The Proyecto de Apoyo a las Iniciativas Democr\u00e1ticas (PID), which is sponsored by the Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), has invested RD$52 million to finance efforts to strengthen democracy in the country. Licenciado Radham\u00e9s Mej\u00eda, vice rector of the PUCMM, said that the PID has made disbursements in favor of 70 programs and some 1,442 institutions that are working to strengthen the democratic system. Radham\u00e9s Mej\u00eda was speaking at an event held in the auditorium of the university to mark the organization’s fourth anniversary. Also participating in the event were Mu-Kien Sang Ben, director of the PID; U.S. Ambassador Donna Hrinak, and the director of the USAID in the D.R., Marilyn Zak. Recently a major controversy surrounded the program, as Cardinal L\u00f3pez Rodr\u00edguez condemned the pressures brought by its financial backers and called for the PUCMM to abandon its coordinating role.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Proyecto de Apoyo a las Iniciativas Democr\u00e1ticas (PID), which is sponsored by the Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), has invested RD$52 million to finance efforts to strengthen democracy in the country. Licenciado Radham\u00e9s Mej\u00eda, vice rector of the PUCMM, said that the PID has made disbursements in favor of 70 programs and … <\/p>\n