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Next DR1 Daily News Update: Monday, 20 May 2019
Invest in the Dominican Republic
More time to get child travel permit
Civil society calls for end to child marriages
Grass root movement to the rescue of Boca Chica Beach
SOS Ambiente calls for removal of Angel Estevez from Ministry of Environment
Fisheries get a warning to adhere to lobster and crab seasonal ban
Wife of legislator Elías Serulle appointed to replace him
Ginette Bournigal: Carnival Cruise is carrying out environmental impact study
More on beneficiaries of high wages in the Medina administration
Antonio Taveras campaigns against the PLD
Court reduces Marlin Martínez sentence, she could get out in four months
Police director: Justice is not doing its part to fight crime
Two men arrested in death of Venezuelan
Woman accused of drug trafficking out on bail
OWIT opens Dominican branch
Blazing heat in the Dominican Republic
DR to play Russia in women’s volleyball
“Salsa con Coco” at Hard Rock Live
Next DR1 Daily News Update: Monday, 20 May 2019
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 20 May 2019. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the Forums. See DR1 Forum at https://dr1.com
ABC America Forum: Invest in the Dominican Republic
During the First ABC America Forum, several officials and businessmen looked into opportunities for investing in the Dominican Republic. The event is sponsored by the leading ABC daily of Spain.
Under the theme "Dominican Republic Growth and Sustainability", the First ABC America Forum was held at the convention center of the Ministry of Foreign Relations on Wednesday, 15 May 2019.
Panels looked into how economic, social and political stability are pluses to be considered by investors. One of the leading businessmen in the country, José Luis Corripio Estrada (Pepín) went on record during the event saying the country has optimal conditions for investors. Corripio is president of Corripio Communications Group (Listin Diario, Hoy, El Dia and CDN media) and many other businesses.
The businessman invited foreign investors to make their investments now in the country. He encouraged Spanish investors to get on board now to ride the positive wave, as the country has not yet reached its “cruising speed” from the standpoint of profitability. "I invite you to seriously consider maintaining and continuing to increase your investments in the Dominican Republic, which is an investment paradise," he said.
Corripio, a Spanish immigrant, said his family invested in the country when everyone thought that the Dominican Republic was finished and there was no hope of success. He expressed that this country is still the best option in proportion to its size for any investor.
He stressed the importance of the ABC Forum. "These forums are very important for the country because they bring together representatives of several sectors of the economy for the presentation. He said during the forum that is an abundance of exchanges of knowledge. He said that Spain is one of the main direct investors of the Dominican Republic and considered that this forum stimulates these actions.
https://www.abc.es/economia/abci-re...er-foro-abc-america-201905150158_noticia.html
https://elnacional.com.do/celebran-rd-foro-abc-de-negocios-e-inversion/
More time to get child travel permit
Migration has announced it is extending the duration of summer child exit permits. The permits are needed for a child to travel abroad without both parents. The Migration Agency (DGM) says permits now will be issued for up to 90 days. In the past they had a duration of 30 days. The extension is effective through 31 July 2019.
"That is to say that a certificate issued at the end of May will be valid until August when minors return to classes," says a document to the effect issued by the DGM.
To handle the volume of summer requests for the permit, the work schedule for issuing these has also been extended. It will now be from 8am to 6pm at the main offices in the Centro de los Heroes, National District (Santo Domingo). Nevertheless, extended schedules have also been approved for the DGM branches at the Malecón Center in Santo Domingo, and in Santiago, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana.
Applications need to be started online at the DGM website at
https://www.migracion.gob.do/
Civil society calls for end to child marriages
Civil society, with the backing of the Attorney General Office, is calling for the end to the legalization of child marriages in the Dominican Republic.
As reported in Listin Diario, in the past 16 months (from January 2019 to April 2019) there have been 258 child marriages, or an average of 16 per month. In 2018 there were 186 and in the first four months of 2019 there have been 72, according to civil registry statistics at the Central Electoral Board (JCE). In all the cases, the female is younger. In most cases, the adult is many years older than the female. In recent cases, a 15-year old was married to a 62-year old man in Santiago de los Caballeros, in Jarabacoa, a 49-year old man was legally wed to a 16-year old, and in Moca, a 17-year old married a 44-year old man.
Dominican law allows a judge and parental permission to authorize the marriage of girls under 15 years to make it legal. It is common for parents to “sell” their daughters in order to resolve a financial problem.
The Civil Code establishes that men between 16 and 18 years old, or women between 15 and 18 years old may only get married with the consent of their parents. This must be in writing and notarized unless the person required to give this consent does so while attending the wedding ceremony. In the case of a man younger than 16 and a woman younger than 15, a judge may grant an exception for significant reasons. The significant reasons are not detailed in the code.
The Attorney General backs changing the legislation to make 18 years the minimum age for a legal marriage.
Save the Children civil society organization estimates that in the Dominican Republic child marriage impacts 27.5% of adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 years. The 2014 EnHogar survey found that 12.5% of Dominicans between 20 and 49 years old were married or involved in a free union before the age of 15, and 37% had children before the age of 18. Save the Children has set up a page for signatures on change.org platform.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...infantiles-se-mantienen-suman-258-en-16-meses
https://acento.com.do/2019/actualid...nes-permiten-matrimonio-antes-de-los-18-anos/
https://campaigns.savethechildren.n...-give-us-hand-campaign-against-child-marriage
Grass root movement to the rescue of Boca Chica Beach
The Deep Green Foundation (Fundación Verde Profundo) has quietly but firmly been networking over the past two years to get stakeholders and community involved in bringing back the splendor to Boca Chica Beach. In a report in the newspapers 15 May 2019 print issue on the effort, Diario Libre calls it “giving Boca Chica a second chance.”
Dominican marine biologist and Boca Chica long-time resident Tasha Gough says the objective is to restore the marine ecosystem in Boca Chica through conservation efforts. She said the organization has worked closely with the Fundación Ecológica Magua, Fundación MarAzul, Codopesca RD, the Armada, the Santo Domingo Yacht Club. They also have the backing of the Asociación de Pescadores de Boca Chica, local diving schools and many volunteers and members of the Boca Chica community.
Gough was born and raised on Boca Chica. Her father came to the area from the United States in 1963 and has been witness to the environmental degradation both on land and at sea of Boca Chica. He is working with his daughter in this effort. Tasha Gough has been studying the local ecosystem for the past 15 years and is convinced that adequate management of fishing and contamination can make the difference.
The strategy has been to create micro-sanctuaries on the beach. In one year they have planted 1,600 mangrove plants, of which 20% have not survived. The idea is to form micro sanctuaries mixing the mangrove plantation with seagrass and coral restoration of different species. With these three elements in place, fish and invertebrates are added to the area, making the micro sanctuaries a kind of nursery for the biodiversity that has been lost in recent years.
The Goughs have met with local fishermen to identify threats and seek solutions together. Tasha Gough told Diario Libre that this is a model of sustainable management for an unprotected area that is used in some regions in the Pacific.
As a way to generate resources, the Deep Green Foundation hosts students from the United States through EF Service Learning to participate in the cleaning of the coasts, planting of mangroves and corals. They also work with schools in Santo Domingo and Boca Chica.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ara-la-biodiversidad-de-boca-chica-HC12762665
http://picdeer.com/fundacionverdeprofundo
SOS Ambiente calls for removal of Angel Estevez from Ministry of Environment
The civil society movement SOS Environment (SOS Ambiente) has already collected more than 27,000 signatures in a public plea to the Executive Branch to remove Environment Minister Angel Estévez. He has been in the position since 2016.
This is a first time such a motion is presented to the Medina Administration. Prior to his appointment to the position, Estevez was the minister of Agriculture from 2014 to 2016.
Al Pais deputy Fidelio Despradel has gone on record saying that Estevez’s private business interests as a leading agroindustry supplier, including importing Monsanto products, is in direct contradiction with his role as Minister of Environment.
Furthermore, Estevez has been a strong supporter of farming efforts in National Parks. He has repeatedly stated that avocado trees are just trees and are good for the environment, despite it being widespread knowledge that avocados subtract from water resources rather than add to these.
The signatures are of people that are concerned with the deterioration of national water and forestry resources. In the petition, they say that the very bad management of the environment portfolio by Estevez is detrimental to natural resources that are essential for the environmental and economic sustainability of all inhabitants in the Dominican Republic, and particularly detrimental to national parks and protected areas. They demand that President Danilo Medina immediately replace Angel Estevez from the position. They say protected areas have been devastated by illegal agriculture that Minister Estevez strongly backs.
SOS Ambiente was favored by a ruling by the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) that orders the end to illegal farming in the Valle Nuevo National Park, but the decision has been ignored by the government minister.
"Ángel Estévez does not have the managerial capacity or technical knowledge to be Minister of the Environment. His backing of agricultural exploitation of protected areas has contributed to an aggressive deterioration of our natural resources," said Chino Sing, a founding member of the environmental organization.
http://hoy.com.do/diputado-advierte-sobre-conflicto-de-intereses-con-designacion-de-angel-estevez/
http://z101digital.com/sos-ambiente...r-ejecutivo-exigiendo-destitucion-de-estevez/
https://n.com.do/2019/05/15/organiz...l-ejecutivo-exigiendo-destitucion-de-estevez/
Fisheries get a warning to adhere to lobster and crab seasonal ban
Prosecutors of the Ministry of Environment confiscated on Wednesday, 15 May 2019 several lobsters and crabs that were for sale in fisheries in Pedernales. The sale of these is seasonally banned, from March to 30 June, in order to give time for these species to reproduce themselves. This is contemplated in Environmental Law 64-00.
The authorities seized 297 lobsters weighing approximately 330 lbs and 28 pounds of crab meat from fisheries in Miramar and Alcoa areas of Pedernales city. There were no arrests as reportedly the owners were not in.
Prosecutor Israel Trinidad Ferreras warned the owners of fisheries and the fishermen that the sale lobsters and crabs are banned during the season and the sale of parrotfish is banned all year. He told them that the next time the businesses are caught, the owners will be taken to justice.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...tas-y-masa-de-cangrejo-por-veda-en-pedernales
Wife of legislator Elías Serulle appointed to replace him
Lourdes Josefina Aybar will replace Elías Serulle (PLD-National District), who resigned to take the post of Dominican ambassador to Turkey. Happens to be that Aybar is the wife of Elías Serulle, as reported in Listin Diario. Aybar received the vote of 120 deputies present. She will take the position as a deputy representing the electoral district #2 of the National District.
Lourdes Josefina Aybar was proposed by the secretary general of the ruling PLD, Reinaldo Pared Perez.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-de-elias-serulle-le-sustituira-como-diputada
Ginette Bournigal: Carnival Cruise is carrying out an environmental impact study
Puerto Plata Deputy Ginette Bournigal says she has information that Carnival Cruise, the operator of the Amber Cove cruise ship port in Puerto Plata, is carrying out their own environmental impact study for the garbage landfill proposed by Mayor Walter Musa.
To defend his chosen land site, Musa presented a study carried out by Dominicana Limpia of Domingo Contreras, the same organization that proposes to carry out the works for the landfill.
The landfill is located in an urban area, not far from the entrance to the Amber Cove terminal. Bournigal called for a solution to the problem to be found. “They have to understand they have to meet with all the sectors, they are not the owners of Puerto Plata,” she said. She lamented the mayor did not exercise transparency in the purchase of the proposed land site for the landfill.
For years, the mayor has impeded the relocation of the landfill. The present landfill has been technically closed, but the site chosen by the mayor for the new landfill is nearby.
She called for Musa to listen to all the sectors. “The future of Puerto Plata cannot be at stake for nothing or no one,” she said. “We are in a difficult moment, putting at risk private investments and those made by the state for the lack of a decision, for stubbornness and arrogance,” he said.
http://z101digital.com/diputada-bou...ciendo-que-somos-chivos-proclives-a-la-venta/
More on beneficiaries of high wages in the Medina administration
The son in law of President Danilo Medina, Angel Eduardo Contreras Ojen is on the government payroll with the position of director of the department of management of risks and studies at the Superintendence of Banks. His wage is RD$394,721 a month plus benefits. He is the husband to Candy Sibeli Medina Montilla.
The detail is another bit of information that is circulating as Somos Pueblo continues its campaign to create an awareness of the high wages persons with influence in government are receiving in the Medina administration of the past six years.
http://somospueblo.com/esposo-de-hija-del-presidente-danilo-medina-cobra-rd394mil-en-el-gobierno/
Antonio Taveras campaigns against the PLD
Former president of the National Business Council (Conep), Antonio Taveras Guzman is traveling the country in a bid to convince Dominicans to vote for him and not for a PLD candidate. On his nationwide tour, he is campaigning against the reelection bid followers of President Danilo Medina have underway.
During a visit to Santiago, Taveras Guzmán warned that the continuity of President Medina, of Leonel Fernandez, who aspires to the presidency, or of any leader of the PLD at the head of the country's destinies, would deepen the "absolute control" that the ruling PLD political party has of the state, the economy and a large part of the country's social organizations.
"It is time to stop the re-election of Danilo, Leonel and any other representatives of the PLD. The continuity of the PLD means more corruption, more impunity, more poverty and more unemployment, "said Taveras Guzmán in his visit to Santiago.
http://hoy.com.do/empresario-cambio-que-necesita-el-pais-pasa-por-detener-la-reforma-a-constitucion/
Court reduces Marlin Martínez’s sentence, she could get out in four months
The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeals of San Francisco de Macoris announced a reduction in the five-year sentence of Marlin Martínez to two years. This means, the woman who was accused as an accomplice to her son in the murder of a 16-year old pregnant Emely Peguero, could be out of jail in four months, or by September 2019 because she has been in jail since September 2017.
The Court of Appeals based the reduction of the jail time on that Marlin Martinez was not guilty of abducting the five-month pregnant 16-year old girl and only of hiding the corpse. She was abducted on 23 August and the corpse was uncovered on 31 August 2017, hidden inside a suitcase.
The 30-year sentence to her son for first-degree murder, who was 19 years old at the time of the crime, was maintained.
Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez expressed his disagreement and says he will take the case to the Supreme Court of Justice. He says prosecutors seek to establish the degree of complicity of Marlin Martinez in order to secure a 20-year sentence for the woman. At the time of the murder, Martínez was a deputy director of Migration in the Medina administration.
"As we have promised since the beginning of the judicial process that we are carrying out in this case, we will seek justice, you can continue to count on it, we will take the case to the last consequences," said the head of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
In this sense, he reiterated that the Public Ministry has sufficient and reliable evidence to prove that Marlin Martinez was an accomplice to his son Marlon Martinez in the murder of the 16-year-old girl in August 2017 in San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte province.
The Court of Appeals argued that Art. 359 of the Dominican Penal Code establishes that “anyone who conceals a body of a murdered person shall be punished with a prison term of six months to two years or to more severe penalties if established the person has been an accomplice to the crime.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...orte-para-disminuir-la-pena-a-marlin-martinez
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...arlin-podria-salir-en-cuatro-meses-OM12780178
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ntra-sentencia-que-disminuye-condena-a-marlin
Police director: Justice is not doing its part to fight crime
Director PN complains that justice releases offenders who go and repeat the crime. The director of the National Police, Ney Aldrin Bautista, criticized the way in which the country's judicial system works. He said many of the people who commit crimes are repeat offenders and have been imprisoned by the institution on several occasions.
"A man is arrested for a case for which he should get 20 years in jail, but then the same person is released and he commits the same crime over and over again,” complained Bautista. “People that we have imprisoned on several occasions are still on the streets doing the same thing," he said.
The director of the National Police gave as an example the recent cases in Herrera (where two people were arrested for a late Sunday night assault against a merchant) and Punta Cana (for which three people are imprisoned for murdering a Venezuelan in Punta Cana). He said the accused had been arrested previously for committing similar crimes.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...libertad-a-los-delincuentes-y-estos-reinciden
Two men arrested in death of Venezuelan
The Police reported the arrest of two men for the death of a Venezuelan on 28 February 2019 in a Punta Cana residence. The Criminal Investigation Agency (Dicrim) of the Police reported the arrest of 39-year old Hipólito Michel Pérez (Jimmy), 28-year old Estarlin Antonio Beato Hidalgo (Pavelo), and 45-year old Frank Luis Moreno Sánchez (Pato), for the murder of 45-year old Punta Cana resident Eliezer José Delgado Sevilla. Delgado Sevilla died from a bullet wound fired by an unknown person when he would have boarded his Toyota Lexus SUV.
http://www.policianacional.gob.do/n...rte-de-venezolano-en-provincia-la-altagracia/
Woman accused of drug trafficking out on bail
Santiago judge Miguel Báez authorized RD$1 million bail instead of pre-trial custody to Miguelina Franco, accused of smuggling US$2 million in cash through Haina Port and for 40 packages of cocaine seized at two residences in Santo Domingo. Another person accused in the case, Luisa Amelia Fermín Hernández, was released. The case will be heard on 13 June 2019.
https://elnacional.com.do/otorgan-fianza-a-mujer-acusan-de-trafico-cocaina/
OWIT opens Dominican branch
Mabel Báez and Pamela Leon are the first president and vice president of OWIT Dominicana, the first Caribbean branch of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). The organization was established in 1989 in the United States. It describes itself as a non-profit, professional organization that supports the advancement of women in international trade and business by providing networking and educational opportunities.
https://elnacional.com.do/lanzan-owit-dominican-republic/
https://www.owit.org/ourstory/history
https://www.owit.org/joinus/chapterdetail/38
Blazing heat in the Dominican Republic
The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) says that the very hot temperatures will continue through the weekend, despite rainstorms that are forecast for Thursday, 16 May 2019. The rainstorms are forecast for the northwest, northeast and central mountain range due to a trough that is moving across the island.
Onamet says the heat temperatures will be “suffocatingly hot,” especially during the day. This is due to the stationary drought that is primarily affected the south, southwest and northwest of the country.
https://elnacional.com.do/calor-se-mantendra-en-proximos-tres-dias/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...s-proximos-tres-dias-segun-advierte-la-onamet
DR to play Russia in women’s volleyball
The Dominican Republic senior women’s volleyball team is out for a medal in the 2019 Pan American Games set for 26 July to 11 August in Lima, Peru. The Dominican team had won a bronze in the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.
To prepare for the event, the Dominican team is completing their training during the 2019 League of Nations Tournament, with the best 16 teams in the world that will open on 21 May in Brazil. The Dominican Republic, ranked 10th in the world, will open playing Russia that is ranked fifth.
And then at the Pan American Cup on 5-14 July and the Pre-Olympic tournament that will take place 2-4 August in Brazil.
“Salsa con Coco” at Hard Rock Live
Pochy Familia y la Coco Band, José Bello and Rey Reyes are coming together for an evening of merengue dancing and salsa dancing. The “Salsa con Coco” concert is scheduled for Friday, 31 May 2019 at the Hard Rock Live of Blue Mall in Santo Domingo. Showtime starts at 9pm.
Invest in the Dominican Republic
More time to get child travel permit
Civil society calls for end to child marriages
Grass root movement to the rescue of Boca Chica Beach
SOS Ambiente calls for removal of Angel Estevez from Ministry of Environment
Fisheries get a warning to adhere to lobster and crab seasonal ban
Wife of legislator Elías Serulle appointed to replace him
Ginette Bournigal: Carnival Cruise is carrying out environmental impact study
More on beneficiaries of high wages in the Medina administration
Antonio Taveras campaigns against the PLD
Court reduces Marlin Martínez sentence, she could get out in four months
Police director: Justice is not doing its part to fight crime
Two men arrested in death of Venezuelan
Woman accused of drug trafficking out on bail
OWIT opens Dominican branch
Blazing heat in the Dominican Republic
DR to play Russia in women’s volleyball
“Salsa con Coco” at Hard Rock Live
Next DR1 Daily News Update: Monday, 20 May 2019
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 20 May 2019. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the Forums. See DR1 Forum at https://dr1.com
ABC America Forum: Invest in the Dominican Republic
During the First ABC America Forum, several officials and businessmen looked into opportunities for investing in the Dominican Republic. The event is sponsored by the leading ABC daily of Spain.
Under the theme "Dominican Republic Growth and Sustainability", the First ABC America Forum was held at the convention center of the Ministry of Foreign Relations on Wednesday, 15 May 2019.
Panels looked into how economic, social and political stability are pluses to be considered by investors. One of the leading businessmen in the country, José Luis Corripio Estrada (Pepín) went on record during the event saying the country has optimal conditions for investors. Corripio is president of Corripio Communications Group (Listin Diario, Hoy, El Dia and CDN media) and many other businesses.
The businessman invited foreign investors to make their investments now in the country. He encouraged Spanish investors to get on board now to ride the positive wave, as the country has not yet reached its “cruising speed” from the standpoint of profitability. "I invite you to seriously consider maintaining and continuing to increase your investments in the Dominican Republic, which is an investment paradise," he said.
Corripio, a Spanish immigrant, said his family invested in the country when everyone thought that the Dominican Republic was finished and there was no hope of success. He expressed that this country is still the best option in proportion to its size for any investor.
He stressed the importance of the ABC Forum. "These forums are very important for the country because they bring together representatives of several sectors of the economy for the presentation. He said during the forum that is an abundance of exchanges of knowledge. He said that Spain is one of the main direct investors of the Dominican Republic and considered that this forum stimulates these actions.
https://www.abc.es/economia/abci-re...er-foro-abc-america-201905150158_noticia.html
https://elnacional.com.do/celebran-rd-foro-abc-de-negocios-e-inversion/
More time to get child travel permit
Migration has announced it is extending the duration of summer child exit permits. The permits are needed for a child to travel abroad without both parents. The Migration Agency (DGM) says permits now will be issued for up to 90 days. In the past they had a duration of 30 days. The extension is effective through 31 July 2019.
"That is to say that a certificate issued at the end of May will be valid until August when minors return to classes," says a document to the effect issued by the DGM.
To handle the volume of summer requests for the permit, the work schedule for issuing these has also been extended. It will now be from 8am to 6pm at the main offices in the Centro de los Heroes, National District (Santo Domingo). Nevertheless, extended schedules have also been approved for the DGM branches at the Malecón Center in Santo Domingo, and in Santiago, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana.
Applications need to be started online at the DGM website at
https://www.migracion.gob.do/
Civil society calls for end to child marriages
Civil society, with the backing of the Attorney General Office, is calling for the end to the legalization of child marriages in the Dominican Republic.
As reported in Listin Diario, in the past 16 months (from January 2019 to April 2019) there have been 258 child marriages, or an average of 16 per month. In 2018 there were 186 and in the first four months of 2019 there have been 72, according to civil registry statistics at the Central Electoral Board (JCE). In all the cases, the female is younger. In most cases, the adult is many years older than the female. In recent cases, a 15-year old was married to a 62-year old man in Santiago de los Caballeros, in Jarabacoa, a 49-year old man was legally wed to a 16-year old, and in Moca, a 17-year old married a 44-year old man.
Dominican law allows a judge and parental permission to authorize the marriage of girls under 15 years to make it legal. It is common for parents to “sell” their daughters in order to resolve a financial problem.
The Civil Code establishes that men between 16 and 18 years old, or women between 15 and 18 years old may only get married with the consent of their parents. This must be in writing and notarized unless the person required to give this consent does so while attending the wedding ceremony. In the case of a man younger than 16 and a woman younger than 15, a judge may grant an exception for significant reasons. The significant reasons are not detailed in the code.
The Attorney General backs changing the legislation to make 18 years the minimum age for a legal marriage.
Save the Children civil society organization estimates that in the Dominican Republic child marriage impacts 27.5% of adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 years. The 2014 EnHogar survey found that 12.5% of Dominicans between 20 and 49 years old were married or involved in a free union before the age of 15, and 37% had children before the age of 18. Save the Children has set up a page for signatures on change.org platform.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...infantiles-se-mantienen-suman-258-en-16-meses
https://acento.com.do/2019/actualid...nes-permiten-matrimonio-antes-de-los-18-anos/
https://campaigns.savethechildren.n...-give-us-hand-campaign-against-child-marriage
Grass root movement to the rescue of Boca Chica Beach
The Deep Green Foundation (Fundación Verde Profundo) has quietly but firmly been networking over the past two years to get stakeholders and community involved in bringing back the splendor to Boca Chica Beach. In a report in the newspapers 15 May 2019 print issue on the effort, Diario Libre calls it “giving Boca Chica a second chance.”
Dominican marine biologist and Boca Chica long-time resident Tasha Gough says the objective is to restore the marine ecosystem in Boca Chica through conservation efforts. She said the organization has worked closely with the Fundación Ecológica Magua, Fundación MarAzul, Codopesca RD, the Armada, the Santo Domingo Yacht Club. They also have the backing of the Asociación de Pescadores de Boca Chica, local diving schools and many volunteers and members of the Boca Chica community.
Gough was born and raised on Boca Chica. Her father came to the area from the United States in 1963 and has been witness to the environmental degradation both on land and at sea of Boca Chica. He is working with his daughter in this effort. Tasha Gough has been studying the local ecosystem for the past 15 years and is convinced that adequate management of fishing and contamination can make the difference.
The strategy has been to create micro-sanctuaries on the beach. In one year they have planted 1,600 mangrove plants, of which 20% have not survived. The idea is to form micro sanctuaries mixing the mangrove plantation with seagrass and coral restoration of different species. With these three elements in place, fish and invertebrates are added to the area, making the micro sanctuaries a kind of nursery for the biodiversity that has been lost in recent years.
The Goughs have met with local fishermen to identify threats and seek solutions together. Tasha Gough told Diario Libre that this is a model of sustainable management for an unprotected area that is used in some regions in the Pacific.
As a way to generate resources, the Deep Green Foundation hosts students from the United States through EF Service Learning to participate in the cleaning of the coasts, planting of mangroves and corals. They also work with schools in Santo Domingo and Boca Chica.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ara-la-biodiversidad-de-boca-chica-HC12762665
http://picdeer.com/fundacionverdeprofundo
SOS Ambiente calls for removal of Angel Estevez from Ministry of Environment
The civil society movement SOS Environment (SOS Ambiente) has already collected more than 27,000 signatures in a public plea to the Executive Branch to remove Environment Minister Angel Estévez. He has been in the position since 2016.
This is a first time such a motion is presented to the Medina Administration. Prior to his appointment to the position, Estevez was the minister of Agriculture from 2014 to 2016.
Al Pais deputy Fidelio Despradel has gone on record saying that Estevez’s private business interests as a leading agroindustry supplier, including importing Monsanto products, is in direct contradiction with his role as Minister of Environment.
Furthermore, Estevez has been a strong supporter of farming efforts in National Parks. He has repeatedly stated that avocado trees are just trees and are good for the environment, despite it being widespread knowledge that avocados subtract from water resources rather than add to these.
The signatures are of people that are concerned with the deterioration of national water and forestry resources. In the petition, they say that the very bad management of the environment portfolio by Estevez is detrimental to natural resources that are essential for the environmental and economic sustainability of all inhabitants in the Dominican Republic, and particularly detrimental to national parks and protected areas. They demand that President Danilo Medina immediately replace Angel Estevez from the position. They say protected areas have been devastated by illegal agriculture that Minister Estevez strongly backs.
SOS Ambiente was favored by a ruling by the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) that orders the end to illegal farming in the Valle Nuevo National Park, but the decision has been ignored by the government minister.
"Ángel Estévez does not have the managerial capacity or technical knowledge to be Minister of the Environment. His backing of agricultural exploitation of protected areas has contributed to an aggressive deterioration of our natural resources," said Chino Sing, a founding member of the environmental organization.
http://hoy.com.do/diputado-advierte-sobre-conflicto-de-intereses-con-designacion-de-angel-estevez/
http://z101digital.com/sos-ambiente...r-ejecutivo-exigiendo-destitucion-de-estevez/
https://n.com.do/2019/05/15/organiz...l-ejecutivo-exigiendo-destitucion-de-estevez/
Fisheries get a warning to adhere to lobster and crab seasonal ban
Prosecutors of the Ministry of Environment confiscated on Wednesday, 15 May 2019 several lobsters and crabs that were for sale in fisheries in Pedernales. The sale of these is seasonally banned, from March to 30 June, in order to give time for these species to reproduce themselves. This is contemplated in Environmental Law 64-00.
The authorities seized 297 lobsters weighing approximately 330 lbs and 28 pounds of crab meat from fisheries in Miramar and Alcoa areas of Pedernales city. There were no arrests as reportedly the owners were not in.
Prosecutor Israel Trinidad Ferreras warned the owners of fisheries and the fishermen that the sale lobsters and crabs are banned during the season and the sale of parrotfish is banned all year. He told them that the next time the businesses are caught, the owners will be taken to justice.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...tas-y-masa-de-cangrejo-por-veda-en-pedernales
Wife of legislator Elías Serulle appointed to replace him
Lourdes Josefina Aybar will replace Elías Serulle (PLD-National District), who resigned to take the post of Dominican ambassador to Turkey. Happens to be that Aybar is the wife of Elías Serulle, as reported in Listin Diario. Aybar received the vote of 120 deputies present. She will take the position as a deputy representing the electoral district #2 of the National District.
Lourdes Josefina Aybar was proposed by the secretary general of the ruling PLD, Reinaldo Pared Perez.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-de-elias-serulle-le-sustituira-como-diputada
Ginette Bournigal: Carnival Cruise is carrying out an environmental impact study
Puerto Plata Deputy Ginette Bournigal says she has information that Carnival Cruise, the operator of the Amber Cove cruise ship port in Puerto Plata, is carrying out their own environmental impact study for the garbage landfill proposed by Mayor Walter Musa.
To defend his chosen land site, Musa presented a study carried out by Dominicana Limpia of Domingo Contreras, the same organization that proposes to carry out the works for the landfill.
The landfill is located in an urban area, not far from the entrance to the Amber Cove terminal. Bournigal called for a solution to the problem to be found. “They have to understand they have to meet with all the sectors, they are not the owners of Puerto Plata,” she said. She lamented the mayor did not exercise transparency in the purchase of the proposed land site for the landfill.
For years, the mayor has impeded the relocation of the landfill. The present landfill has been technically closed, but the site chosen by the mayor for the new landfill is nearby.
She called for Musa to listen to all the sectors. “The future of Puerto Plata cannot be at stake for nothing or no one,” she said. “We are in a difficult moment, putting at risk private investments and those made by the state for the lack of a decision, for stubbornness and arrogance,” he said.
http://z101digital.com/diputada-bou...ciendo-que-somos-chivos-proclives-a-la-venta/
More on beneficiaries of high wages in the Medina administration
The son in law of President Danilo Medina, Angel Eduardo Contreras Ojen is on the government payroll with the position of director of the department of management of risks and studies at the Superintendence of Banks. His wage is RD$394,721 a month plus benefits. He is the husband to Candy Sibeli Medina Montilla.
The detail is another bit of information that is circulating as Somos Pueblo continues its campaign to create an awareness of the high wages persons with influence in government are receiving in the Medina administration of the past six years.
http://somospueblo.com/esposo-de-hija-del-presidente-danilo-medina-cobra-rd394mil-en-el-gobierno/
Antonio Taveras campaigns against the PLD
Former president of the National Business Council (Conep), Antonio Taveras Guzman is traveling the country in a bid to convince Dominicans to vote for him and not for a PLD candidate. On his nationwide tour, he is campaigning against the reelection bid followers of President Danilo Medina have underway.
During a visit to Santiago, Taveras Guzmán warned that the continuity of President Medina, of Leonel Fernandez, who aspires to the presidency, or of any leader of the PLD at the head of the country's destinies, would deepen the "absolute control" that the ruling PLD political party has of the state, the economy and a large part of the country's social organizations.
"It is time to stop the re-election of Danilo, Leonel and any other representatives of the PLD. The continuity of the PLD means more corruption, more impunity, more poverty and more unemployment, "said Taveras Guzmán in his visit to Santiago.
http://hoy.com.do/empresario-cambio-que-necesita-el-pais-pasa-por-detener-la-reforma-a-constitucion/
Court reduces Marlin Martínez’s sentence, she could get out in four months
The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeals of San Francisco de Macoris announced a reduction in the five-year sentence of Marlin Martínez to two years. This means, the woman who was accused as an accomplice to her son in the murder of a 16-year old pregnant Emely Peguero, could be out of jail in four months, or by September 2019 because she has been in jail since September 2017.
The Court of Appeals based the reduction of the jail time on that Marlin Martinez was not guilty of abducting the five-month pregnant 16-year old girl and only of hiding the corpse. She was abducted on 23 August and the corpse was uncovered on 31 August 2017, hidden inside a suitcase.
The 30-year sentence to her son for first-degree murder, who was 19 years old at the time of the crime, was maintained.
Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez expressed his disagreement and says he will take the case to the Supreme Court of Justice. He says prosecutors seek to establish the degree of complicity of Marlin Martinez in order to secure a 20-year sentence for the woman. At the time of the murder, Martínez was a deputy director of Migration in the Medina administration.
"As we have promised since the beginning of the judicial process that we are carrying out in this case, we will seek justice, you can continue to count on it, we will take the case to the last consequences," said the head of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
In this sense, he reiterated that the Public Ministry has sufficient and reliable evidence to prove that Marlin Martinez was an accomplice to his son Marlon Martinez in the murder of the 16-year-old girl in August 2017 in San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte province.
The Court of Appeals argued that Art. 359 of the Dominican Penal Code establishes that “anyone who conceals a body of a murdered person shall be punished with a prison term of six months to two years or to more severe penalties if established the person has been an accomplice to the crime.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...orte-para-disminuir-la-pena-a-marlin-martinez
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...arlin-podria-salir-en-cuatro-meses-OM12780178
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ntra-sentencia-que-disminuye-condena-a-marlin
Police director: Justice is not doing its part to fight crime
Director PN complains that justice releases offenders who go and repeat the crime. The director of the National Police, Ney Aldrin Bautista, criticized the way in which the country's judicial system works. He said many of the people who commit crimes are repeat offenders and have been imprisoned by the institution on several occasions.
"A man is arrested for a case for which he should get 20 years in jail, but then the same person is released and he commits the same crime over and over again,” complained Bautista. “People that we have imprisoned on several occasions are still on the streets doing the same thing," he said.
The director of the National Police gave as an example the recent cases in Herrera (where two people were arrested for a late Sunday night assault against a merchant) and Punta Cana (for which three people are imprisoned for murdering a Venezuelan in Punta Cana). He said the accused had been arrested previously for committing similar crimes.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...libertad-a-los-delincuentes-y-estos-reinciden
Two men arrested in death of Venezuelan
The Police reported the arrest of two men for the death of a Venezuelan on 28 February 2019 in a Punta Cana residence. The Criminal Investigation Agency (Dicrim) of the Police reported the arrest of 39-year old Hipólito Michel Pérez (Jimmy), 28-year old Estarlin Antonio Beato Hidalgo (Pavelo), and 45-year old Frank Luis Moreno Sánchez (Pato), for the murder of 45-year old Punta Cana resident Eliezer José Delgado Sevilla. Delgado Sevilla died from a bullet wound fired by an unknown person when he would have boarded his Toyota Lexus SUV.
http://www.policianacional.gob.do/n...rte-de-venezolano-en-provincia-la-altagracia/
Woman accused of drug trafficking out on bail
Santiago judge Miguel Báez authorized RD$1 million bail instead of pre-trial custody to Miguelina Franco, accused of smuggling US$2 million in cash through Haina Port and for 40 packages of cocaine seized at two residences in Santo Domingo. Another person accused in the case, Luisa Amelia Fermín Hernández, was released. The case will be heard on 13 June 2019.
https://elnacional.com.do/otorgan-fianza-a-mujer-acusan-de-trafico-cocaina/
OWIT opens Dominican branch
Mabel Báez and Pamela Leon are the first president and vice president of OWIT Dominicana, the first Caribbean branch of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). The organization was established in 1989 in the United States. It describes itself as a non-profit, professional organization that supports the advancement of women in international trade and business by providing networking and educational opportunities.
https://elnacional.com.do/lanzan-owit-dominican-republic/
https://www.owit.org/ourstory/history
https://www.owit.org/joinus/chapterdetail/38
Blazing heat in the Dominican Republic
The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) says that the very hot temperatures will continue through the weekend, despite rainstorms that are forecast for Thursday, 16 May 2019. The rainstorms are forecast for the northwest, northeast and central mountain range due to a trough that is moving across the island.
Onamet says the heat temperatures will be “suffocatingly hot,” especially during the day. This is due to the stationary drought that is primarily affected the south, southwest and northwest of the country.
https://elnacional.com.do/calor-se-mantendra-en-proximos-tres-dias/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...s-proximos-tres-dias-segun-advierte-la-onamet
DR to play Russia in women’s volleyball
The Dominican Republic senior women’s volleyball team is out for a medal in the 2019 Pan American Games set for 26 July to 11 August in Lima, Peru. The Dominican team had won a bronze in the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.
To prepare for the event, the Dominican team is completing their training during the 2019 League of Nations Tournament, with the best 16 teams in the world that will open on 21 May in Brazil. The Dominican Republic, ranked 10th in the world, will open playing Russia that is ranked fifth.
And then at the Pan American Cup on 5-14 July and the Pre-Olympic tournament that will take place 2-4 August in Brazil.
“Salsa con Coco” at Hard Rock Live
Pochy Familia y la Coco Band, José Bello and Rey Reyes are coming together for an evening of merengue dancing and salsa dancing. The “Salsa con Coco” concert is scheduled for Friday, 31 May 2019 at the Hard Rock Live of Blue Mall in Santo Domingo. Showtime starts at 9pm.