Sergio Vargas, one of the most popular merengue bandleaders in the DR, says that he will not cut his hair until the government solves the main problems of his beloved Villa Altagracia. He said he would grow an afro, despite this being out of fashion, as a way of going on strike in protest for the governmental neglect to the city that is about half an hour from Santo Domingo. He said that politicians only remember Villa Altagracia when they seek votes, but when they assume a position to do something, they suffer from amnesia regarding promises made. He said he has appointed himself the 100,000-inhabitant town’s public relations officer. He urged the government build Villa Altagracia an aqueduct pointing to the irony that 60% of the water consumed in Santo Domingo comes from the rivers that pass by Villa Altagracia. He also calls for the repair of the streets. He said that Villa Altagracia is suffering difficult times after the closing of the Industria Nacional de Papel, the abandon of the Catarey sugar mill and the rerouting of the Duarte Highway.
