Archive for August, 2020
Puerto Plata to get express road from Santiago
President Luis Abinader announced in his inaugural speech the construction of the Autopista del Ambar. The new highway has been on the books for years because it would shorten the travel time between Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata by at least half an hour. It was previously referred to as Autovia del Atlántico.
President Abinader, himself a former president of the Sosua & Cabarete Tourism Association, says the highway would reduce travel time to two hours from the capital city. Travel distance from Santiago would be reduced to 25 minutes, the President announced in his inaugural speech.
The highway was a campaign promise to Puerto Plata. The former senator of Puerto Plata is now the administrative minister of the Presidency, Jose Ignacio Paliza. The 40 km new road would connect the Santiago Bypass (Km 18 Circunvalación Norte) with La Gran Parada near Montellano in Puerto Plata on the north coast, some five km east of the Playa Dorada hotel complex.
The highway would be one of the first to be completed under the new Public-Private Alliances Law, passed last month by Congress.
Source: DR1, Inaugural Speech President Abinader
Aug 19, 2020
Abinader says his administration will turn around education; virtual school year announced
“We are betting on the talent and future of our young people to achieve progress and development,” President Luis Abinader said in his inaugural speech on 16 August 2020. He highlighted knowledge is essential to development. “The Dominican Republic needs a better education system,” he stressed.
The previous Medina administration was the first to dedicate 4% of the Gross Domestic Product to the education sector in 2012. Abinader in his speech criticized the enormous amount of resources that did not result in better math and reading comprehension skills. He said the resources were more about transacting “business deals” than educating the people. He mentioned that international standardized tests list Dominican students at the bottom and were not an improvement in the skills and competencies of Dominican students despite the larger budget available.
“The Dominican educational model is broken,” Abinader declared. He said it does not contribute to the development of the nation. He promised the new government will seek to make widespread changes so that students graduate with the social skills to be better citizens and have better jobs or create their own businesses.
He says his new minister of Education, Roberto Fulcar, would be presenting the national plan next week. The past authorities had said the school would resume on 24 August in-person and online.
The Abinader government has already announced it is going strictly with virtual education for the rest of the year. Abinader declared public school children would receive a laptop or notebook for their distance learning. He said the government is working with telecom companies to ensure connectivity.
He announced his government is backing the state university, the UASD. Abinader’s family fortune is in part tied to the operation of the Universidad O&M, a low-cost private university that directly competed with the state university.
Source: DR1
Aug 19, 2020
PAHO recommends lockdown for the capital city
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommends a one or two weeks lockdown in Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. He said the timing is right with the start of the new government.
Dr. Marcos Espinal, chief of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis at the WHO’s regional office for the Western Hemisphere, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), was interviewed by Listín Diario editor Miguel Franjul and journalist Doris Pantaleón for their program “Cita con el Covid.”
Dr. Espinal pointed to the high positivity rate of the disease in the Dominican Republic, at over 30%. The positivity rate has never been under 20%, when it should be 10% or less.
He stated that no country has real data on the incidence of Covid.
Vice President Raquel Peña said on Monday that the Health Cabinet will announce the plan to deal with the virus on Wednesday, 19 August 2020.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Aug 19, 2020
President Luis Abinader swore in the 31 provincial governors
President Luis Abinader swore in the 31 provincial governors. Abinader had announced he would be appointing all women governors. The governor’s role is to represent the President in the province.
The newly named 31 governors were at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, 18 August 2020 for the swearing-in ceremony. Present for the ceremony was Vice President Raquel Peña, Presidency Minister Lisandro Macarulla, Women Minister Mayra Jiménez and Education Minister Roberto Fulcar and Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ignacio Paliza.
As per Decree 340-20, the new governors are:
Bahoruco: Juana Cristina Mateo
Barahona: Diones Maribel González Medrano
Duarte: Ana Xiomara Cortés Martes
Elías Piña: Millys Johanna Martínez
Espaillat: Juana Rosario de Candelier
Hato Mayor: Julia Mery Vásquez Pichardo
Hermanas Mirabal: Lisette Nicasio de Adames
Independencia: Mercedes Nova Nova
La Altagracia: Martina Pepen Santana
La Romana: Jacqueline Fernández Brito
La Vega: Luisa A. Jiménez Cabreja
Monseñor Nouel: Raquel Jiménez Rosario
Montecristi: Nelsi Milagros Cruz Martínez
Monte Plata: Rafaela Javier Gomera
Pedernales: Miriam Brea
Peravia: Ángela Yadira Báez
Puerto Plata: Claritza Rochtt Peralta
Samaná: Elsa de León Abreu
San Cristóbal: Pura Casilla
San José de Ocoa: Josefa Oliva Castillo
San Pedro de Macorís: Aracelis Villanueva Figueroa
Sanchez Ramírez: Cristiana Rodríguez
Santiago: Rosa Santos Méndez
Santo Domingo: Altagracia Julia Drullard
Valverde: Daysi Aquino Mesa
Azua: Ángela Maruja Pérez Díaz
Santiago Rodríguez: Ibelis Almonte
Read more in Spanish:
Presidencia
Source: DR1, Presidencia
Aug 19, 2020
Last updated January 23, 2026 at 4:16 pm