The president of the Catholic Church Commission on Ecology and Environment, Barahona?s Monsignor Fabio Mamerto Riva, spoke at a press conference yesterday to say that congress is taking advantage of the election campaign to push through the bill to reduce the protected areas. The bishop urged the postponement of the bill?s study, saying the fact that it had been passed by the Senate and again in its first reading by the Chamber of Deputies shows ?there is not a cat in the bag, but rather sharks, tigers and lions,? as reported in El Caribe newspaper.
Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, the rector of the PUCMM, called the rush to advance the bill through congress ?untimely?, as reported in El Caribe newspaper. Others opposing the rush are the spokesman for the National Council of Business and the President of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants, who met with the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco (PRD-National District), to recommend a delay. Pacheco has given priority to the bill.