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More buses for the Av. 27 de Febrero corridor
The Voluntary Military Service (SMV) wants you!
Dengue now officially an epidemic
Virtual Reality apps at the service of education
Dargam favors an overhaul of the Labor Code
Dominicans returning from overseas
RD$850,000 in cash prizes for best environmental journalism work
Participación Ciudadana fails the Chamber of Accounts
Keeping mute on results of the PLD pre-candidate polls
Dominican people: Don't fall for the constitutional reform ploy
Too high: More than 500 suicides per year
Major Medicaid scam used DR banks
How the authorities track drug dealers
Cesar Emilio Peralta accused of trafficking more than 1,120 kilos of cocaine
Preventive custody for Cesar Emilio Peralta's spouse
Celebrations in Puerto Plata
Pro-reading effort unfolded by Save the Children
Lithuania loss means DR is out of the FIBA World Cup
Le Diner en Blanc coming to Santo Domingo
More buses for the Av. 27 de Febrero corridor
The general director of the Metropolitan Bus Office (Omsa), Hector Mojica announced better service on the Corredor 27 de Febrero. He said that 37 new Mercedes Benz buses are now serving the bus route that crosses the National District from east to west. Fares on the buses are RD$15. Of the new buses, 13 units can transport 96 persons.
Omsa also announces that 24 units with capacity for transporting 220 persons will also be serving the route.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...7-de-febrero-con-37-nuevas-guaguas-JN14083129
http://www.omsa.gob.do/index.php/no...a-autobuses-reforzaran-corredor-27-de-febrero
The Voluntary Military Service (SMV) wants you!
The Ministry of Defense is urging youths 16 to 21 years to sign on for the Voluntary Military Service (SMV). General Justo Martínez Fernández Tejada, director of the service, says the program has given good results. Less than 1% of its graduates are known to have been involved in crime. He said 23% of participants go on to choose a career in the Armed Forces or National Police.
The program began in 2001 under the presidency of President Hipólito Mejía when Major General José Miguel Soto Jiménez was secretary of the Armed Forces.
Today those who register receive military training on Saturday mornings for 60 hours that count toward the 60 hours of social work required to graduate from high school.
The next course starts on 14 September and there are still openings, says Fernández Tejada. The program is available in 27 provinces. It has graduated around 5,000 youths.
https://eldia.com.do/ministerio-de-...-a-participar-en-servicio-militar-voluntario/
Dengue now officially an epidemic
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has activated an alert for outbreaks of dengue throughout the Latin American region. So far this year there have been more than two million cases, surpassing the record 2016 figure.
As at the end of August 2019, there were 2,029,342 cases notified in the region, with 723 deaths. The countries most affected were Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Dr. Miguel Aragón from PAHO explained that the outbreak had especially affected the Central American countries due to the heat this year. He said the pace of illnesses should pick up in South America with the arrival of spring and summer. The spreading of the virus is directly linked to poverty, given the methods of storing water and lack of environmental controls. He said that climate change has brought warmer temperatures and an increase in the mosquito population.
Brazil has reported the highest number of cases of dengue with 1,345,994 people infected. Guatemala has the highest dengue death rate at 0.32% of cases diagnosed.
https://eldia.com.do/latinoamerica-en-alerta-epidemiologica-al-superar-2-millones-casos-de-dengue/
Virtual Reality apps at the service of education
The Interactive Digital Center (IDC) announced new technologies to train locals in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality development for private and public education centers. The center is at the Parque Cibernético de Santo Domingo (PCSD) in eastern Santo Domingo. It is operated by EON Reality Inc., the world leader in virtual reality-based knowledge transfer for industry, education and edutainment.
Eddy Martínez, president of the CyberPark, explained the new technologies can bring savings of 90% to public and private entities. He explained the center had graduated more than 20 young people who received scholarships from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The students are creating applications to educate and train students and workers in both the Dominican Republic and the surrounding Caribbean and Central America. The center's goal is to prepare 300 students directly and reach another 3,000 through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality training and education applications. Additionally, the project seeks for the IDC and its students to form the foundation of a local knowledge-based economy that will attract other firms to the Dominican Republic.
https://proceso.com.do/2019/07/31/parque-cibernetico-presenta-nueva-tecnologia-virtual-y-aumentada/
Dargam favors an overhaul of the Labor Code
The executive director of the National Business Council (Conep), Cesar Dargam said that the Dominican Labor Code (Law 16-92) needs an overhaul. He said it is obsolete and does not address the work and job markets as they are today.
Dargam suggests the Labor Code needs to be updated to incorporate agreements reached under the International Labor Organization and several reforms that have resulted from local jurisprudence.
Moreso, Dargam says there are new work modalities that are in demand today that didn't exist in 1993. He said the Labor Code also calls for complicated red tape that brings uncertainty to the sector.
"We are in an economy that is 51% informal and with a legal framework that no longer applies to these times," he said.
https://eldia.com.do/dargam-dice-que-el-codigo-laboral-esta-desfasado-y-urge-actualizarlo/
http://mt.gob.do/images/docs/biblioteca/codigo_de_trabajo.pdf
Dominicans returning from overseas
Dominicans who have been living illegally in the United States and Puerto Rico have returned voluntarily in massive numbers this year. More than half of these are women. In addition to the United States and Puerto Rico, the Dominicans are returning from Panama, Venezuela, Saint Martin, Martinique, Guadalupe, Chile, Argentina, France, Spain and other European countries. However, the majority have come from Puerto Rico, to where many arrived by illegal boat trips. Others in Venezuela, Panama and Spain were there having overstayed their legal stay.
https://hoy.com.do/dominicanos-que-vivian-ilegalmente-en-otros-paises-regresan-de-forma-masiva-a-rd/
RD$850,000 in cash prizes for best environmental journalism work
The Punta Cana-Macao Energy Consortium (CEPM), the San Pedro de Macorís Electricity Company (CESPM), InterEnergy Group and the Business Network for Environmental Protection (Ecored) are motivating journalists to compete in the 4th Annual Environmental Journalism Award 2018-2019. The competition has cash prizes worth RD$850,000. The cash awards this year are 142% more than the previous edition when the cash prize was RD$350,000.
The competition is held to motivate journalists to write stories that encourage sustainable environmental conservation. The sponsors understand that journalism plays a crucial role in raising awareness of individual or sectoral actions that can influence ecological protection and sustainable development in the country. The sponsors say the prize has already borne fruit, with many more journalists writing on the issues.
For this edition, the first place will receive RD$500,000.00, the second RD$250,000, and the third place, RD$100,000.00.
The call for entries is open until Monday, 30 September 2019 at 4pm at the ECORED offices. The journalistic works need to have been published from 1 September 2018 and 27 September 2019 in local, national or regional news media in the Dominican Republic, either in printed or digital format.
http://www.ecored.org.do/el-premio-...n-total-rd850000-y-convoca-su-cuarta-edicion/
Participación Ciudadana fails the Chamber of Accounts
The Participación Ciudadana (Citizen Participation) civic movement has raised red flags regarding the poor track record of the present Chamber of Accounts. Participación Ciudadana says that the auditing of government accounts carried out by the entity has little to show in quantity, importance and quality of the audits. The poor showing is a threat to the conservation and correct use of taxpayer contributions, claims the entity.
Participación Ciudadana reported that from 2012 to present, 356 audits have been carried out, an average of 51 per year. This when 1,470 government institutions should be audited. In addition, 32 political parties and 1,196 non-profit organizations should have been audited, too.
According to Participación Ciudadana, the work of the Chamber of Accounts is also ineffective in assessing the priorities it has set itself in its annual audit plans. As is known, the weight of public expenditure rests with the central government and its ministries. However, there are no known audits of the Ministries of the Presidency, Foreign Relations and Public Administration. Nor has it been persistent with the ministries with the largest budgets, such as Public Works, Health and Education.
For Participación Ciudadana, the case of the Ministry of Education is unusual. Over twelve years it has only been audited in 2009 and 2010. Audits have not been carried out after the ministry was allotted 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since 2013.
The Ministry of Public Health has only been audited in the years 2010 and 2011, and Public Works audits only cover 2014.
https://pciudadana.org/bajo-rendimiento-de-camara-de-cuentas-es-una-amenaza-para-fondos-publicos/
https://hoy.com.do/participacion-ci...-cuentas-es-una-amenaza-para-fondos-publicos/
Keeping mute on results of the PLD pre-candidate polls
A non-disclosure clause impedes the four polling companies hired to determine the best-positioned candidate to represent the Danilo Medina faction to reveal their polling results. Andrés Navarro, one of the pre-candidates, gave the explanation to the press upon announcing his support to the winner, Gonzalo Castillo. He just shared that Francisco Domínguez Brito was the runner-up and he was third.
Castillo himself announced he was the winner of the polls in a four-minute press conference. The media did not have access to the technical details of the surveys nor details on the results. As reported, the surveys also served to measure how the candidates would fare against Leonel Fernández and opposition candidates .
Patricia Solano and Diana Lora of La Cuestion radio talk show wondered out loud whether a mega investment in propaganda will enable Castillo to defeat former President Leonel Fernández and win the candidacy of the ruling party in the 6 October 2019 primary.
Political analyst Olaya Dotel said on the same radio talk show that more than popularity, the issue at hand is who manages the party machinery. This time around it is Danilo Medina. Dotel explained that Medina was responsible for bringing Leonel Fernández to power in 1996. Back then, Medina negotiated a deal with late President Joaquín Balaguer. He would continue to control the strings of government until he resigned the position of Minister of the Presidency in 2007 under the Leonel Fernández administration, when the later announced he would seek reelection in 2008. Medina would be elected President in 2012 for one term. Medina also successfully negotiated for constitutional reform in 2015 to allow him to seek a second term.
https://do.domiplay.net/podcast/la-...aciones&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podcast
Dominican people: Don't fall for the constitutional reform ploy
Spokespersons for the Alianza Pais political party, Guillermo Moreno and Minou Tavárez Mirabal, again warned the Dominican people of the negative effects that constitutional reform could bring to the nation. They urged the Dominican people not to fall for the argument that it is urgent to unify the municipal and congressional and presidential elections.
President Danilo Medina in July 2019 accepted not to seek constitutional reform so that he could run for President in 2020. But his followers are still interested in amending the Dominican Constitution to serve particular interests. The excuse this time around is the unifying of the municipal election with the congressional and presidential election, allegedly to save costs. The government has already made the 2020 elections the most costly by picking up a big chunk of the cost of the primaries of the two leading political parties, the ruling Dominican Liberation Party and the Modern Revolutionary Party. But cost aside, Moreno understands this would allow for many more changes that are not in line with the strengthening of Dominican democracy.
Alianza País warns against the continuing campaign for the convening of the National Assembly to modify the 2015 Constitution. Alianza Pais says the campaign is promoted by the faction of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) with the objective of erasing the clause that impedes a Dominican President to be elected for more than two terms. Likewise, Alianza Pais says the campaign seeks to enable Medina to run for President again in 2024.
Guillermo Moreno says the effort seeks to continue with the "harmful practice" of constitutional reform to accommodate personal ambitions of a President. He says this has occurred during the governments of Pedro Pedro Santana, Buenaventura Báez, Lilís, Horacio Vásquez, Trujillo, Balaguer, Leonel Fernández and present incumbent, Danilo Medina in 2015. Medina, nevertheless, would be the first Dominican President to promote constitutional reform on two occasions. The 2015 Constitution was passed to enable him to run for President in 2016.
The spokespeople for Alianza País say that rehabilitating Danilo Medina means he will be able to run for President in 2024. This will strengthen his leadership in the PLD and extend his power of control, beyond 2020, over the government institutions made up by party members that are loyal to him and can serve as guarantees of impunity.
Alianza Pais says this will sink the precarious democracy of the country even further, while opening up new possibilities for the continuing in power of the ruling government party.
Once the National Assembly is convened to reform the constitution, the legislators have free range of what gets changed. At present the ruling party is majority in Congress. Other analysts mention the intention is to lower the 50%+1 percentage needed to win the election in a first round.
https://eldia.com.do/alianza-pais-b...se-pretende-manosear-el-texto-constitucional/
Too high: More than 500 suicides per year
2019 is the 13th consecutive year with more than 500 suicides in the Dominican Republic. Last year, there were 310 suicides. This is alarming mental health professionals and those who work trying to prevent this epidemic. According to data given to Listin Diario by the Ministry of Public Health, a total of 284 people committed suicide in the first six months of this year, an average of 47 per month, of which 247 were men, for 87%.
On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Month on 9 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) has lamented that very few countries have the prevention of suicide as a priority.
In the Dominican Republic, in the first semester of the year, 59 people over 60 committed suicide, 57 between the ages of 40 and 49, 51 between the ages of 20 and 29, 42 between the ages of 30 and 39 and 41 between the ages of 50 and 50. There were 13 suicides by adolescents and seven by children.
January was the highest month with 57 suicides and by region, Santo Domingo heads the list with 60; followed by Santiago, 41; National District, 24; San Cristóbal, 15; Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris), 14; La Vega, 13; Espaillat (Moca), 12, and San Juan de la Maguana.
Over the last 12 years (2007-2018) there have been 6,781 suicides with 85% being men, for an average of 565 a year. 2011 and 2012 were the worst years with 637 and 638 suicides, respectively.
According to the WHO, every year around one million people commit suicide, or one person every 40 seconds. The statistic does not include attempted suicides that are 20 times more frequent than successful suicides.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...motercer-ano-seguido-con-mas-de-500-suicidios
Major Medicaid scam used DR banks
The owner of telemedicine company Video Doctor Network pleaded guilty for his role in what the US Justice Department is calling one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes prosecuted to date in the United States. Lester Stockett, 52, a resident of Colombia, admitted in court that from March 2016 and April 2019, he and other Video Doctor Network executives had transferred more than US$10 million in illegal kickback payments to a bank account in the Dominican Republic. They then moved more than US$9.8 million from that bank account in the Dominican Republic to the bank accounts of AffordADoc in the United States.
On Friday, 6 September 2019, the telemedicine company agreed to pay US$200 million in restitution to the US as part of his plea agreement.
The Justice Department in April had brought charges against 24 defendants including Stockett for their role in a US$424 million conspiracy to defraud Medicare and receive illegal kickbacks.
As part of his guilty plea, Stockett said he and others had solicited and received illegal kickbacks and bribes from patient recruiters, pharmacies and brace suppliers. In exchange, he said he and other Video Doctor Network employees bribed healthcare providers to order medically unnecessary orthotic braces for Medicare beneficiaries.
Stockett's company allegedly received kickbacks from brace suppliers in exchange for arranging for physicians to order the unnecessary medical equipment, such as back, knee and shoulder braces.
https://www.modernhealthcare.com/le...eads-guilty-424-million-medicare-fraud-scheme
How the authorities track drug dealers
César Emilio Peralta Adames is popularly known as César el Abusador, but that is not the only pseudonym he has. Listín Diario reports that Peralta, a fugitive from American and Dominican justice, is also known by his fellow drug dealers as el Patrón, Cabezón and by his first name, César.
According to online conversations intercepted by the United States authorities, Peralta was using code and encrypted messages to run his drug-dealing operation. He used different names to hide his identity and that of other drug dealers.
José Jesús Tapia Pérez, one of five gang heads who worked for César, used the name of Bola Negra or Boludo, and Ramón Antonio del Rosario Puente (Toño Leña) used BBPIN and Mangrino. According to the extradition file for César Peralta, it appears that Del Rosario Puente tried to communicate with him on several occasions but did not receive a reply. It appears that the contacts were made regarding an issue whereby el Abusador had refused to pay a debt he owed to Toño Leña.
The conversations that were intercepted were about the transport of hundreds of kilos of cocaine. In 2017, one of the members of the Del Rosario Puente group, Darys José Báez Melo, was arrested by Dominican authorities and alerted Del Rosario Puente and his son, Del Rosario Gautier, that they needed to change their numbers as they were being overheard by authorities.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...r-para-no-ser-identificados-por-los-federales
Cesar Emilio Peralta accused of trafficking more than 1,120 kilos of cocaine
According to the extradition order for César Emilio Peralta (aka El Abusador), he trafficked at least 1,120 kilos of cocaine to Puerto Rico and the United States, between the years 2008 and 2017.
The authorities confiscated three of the consignments containing between 10 and 60 kilograms of cocaine in 2013, but according to conversations, every week around 20 kilos were being sent to Puerto Rico.
In November 2015, the National Police confiscated 53 kilos of cocaine and two of heroin aboard a yacht belonging to Peralta's network which was going to Miami and six people were arrested.
In May 2008, the United States' border patrol service stopped a boat between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico with 587 kilos of cocaine and 7.5 of heroin also said to belong to the Peralta Drug Trafficking Operation.
And in 2009, several people were arrested in connection with another 150 kilos of cocaine.
In March 2017, authorities recorded Peralta saying he was shipping 20 kilos of cocaine a week by plane to Puerto Rico.
According to the United States authorities, Peralta has been paying officials to avoid his detention.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-peralta-trafico-mas-de-1000-kilos-de-cocaina
Preventive custody for Cesar Emilio Peralta's spouse
A National District judge has handed down three months in preventive custody to Marisol Franco, the spouse of César Emilio Peralta (aka El Abusador). The woman is held for security reasons, as she could be killed if not in jail.
Likewise, judge José Alejandro Vargas argued that the woman was not able to justify how she bought a RD$700,000 watch. Franco will carry out her sentence at Najayo Women's prison.
In the same Cesar Emilio Peralta Drug Trafficking Operation case, Edward Montero "Zapatazo" was ordered by the judge to house arrest, plus the use of an electronic bracelet, exit impediment and periodic presentations. Rafael Reyes and Alain Gilbert Bueno, were given three months preventive custody in Najayo jail and La Victoria respectively.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-dos-arresto-domiciliario-para-edward-montero
Celebrations in Puerto Plata
On Sunday 8 September 2019, there were celebrations in Puerto Plata to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the birth of General Gregoria Luperón.
The Permanent Commission of Patriotic Anniversaries (CPEP), together with the Ministries of Defense and Education, the government of Puerto Plata and the Gregoria Luperon museum, organized a range of activities.
The main celebration was at his station in the Malecon of Puerto Plata, with the raising of the Dominican flag and the playing of the National Anthem.
This was followed by speeches from the Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Plata, Monseñor Julio César Corniel Amaro, and Colonel Richardson Marte Estrella. There were further speeches by teacher Rosa García Crespo; the director of the Gregorio Luperón museum; Puerto Plata governor, Iván Rivera; and the president of the Permanent Commission of Patriotic Anniversaries, Juan Daniel Balcácer.
The speeches were followed by a parade of military and civilians throughout the city.
https://eldia.com.do/conmemoran-en-...rsario-natalicio-del-procer-gregorio-luperon/
Pro-reading effort unfolded by Save the Children
Save the Children and Club de Exploradores 4 x 4 are inviting children to register for the "Ruta de los Héroes." The first to 4th grade school children will be taken on a four-hour off-road tour on 28 September 2019 route that will promote reading and learning. The tour sets out from the Ciudad Ganadera and will end in the Sierra Prieta Polo Club.
The tour is a benefit for elementary education programs developed by Save the Children at the Sierra Prieta elementary school.
Register online at rutadelosheroes.com
https://elnacional.com.do/realizaran-ruta-de-los-heroes/
Lithuania loss means DR is out of the FIBA World Cup
Coach Nestor García of the Dominican national basketball team says the Dominican Republic achieved the expectations for its participation in the FIBA World Cup that is taking place in China. Having reached the Second Round of 16 teams, the DR won a slot in next summer's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament from 23 to 28 June 2020.
During the FIBA World Cup, the DR won two games (Jordan and Germany) and lost three (France, Australia and Lithuania).
In the game on Sunday against Lithuania, the DR lost 74-55 in Nanjing, China. On the game, Coach García said: "We played very bad offense. First of all, it is because Lithuania played very good defense. They are very strong aggressively and I saw that my team today was very tired because we played against very big teams with big size and when you are tired, on offense you run out of ideas."
Moreso, FIBA explained that the DR only managed to convert 21 of 62 throws, for 33.9% accuracy. Lithuania's efficiency was at 92 while Dominican Republic's 52 gives a full picture of their mediocrity on the day, says FIBA.
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...no-da-opcion-a-rd-en-su-despedida-del-mundial
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/09/09/rd-concluyo-con-2-3-su-participacion-en-el-mundial-fiba/
https://z101digital.com/eloy-vargas...no-por-apoyo-brindado-en-el-mundial-de-china/
https://z101digital.com/nestor-garcia-jugamos-mal-en-ataque-vi-al-equipo-cansado/
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...up-world-cup-with-win-over-dominican-republic
Le Diner en Blanc coming to Santo Domingo
Organizers are preparing the Saturday, 12 October 2019 Dominican version of Le Dîner en Blanc. Alejandro Urjarte and Israel Rodríguez have produced Le Diner en Blanc in Puerto Rico and La Havanna. The local coordinator is Raymundo Morales, of Creato.
Dîner en Blanc is a worldwide event spanning six continents in which people have a meal dressed in white in a temporary dining setup in a public space. Diners are required to provide their own food, tables, chairs and tablecloths. Only a select number of participants who have previously signed up are made privy to the location the day of the dinner, and generally converge in an iconic urban location.
https://santodomingo.dinerenblanc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DinerenBlanc.SantoDomingo/
The Voluntary Military Service (SMV) wants you!
Dengue now officially an epidemic
Virtual Reality apps at the service of education
Dargam favors an overhaul of the Labor Code
Dominicans returning from overseas
RD$850,000 in cash prizes for best environmental journalism work
Participación Ciudadana fails the Chamber of Accounts
Keeping mute on results of the PLD pre-candidate polls
Dominican people: Don't fall for the constitutional reform ploy
Too high: More than 500 suicides per year
Major Medicaid scam used DR banks
How the authorities track drug dealers
Cesar Emilio Peralta accused of trafficking more than 1,120 kilos of cocaine
Preventive custody for Cesar Emilio Peralta's spouse
Celebrations in Puerto Plata
Pro-reading effort unfolded by Save the Children
Lithuania loss means DR is out of the FIBA World Cup
Le Diner en Blanc coming to Santo Domingo
More buses for the Av. 27 de Febrero corridor
The general director of the Metropolitan Bus Office (Omsa), Hector Mojica announced better service on the Corredor 27 de Febrero. He said that 37 new Mercedes Benz buses are now serving the bus route that crosses the National District from east to west. Fares on the buses are RD$15. Of the new buses, 13 units can transport 96 persons.
Omsa also announces that 24 units with capacity for transporting 220 persons will also be serving the route.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...7-de-febrero-con-37-nuevas-guaguas-JN14083129
http://www.omsa.gob.do/index.php/no...a-autobuses-reforzaran-corredor-27-de-febrero
The Voluntary Military Service (SMV) wants you!
The Ministry of Defense is urging youths 16 to 21 years to sign on for the Voluntary Military Service (SMV). General Justo Martínez Fernández Tejada, director of the service, says the program has given good results. Less than 1% of its graduates are known to have been involved in crime. He said 23% of participants go on to choose a career in the Armed Forces or National Police.
The program began in 2001 under the presidency of President Hipólito Mejía when Major General José Miguel Soto Jiménez was secretary of the Armed Forces.
Today those who register receive military training on Saturday mornings for 60 hours that count toward the 60 hours of social work required to graduate from high school.
The next course starts on 14 September and there are still openings, says Fernández Tejada. The program is available in 27 provinces. It has graduated around 5,000 youths.
https://eldia.com.do/ministerio-de-...-a-participar-en-servicio-militar-voluntario/
Dengue now officially an epidemic
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has activated an alert for outbreaks of dengue throughout the Latin American region. So far this year there have been more than two million cases, surpassing the record 2016 figure.
As at the end of August 2019, there were 2,029,342 cases notified in the region, with 723 deaths. The countries most affected were Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Dr. Miguel Aragón from PAHO explained that the outbreak had especially affected the Central American countries due to the heat this year. He said the pace of illnesses should pick up in South America with the arrival of spring and summer. The spreading of the virus is directly linked to poverty, given the methods of storing water and lack of environmental controls. He said that climate change has brought warmer temperatures and an increase in the mosquito population.
Brazil has reported the highest number of cases of dengue with 1,345,994 people infected. Guatemala has the highest dengue death rate at 0.32% of cases diagnosed.
https://eldia.com.do/latinoamerica-en-alerta-epidemiologica-al-superar-2-millones-casos-de-dengue/
Virtual Reality apps at the service of education
The Interactive Digital Center (IDC) announced new technologies to train locals in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality development for private and public education centers. The center is at the Parque Cibernético de Santo Domingo (PCSD) in eastern Santo Domingo. It is operated by EON Reality Inc., the world leader in virtual reality-based knowledge transfer for industry, education and edutainment.
Eddy Martínez, president of the CyberPark, explained the new technologies can bring savings of 90% to public and private entities. He explained the center had graduated more than 20 young people who received scholarships from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The students are creating applications to educate and train students and workers in both the Dominican Republic and the surrounding Caribbean and Central America. The center's goal is to prepare 300 students directly and reach another 3,000 through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality training and education applications. Additionally, the project seeks for the IDC and its students to form the foundation of a local knowledge-based economy that will attract other firms to the Dominican Republic.
https://proceso.com.do/2019/07/31/parque-cibernetico-presenta-nueva-tecnologia-virtual-y-aumentada/
Dargam favors an overhaul of the Labor Code
The executive director of the National Business Council (Conep), Cesar Dargam said that the Dominican Labor Code (Law 16-92) needs an overhaul. He said it is obsolete and does not address the work and job markets as they are today.
Dargam suggests the Labor Code needs to be updated to incorporate agreements reached under the International Labor Organization and several reforms that have resulted from local jurisprudence.
Moreso, Dargam says there are new work modalities that are in demand today that didn't exist in 1993. He said the Labor Code also calls for complicated red tape that brings uncertainty to the sector.
"We are in an economy that is 51% informal and with a legal framework that no longer applies to these times," he said.
https://eldia.com.do/dargam-dice-que-el-codigo-laboral-esta-desfasado-y-urge-actualizarlo/
http://mt.gob.do/images/docs/biblioteca/codigo_de_trabajo.pdf
Dominicans returning from overseas
Dominicans who have been living illegally in the United States and Puerto Rico have returned voluntarily in massive numbers this year. More than half of these are women. In addition to the United States and Puerto Rico, the Dominicans are returning from Panama, Venezuela, Saint Martin, Martinique, Guadalupe, Chile, Argentina, France, Spain and other European countries. However, the majority have come from Puerto Rico, to where many arrived by illegal boat trips. Others in Venezuela, Panama and Spain were there having overstayed their legal stay.
https://hoy.com.do/dominicanos-que-vivian-ilegalmente-en-otros-paises-regresan-de-forma-masiva-a-rd/
RD$850,000 in cash prizes for best environmental journalism work
The Punta Cana-Macao Energy Consortium (CEPM), the San Pedro de Macorís Electricity Company (CESPM), InterEnergy Group and the Business Network for Environmental Protection (Ecored) are motivating journalists to compete in the 4th Annual Environmental Journalism Award 2018-2019. The competition has cash prizes worth RD$850,000. The cash awards this year are 142% more than the previous edition when the cash prize was RD$350,000.
The competition is held to motivate journalists to write stories that encourage sustainable environmental conservation. The sponsors understand that journalism plays a crucial role in raising awareness of individual or sectoral actions that can influence ecological protection and sustainable development in the country. The sponsors say the prize has already borne fruit, with many more journalists writing on the issues.
For this edition, the first place will receive RD$500,000.00, the second RD$250,000, and the third place, RD$100,000.00.
The call for entries is open until Monday, 30 September 2019 at 4pm at the ECORED offices. The journalistic works need to have been published from 1 September 2018 and 27 September 2019 in local, national or regional news media in the Dominican Republic, either in printed or digital format.
http://www.ecored.org.do/el-premio-...n-total-rd850000-y-convoca-su-cuarta-edicion/
Participación Ciudadana fails the Chamber of Accounts
The Participación Ciudadana (Citizen Participation) civic movement has raised red flags regarding the poor track record of the present Chamber of Accounts. Participación Ciudadana says that the auditing of government accounts carried out by the entity has little to show in quantity, importance and quality of the audits. The poor showing is a threat to the conservation and correct use of taxpayer contributions, claims the entity.
Participación Ciudadana reported that from 2012 to present, 356 audits have been carried out, an average of 51 per year. This when 1,470 government institutions should be audited. In addition, 32 political parties and 1,196 non-profit organizations should have been audited, too.
According to Participación Ciudadana, the work of the Chamber of Accounts is also ineffective in assessing the priorities it has set itself in its annual audit plans. As is known, the weight of public expenditure rests with the central government and its ministries. However, there are no known audits of the Ministries of the Presidency, Foreign Relations and Public Administration. Nor has it been persistent with the ministries with the largest budgets, such as Public Works, Health and Education.
For Participación Ciudadana, the case of the Ministry of Education is unusual. Over twelve years it has only been audited in 2009 and 2010. Audits have not been carried out after the ministry was allotted 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since 2013.
The Ministry of Public Health has only been audited in the years 2010 and 2011, and Public Works audits only cover 2014.
https://pciudadana.org/bajo-rendimiento-de-camara-de-cuentas-es-una-amenaza-para-fondos-publicos/
https://hoy.com.do/participacion-ci...-cuentas-es-una-amenaza-para-fondos-publicos/
Keeping mute on results of the PLD pre-candidate polls
A non-disclosure clause impedes the four polling companies hired to determine the best-positioned candidate to represent the Danilo Medina faction to reveal their polling results. Andrés Navarro, one of the pre-candidates, gave the explanation to the press upon announcing his support to the winner, Gonzalo Castillo. He just shared that Francisco Domínguez Brito was the runner-up and he was third.
Castillo himself announced he was the winner of the polls in a four-minute press conference. The media did not have access to the technical details of the surveys nor details on the results. As reported, the surveys also served to measure how the candidates would fare against Leonel Fernández and opposition candidates .
Patricia Solano and Diana Lora of La Cuestion radio talk show wondered out loud whether a mega investment in propaganda will enable Castillo to defeat former President Leonel Fernández and win the candidacy of the ruling party in the 6 October 2019 primary.
Political analyst Olaya Dotel said on the same radio talk show that more than popularity, the issue at hand is who manages the party machinery. This time around it is Danilo Medina. Dotel explained that Medina was responsible for bringing Leonel Fernández to power in 1996. Back then, Medina negotiated a deal with late President Joaquín Balaguer. He would continue to control the strings of government until he resigned the position of Minister of the Presidency in 2007 under the Leonel Fernández administration, when the later announced he would seek reelection in 2008. Medina would be elected President in 2012 for one term. Medina also successfully negotiated for constitutional reform in 2015 to allow him to seek a second term.
https://do.domiplay.net/podcast/la-...aciones&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podcast
Dominican people: Don't fall for the constitutional reform ploy
Spokespersons for the Alianza Pais political party, Guillermo Moreno and Minou Tavárez Mirabal, again warned the Dominican people of the negative effects that constitutional reform could bring to the nation. They urged the Dominican people not to fall for the argument that it is urgent to unify the municipal and congressional and presidential elections.
President Danilo Medina in July 2019 accepted not to seek constitutional reform so that he could run for President in 2020. But his followers are still interested in amending the Dominican Constitution to serve particular interests. The excuse this time around is the unifying of the municipal election with the congressional and presidential election, allegedly to save costs. The government has already made the 2020 elections the most costly by picking up a big chunk of the cost of the primaries of the two leading political parties, the ruling Dominican Liberation Party and the Modern Revolutionary Party. But cost aside, Moreno understands this would allow for many more changes that are not in line with the strengthening of Dominican democracy.
Alianza País warns against the continuing campaign for the convening of the National Assembly to modify the 2015 Constitution. Alianza Pais says the campaign is promoted by the faction of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) with the objective of erasing the clause that impedes a Dominican President to be elected for more than two terms. Likewise, Alianza Pais says the campaign seeks to enable Medina to run for President again in 2024.
Guillermo Moreno says the effort seeks to continue with the "harmful practice" of constitutional reform to accommodate personal ambitions of a President. He says this has occurred during the governments of Pedro Pedro Santana, Buenaventura Báez, Lilís, Horacio Vásquez, Trujillo, Balaguer, Leonel Fernández and present incumbent, Danilo Medina in 2015. Medina, nevertheless, would be the first Dominican President to promote constitutional reform on two occasions. The 2015 Constitution was passed to enable him to run for President in 2016.
The spokespeople for Alianza País say that rehabilitating Danilo Medina means he will be able to run for President in 2024. This will strengthen his leadership in the PLD and extend his power of control, beyond 2020, over the government institutions made up by party members that are loyal to him and can serve as guarantees of impunity.
Alianza Pais says this will sink the precarious democracy of the country even further, while opening up new possibilities for the continuing in power of the ruling government party.
Once the National Assembly is convened to reform the constitution, the legislators have free range of what gets changed. At present the ruling party is majority in Congress. Other analysts mention the intention is to lower the 50%+1 percentage needed to win the election in a first round.
https://eldia.com.do/alianza-pais-b...se-pretende-manosear-el-texto-constitucional/
Too high: More than 500 suicides per year
2019 is the 13th consecutive year with more than 500 suicides in the Dominican Republic. Last year, there were 310 suicides. This is alarming mental health professionals and those who work trying to prevent this epidemic. According to data given to Listin Diario by the Ministry of Public Health, a total of 284 people committed suicide in the first six months of this year, an average of 47 per month, of which 247 were men, for 87%.
On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Month on 9 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) has lamented that very few countries have the prevention of suicide as a priority.
In the Dominican Republic, in the first semester of the year, 59 people over 60 committed suicide, 57 between the ages of 40 and 49, 51 between the ages of 20 and 29, 42 between the ages of 30 and 39 and 41 between the ages of 50 and 50. There were 13 suicides by adolescents and seven by children.
January was the highest month with 57 suicides and by region, Santo Domingo heads the list with 60; followed by Santiago, 41; National District, 24; San Cristóbal, 15; Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris), 14; La Vega, 13; Espaillat (Moca), 12, and San Juan de la Maguana.
Over the last 12 years (2007-2018) there have been 6,781 suicides with 85% being men, for an average of 565 a year. 2011 and 2012 were the worst years with 637 and 638 suicides, respectively.
According to the WHO, every year around one million people commit suicide, or one person every 40 seconds. The statistic does not include attempted suicides that are 20 times more frequent than successful suicides.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...motercer-ano-seguido-con-mas-de-500-suicidios
Major Medicaid scam used DR banks
The owner of telemedicine company Video Doctor Network pleaded guilty for his role in what the US Justice Department is calling one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes prosecuted to date in the United States. Lester Stockett, 52, a resident of Colombia, admitted in court that from March 2016 and April 2019, he and other Video Doctor Network executives had transferred more than US$10 million in illegal kickback payments to a bank account in the Dominican Republic. They then moved more than US$9.8 million from that bank account in the Dominican Republic to the bank accounts of AffordADoc in the United States.
On Friday, 6 September 2019, the telemedicine company agreed to pay US$200 million in restitution to the US as part of his plea agreement.
The Justice Department in April had brought charges against 24 defendants including Stockett for their role in a US$424 million conspiracy to defraud Medicare and receive illegal kickbacks.
As part of his guilty plea, Stockett said he and others had solicited and received illegal kickbacks and bribes from patient recruiters, pharmacies and brace suppliers. In exchange, he said he and other Video Doctor Network employees bribed healthcare providers to order medically unnecessary orthotic braces for Medicare beneficiaries.
Stockett's company allegedly received kickbacks from brace suppliers in exchange for arranging for physicians to order the unnecessary medical equipment, such as back, knee and shoulder braces.
https://www.modernhealthcare.com/le...eads-guilty-424-million-medicare-fraud-scheme
How the authorities track drug dealers
César Emilio Peralta Adames is popularly known as César el Abusador, but that is not the only pseudonym he has. Listín Diario reports that Peralta, a fugitive from American and Dominican justice, is also known by his fellow drug dealers as el Patrón, Cabezón and by his first name, César.
According to online conversations intercepted by the United States authorities, Peralta was using code and encrypted messages to run his drug-dealing operation. He used different names to hide his identity and that of other drug dealers.
José Jesús Tapia Pérez, one of five gang heads who worked for César, used the name of Bola Negra or Boludo, and Ramón Antonio del Rosario Puente (Toño Leña) used BBPIN and Mangrino. According to the extradition file for César Peralta, it appears that Del Rosario Puente tried to communicate with him on several occasions but did not receive a reply. It appears that the contacts were made regarding an issue whereby el Abusador had refused to pay a debt he owed to Toño Leña.
The conversations that were intercepted were about the transport of hundreds of kilos of cocaine. In 2017, one of the members of the Del Rosario Puente group, Darys José Báez Melo, was arrested by Dominican authorities and alerted Del Rosario Puente and his son, Del Rosario Gautier, that they needed to change their numbers as they were being overheard by authorities.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...r-para-no-ser-identificados-por-los-federales
Cesar Emilio Peralta accused of trafficking more than 1,120 kilos of cocaine
According to the extradition order for César Emilio Peralta (aka El Abusador), he trafficked at least 1,120 kilos of cocaine to Puerto Rico and the United States, between the years 2008 and 2017.
The authorities confiscated three of the consignments containing between 10 and 60 kilograms of cocaine in 2013, but according to conversations, every week around 20 kilos were being sent to Puerto Rico.
In November 2015, the National Police confiscated 53 kilos of cocaine and two of heroin aboard a yacht belonging to Peralta's network which was going to Miami and six people were arrested.
In May 2008, the United States' border patrol service stopped a boat between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico with 587 kilos of cocaine and 7.5 of heroin also said to belong to the Peralta Drug Trafficking Operation.
And in 2009, several people were arrested in connection with another 150 kilos of cocaine.
In March 2017, authorities recorded Peralta saying he was shipping 20 kilos of cocaine a week by plane to Puerto Rico.
According to the United States authorities, Peralta has been paying officials to avoid his detention.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-peralta-trafico-mas-de-1000-kilos-de-cocaina
Preventive custody for Cesar Emilio Peralta's spouse
A National District judge has handed down three months in preventive custody to Marisol Franco, the spouse of César Emilio Peralta (aka El Abusador). The woman is held for security reasons, as she could be killed if not in jail.
Likewise, judge José Alejandro Vargas argued that the woman was not able to justify how she bought a RD$700,000 watch. Franco will carry out her sentence at Najayo Women's prison.
In the same Cesar Emilio Peralta Drug Trafficking Operation case, Edward Montero "Zapatazo" was ordered by the judge to house arrest, plus the use of an electronic bracelet, exit impediment and periodic presentations. Rafael Reyes and Alain Gilbert Bueno, were given three months preventive custody in Najayo jail and La Victoria respectively.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-dos-arresto-domiciliario-para-edward-montero
Celebrations in Puerto Plata
On Sunday 8 September 2019, there were celebrations in Puerto Plata to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the birth of General Gregoria Luperón.
The Permanent Commission of Patriotic Anniversaries (CPEP), together with the Ministries of Defense and Education, the government of Puerto Plata and the Gregoria Luperon museum, organized a range of activities.
The main celebration was at his station in the Malecon of Puerto Plata, with the raising of the Dominican flag and the playing of the National Anthem.
This was followed by speeches from the Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Plata, Monseñor Julio César Corniel Amaro, and Colonel Richardson Marte Estrella. There were further speeches by teacher Rosa García Crespo; the director of the Gregorio Luperón museum; Puerto Plata governor, Iván Rivera; and the president of the Permanent Commission of Patriotic Anniversaries, Juan Daniel Balcácer.
The speeches were followed by a parade of military and civilians throughout the city.
https://eldia.com.do/conmemoran-en-...rsario-natalicio-del-procer-gregorio-luperon/
Pro-reading effort unfolded by Save the Children
Save the Children and Club de Exploradores 4 x 4 are inviting children to register for the "Ruta de los Héroes." The first to 4th grade school children will be taken on a four-hour off-road tour on 28 September 2019 route that will promote reading and learning. The tour sets out from the Ciudad Ganadera and will end in the Sierra Prieta Polo Club.
The tour is a benefit for elementary education programs developed by Save the Children at the Sierra Prieta elementary school.
Register online at rutadelosheroes.com
https://elnacional.com.do/realizaran-ruta-de-los-heroes/
Lithuania loss means DR is out of the FIBA World Cup
Coach Nestor García of the Dominican national basketball team says the Dominican Republic achieved the expectations for its participation in the FIBA World Cup that is taking place in China. Having reached the Second Round of 16 teams, the DR won a slot in next summer's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament from 23 to 28 June 2020.
During the FIBA World Cup, the DR won two games (Jordan and Germany) and lost three (France, Australia and Lithuania).
In the game on Sunday against Lithuania, the DR lost 74-55 in Nanjing, China. On the game, Coach García said: "We played very bad offense. First of all, it is because Lithuania played very good defense. They are very strong aggressively and I saw that my team today was very tired because we played against very big teams with big size and when you are tired, on offense you run out of ideas."
Moreso, FIBA explained that the DR only managed to convert 21 of 62 throws, for 33.9% accuracy. Lithuania's efficiency was at 92 while Dominican Republic's 52 gives a full picture of their mediocrity on the day, says FIBA.
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...no-da-opcion-a-rd-en-su-despedida-del-mundial
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/09/09/rd-concluyo-con-2-3-su-participacion-en-el-mundial-fiba/
https://z101digital.com/eloy-vargas...no-por-apoyo-brindado-en-el-mundial-de-china/
https://z101digital.com/nestor-garcia-jugamos-mal-en-ataque-vi-al-equipo-cansado/
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...up-world-cup-with-win-over-dominican-republic
Le Diner en Blanc coming to Santo Domingo
Organizers are preparing the Saturday, 12 October 2019 Dominican version of Le Dîner en Blanc. Alejandro Urjarte and Israel Rodríguez have produced Le Diner en Blanc in Puerto Rico and La Havanna. The local coordinator is Raymundo Morales, of Creato.
Dîner en Blanc is a worldwide event spanning six continents in which people have a meal dressed in white in a temporary dining setup in a public space. Diners are required to provide their own food, tables, chairs and tablecloths. Only a select number of participants who have previously signed up are made privy to the location the day of the dinner, and generally converge in an iconic urban location.
https://santodomingo.dinerenblanc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DinerenBlanc.SantoDomingo/