Protests in Puerto Plata, Santiago and San Francisco de Macoris as consumers reject the recent 50% increases in telephone bills, scarcity of propane gas, and the long blackouts. Celso Marranzini, president of the National Council of Businesses, criticized the government’s budget management that has produced what is being called as "financial blackout." Power distributors are pressuring the government more than usual to eliminate arrears as its term comes to an end. Likewise, the government is said to be using all its funds to finish several megaworks for which it wants to take credit. Meanwhile, Monsignor Agripino Núñez of the Pontificia Madre y Maestra Catholic University sided with consumers saying that it was unfair that despite the long blackouts, power bills continue very high.
