The Listin Diario got the three main contenders for the Presidency in the Dominican Republic to sign on to a pact on 6 May 2024 to ensure the implementation of Animal Protection Law 248-12. The law has been in effect for 12 years with governments of the ruling parties Modern Revolutionary Party nor Dominican Liberation Party taking actions to enforce its clauses.
The Listin Diario went to bat for the effort of the Dominican Federation for Animal Rights (FEDDA) and called for a pact to create an awareness and to promote actions in favor of animals and their interaction with humans in the Dominican Republic.
An editorial on 22 April 2024 by Listin Diario executive editor Miguel Franjul invited the presidential candidates to visit the newspaper to sign the commitment to comply with the law.
Of the three candidates, President Luis Abinader was the last to sign. On 6 May 2024, when visiting the Listin Diario he said: “I want to congratulate FEDDA for its concern for the protection of animals for many years. It’s good that we have this great pact so that all together, civil society, government, communications too, we can work on the protection of animals. We are committed to that and we congratulate FEDDA for visualizing this problem throughout the country, congratulations and we are going to work together.”
The first of the presidential candidates to sign was Abel Martínez, who is running for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). He stated that he was clear that the fight against animal abuse is a commitment that must be assumed. He also stressed that we must create a culture of love and respect for animals and as a sign of this he attended the signing of the pact document with his pet.
The presidential candidate of Fuerza del Pueblo, Leonel Fernández, was the second to sign. He said as President he would comply with what was established in the document, exclaiming that the “nobility of a people is seen when it respects the rights of animals.”
The pact also has the signature of city mayors and the ministers of government that deal with the compliance of the law. The law calls for the construction of homes for abandoned animals and guidelines for enacting the legal guarantees for the welfare of animals.
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Listin Diario editorial 22 April 2024
Listin Diario editorial 7 May 2024
7 May 2024