Violent protestors stormed the National Congress on Wednesday, 4 February in the morning led by Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) deputy Pedro Botello and priest Rogelio Cruz. The protestors were armed with stones, sticks and glass bottles. They demanded the Senate approve a bill whereby Pension Fund Insurers (AFPs) would allow beneficiaries to cash in 30% of their AFP savings.
The uniformed rock-throwing protestors violated the police encirclement and were repelled with tear gas. The Police retreated and gave way to the mob that attacked the Congress. Vehicles parked in the area were affected.
The mob vociferated expletives against the president of the Senate, Eduardo Estrella and senator Ricardo de los Santos. National District senator Faribe Raful shared on her social media accounts photos of damage done to her office windows. The windows of the office of La Altagracia province, Virgilio Cedano were also damaged by the stone-throwers.
The demonstrators clashed with the National Police. An El Nuevo Diario journalist, Ismael Hiraldo, had to receive medical attention after he suffered from the effects of tear gas.
PRSC deputy for La Romana, Pedro Botello said is willing to put his life at risk, if necessary, in the struggle for Congress to authorize that employees be able to cash back 30% of their savings in the Pension Fund Administrators (AFP).
Botello said the protest on Thursday was but a “warm-up.” He warned the senators: “This is an inkling of what is going to happen on 27 February. For that day we are summoning 4.2 million Dominicans to come and claim what belongs to us,” said Botello, of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), who was accompanied by priest Rogelio Cruz. Cruz, who years ago had been suspended from the Roman Catholic Church, called for the forming of a commission to deal with the pension funds issue.
This is the second time the vandals target the Senate. There were material damages to parked vehicles in a similar protest in October 2020. Back then, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco formed a commission to investigate the damages to vehicles and persons. Nothing came of the commission.
The bill that authorized the cash back of 30% of the AFP funds had passed in the Chamber of Deputies in 2019, but was never reviewed in the Senate. In general, it has been deemed unrealistic. Social security analysts say that what should be done is revert the excessive yield received by the financial institutions that handle the pension funds so the beneficiaries can see more of their savings. When a bill to reform the bill to improve it in 2019, Congress instead passed clauses that increase profits for the pension fund companies against the collective good.
News commentators Patricia Solano and Diana Lora on La Cuestión commented on the futility of the protest, wondering out loud what the hidden motives of Botello are.
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4 February 2021