Archive for April, 2019
According to research carried out by the Global Peace Index (GPI), the Dominican Republic is third on the list for people who do not feel safe walking outside at night. The country with the highest percentage of insecurity for walking at night was Venezuela, with 88 %; followed by El Salvador, with 72 % In the Dominican Republic, some 67 % of Dominicans do not feel safe walking in their neighborhoods at night.
In the same list, the DR is followed by Liberia (65 %), Brazil (64 %), Afghanistan (64 %), South Africa (63 %), Botswana (62 %) and Mauritania (61 %).
Looking at other indicators of the GPI, the highest increases registered in the country where the rate of homicides with a 4.7-point increase, perception of crime with a 4-point increase and domestic violence increase by three points.
Source: DR1, CDN
Apr 28, 2019
In the Dominican Republic the rate of divorce has now reached 44%. The main factors affecting the rate of divorces are infidelity, lack of responsibility towards children, financial problems and lack of affection. According to data from the Central Electoral Board (JCE), from 2013 to 2019, there have been more than 316,000 marriages and 140,000 divorces, which leads to the divorce rate of 44%, around 20,000 a year.
The highest percentage of divorces is in the municipality of La Vega at 78% and Santiago is in second place with 71%, followed by the National District at 68%. The DN has registered the highest number of divorces during the same time period at 31,013, representing 22% of the national total.
According to the coordinator of family therapy at the Family Institute (Idefa), Rosa Julia Martínez, the majority of couples do not discuss important issues before they marry, just hoping they will solve them as the issues arise. However, when problems do arise, they often lead to conflict and the lack of ability to resolve them in turn leads to disenchantment and the marriage then ends in divorce.
Divorces have been increasing an average of 6% over the last seven years.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Apr 28, 2019
Civic organizations, opposition parties and opinion makers went public on Wednesday, 24 April 2019 to protest anti-democratic actions taken by the Medina administration in different branches of government. The pace of the measures has picked up as the nation awaits for President Danilo Medina to announce whether he will push forward an amendment to the 2015 Constitution to enable him to run for a third consecutive term.
A group of 36 civic organizations expressed their concern at “the avalanche of abuses of power” that are being committed, and that is attributed to the government and high-ranking officers of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). The organizations say that as the 2020 general election gets closer, authoritarian excesses have multiplied and this is causing much damage to Dominican democracy. The organizations distributed a document summarizing the recent abuses.
The protest coincides with the recent publication of the United Nations Development Programme report on the Quality of Democracy in the Dominican Republic. The report looks into the political rights and electoral system, fundamental rights, rule of law, quality of government, quality of life, social and economic equity, and democratic political culture. In its conclusions, the report alerts there is great institutional weakness and stagnation of institutional reforms. It is critical of the checks and balances of the judicial and legislative branches with regards to the executive branch. The report highlights the low regional score of the country in regards to the independence of the judiciary, struggle against corruption and accountability of government officers. It also highlights the country is among the 40 most unsafe countries in the world.
The report also focuses on what it describes as the wide margin of discretion exercised by the Executive Branch that negatively affects the rule of law in the country. This predominance of the Executive Branch is felt in the declining trust in institutions such as the Judicial Branch, Legislative Branch and the National Police.
The same report, nevertheless, highlights the high level of participation of Dominican citizens in organized civic organizations, ranking third among 27 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Writing in Diario Libre, José Luis Taveras says the UNDP Quality of Democracy Report reveals “a true crisis in the political and social system” in the Dominican Republic. Taveras says the report looks into how democracy improved in the second half of the 90s to then enter into a period of decline as of 2010. He looks into how in the past two months actions to intimidate citizens have escalated. He mentions the Attorney General Office tapping the phones of judges and politicians, the president of the Senate calling for the interpellation of electoral judges for exercising their roles; a blatant campaign to promote reelection that is banned in the Constitution; the abusive exercise of authority to intimidate or annual dissidence.
Taveras concludes: “The idea behind these actions is to corner a fearful society. It looks like the government has achieved this and I fear for what may come. According to the UNDP Report, we are 20th of 23 countries in press censorship in 2017. A weak democracy with a strong government is disturbing. Today we ask if we have or not a dictator, tomorrow it will be if we can call ourselves a nation or not. Reelection or an agenda for impunity (for the effects, the same thing) cannot be above the future. Don’t push so hard. Watch out!”
Source: DR1, Hoy
Apr 28, 2019
The prices of vegetables that are consumed in high quantities in the country are up to 35% cheaper in the municipal markets. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and confirmed by Diario Libre, last week the main foodstuffs sold in the markets in Plaza Conaprope, Los Mina, Villa Consuelo, Cristo Rey and the Mercado Nuevo in Santo Domingo had prices well below those in the supermarkets.
The largest differences were in tubers, with sweet potatoes and yuca at 35% less, around RD$15 a pound, potatoes at 23% cheaper at an average of RD$16.8 a pound compared to RD$21.72 in the supermarkets. Black beans were almost a third cheaper in the markets than in the supermarkets at RD$39 a pound and red beans at 22% less at RD$49.6 a pound.
Even chicken was marginally more expensive in the supermarkets at RD$57 a pound in the markets and RD$57.59 in the supermarkets.
When it comes to the prices of beef and pork, once again the markets were cheaper, with beef RD$113 a pound in the markets and RD$153,59 in the supermarkets and fresh pork chops at RD$85.4 a pound in the markets and RD$105.74 in the supermarkets. At RD$6.44 each, eggs were 10% more expensive in the supermarkets.
However, the access routes and sanitary conditions of the municipal markets put some people off buying there, with narrow access roads full of garbage and a lack of maintenance inside the markets themselves.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Apr 28, 2019
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.- The Emergency Operations Center -COE- reported that 33 people were killed during the holiday of Holy Week in the country.
The director of COE, Juan Manuel Méndez, explained that of the total number of deaths within the operation, 16 were in traffic accidents and two were asphyxiated by immersion.
He stressed that this year there was a reduction by 75 percent in traffic accidents, from 741 last year to only 181 this time. Out of the 181 registered accidents, 150 involved motorcycles, 53 light vehicles, six heavy vehicles and five road accidents.
Last year there were 1, 372 people affected and / or injured by traffic accidents and this year there were 1,900.
Source: Almomento
Apr 23, 2019
PUERTO PLATA.- The president of the Human Rights Committee of Puerto Plata, Mario Almonte, “crucified himself” today as a peaceful protest against the pretensions of installing a sanitary landfill in front of the tourist community of Cofresí.
Perched on a wooden cross about 12 feet high, Almonte cried out to the President of the Republic, Danilo Medina, to stop what he called “a crime against tourism in Puerto Plata.”
“Do not let the authorities of Puerto Plata abuse the people and you, Mr. President, this is a crime that is intended to benefit a small group of unhealthy people who have done it all their lives to the people and the country,” he exclaimed.
He asked that the supposed sanitary landfill that is intended to be made in Cofresí can not be allowed just meters away from several hotel complexes since something similar happened more than a decade ago in Costámbar, when with the installation of an electric generating plant it ended the booming future of that tourist location.
The community leader also said that the landfill that is intended to be made in Cofresí is not feasible, since it does not make sense to put a dumpster in front of a tourist complex, which he reiterated is a criminal attack against Puerto Plata.
While the veteran speaker and tourist guide puertoplateño; Papito Santana, said that it is not possible to place a sanitary landfill between the city and the Atlantic Ocean, just where all the resorts are, there are so many sites near El Naranjal community and several hills that have easy access and that would be much better for this destination.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
Apr 23, 2019
A report prepared by Antonio Ciriaco, vice dean of the School of Economy at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) reveals that the Dominican Republic is only behind Uruguay, Argentina and Chile in its level of taxes on fuels. The study, “Radiografia e Incidencia de los Combustibles en la República Dominicana” says that government collected RD$44.88 billion in taxes on fuels.
As reported, on every gallon of regular gasoline, Uruguayans pay US$2.38 in taxes, Argentineans pay US$1.97 in taxes, Chileans pay US$1.83 in taxes and Dominicans pay US$1.76 in taxes.
The most taxed fuel is propane gas. According to the report, the tax burden on propane is RD$12.45 billion a year, that on premium gasoline is RD$11.21 billion; on regular gasoline is RD$10.28 billion; on premium diesel is RD$2.78 billion; and on regular diesel is RD$8.16 billion.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Apr 23, 2019
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The director of the Darío Contreras Trauma Hospital has launched a campaign to make people aware that instead of filming scenes of an accident they should be assisting the victim. He complained that many people give preference to making a video to post online rather than in helping the victim(s) or alerting 911, or simply getting out of the way.
“Don’t video me, help me,” is the name of the awareness campaign, said Dr. José Aponte, director of the trauma hospital that receives the most traffic accident cases in the country. He said the videos then cause much emotional trauma to the relatives and friends of the victim.
He urged people to drive safely on occasion of the start of Easter Week this coming Sunday.
Dr. Aponte says Hospital receives 250 to 300 emergencies a day, and of these, 22% are traffic accidents. He said the number spirals during holidays.
Source: DR1
Apr 13, 2019
A search is underway for a New York couple who took a vacation to the Dominican Republic and suddenly vanished, with no sign of them for nearly two weeks. Orlando Moore, 43 and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, aged 32, had arrived on a flight from Newark on 23 March 2019 and were scheduled to return to their home in Mount Vernon on 27 March. NBC reports that two weeks later they have not taken a return flight back and their car is still parked at the airport.
Moore’s sister, Lashay Turner, says all that is known is that the couple did check out of their hotel, the Gran Bahia Principe Cayacoa in Samaná, but there’s no record of them getting back to the United States. As reported, they have not returned their rental car.
More info: Dailymail
UPDATE: Woman who went missing in Dominican Republic lay dying alone in hospital for EIGHT DAYS after fatal car crash which also killed her boyfriend as friends searched desperately for the couple
Police identifies body of missing US tourist
Police says they have partially resolved the case of the missing US tourists. Spokesman for the police colonel Frank Durán Mejía said on La Cuestion radio talk show of 107.7FM that an autopsy carried out at the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) identified the fingerprints of the body of US citizen Portia Ravenelle.
The woman had been treated at the Darío Contreras Trauma Hospital where she was hospitalized for several days in the intensive care unit until dying on 4 April 2019. At the time she had not yet been identified, since the ambulance took her to the hospital without identification after assisting her at Km 19 of the Las Americas Expressway between the Samaná highway and the Las Americas toll.
Regarding the body that is suspected to be that of Orlando Moore recovered from the sea near Sans Souci, photographs with a tattoo he had on his arm were sent to the Police in Mount Vernon, New York so that a brother of his can assist in the identification. Durán said that the drafting of the scenario of the tragedy still needs to be worked up, but that to conclude the investigation the rental car needs to be hauled from where it is located at Km 19 of the Las Americas Expressway. Rough seas have impeded the recovery of the vehicle from where it is expected to be located.
What is known is that the couple had passed the Marbella toll station on the Samaná to Santo Domingo highway that is about 6 km from the Las Americas International Airport. The couple had been booked to take a 2am flight back to Newark International on 27 March and crossed the toll station at 1:41am.
On Wednesday, 10 April, Police investigators from the Dicrim division and transit specialists from the Digesett, accompanied by prosecutors surveyed the area where it is presumed the car slid into the sea. The Police says that agents from the FBI are collaborating in the case.
Source: DR1, Dailymail
Apr 13, 2019
