It was nothing new for a government branch that has accustomed the nation to only acting in favor of individual interests. On Sunday, 16 August, the Chamber of Deputies presented for the Dominican people a laugh-or-cry show. PRD politicians took their internal problems to the congressional floor on Sunday and the nation watched as several of the best paid employees of the Dominican government staged a battle of fist fights, door-breaking, verbal insults and even glass-throwing at the Chamber of Deputies that was televised. Those in favor of the PRD accused the government of having bought the vote of the deputies with government money. Trouble began when former deputy, Dr. Enmanuel Esquea Guerrero, who is acting president of the PRD, requested on the floor that the house admit the general public to the hall. Peguero Méndez asked Esquea to leave the hall, as he is no longer a deputy. The motion to admit outsiders was turned down by deputy Rafael Adriano Valdez Hilario, who led the session to elect the president of the house as he is the oldest deputy. Commotion followed and Valdez Hilario threatened to postpone the sessions for next Tuesday. Then deputy Reinaldo Pared Pérez of the PLD warned that if Valdez Hilario abandoned his post, the session would continue with Rafael Kasse Acta leading the sessions. Three vote counts were called. In the first, Peguero received the sufficient number to win 75 versus 73 of Winston Arnaud, the candidate of the PRD. A second resulted in 76-72 and a third in 76-0, when the members of the PRD/Acuerdo de Santo Domingo political coalition chose to abandon the hall. 77 deputies attended the session, but Rafael Valdez Hilario, who presided the session abstained from voting. During the session, the nation was able to watch how a group of PRD fanatics broke open a door and made their way into the hall. What followed was sheer chaos. Even an overzealous PRD man, identified by the press as Nelson García, threw a glass at Peguero Méndez and got into a fist fight with Peguero’s brother, Nelson Peguero who was acting as bodyguard. The chief of the National Police himself had to rush to the scene as in a "Die Hard" film to avoid that the confrontation get out of hand. Together with General Bienvenido Martínez of the Police’s Swat team, they managed to not allow over-zealous PRD fanatics to bring the situation to a tragic ending. Note that all was transmitted on television. The PRD fanatics sought to break the quorum so that the re-election of Peguero Méndez would have to be postponed. In his acceptance speech, Peguero Méndez thanked the PLD and the PRSC deputies for their support. He said he would endorse all bills that are in the better interest of the nation. At noontime, he took a flight to his home province, Independencia, accompanied by the former president of the Senate Amable Aristy Castro, and his nine political allies A victory party with stewed goat and merengue dancing to the beats of Fernando Villalona and Anthony Ríos awaited him. A recent report in the Listín Diario by Panky Corcino pointed out that the Chamber of Deputies just spent RD$33 million of state money to remodel their hall. Furthermore, she estimated that legislators make RD$87,741 a month in salary (policemen make RD$1,500 a month in salary), plus multiple benefits such as two unlimited vehicle exonerations, chauffeur, and vehicle expenses, a RD$57,573 Christmas bonus among others. Legislators are estimated to work less than 12 hours a week. Major bills are pending in both houses of Congress.
