The Dominican government closed the issue of the construction of nine 22-floor apartment towers on grounds of the Plaza de la Salud. Secretary of the Presidency Danilo Medina told the press yesterday that the "issue is closed." He said that he had been authorized by the President of the Republic to explain that "there is no reason why the debate regarding the Plaza de la Salud should continue." But he did not expressly say that the towers would not be built at the Plaza de la Salud grounds. Furthermore, he refused to answer questions as to whether the towers would be built in some other area of the city. He said, "there is no fixed plan with the Plaza de la Salud." The press reported that Minister of Public Works Diandino Peña, spokesman and advocate of the project, visited the National Palace yesterday morning and left avoiding an encounter with journalists. Three hours later, Secretary of the Presidency spoke to the press about the issue. He was accompanied by Adriano Miguel Tejada, press secretary. The Plaza de la Salud was built at the end of Balaguer’s regime based on a plan for a state-of-the-art high-tech multi-hospital facilities elaborated by faculty members of the University of Harvard. A large open area of the Plaza was left open for eventual expansions of the medical center. When suddenly bulldozers started clearing out this unbuilt area, rumors leaked to the press that the Minister of Public Works had decided to build nine 22-story apartment towers on the land instead of the medical facilities originally envisioned. The board of the center, presided by the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, former President Balaguer, and even the Senate strongly opposed the construction of the towers. The corruption connotation of the issue has negatively affected the image of the Fernández Government. Minister of Public Works Diandino Peña had volunteered that the apartments would be sold at cost to persons with ties to the government party because the government was not interested in making a profit.
