The leader of the Masonic Grand Lodge of the Dominican Republic suggested that the DR help Haiti recover its ecology so that it can become economically habitable, as reported in Listin Diario. Grand Master Felipe de Castro said that everyone is aware that Haiti’s territory will become a desert in a few years, that its rivers have dried out and they do not have land for agricultural production, placing their inhabitants in extreme poverty. He stated that everyone has the right to happiness and that “we must help Haitians achieve theirs”. De Castro said that Haiti would become the first nation where democracy would fail despite it being the first slave nation to have become independent and the first black nation to attain its sovereignty. He considered that the grave problems being faced by Dominicans do not make the massive immigration of Haitians feasible as it would de-stabilize our economy. Grand Master Felipe de Castro was speaking during a press conference together with Deputy Grand Master Rene Baez Robiou, Grand Secretary Rafael Antonio Perez y Perez and Grand Master of Ceremonies Freddy Santana. The Grand Lodge is the oldest civil organization in the Dominican Republic with 147 years of active existence and participation in historical moments of the DR.