The government is making preparations for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Restoration of the Republic, with President Danilo Medina leading the events. The commemorations start with a Te Deum thanksgiving Mass at the Santiago Apostol Cathedral, celebrated by the Archbishop of Santiago, Ramon Benito de la Rosa y Carpio. The President will be accompanied by his cabinet, the provincial governor and other municipal authorities as well as politicians and business leaders from the area. Juan Daniel Balcacer, the head of the Permanent Commission for National Holidays, told reporters in the Orlando Martinez Hall of the Presidential Palace yesterday, Tuesday 13 August that festivities would be held in all of the provinces in homage to the heroes of the War of Restoration. One of the main events will be the unveiling of a statue of General Jose Cabrera, one of the 14 patriots who on 16 August 1863 launched the struggle against the Spanish control of the country in Capotillo, near the Haitian border in Loma de Cabrera, Dajabon province. While the Dominican Republic had gained its independence from Haiti in 1844, 17 years later General Pedro Santana requested the return of Spanish troops and control fearing a return of Haitian domination in 1861. The 16 August holiday marks the country’s third independence in 1865 when the Dominican Republic reclaimed control once again, after Spanish troops left the country after being overpowered by two years of Dominican guerilla warfare.