President Luis Abinader has a year and a half on the job. Here are the highlights of his second rendition of accounts to the joint session of Congress and the nation on Independence Day, 27 February 2022.
Highlights of the speech:
• Objectives of the administration: surpass the pandemic, economic recovery and generation of jobs, public works and fundamental reforms for definitive transportation of the country. Biggest challenge is now dealing with external issues and global uncertainties that are impacting at home.
• Return to normalcy. Country is an example to the world in pandemic handling. Government invested RD$57 billion to deal with the pandemic, including RD$32 billion in the vaccines program. As of 9 February 2022, 15 million doses of vaccine had been applied, 67% of the adult population has two doses. Positivity is now at 5%.
• Health. RD$1.1 billion was invested to better equip public hospitals, another RD$2.7 billion investment is underway for these hospitals.
• Today, the Dominican economy is the fastest growing in Latin America and among the top 10 in the world. Inter-annual growth of 12.3% compared to the 2020, first year of the pandemic. International reserves of RD$13 billion, the highest in Dominican history. Appreciation of the Dominican currency of 1.4%. DR attracted the most foreign direct investment in Central America and the Caribbean, with more than US$3 billion in 2021.
• Public deficit declined from 7.9% in the pandemic year of 2020 to 2.7% in 2021. Decline of the consolidated public debt to 62.7% in 2021, down from 69.1% in 2020.
• Improved management of state enterprises. Positive results of the Banco de Reservas and the Refidomsa, now back under Dominican ownership.
• Improvement in the Standard & Poor and Fitch Ratings country risk assessment leading to better performance of bonds for US$2.3 billion issued in 2021.
• Increase of 53,874 more formal jobs when compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic year.
• Minimum wage increases, including 23% more in the tourism sector and 21% in the free zone sector.
• Imported inflation. Impact of the rising cost of oil, that has gone from US$42 the barrel at the start of the Abinader government in August 2020 to US$92 at present, up 120%. Impact of rising farm inputs such as wheat, corn, soya and sorghum. Added impact on inflation of the Russia vs. Ukraine crisis.
• Injections into low-income welfare programs – Superate (for entrepreneurs), Bono Gas, Comedores Economicos, Inespre, subsidies to wheat, soya, corn, fertilizers, gasoline and diesel.
• Tourism sector. Recovery of the tourism sector to improve on pre-pandemic levels of travel and investment. December 2021 was the month of highest arrivals with 720,000 visitors that translates into more than US$5.4 billion in receipts, adding to the exchange rate stability at a time of high external prices. Arrivals of 5,200 flights every month, with 8 out of every 10 seats occupied. Restart of maritime tourism, with the opening of the Taino Bay, the second cruise port in Puerto Plata. Approval of 47 new tourism projects for 9,423 more hotel rooms, and 8,000 hotel rooms under construction.
• Filmmaking industry. He highlighted that more than 5,000 persons are directly employed in more than 100 films and documentaries shot in the country during 2021. He said these injected more than RD$15 billion into the economy, impacting the hospitality, transportation, construction, food and beverage industries. He mentioned the country now hosts studios and audiovisual content companies producing for Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Universal, Lions Gate and Disney. He said in this 2022, spending on foreign productions is projected to reach at least US$195 million.
• Boom in free zone manufacturing sector. 20.3% increase in export companies, comparing 2020 to 2021. There are now 734 free zones in operation, with another 100 approved to start operations, up 156% compared to 2020. Free zone exports are now at US$7.17 billion, or 60.4% of all exports. The sector employs 182,700 people, a record of the past 17 years.
• Mining was 20% of the total exports of the country in 2021. In 2021 gold exports were more than US$1.8 billion.
• Boost to small business with 12,721 more formal businesses, and to cooperatives, with 808 more of these in 2021.
• Farm exports were up 22% compared to 2020, and were RD$2.7 billion. Funding for irrigation programs. Focus on improvements and recovery of farming in the San Juan de la Maguana valley farming. Backing to the tobacco farming sector, that contributed US$1.23 billion in exports, a new record of the past 10 years.
• Investments in public works with 485 underway for RD$77 billion. Completion of 114 public works for more than RD$12 billion. Works underway:
Construction Montecristi-Cruce Copey to Dajabón road.
Completion Gregorio Luperón (la Turística) from Santiago to Puerto Plata.
Construction of the bridge over Arroyo Grande on the Polo to Cabral road.
Improvements of the Professor Juan Bosch Bridge.
Reconstruction of the Montecristi to Dajabón-Santiago de la Cruz-Loma de Cabrera road.
Construction of the Controba to San Francisco de Macorís road.
Construction of the Villa Riva-Arenoso road.
Las Yayas de Azua bridge.
Repairs to the Piedra Blanca-Maimón-Loma Mala road.
Los Caños, Maimón, Puerto Plata bridge.
Reconstruction of the Palo Verde road.
Reconstruction of the Guayubín-Pocito-Santa Cruz-Copey in Montecristi.
Reconstrucción of the Jobo Dulce to Higüey road, in La Altagracia province.
Rehabilitación of 232 km of rural roads
Azua Bypass
Baní Bypass
Hato Mayor-Sabana de la Mar road repairs
Barahona-Enriquillo road repairs
San Francisco Bypass
Loma de Cabrera-Manuel Bueno-La Lana construction
Martín García-Sabaneta road
Hacienda Estrella-El Cacique road reconstruction
El Matey-Las Yayas road construction.
In Greater Santo Domingo to be completed this 2022:
Avenida Hípic.a
Expansion of the Av. San Isidro.
Expansion of the Avenida Ecológica from Ciudad Juan Bosch to Avenida Juan Pablo II (Autovía del Nordeste).
Andrés, Boca Chica Bypass.
Expansion of the Duarte Highway at Km. 9
Replacement of the floating bridge on Ozama River
In Santiago and Cibao
Expansion of the Joaquín Balaguer (Santiago-Navarrete) highway.
Navarette Bypass works.
Improvements in the San José de Ocoa-Rancho Arriba.
Repairs of the Duarte Highway from Navarrete to Bonao.
Public transport
• Public-private alliances for bus corridors – Núñez de Cáceres and Winston Churchill avenues.
Skylifts under construction – Los Alcarrizos (2022) and Santiago (2023).
Expansion of the Santo Domingo Metro Line 1 to Los Alcarrizos for better service to western Santo Domingo.
Environment
• Implementation of the solid waste management law. Planting of 10 million trees for a 43% forestry coverage nationwide.
Energy
• Installation of 530 MW in solar energy contracts signed in 2021 in the south, central, east and Greater Santo Domingo.
• Tender for two 400 MW power centrals to be fired by natural gas in Manzanillo Bay. International tender for urgent installation of up to 400MW. Third tender for 800MW to be installed in medium term. Total of 2,000 new megawatts for the next four years in power investments.
• Water service improvements with investments in water systems nationwide.
Education
• Investments in 79 polytechnic high schools nationwide with vocational training so the yong graduates can immediately enter the job market. Increase from seven to 13 the Infotep vocational training centers.
• Infotep graduated 151,000 students, up from 40,000 in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
• Backing to the Las Americas Institute of Technology with new centers in San Pedro de Macoris and eastern Santo Domingo.
•Backing to new branches of the state University (UASD).
•Support to the reform of the National Police.
• Better controls in government with works underway at the Controller General Office, Procurement Agency, Chamber of Accounts. Submitting to the new legislature of the Public-Private Alliance regulation law, amendments to the Procurement Agency law and the HydroCarbons Law.
• Measures to improve border security with Haiti.
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Noticias SIN
28 February 2022