unfavorable. Those polled were asked to grade as favorable and unfavorable 15 leading politicians, on a scale of one to four.

To the question, “If the presidential election were today and the candidates were Danilo Medina for the PLD, Luis Abinader for the PRM, Miguel Vargas for the PRD, Ito Bisonó for the PRSC, Guillermo Moreno for Alianza Pais and Minou Tavarez for Opción Democrática, who would you vote for?”, the answers were: Medina (41%), Abinader (30%), Vargas and Moreno (5%), Tavarez and Bisonó (3%.).

If the presidential candidate were Leonel Fernandez for the PLD, the vote would be Fernández (38%), Abinader (33%).

The Mark Penn poll asked about the possibility of Fernández running for the PLD and former President Hipólito Mejía running for the PRM. The results were Fernández receiving 40% to 21% of Mejía. Both candidates are eligible for running in the 2020 general election.

http://hoy.com.do/encuesta-mark-penn-noticias-sin-2/
http://hoy.com.do/satisfaccion-con-gobierno-danilo-medina-se-mantiene-en-un-60/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-I9GMKYocM - Noticias Sin
https://minutoaminuto.com.do/77-cre...on-para-reelegirse-senala-encuesta-mark-penn/
https://elnacional.com.do/margarita...olitica-mas-popular-segun-encuesta-mark-penn/


Leonel Fernández says he has 2 million followers
Followers of PLD pre-candidate, Leonel Fernández, filled the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium to demonstrate the political strength of the candidacy of the former President. During the event, the aspirant to the ruling PLD party presidential candidacy called for the unity of the party.

Thousands of people were gathered under the slogans of “Not a step backward (No hay marcha atrás), and We are Headed to the ’20 (E Pa’l 20 que vamos). Diario Libre observed that Fernández, who is president of the ruling PLD, “marked his territory.”

During the event, Fernández stressed he has 2 million followers. Moreso, he alerted that to amend the Constitution to enable President Danilo Medina to again be the PLD candidate would result in a dictatorship.

In his 23-minute speech, he stated: “Let us not allow forces foreign to our party, that change their jackets with each new government, that only know how to thrive in darkness, without loyalty to anything or anyone, to influence our decisions," he insisted. Medina reformed the 2010 Constitution so as to run for reelection in 2012 with the backing of the PRD. Today, Medina supporters say they have the backing of PRM legislators to make the amendment to enable Medina to be the PLD candidate in the 2020 general election.

Fernández promised change in a new government. He said the people have complained about illegal migration, transparency, accountability, health, social security, and lack of jobs.

Leading artistic performers animated the afternoon event. Among these were Christopher Valoy, Silvio Mora, El Jefrey, José Virgilio Peña Suazo, Shadow Blow, Michel, Wilfrido Vargas, El Talento, Luis Miguel del Amargue, Mark B and Sergio Vargas.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-en-el-pld-y-hace-oferta-diferente-IM12699405


CMD signs with HMO Humano and others; strike ends
The doctors of the Dominican Medical Guild (CMD), the National Council of Specialized Medical Societies (Conasomep) and the National Association of Clinics and Hospitals (Andeclip) have all signed an agreement with ARS Humano, thus bringing to an end the boycott of services and procedures to members of this and several other health insurers (HMOs). ARS Palis, ARS Universal and the Dominican Association of Health Risk Insurers (ADARS) also signed the agreement.

Wilson Roa, the fiery leader of the CMD, told Diario Libre that it was calling on the doctors to provide services and procedures to those insured by these entities because the agreement is guaranteed by the Minister of Labor and the Superintendent of Labor Health and Risks (Sisairil).

Roa said there are two ongoing fights: one to reach an agreement and the other to see that the agreement is fulfilled. He was referring to the fact that the agreement reached late last week were but the ratification of commitments that had already been made in 2017 of which some will begin to be applied immediately and others will have to go to the National Social Security Council for their passing.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...on-ars-humano-y-otras-aseguradoras-CC12677027
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ntes-ya-pueden-volver-a-las-consultas-medicas


Did Mrs. Maduro travel to Punta Cana?
Peruvian journalist Jaime Bayly said on Mega TV on Tuesday, 30 April 2019 that things were so difficult for President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela last week that he sent his wife Cilia Flores to the Dominican Republic on board a plane (TC-TSR) provided by Russian Putin. He said Maduro is the owner of a US$18 million mansion in Cap Cana where they would be exiled. Afterward, a video would show that Flores was in Venezuela, as she accompanying her husband.

On Friday, 3 May, the director of the National Investigations Department (DNI) Sigfrido Pared Pérez told Dominican press they had not been able to confirm if the wife of President Nicolás Maduro was in the Dominican Republic after the arrival of a Russian airplane to the Punta Cana International Airport on Tuesday. It was reported that the airplane left on Wednesday to Russia. “The airplane arrived at Punta Cana with its crew and departed to its destination,” said the director of the DNI.

A back page in Diario Libre on 6 May 2019 calls for more information on that flight. “Why the mystery? The authorities have to speak out,” headlined the editorial.

https://www.msn.com/es-ar/video/not...fugió-en-una-mansión-en-punta-cana/vi-AAARkE4
https://www.infobae.com/america/ven...putin-y-ahi-se-iba-el-dictador-si-lo-sacaban/
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/de-buena-tinta/el-misterio-del-avion-en-punta-cana-OM12696932
https://extradigital.com.do/naciona...mar-esposa-nicolas-maduro-se-encuentre-en-rd/
https://elcomercio.pe/redes-sociale...o-operacion-libertad-venezuela-noticia-631968
https://www.clarin.com/mundo/video-...olas-maduro-esposa-venezuela_3_Uwg5fykBE.html


Dominican plant could prevent death by cancer
A team of Dominican, US, Spanish and Canadian researchers are working together on a project to find a cure for cancer. The scientists say they have identified plants of the Asteraceae family endemic to the southwestern mountains of Sierra de Bahoruco that possess high-level anti-cancer molecules. The finding could prevent the death of millions around the world from breast, kidney, cervix, prostate, lung, colon and skin cancer.
The group of experts, made up of chemistry professors and headed by Quírico Castillo, has already taken steps to register the finding.

"We want to inform, with great enthusiasm and pride, that our research team has applied for the invention patent before the ONAPI of a new species endemic to the island," Castillo said upon making the announcement. ONAPI is the National Office of Industrial Property.

Research has been ongoing for years, and now the lead researchers -- Quírico A. Castillo of the state Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), chemical crystallographer Lukasz Wojtas of the University of South Florida, Mehdi Keramane of the McMaster University of Canada, and José Manuel Padrón of the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Spain -- made the announcement.

The research was partially supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt) and its Fondocyt Program (grants 2009-2C3-016 and 2013-1D4-003) that have been underway since before 2009.
The effort is a collaboration of years of chemists and other scientists from UASD, and of the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain; of BioLab, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González (IUBO-AG), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Canarias (CIBICAN), Universidad de La Laguna Biointerfaces Institute, of the McMaster University, Engineering Technology in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Florida Center of Excellence for Drug Discovery and Innovation (CDDI-USF) and Department of Chemistry, of the University of South Florida, among others.

https://listindiario.com/la-republi...er-en-planta-endemica-de-republica-dominicana
https://www.uasd.edu.do/periodico/i...-universidad-uasdlabdalosn-uasdolabsdan-osa-f
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...la-molecula-descubierta-en-la-uasd-EN12687254


Workers reject management proposal to amend severance payments
The head of the National Center for Dominican Workers (CNTD), Jacobo Ramos, rejected the proposal made by the National Business Council (Conep), the leading business organization, that said there was an urgent need to review various models of labor separation payment structures (known as “cesantias” in Spanish). He told reporters that this is the policy of management to reduce the quality of Dominican jobs because the business leaders in this country are not satisfied with the thousands of exemptions (tax exemptions) and other incentives that the government gives them.

Ramos also said that the business/management sector wants to eliminate the labor benefits, something he said “would not pass.” He said: “We absolutely reject the proposal made by Conep; we continue to stand by our position that the ‘cesantia’ is a sacred affair for the working class of the Dominican Republic and under no circumstance are we going to allow this worker’s benefit to be eliminated.” He noted to reporters from the El Nacional newspaper that the Constitution says that the Labor Code cannot be revised in order to remove benefits already held by the workers.

The Conep position for reducing new worker separation benefits, also included the review of worker contracts, working hours, innovations and a few other points they consider important for the productive sector, and especially for small business and to generate jobs.

https://elnacional.com.do/trabajadores-rechazan-propuesta-del-conep/


Fenatrado to go on strike tomorrow on tread issues
The Resolution 2-2019 issued by the National Ground Transport and Traffic Institute (Intrant) has caused a serious conflict between the Dominican National Transportation Federation (Fenatrado), the leading truckers association, and the agents of the Traffic and Ground Transportation Agency (Digesett), according to the Fenatrado president, Ricardo de los Santos. De los Santos is also a deputy for the PRM in Congress (PRM-Sanchez Ramírez).

The truckers’ leader told reporters that the resolution calls for 2.5mm of tread depth on tires used for freight hauling, and the Digesett agents are requiring 4.5mm. De los Santos said that international standards are set at 2.5mm.

De los Santos announced a national strike for Tuesday, 7 May 2019. He said that the strike will last until this issue is resolved.

According to research done by the Diario Libre, the minimum requirements on tire tread are agreement between wheels and tires, inflation pressure as indicated by the tire manufacturer, a tread depth of 1.6 mm for light vehicles and 2.5 mm for heavy vehicles. Other requirements cover tire conditions such as bulges, or cracks and are not more than 4 years old.

https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...-resolucion-sobre-uso-de-neumatico-HN12684355
https://eldia.com.do/fenatrado-anuncia-paro-indefinido-a-partir-del-proximo-martes/


Privatizing Bahía de las Aguilas access; residents complain of detour of access road
Residents of Pedernales, in the Deep South of the Dominican Republic, called on the ministries of Public Works and the Environment to provide an explanation for the closure of a section of the roadway from Pedernales to the world-famous Bahia de las Aguilas. Apparently, an Italian businessman has managed to have a detour installed in order for his company to build a small tourist area for his customers.

According to the report in the El Nacional, Aldo Meroni and his company Eco del Mar have closed off the road providing direct access to the Bahia de las Aguilas. The residents of Pedernales say that this damages the original aspect of the area and violates fundamental principles of environmental protection and public safety. They also feel that the detour of the roadway could put those who are not his customers into situations where these would be vulnerable to crime in the area. Residents complain that the company has cut down hundreds of mangrove and lignum vitae (guayacan) trees together with other species.

https://elnacional.com.do/video-denuncian-cierra-de-tramo-carretera-conduce-a-bahia-de-las-aguilas/


Moca honors Diario Libre director Adriano Miguel Tejada
As part of their 158th anniversary celebrations of the 2 May 1861 battle against Spanish annexation, the city of Moca, the provincial capital of the province of Espaillat, has declared Diario Libre director Adriano Miguel Tejada a “Meritorious Son” of the city. Tejada, a noted jurist, writer, historian and leader of the first free newspaper in the Dominican Republic, is also a university professor of some note and a standing member of the Dominican Academy of History.

The 2 May 1861 battle was the first armed uprising against the annexation of the new Dominican Republic by Spain, engineered by dictator Pedro Santana to return the country to Spanish rule and avoid a return of Haitian domination. The battle is often cited as the start of the independence restoration spirit, which came to fruition in the battle of Capotillo, two years later.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...el-tejada-director-de-diario-libre-AC12676341


No results on two foreigners shot and killed in Sosua
The National Police have yet to produce any results in relation to the fatal shooting of two Canadian citizens in the town of Sosua, in the province of Puerto Plata on the north coast. Neither the Police nor the judiciary has offered any possible causes for the crimes that took the lives of Mike DiBattista, 43, and Jason McGuire, also 43. DiBattista was shot 12 times as he was driving his vehicle. According to the Diario Libre, he was wanted on federal warrants for international drug trafficking and lived in the residential area of Lomas del Sol in Sosua. McGuire was shot once in the head inside his apartment in La Mulata II. Although several people have been interrogated, there have been no arrests.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...de-dos-extranjeros-en-puerto-plata-AN12684433


Strong 4.6 quake rocks in parts of the South
Every time the Dominican Republic feels the effects of a seismic event, an earthquake, everyone asks, “Did you feel it?” This time, late last week, when many people in the are of San Pedro de Macoris, Higuey, La Romana and the National District were moved by the tremor, there was no doubt. The social media sites lit up, chock full of the question and comments regarding the different effects of the shake. The event was the Trending Topic on social media. No damages were reported.

The Dominican Republic UASD Seismological Institute reported the quake had an intensity of 4.6 on the Richter Scale, the USGS reported 4.5. Because the Dominican Republic sits on the northern edge of the Caribbean Tectonic Plate and is surrounded by the North American Plate, the South American Plate and the Cocos Plate, the island of Hispaniola is subject to hundreds of seismic movements each year.

It has been many years since a major, 6 or 7 on the Richter scale, earthquake has occurred, and centuries since a catastrophic 8-degree quake has happened.

This latest tremor was located at36 kilometers to the south of San Pedro de Macoris and at a depth of 22 kilometers. Geologists know the area as the “Trinchera de los Muertos” (The trough of the dead).

For more information on earthquakes see https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/cibao-prepares-for-eventual-7-5-quake-EJDL232710.
https://eldia.com.do/tiemblan-las-redes-sociales-por-sismo-de-4-7-grados-registrado/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-6-segun-el-sismologico-de-la-uasd-PC12672296


Two Dominican Emmy award-winning news reporters
Dominican Univision reporters Esperanza Ceballos and Yisel Tejeda won Emmy Awards during the New York Emmy Awards Gala held in New York City on 4 May 2019. Ceballos, a former CDN television reporter in the Dominican Republic and stringer for WXTV-41 since 2007, had relocated to New York City to work as a full-time reporter for the Univision station in July 2014.

The wins were for:
Yisel Tejeda. Reporter: Feature News Report: Serious Series. Dying to Be Beautiful. 26 October 2017. (WXTV Univision 41).

Esperanza Ceballos, reporter: Historical/Cultural: Program Feature/Segment
The Victims of Trujillo. 21 February 2018. (WXTV Univision 41).

https://www.nyemmys.org/2019-new-york-emmy-awards/
https://listindiario.com/entretenim...s-y-yisel-tejeda-vuelven-a-ganar-premios-emmy


“Travesías en Sugar “ to be shown at Quinta Dominica
The Centro León exhibition, “Travesías en Sugar”, an installation that has 15 years being shown at the leading Santiago city cultural center, will now be seen in Santo Domingo. The Colonial City’s Quinta Dominica on Calle Padre Billini is chosen to present the museum installation.

In the presentation of the event, Quinta Dominica highlights that the exhibition allows the viewer to identify and wander with their realities and fantasies through personal routes of past and present. “Each work is a message of exaltation to the concepts of family, love, respect and conservation of nature, whose laws are innate to the intrinsic substance of the human being,” states the press release on the exhibition.
 
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