DR News
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
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
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
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
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
More info in Spanish here
Mar 5, 2019
On Sunday night, 3 March 2019, five Haitian soccer players died and 38 were injured in a traffic accident on the Jarabacoa-La Vega road, when a bus full of passengers fell off a bridge. News reports say that the driver of the bus and another person were the only Dominicans accompanying the team.
The regional health director for Central Cibao, Freddy Abba confirmed that of the 38 injured 22 were taken to the Luis Morillo King Public Hospital, along with the deceased, and 16 went to the Juan Bosch Trauma Hospital. He said that several had serious and life-threatening head injuries.
Those who died were Haitians and it appears they were returning to Maimon, Monseñor Nouel after competing in Jarabacoa. They were identified as Peterson Clermont, Calix David, Jacques Joseph, Eventz Julmist. Joanes Augustin also died in the Morillo King Hospital in La Vega.
The accident occurred in the El Puerto de Jarabacoa area, when the driver lost control and the bus crashed into a tree. Reportedly, the bus driver was speeding and the bus was in deteriorated condition, including its aging tires.
The president of the Sporting Football Club Maimón, Celsius Amiscar called for an investigation of the 30-year old driver, Eddy Evaristo Peralta González. Reports are that the driver ejected himself from the bus, saving himself.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Mar 5, 2019
Bank have cleared their acquisition of 97.44% stake in the Banco Dominicano del Progreso. The Scotiabank is now the fourth largest full-service bank in the Dominican Republic in terms of assets with a market share of 10%.
Scotiabank now expects to double its customer base through the transaction from about 250,000 to 500,000 and gain a third-place ranking in the credit card segment in the Caribbean country with a 17% share of the market.
Banco Dominicano del Progreso’s operations include 57 branches, 184 automated banking machines (ABMs) and over 160 banking sub-agents, serving over 250,000 personal and commercial banking customers.
Source: DR1, compelo
Mar 5, 2019
A study carried out by the Juan Bosch Foundation and the Development Cooperation Institute (ISCOS in Italian) has revealed that 47% of Dominicans are living below the poverty line. The study is called “The analysis of the announcements made by President Danilo Medina and a comparison to the real numbers in terms of employment, salaries, poverty and pensions”, and is based on figures from the Central Bank. The report concluded that the , the average income per person/household was RD$4,644 in 2016.
The report states that between 2014 and 2017 some 380,608 new jobs were created, of which 47% were in the informal sector and in 2017, some 121,066 new jobs were created of which 66.7% were informal, that is they are part of an economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government.
Comparing the data provided by President Medina, in his state of the nation speech on 27 of February 2019, they said that 60% of people have an average income of RD$11,734 that is below the cost of the cheapest family basket which is RD$13,346.
Matías Bosch Carcuro, Edgar García and Cabrera Airon Fernández said that the majority of the Dominican working population earn much less than is needed to survive with 80% earning less than RD$17,000 that is much less than the average family basket estimated at RD$23,422. They criticized that President Danilo Medina had announced the public sector minimum wage would be doubled to RD$10,000 when the amount does not even cover the cheapest family basket.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Mar 5, 2019
Minister of Energy and Mines Antonio Isa Conde said that the low ranking of the Dominican Republic in the Fraser Institute 2018 annual survey of mining and exploration companies is due to the objectionable history of some mining companies that has led to a generalized rejection of mining operations in the country. The Dominican Republic is ranked 76th of 83 countries as one of the least attractive jurisdictions for mining in the world. Sharing the bottom 10 with the Dominican Republic are Neuquen, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, China, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, La Rioja, and Bolivia.
The survey is described by the institute as an attempt to assess how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulatory uncertainty affect exploration investment. The survey responses rank provinces, states, and countries according to the extent that public policy factors encourage or discourage mining investment.
Energy and Mines Minister Isa Conde explained the low ranking: “”The difficulties for investment in the mining sector have been generated by the anti-mining culture, fed by some political sectors and by environmental fundamentalists and that has its origin in a traumatic past, which has done a lot of damage to the this country and potential investors.
The Minister refers to the “the law of the funnel”, in which the state has historically received little and the communities around these mines even less, as compensation for the exploitation of the riches of the earth. This has resulted in creating distrust among the local people and has affected the willingness of investor to commit.
In his opinion, another unfavorable factor has been the environmental liability left by the unchecked mining of the past. He said companies now are applying new technologies and production practices that impact less on the environment, allowing remediation at a quicker pace. He explained the Ministry is working on progressive legislation to give way to sustainability in the extractive industry.
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/site…anies-2018.pdf
Source: DR1, mem.gob.do
Mar 5, 2019
Hours after President Danilo Medina announced in his state of the nation address at the National Assembly on the morning of Wednesday, 27 February 2019 that crime was at an all-time record, a gang of assailants hit upon 11 people taking a stroll in the Las Praderas park area in the National District at around 4pm.
The Police were prompt in making arrests. On Sunday, 3 March 2019, Judge José Alejandro Vargas sentenced the first two of the suspects Leonel Francés Guzmán and Waldy David González de Jesús to three-months preventive custody.
What is known is that individuals assaulted at gunpoint the strolling families. The assailants then left on a motorcycle. More are sought in the case.
The families said that five masked and armed men assaulted them when they were on their Independence Day stroll in Las Praderas Park, that is located off Av. Gustavo Mejía Ricart near Av. Núñez de Cáceres.
The victims were identified as Margarita Emilia Roa Sánchez, Jonathan Bobea Roberts, Edmundo Messina Viña, Raúl Alejandro Cuevas Tejada, Diana Carolina Polanco Báez, Paola Mariel Espinosa Castro, Ricardo Ernesto Corporán Peguero, Gerda María Soro Sención, Joao Mohadib Viñas Asenjo, José Adolfo Sánchez Hernández y Zacarías Dael Garib Pimentel who said they belongings, including mobiles, jewelry and cash were stolen.
Within two hours, the National Police had arrested two of the men who admitted to their crime and identified the remaining members, at least by their nicknames: Guajiro, Jordan and Abuelo. These three are being pursued by the police.
According to the police report the five men managed to steal from 11 persons articles that included money, rings, watches, cell phones and even personal documents. This was done at around 4:30pm and by 6:30pm the Police had captured two of the assailants. The director general of the National Police, Ney Bautista Almonte, reported that the two men arrested have a long history of arrests for assaults and robberies.
Source: DR1, Elnacional
Mar 5, 2019
