Archive for March, 2019
Call to sort out Puerto Plata garbage dump
Environmental specialist José Luis Nazario Lora is calling for a combined effort from all sectors involved to come up with a definitive solution for the management of solid waste in the province of Puerto Plata and avoid the damage the current situation is causing to the population and tourism in the area due to the constant fires at the garbage dump.
Nazario Lora, a civil engineer with a master’s degree in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering from PUCMM, says that if the situation were to be managed properly the frequent fires would not happen. He said a definitive solution should be a plant for controlled incineration that would also generate electricity.
He said that even though a new port has been built and another is under construction, if the current situation is not controlled there will be a negative impact and permanent damage to the image of Puerto Plata as a destination for tourists. He pointed out that the design of a proper system has already been done and the treatment plant partially built but it lacked an evaporation system for heavy metals. However, even though the cost is reasonable at around RD$50 million, nothing has happened.
He reported a Spanish company was turned down with their offer for a garbage-fueled electricity plant. The authorities say they are in conversations with Koreans.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Mar 10, 2019
Will the DR buy natural gas from Qatar
The Dominican Republic purchases natural gas from the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Now,
Qatar wants to sell its natural gas to the Dominican Republic. Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.
In an interview published in El Dia, the business attache for the Qatar Embassy in Santo Domingo, Khalid Al Sharshani said that the country is the third largest producer of gas in the world and the largest producer of liquefied natural gas with 79 million tonnes a year. He said the possibility of starting Qatar natural gas exports to the Dominican Republic will be discussed during the scheduled visit of Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas to Qatar.
The Dominican Republic has had an embassy in Qatar since 2005. Two years later, in 2007, Qatar became the first Arab state to open an embassy in the Dominican Republic. Seven bilateral agreements have been signed in education, tourism, business, tax evasion and aviation services.
The Medina administration recently appointed experienced Dominican ambassador Federico Cuello to be ambassador in Qatar. Cuello for years had served as Dominican ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Saad al-Kaabi, the country’s energy minister, recently said in a press conference that the gulf state had reviewed ways to enhance its role internationally, and would be focusing on its gas industry. Qatar wants to ramp up liquefied natural gas production from 77m to 110m tonnes a year.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Mar 10, 2019
143,000 to benefit from pension plan increases in government
The director general of the Pension and Retirement Plan Agency (DGJP), Germán Nova says that more than 143,000 persons will receive the raises in their government pension plans as of 1 April 2019. The raises for government retirees would benefit those receiving RD$5,117 to RD$30,000 a month. President Danilo Medina had announced the raises in his 27 February 2019 state of the nation address.
Some 107,137 former government employees and 9,030 former police making RD$5,117 will now receive payments of RD$8,000. Likewise, 13,079 civilians and 6,667 former police receiving RD$8,000 to RD$20,000 in retirement payments will receive 10% wage increase on these payments. 5,654 civilians and 1,578 former police receiving RD$20,001 to RD$30,000 will receive 5% increases.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Mar 10, 2019
Bien Común criticizes free spending on events and propaganda compared to public health
The political organization Bien Común criticized the Medina administration for allotting RD$1.89 billion in 2019 for events and festivities and only RD$642.6 million to the Neonatal Maternal Health program. The organizations criticized that on average in January, 56 newborns died as well as four women due to pregnancy-related complications, according to a recent bulletin from the Epidemiology Agency (Digepi) of the Ministry of Public Health.
Speaking for the organization, activist Natalia Mármol criticized that the government will be spending 56% more on propaganda compared to the amount put towards collective health services.
“Only by reducing the unnecessary festivities, events and the daily propaganda of the government we could stop the death factories the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) has turned public hospitals into. Only by reducing the wasteful spending can there be enough resources to improve the care for pregnant women before, during and after the delivery,” he said.
She criticized that the PLD governments have devoted more money to political patronage, corruption and merry-making than to social programs. Marmol pointed to the case of the deputy and sister of President Danilo Medina, deputy Lucía Medina whose foundation received an increase of RD$2 million in funding.
“With the resources received by the deputy and sister of President Lucía Medina of Public Health, the salary of 150 general practitioners or 100 perinatologists, the maternal and fetal medicine specialists who pay for the follow-up and control of pregnancies, could be paid for,” added Kirssy Santana of Bien Comun.
They also criticized the delay in the simultaneous remodeling of 56 hospitals, including the La Altagracia Maternity Hospital.
Bien Común recalled that the Dominican Republic is ranked third in Latin America and the Caribbean that least invests in Public Health, only surpassed by Haiti and Guatemala, with only 1.8% of GDP in 2019. “The worst thing is that the government admits that during the period 2020-2022 investment in health will be reduced to 1.7% of GDP.
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Mar 9, 2019
Lack of law enforcement leads to traffic accidents
The negligence by the National Transit and Ground Transportation Institute (Intrant) in applying Ground Transport Law 63-17 continues to result in traffic accidents. El Día says that the inobservance of the law and lack of state supervision of vehicles in circulation is why tragedies such as that of a bus carrying around 60 passengers crashed into a tree on the Jarabacoa mountain road, with a score of five dead and dozens seriously injured. The bus was transporting Haitian soccer athletes and fans back to Maimón in Monseñor Nouel province after these had participated in a competition in Jarabacoa. By the look of photographs taken of the totaled bus, it would not have passed inspection and should not have been in service.
The Presidency recently issued Decree 5-19 whereby it publishes the ruling for vehicular inspections (Reglamento de la Inspección Técnica-Vehicular), but this has yet to be implemented.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Mar 9, 2019
Ministry of Public Works reveals works scheduled for 2019
The Ministry of Public Works has announced several leading construction projects to be started in 2019.
For Greater Santo Domingo:
• The overpass for Isabel Aguilar and 27 de Febrero.
• The 6km long four-lane Los Alcarrizos bypass (La Avenida Nuevo Camino) from Puente Blanco to Km. 14 Duarte Highway, with an exit to the old Duarte Highway, in Greater Santo Domingo. The plan is to detour more than 60% of the traffic headed to Los Alcarrizos from the National District.
• Construction of the Avenida Interconexión Los Alcarrizos
• Construction of section two of the Santo Domingo bypass
• Andrés-Boca Chica overpass
• Construction of five urban transportation terminals
• Rehabilitation of Km. 9 Av. John F. Kennedy with Av. Luperón
• Rehab of the floating bridge over Ozama River
San Juan de la Maguana:
• Construction of the San Juan de la Maguana bypass
• Construction of 744 apartments in San Juan de la Maguana
Barahona:
• Ten baseball fields
• Reconstruction of the bridge to Polo
• Urban works for the neighborhoods of Ciudad Esperanza and Ciudad Larimar
• Renovations at the Barahona marketplace and the municipal slaughterhouse.
Azua:
• Remodeling of the Buen Pastor and Ministerio de las Carmelitas churches
• Renovation of the Plaza de los Pilones
• Construction of the Azua city bypass expressway
Peravia:
• Peravia bypass
Samaná:
• Las Terrenas public hospital
Monseñor Nouel:
• Cotuí-La Mata bridge
La Vega
• Producers warehousing in Villa Altagracia
Montecristi:
• Copey-Agrario-Caño Blanco road
Puerto Plata:
• Expansion of the highway linking Puerto Plata and María Trinidad Sánchez provinces on the north coast.
• The Ministry announced the intended completion of the 40 km Jarabacoa-Manabao-La Ciénaga road, facilitating mountain tourism and farming.
http://www.mopc.gob.do/noticias-mopc…-ci%C3%A9naga/
http://www.mopc.gob.do/media/6513/li…mopc-obras.pdf
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Mar 9, 2019
Charter flights between Ecuador and Puerto Plata in the middle of the year 2019
PUERTO PLATA. – After an agreement for the season of July, August, and September of this year 2019, the tourist wholesaler of Ecuador; Maxitravel, together with the Aeroregional company, will operate 11 charter flights from the South American country to Puerto Plata.
The announcement was made by the Puerto Plata Destination Tourism Cluster, following an agreement reached between the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), Dominican Airports Siglo XXI (AERODOM), Maxitravel and the Ecuadorian airline Aeroregional.
The negotiation of this new flight was agreed during the last version of the FITUR fair in Spain, where important agreements were initiated that will favor Puerto Plata and its tourism activity since this agreement as it is materialized will be added to the results achieved by the joint efforts undertaken by the public and private sectors.
In this regard, the Tourism Cluster of Puerto Plata stressed that this agreement adds an important step to strengthen the presence of the South American market, which in recent years has represented one of the largest growths in the Dominican Republic.
For his part, the general manager of Maxitravel, Fidel Murgueytio, said that with the new charter flight there are many expectations among the agencies that are working to make possible the arrival of a flight every 13 days.
To guarantee the success of the operations, the linked institutions have drawn up a plan of actions, which includes the implementation of an advertising proposal in Ecuadorian media and the completion of four Fams Trips with retail travel agencies in that country.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
Mar 5, 2019
Boycott to the national carnival parade on Sunday
Thousands of residents in Greater Santo Domingo showed up on Sunday, 3 March 2019 to watch the national carnival parade that gathers carnival groups from all around the country. They were disappointed. A boycott to the organizers left city residents without being able to see many of the most popular carnival groups, a major disappointment for the large turnout on the Malecón boulevard. This is the first time the groups boycott the carnival.
Many of the 80 carnival groups that were scheduled did not come to the city protesting the reduction of the stipend of RD$1,000 per participant to RD$300 this year. The groups also protested the reduction of the cash prizes. While in the past these had been RD$100,000, R$150,000, RD$200,000, RD$500,000 and RD$1,000,000, this year all categories would receive a maximum cash award of RD$50,000. Likewise, the Ministry of Culture did not cover the transport of the groups from the towns, leaving this responsibility up to the city governments.
Earlier it had been known that Puerto Plata, to whom the carnival would be dedicated this year, had announced it would not participate. The Ministry of Culture announced the carnival would be dedicated to Barahona that participated with a colorful group. During the carnival, tribute was rendered to Casandra Damirón, a native of Barahona best known for her contributions to Dominican folklore music and dance.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Mar 5, 2019
Dominican wife arrested in murder of Dutchman
The National Police has announced that they have arrested the wife of a Dutchman who was found murdered last week in Puerto Plata along with two other men, who were in Los Alcarrizos. Two more are still being sought for the crime, Rafael Guzmán (Jordan) and Argenis Rojas (Chancletica). Those arrested are 22-year-old Jennifer Joaquín de Van Tinteren, spouse of the deceased, Marcos Gómez Cruz (Colita), 21, and Juan Alejandro Tavárez (El Jevo), aged 26.
According to the Police the woman told them that her husband, Roy Van Tinteren, aged 55, was shot several times when he was parking his vehicle in the garage of their home on 26 February 2019.
According to the police, Marcos Gómez Cruz (Colita) said that he had been having a romantic relationship with Jennifer for two months and that during a meeting at a hotel she asked him to kill her husband.
According to the Police he admitted that he agreed to RD$200,000 plus renting a car and in the morning of 26 February at 1am he, along with the three other suspects shot and killed the Dutchman in his car, allowing Jennifer to escape. They then fled the scene.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Mar 5, 2019
Last updated January 23, 2026 at 4:16 pm