DR1 Daily News - Monday, 1 July 2019

D

Dolores

Guest
Medina to travel to Panama for Cortizo inaugural
Can Danilo finish all of his big projects?
Minister of Energy promotes natural gas
Public Health ups requirements for cosmetic procedures
Smallest businesses contribute 38% of GDP and most jobs
Milagros Ortiz Bosch alerts PLD strife is getting out of hand
Will the PLD split?
Doctors do good work, Argentine girl recovers at Plaza de la Salud
Could the new ICIJ info invalidate the deal with Odebrecht?
High-ranking officer at Banco de Reservas resigns in Odebrecht bribes scandal
CAASD warns: in spite of rains, water in Santo Domingo is scarce
Three of four who died in Barahona air crash identified
Santiago Police chief investigated for having sex with minor
Alleged mastermind and man who hired to kill arrested in David Ortiz case
Heat wave to continue


Medina to travel to Panama for Cortizo inaugural
President Danilo Medina will travel to Panama on Monday, 1 July 2019 for the inaugural of 66-year old businessman Laurentino Cortizo. On 21 June 2019, President-elect Cortizo had visited Medina at the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo to extend the invitation.

The Dominican Republic is part of the Central American Integration System (SICA) economic block of nations.

https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/lati...izo-el-nuevo-presidente-de-panama-2019-357688
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ma-de-posesion-de-presidente-electo-de-panama


Can Danilo finish all of his big projects?
On 16 August 2020, in theory, at least, a new President of the Dominican Republic will take the oath at the National Congress. This means, in theory, at least, that President Danilo Medina has 14 months to finish dams, the Los Alcarrizo tramline and the Domingo Savio housing project, among other big projects.

According to current thinking, it is probable that new mega-projects will not be included in the 2020 budget currently under study and development, as reported in El Caribe. The second tramline of the Santo Domingo Metro is likely to be left to the next government to finish. The same likely applies to the inner-city bus stops planned for Greater Santo Domingo.

El Caribe in a feature speculates that probably the only big project to be completed will be the Punta Catalina electricity plant that had been planned for the 2012-2016 period.

A huge project that was conceived in the 2008-2012 administration of former President Leonel Fernández is the Monte Grande Dam, which might be inaugurated by President Medina in 2020, according to Olgo Fernandez, the head of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI). Financing for the Yaque del Sur River dam from the BNDES of Brazil did not materialize after the Odebrecht scandal. The Medina government found US$249.6 million credit in 2018 through the Central American Bank of Economic Integration (BCIE). A significant part of the Monte Grande project is the repair of the Sabana Yegua dam complex that was partially destroyed by the waters from Hurricane David in 1979 and Georges in 1998. The 2019 budget has RD$3.1 billion set aside for this.

The Domingo Savio housing project is way behind schedule as the government tries to relocate 45,000 persons from Los Guandules and La Cienega.

The government also has in the portfolio to complete three beltways – Azua, Baní and to the north of Santo Domingo.

https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/06/27/...ra-terminar-las-grandes-obras-del-presidente/


Minister of Energy promotes natural gas
Energy & Mines Minister Antonio Isa Conde said last week that the Dominican Republic has two priorities regarding energy: the diversifying of the energy matrix and the development of the hydrocarbon industry, specifically in regards to natural gas.

Isa Conde said that the government is interested in converting many of the generating facilities to the use of natural gas as well as the construction of facilities to receive and distribute natural gas. He said that by 2020, he expects that the generating plants in the East will be converted to natural gas and will be producing 940 MW. These plants are the Quisqueya I and II, CESPM (formerly Cogentrix), the Sultan of the East and Los Origenes.

The minister said that if these conversions are carried out, the country will have complied with its Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement on climate change and will eliminate 800,000 metric tons of CO2 and other contaminants from the atmosphere by 2030.

The minister also announced that on 10 July the Dominican government would offer up for bidding in Texas 14 possible hydrocarbon sites or blocks. The process would be carried out under the aegis of Wood Mackenzie. Of these blocks, six are in the Cibao, three in Enriquillo, Azua will have one and San Pedro de Macoris will have four maritime sections. The minister noted that this round of bidding is the result of the recompilation of information in geological studies dating as far back as 1903.

https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/06/27/...ra-terminar-las-grandes-obras-del-presidente/


Public Health ups requirements for cosmetic procedures
The Ministry of Public Health is giving cosmetic clinics 60 days to meet a new series of conditions to be certified. On Friday, 28 June 2019, the Ministry published a resolution that seeks to step up the level of inspection to centers carried out esthetic procedures. The Ministry has released an updated Technical Regulations for the Qualification and Accreditation of Clinical and Surgical Centers. The Ministry says that if an inspection verifies that the clinic does not comply with these requirements, it will be permanently closed.

The new ruling establishes that if it is verified that a patient has died at a center that is not fully accredited, in addition to the permanent closure of the business, the Specialized Prosecutor Service Against Health Crimes will take legal action against the violators. Among other measures is the request for courts to suspend licenses to doctors that violate the Resolution dated March 2015 that regulates the practice of plastic and reconstructive surgeons, and esthetic professionals in the country.

The centers offering cosmetic and plastic surgery are now required to report on these monthly to the Ministry of Public Health.

The resolution also contains other measures now to be enforced to reduce the risks in these operations.

http://z101digital.com/salud-public...s-cirugia-estetica-para-obtener-habilitacion/


Smallest businesses contribute 38% of GDP and most jobs
Small business employ the most people, around 2.7 million jobs in the Dominican Republic, according to Ignacio Mendez, the deputy minister of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at the Ministry of Industry. Speaking at the Second SMEs Expo held recently in Santo Domingo, Mendez noted that in comparison, export free zones in the country supply about 200,000 jobs and the government has around 650,000 employees.

The around 800,000 small business in the country, nevertheless, are still waiting for the government to come through with its promised simplified tax regime that would eliminate the present advance tax requirement, said Issachart Burgos, former president of the Dominican Confederation of SMEs (Codopyme) during the Second Expo SMEs held recently. At present large and small companies alike need to make monthly advances on taxes according to the sales of the previous year, severely affecting the working capital of the so-called SMEs (Pymes in Spanish). The difference is then carried over to the next year.

During the Second SMEs Expo held recently, the president of the governmental Banco de Reservas, Simon Lizardo Mezquita highlighted that small business contribute 38% of the nation’s GDP and the sector’s wellbeing is key to the country’s development. He spoke of efforts of the government to support the small enterprises with low-cost loans for working capital, inventory, machinery, vehicles and locations.

https://www.banreservas,com/expopymes
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...el-producto-interno-bruto-del-pais-PA13208632
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...empleos-de-la-republica-dominicana-CB13211571


Milagros Ortiz Bosch alerts PLD strife is getting out of hand
Former Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch says that the military cordoning off of the National Congress, new revelations of bribes involving government officers, the incapacity of the Public Ministry to act independently against corruption, and the growing inefficiency in public administration are pushing the country to institutional and economic bankruptcy. She criticized the leadership of the government party that has preferred to concentrate on its internal party conflict instead of giving priority to real national problems. She defined the panorama of the country as truly dramatic, nuanced by a serious threat against the tourism industry, the increase in blackouts and the virtual paralysis of critical public functions.

Ortiz Bosch considered that the reputation of Dominican justice has reached its lowest level in a long time and said that Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez should resign his position, as a logical consequence of his incompetence to implement a conscientious and sustainable process for Odebrecht's bribes and the overvaluation of the Punta Catalina plants.

As for the situation at the National Congress, she said that the leaders of the PLD have turned this branch of government “into a battlefield to resolve their personal disputes at a time when the country is in the international public limelight for isolated incidents that have affected the tourism industry.”

Ortiz Bosch is a former Vice President under the government of former President Hipólito Mejía from 2000-2004.

https://n.com.do/2019/06/29/milagro...orde-de-la-quiebra-institucional-y-economica/


Will the PLD split?
Political analyst Rafael Chaljub Mejia remarks that while forecasting is difficult in politics, the possibility of a split of the ruling PLD party seems more likely with each passing day. “Division seems inevitable,” he writes in an analysis in the editorial page of El Dia on 28 June 2019, pointing to the escalation of violence in the confrontations of those loyal to President Danilo Medina and former President Leonel Fernandez.

Chaljub says this would not be new in Dominican political history. He recalls the cases of Augusto Lora vs. Joaquin Balaguer in the (PRSC), or Antonio Guzmán vs. Salvador Jorge Blanco, Salvador Jorge Blanco vs. Jacobo Majluta, Jacobo Majluta vs. Francisco Peña Gómez or even Francisco Peña Gómez vs. Juan Bosch in the PRD.

He says this time around making the situation worse is that the nation does not seem to have a mediator, recalling how in the past the editor of Listin Diario Rafael Herrera had served in this role, to be followed by rector of the UCMM Agripino Núñez Collado or TV host Freddy Beras Goico.

Chaljub writes: “The confrontation between PLD members permeates the public powers, threatens Dominican institutions, has denaturalized the National Congress, has involved the armed forces, and its disturbing effect gravitates on the political stability of the country.”

Other historic party splits are those of the PLD that was formed when Juan Bosch separated from Francisco Peña Gómez who stayed with the PRD, and then that of the PRM that was created when Luis Abinader and Hipolito Mejía separated from Miguel Vargas Maldonado who kept the PRD.

https://eldia.com.do/division-inevitable/


Doctors do good work, Argentine girl recovers at Plaza de la Salud
Under the care of doctors at the Plaza de la Salud General Hospital in Santo Domingo, the 15-year old Argentinean teen who did a diabetic crisis on 19 June 2019, on her last day of a family vacation in Punta Cana, is recovering. As reported, she was woken up after several days in a coma.

The Argentine news site, Cronica reports that Candela Sacccone was taken off a ventilator on Thursday, 27 June. Grandmother Monica Zanolla told Cronica online newspaper in their home country Argentina: "This breakthrough means that doctors are doing things right and evolution is very important for us. The truth is that the hospital staff has taken excellent care of the family, at both medical and the human level.”

The 15-year old was hospitalized after suffering symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and dehydration. As reported, three days after being interned at Plaza de la Salud, her health had improved and she was taken off the ventilator.

The family said they hope to transfer the teen back to Argentina when she becomes stable.

Candela’s hospitalization comes as the Dominican Republic has become the focus of media coverage as tourists fall seriously ill in the country. The Dominican Republic receives around 6.5 million tourists a year.

https://www.cronica.com.ar/mundo/La...ta-conectada-al-respirador-20190628-0017.html
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...enta-mejoria-tras-crisis-diabetica-CB13213706
https://nypost.com/2019/06/28/teen-wakes-up-from-coma-after-shes-hospitalized-in-dominican-republic/


Could the new ICIJ info invalidate the deal with Odebrecht?
New information disclosed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) that brings together 17 investigative journalists in the Americas is evidence that could be used to end the deal Odebrecht signed with the Attorney General Office whereby the company agreed to pay US$184 million in penalties and the Attorney General agreed not to prosecute Odebrecht officers in the Dominican Republic.

As reported, new revelations made by journalist Alicia Ortega on her “El Informe con Alicia Ortega” TV investigative report on Wednesday, 26 June 2019, indicate that Odebrecht would have channeled US$39.5 million to companies related to Dominicans. The transactions would have been made through the same Structured Division that a New York court had already determined had funneled US$92 million to Dominican government officers and company officers in the country to secure government contract work. The new payments are primarily being linked to the Punta Catalina thermoelectric power plant presently under construction by the Medina administration.

The agreement reached by the Attorney General's Office with Odebrecht establishes that it could be revoked by the Attorney General Office if the company does not comply with its obligation to provide all information regarding bribes paid by Odebrecht and related companies in the Dominican Republic. The government would not need to reimburse the first payment for US$30 million that was received on 31 January 2017 upon the signing of the eight-year agreement for a total of US$184 million through 30 March 2025.

Furthermore, Diario Libre, within the framework of the initiative for investigative journalism in the Americas, of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), in alliance with Connectas, found that there were 18 works, not 17, executed by the Brazilian company in the Dominican Republic. The 18th work is the Hidroeléctrica Jigüey y Aguacate that was not mentioned previously in the disclosure statements provided by Odebrecht. This could be interpreted as another breach of the agreement.

A report published on 28 June 2019 in Diario Libre reveals that the public works carried out by Odebrecht in the country ended up costing around 50% more than the initial cost estimate.

Politician Guillermo Moreno writes in Diario Libre that the deal signed by the Attorney General with Odebrecht was one for mutual protection for government officers and the Brazilian construction company. He adds: “The overvaluation of Punta Catalina was not only to cover the bribes for the awarding of the contract, but a part was used in the purchase of the vote of legislators that was needed to amend the Constitution to enable presidential re-election,” writes Moreno.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ncrucijada-por-nuevas-revelaciones-GD13230732
https://pgr.gob.do/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Resolucion-059-2017-SRES-00098RP.pdf
https://www.epsalabco.com/en/proyecto-hidroelectrico-jiguey-y-aguacate/
https://elnacional.com.do/odebrecht...-de-39-millones-de-dolares-en-punta-catalina/
https://hoy.com.do/lo-de-odebretch/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnKdwdJYwEs
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...-odebrecht-en-republica-dominicana-FL12198915
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion...y-el-lado-oscuro-de-punta-catalina-CB13216217
https://somospueblo.com/revelan-odebrecht-borro-informaciones-de-sobornos-de-cuatro-obras-en-rd/
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/en-directo/punta-catalina-cuerpo-del-delito-FC13229783


High-ranking officer at Banco de Reservas resigns in Odebrecht bribes scandal
The deputy administrator of the Banco de Reservas, Jose Manuel Guzmán Ibarra announced he resigned the position effective Monday, 1 July 2019. He had been mentioned in the investigations carried out by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on Odebrecht contracting in the Dominican Republic. According to the investigation, a company he owned, Grupo Sophus-Lanx Ltd. would allegedly have received payments from Odebrecht.

Dominican representative of the ICIJ, Alicia Ortega had reported that Grupo Sophus Lanx was an advisor to Odebrecht on the design of a financial program for public works, business opportunities and international financial operations.

https://somospueblo.com/subaministr...ibio-mas-de-us1-millon-en-pagos-de-odebrecht/


CAASD warns: in spite of rains, water in Santo Domingo is scarce
The Water and Sewer Corporation of Santo Domingo (CAASD) reported last weekend that water production levels last Wednesday were at 364 million gallons per day, about 13 million gallons below production. Part of the cause is the fact that the Haina-Manoguayabo system is down to just 18 inches of water and it is working with just 60% of its units.

Alejandro Montás, director of the CAASD, said that early last week they were operating at 43 million gallons less than normal. He noted that the Nizao River, which supplies the Jiguey and Valdesia reservoirs, is down to 4.5 m3/sec, an indicator that it is not raining in that sector. The water intake at Duey I is operating with only 30 inches of water, which also reduces the waters supply for the city.

Montás urged water conservation measures continue to be implemented until the situation becomes normal once again.

https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/06/27/panorama/pais/caasd-advierte-sigue-la-reduccion-de-agua/


Three of four who died in Barahona air crash identified
The authorities of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) have identified as pilot Giuseppe Lubrano, copilot Enrique Grullon and passenger Raquel Cordova, three of four who died in a small airplane crash in southwestern La Ciénaga, Barahona on Saturday, 29 June 2019.

A commission is investigating the causes of the crash. The airplane had taken off at 10:27am on Saturday from the Barahona International Airport. Preliminary reports are that the four died instantly upon the crash.

The president of the Commission for Investigation of Air Accidents (CIAA), Air Force Colonel Emmanuel Soufrontt Tamayo revealed that preliminary data is that the plane’s engine shut off midway in the flight from Barahona to Pedernales.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...s-de-avioneta-que-cayo-en-barahona-HE13242731


Santiago Police chief investigated for having sex with minor
The police commander of the Cibao region, the second most important in the country, was removed from the position after a scandal made headlines with photos showing him kissing a minor and being accused of being in a two-year relationship with the minor. General Jose Acosta Castellanos was removed for “inappropriate conduct” and is under investigation by the Public Ministry.

Lawyer Pedro Alejandro Almonte Taveras said he had been hired by the mother of the minor to prosecute the general after the later did not comply with an agreement whereby the general would pay for the rent of a furnished apartment and cover education costs of the girl. The lawyer said that once Acosta was arrested in the case, the mother hired another legal representative.

Acosta had been the regional director for the Cibao Central region based in Santiago since March 2018. He was replaced by General Pablo de Jesus Dipré. Dipré previously had been in charge of the La Romana region. In La Romana he was replaced in turn by General Romer Lopez.

https://eldia.com.do/acosta-castellanos-sustituido-en-cibao/
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/06...nor-dice-que-la-obligaron-chantajear-general/
https://eldia.com.do/general-de-la-...-menor-desde-que-tenia-15-anos-segun-abogado/
https://n.com.do/2019/06/28/madre-d...l-le-habria-solicitado-apartamento-amueblado/


Alleged mastermind and man who hired to kill arrested in David Ortiz case
The National Police announced the arrest on Friday, 28 June 2019, of two of three persons still sought in the case where Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz was almost killed on 9 June at the Dial Bar & Lounge of Av. Venezuela. That evening, Ortiz was engaged in conversation with his friend Sixto David Fernández Vásquez when he was shot in the back at close range by a man who had gotten off a motorcycle. The authorities say Ortiz was mistakenly shot. The authorities say that Fernández Vásquez was the target, not David Ortiz, but this was botched up by the contracted killer. Fernández was a regular at the Dial Bar & Lounge.

Arrested on Friday were the alleged attempted murder mastermind Victor Hugo Gómez Vásquez and his accomplice Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota.

Gómez Vásquez was arrested at a house located in the Residencial Carmen Renata III, in Pantoja, Santo Domingo West. As reported, Gómez Vásquez was sought in the US for his alleged role with a Texas drug trafficking ring related to Mexico’s Gulf Cartel and had arrived recently from on a boat trip from Puerto Rico.

Rodríguez Mota was detained off the coast of Samaná as he attempted to flee in a boat to Puerto Rico. Authorities said he carried an adulterated ID. The ID had Rodríguez Mota’s photo, but the data indicated it belonged to Jorge Enrique Leroux Matos.

Shortly before his arrest, Gomez Vasquez released a video statement denying that he was involved in the June 9 attack. “I don’t harm people. I’ve never harmed anyone,” he said in the video. Gómez said he would “never” order to kill Big Papi. He used the video, nevertheless, to tell on his cousin, Fernández Vásquez.

In the video he tells that his cousin dealt with capos. Fernández is known to be the owner of the Auto-Paint shop in Villa Consuelo, Santo Domingo. "Sixto David Fernández is not such a saint, he is not simply a businessman who does nothing wrong, he dedicates himself to approach travelers, Dominicanyorks, and introduces them to the local capos of the Dominican Republic,” said Gómez in the 7-minute video that is circulating on social media. Gómez said the Dominicanyorks return to the US and then send his cousin money to pay for luxury cars and apartments. He said sometimes his cousin did not use the money as he had agreed to and then would run into debt because he lives a lavish life of expensive women and expensive cars.

In the video, Gómez says that in Santo Domingo people know who David Fernández is. Gómez said that those who don’t believe him just have to check 10 past years of shipments that Fernández has received from Dominicanyorks. He explained Fernández is compensated for connecting the vendor and the buyer.

In turn, the other arrested on Friday, Rodríguez Mota is accused of hiring the contract murder. A surveillance video showed him at the Santo Domingo nightclub hours before the shooting and how he stalked Fernández as the later waited for his close friend David Ortiz and others to arrive.

Police say that Gómez Vásquez sought to kill his cousin, Sixto David Fernández, because Fernández had reported him to police years ago, leading to his arrest in 2011. Reports are now that Gómez had made a comment that he did not want to see Fernández, concerned that he could tell the authorities that he had come to the country, escaping arrest in the United States. This would have set off the move to kill Fernández.

The Police have arrested around 14 people in the shooting yet say one suspect is at large: Luis Alfredo Rivas Clase (El Cirujano). In this case, others under arrest are: Franklin Junior Merán (Rubirosa), José Eduardo Ciprián Lebrón, Carlos Rafael Álvarez, Lanny Estefanny Pérez Reyes, Rolfi Ferreira Cruz (the man who fired the shot at David Ortiz), Joel Rodríguez de la Cruz (Calamardo), Porfirio Ayendi Dechamps Vásquez (Nene), Reynaldo Rodríguez Valenzuela, Oliver Moisés Mirabal, Eddy Vladimir Féliz García (El Nata) and Gabriel Alexander Pérez Vizcaíno (Hueso) and Junior César La Hoz Vargas.

Over the weekend, a court ordered a year pre-trial custody to the three arrested on Friday, 28 June 2019 that were Alberto Rodríguez Mota, Julio César de la Hoz and Víctor Hugo Gómez Vásquez.

In a new development, the authorities say the price of the “job” was US$30,000 and not the RD$400,000 Police director General Ney Aldrin Bautista had said during a previous press conference.

https://eldia.com.do/acusado-de-ate...ario-lo-acusa-de-estar-involucrado-con-capos/
https://eldia.com.do/victor-hugo-gomez-dice-nunca-mandaria-a-matar-al-big-papi/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...nd-arrested/6lBHT9PBOeGIFjaATzqSBO/story.html
https://eldia.com.do/victor-hugo-gomez-dice-nunca-mandaria-a-matar-al-big-papi/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...el-ataque-en-el-que-resulto-herido-JC13226258
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...odriguez-mota-es-una-falsificacion-ED13232622
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ltamar-a-otro-buscado-por-atentado-MC13226857
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...hugo-gomez-esta-siendo-interrogado-FC13227174
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...gomez-vasquez-acusado-por-el-caso-david-ortiz
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...l-caso-david-ortiz-ya-son-16-los-involucrados
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ado-de-que-fue-victima-david-ortiz-FE13241260


Heat wave to continue
In the Dominican Republic the weather conditions are favorable for outdoor recreational activities. Nevertheless, dust-laden winds blowing from the Sahara desert are causing a seasonal haze. The National Weather Office (Onamet) forecasts conditions will stay the same through the middle of the weak. Onamet says that the trade winds may bring respite with weak and isolated showers to the central mountain range, the northeast and southeast regions. Relatively hot temperatures for the afternoon are forecast, with highs of 34 and 35C in the cities and coastal areas.

Onamet recommends people staying hydrated and wear light clothing to stay cool.

http://onamet.gob.do/index.php/pronostico/informe-del-tiempo