DR News
The Mark Penn poll for August 2018 showed President Danilo Medina with a 59% positive rating. 59% of those polled said they are satisfied with his government, 41% said they are unsatisfied and 1%. This is comparative to the 60% vote President Danilo Medina received in May 2016 to win the presidential election. The May 2016 Mark Penn Poll had revealed that President Medina would win the 16 May election with 62%. 63% had voted for Medina in 2012.
Despite the relative high popularity of Medina, the same Mark Penn poll revealed that 71% of those polled said the country is headed in the wrong direction. In 2016, 52% felt the country was headed in the wrong direction.
Likewise, the Mark Penn poll indicates that Medina’s favorability or approval rating has been sharply on decline. Mark Penn polls show sliding from 82, 69, to 51% at present.
Medina has a 43% disapproval rating. The politicians with the highest disapproval rating are Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas (PRD), former President Hipolito Mejia (PRM) and former President Leonel Fernandez (PLD), all with 60% disapproval ratings.
The best regarded politicians are Vice President Margarita Cedeño, President Danilo Medina, former PRM presidential candidate Luis Abinader, and National District Mayor David Collado.
The Mark Penn 2-8 August 2018 poll data was compared to the Mark Penn poll of 1,000 eligible voters in 30 September- 3 October 2017. Both polls showed a margin of error of ±3.1.
Source: DR1, Acento
Aug 26, 2018
In a televised interview with TV host Jatna Tavarez, President Danilo Medina said he would not say whether he would seek reelection until March 2019. The electoral calendar establishes that political parties need to select their candidates to the 2020 general elections by October 2019. To run for a second reelection, President Danilo Medina would need to promote an amendment of the Constitution. This would be a second time, because he already did so in 2016 in order to run for reelection in 2016. The 2015 Constitution impedes a President from office for more than two terms.
“The new Political Parties Law establishes deadlines for everything, including … a date on which the parties have to register the candidates and establishes a date for the primaries and that is in the second semester of next year. Now, we inside the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) have decided that we would talk about it in March of next year, and at that moment I will fix my position before the country; meanwhile I want to make a good government,” said the President speaking from the Presidential Palace. He expressed his opinion that once the PLD chooses its presidential candidate, all members of the party would rally in support.
He defended the checks and controls his government has instated to control corruption, and stressed the Judicial Branch operates with complete independence.
He defended his reticence to stand for questioning by journalists. He said these generate controversies and said that he prefers “to work.”
While President Medina is not available for interview by the working press, the administration is best known for its major spending in government propaganda to highlight the work of the President through multiple channels in all media. Just last Monday, 13 August 2018, the Presidency published four page spreads in the leading Dominican print media to highlight government achievements during the first two years of the 2016-2020 term. The publication coincided with the successful happening of the Green March on the previous Sunday that was the leading story of the Monday newspapers. The front pages highlighted the success of the protest were covered by the advertising feature paid for by the Presidency. Media analysts considered the promotion cost taxpayers upwards of RD$10 million.
Coinciding with the President’s conversation with TV host Tavarez, the leading opposition party, the PRM, published a report on the two first years of President Danilo Medina’s second term. The report mentions the Medina administration has managed US$78 billion in resources from 2012 to 2018, but criticized major deficiencies in security, combating corruption, jobs, child mortality, quality of education, access to eating, and public debt.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Aug 20, 2018
Official news coming from the Ministry of Public Health presents the sad figure of almost 2,000 infant deaths so far this year in the Dominican Republic. This is 431 more than during the same period last year, according to the most recent bulletin on epidemiology from the Ministry of Public Health.
The information that was published on the ministry’s website and revealed that during the most recent week some 49 newly born babies died versus 56 during the same period last year. Throughout the nation, 258 babies have died in the last four weeks. The highest percentage (73%) of the infants died within the first 27 days of life. In relation to maternity deaths, the Ministry reported that it has registered 110, just one less than last year. In a further note, the ministry says that some 32 persons have died this year from leptospirosis, eight from tetanus, three from whooping cough, two from meningitis, one from dengue and one from human rabies.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Aug 20, 2018
Reporters located in New York City have continued to gather more fallout after the inclusion of Haitians in the Dominican Day Parade last Sunday, 12 August 2018. One reporter said that the parade is part of all the conversations in Upper Manhattan where there is a huge concentration of Dominicans. The majority of the persons interviewed agreed and a general rejection of the Haitian participation in the parade. They demanded the resignation of Maria Khury as the president of the committee that holds the parade. Some 143 Dominicans were interviewed randomly and were asked the question: “What opinion do you have about the participation of Haitians during the Dominican Parade last Sunday, and why?” Some 67% of the responders agreed to reject the Haitian participation push for by Mayor DeBlasio. The persons polled noted that by accepting the participation of Haitians in the Dominican Parade, Khury showed an even greater lack of knowledge of what it is to be a Dominican. The observer says that Khury apparently ignores the fact that the parade isn’t an event for Dominicans to celebrate in order to show the world their music (merengue and bachata, not gaga), and their folklore (how they dance, not going into trances) and representing our beaches, not tigers, or lions or elephants. Likewise, the reporters compiled opinions that the Dominican Parade is about Dominican history (Duarte, Sanchez and Mella, and not Toussaint L’Ouverture), and traditions (that include going to churches,’s not practicing voodoo).
The people surveyed noted that the politicization of the event is due to the fact that the current leadership was not elected by the community nor does it represent the interests of the community because it was imposed by local politicians and the groups that participate have to respond to their interests. 20% of those interviewed were in favor of the Haitian participation saying “we are all Dominicans.” A small percentage (12.6%) did not wish to give an opinion.
Source: DR1, Elnacional
Aug 20, 2018
The Mayor of Puerto Plata Walter Musa announced that the central government has committed to provide RD$550 million for the purchase of land beside the Puerto Plata waste dump for the construction of a garbage recycling plant. He said President Danilo Medina authorized him to make the announcement. He said the project will be executed as part of an agreement between the Ministry of Tourism and the city government. He said the property had not been purchased previously because they had not reached an agreement with the owners.
Recently, Puerto Plata senator Jose Ignacio Paliza had urged a solution to the waste dump saying that it was endangering the advances made in tourism development in the area. Recently, a Carnival Cruise ship with more than 5,000 tourists aboard did not dock at the port. The reason given was technical reasons.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Aug 20, 2018
The Ministry of Sports says it has paid out more than RD$10 million in incentives for Dominican athletes who brought back 107 medals from the Central American and Caribbean Games that ended this August 2018 in Barranquilla, Colombia. The incentives include RD$125,000 in cash for each the 25 gold medal winners, RD$80,000 each for the 29 who won silver and RD$40,000 each for the 53 who won bronze. Victor Estrella, who won three gold medals, would receive a single bonus of RD$250,000. Gold Medal-winning volleyball and handball teams will receive RD$1 million each.
INVI director announced the government agency would be in contact to supervise the dwellings of the athletes. The media focused on the precarious housing situation in which gold medalist weight lifter Estefania Soriano was living. After the win, TV journalist Nuria Piera had reported on how Dominican top athletes live.
As part of the good news for the athletes, Sports Minister Danilo Diaz also announced that gold medalists will now make RD$20,000 a month as part of the PARNI program, silver medalists will receive RD$15,000 a month and bronze medalists RD$10,000. He said this increases the allotment to athletes from RD$1.8 million to RD$3 million a month. He also announced an increase from RD$4,000 to RD$5,000 for athletes already participating in the program and that did not win medals in the Barranquilla games. He announced increases would be forthcoming for the coaches.
Earlier, the Presidency had announced that all medal winners would be affiliated to the sports programs under the Ministry of Armed Forces, if they were not already. As part of this support, the recruits are on the military payroll without having to do active duty.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Aug 20, 2018
SANTO DOMINGO. Today the traffic authorities begin with the supervision of drivers whose vehicles circulate on roads with self-installed high-luminosity lights.
According to the executive director of the National Institute of Traffic and Land Transportation (Intrant), Claudia Franchesca de los Santos, the measure seeks to prevent accidents from occurring due to the glare of drivers, as contemplated by resolution number 009-2018, issued by that institution.
“We created a table with the General Directorate of Traffic and Land Transportation (Digesett), which is aware of what is happening on the tracks, and the Police and Military Commission of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (Comipol), which make us the reports of what is happening with cargo vehicles, light and with motorcycles, “said the official.
He recalled that those who are caught using these LED lights should disassemble them from their vehicles or be fined with a minimum wage in force in the centralized public sector, as established by Law 63-17 of Mobility, Land Transportation, Traffic and Road Safety of the Dominican Republic .
“It’s something that is not normal; It’s like a luxury; It’s like something fashionable, but something fashionable can not threaten the safety of drivers,” he said.
De los Santos explained: “They have called people saying: ‘Well, my vehicle had them from the factory’. If it has them from the factory there are no problems, because the factory knows how to direct them so that the one who comes from the front does not dazzle; the problem is all these bars and all these attachments that in the end what they are is an adornment of the vehicle, which are not designed in what way you direct the light towards the driver who comes from the front, “clarified the official.
Exceptions
The resolution number 009-2018 exempts from being inspected and fined for the use of high luminosity lights to the patrols and other service vehicles of the National Police, civil protection and rescue, health care or ambulances and trucks firemen’s.
For sports use
Vehicles that use high-luminosity lights for sports activities must present Digesett agents with a special permit granted by the Intrant and they will be required to be covered while traveling on public roads.
The permit for these purposes will be valid for one year and may be renewed for the same period. The Digesett exhorted through a statement to those who make use of lights of high luminosity in their vehicles to take the pertinent measures to avoid being inspected and forced to dismantle them by their agents.
Expressing fear of led lights
Some drivers complained that LED lights take away visibility, which can lead to accidents. During the first seven months of this year, at least 435 people have died in 532 traffic accidents, registering in January alone a total of 97 deaths from this cause. Only in the first three months of this 2018, a total of 330 people died in traffic accidents in the country, with motorcycles involved in 63% of the cases, according to statistics from the Observatory of Public Safety.
Source: diariolibre.com
Aug 18, 2018
TV investigative journalist, Alicia Ortega, presented on her El Informe TV show more cases of corruption at the State Sugar Council (CEA). The CEA in the 60s and 70s operated as the main government source of revenues with sugar from its now defunct sugar mills being the country’s main money crop. The Leonel Fernández government chose to divest the country of the sugar mills, but the entity has been kept alive by a growing bureaucracy. Ortega has aired several programs that the highlight the excesses and the wasteful spending that is open for everyone to see at the government entity.
Among other instances of corruption, Ortega has denounced that city councilors, deputy majors and employees of other public agencies are on the CEA payroll. She says there are people on the payroll of the extinct government body who actually who live overseas. Others employees include the father of the present director, his children, brothers, nephews, uncles and cousins. The wives of other government officers are also on the payroll.
Despite the airing of the specific cases of corruption, the Medina administration has not officially responded the accusations. The Ethics Agency of the government has said an investigation is underway.
Source: DR1, noticiassin.com
Aug 18, 2018
The National Police rescued a 14-year old teenager who had been chained in a room in her house in the Herrera sector in Santo Domingo West. Agents of the Departamento de Investigación de Trata y Tráfico de Personas visited the family home with a warrant where they confirmed the irregular keeping of the child who had been chained with her right foot tied to a bed. The act was in violation to Child Protection Law 136-03.
When the agents entered the home the father, who reportedly was drunk, attempted to attack the agents. He was subsequently arrested.
The parents said they chained their daughter to keep her at home. They said persons unnamed in the sector had sexually abused the girl. The teenager was sent to the care of the Consejo Nacional para la Niñez y la Adolescencia (CONANI).
Source: DR1, Lisitindiario
Aug 18, 2018
On Tuesday, 14 August 2018, The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) made the formal announcement that an agreement had been reached amongst shareholders for the bank to acquire Banco de Progreso, subject to regulatory approval within the next three weeks.
Clavet Group Ltd and Fletchwood Ltd, hold 86.84% and 10.58% of the shares of Banco de Progreso have put their combined shares of 51.83 million up for sale at US$6.33 each, giving a total of US$328 million, which is around RD$16.3 thousand million.
With this acquisition, Scotiabank will become the fourth largest bank in the country behind Banco de Reservas, Banco Popular and Banco BHD-Leon.
Banco del Progreso has 57 branches in the country, 188 ATM machines, more than 160 sub agencies and more than 250,000 personal and business clients. Banco del Progreso has around 1,430 employees, while Scotiabank employs 2,000.
Scotiabank has been operating in the country since 1920, with 58 branches, 120 ATMs and 2,000 employees.
In a note to its clients, Banco del Progreso stated that bank customers would soon have access to a much wider network of branches, a wider range of products and services. The bank advanced that nothing would be changed in terms of branches, operations or products until regulatory approval has been granted. At that time, the Banco del Progreso brand would be replaced with the Scotiabank branded products and services.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Aug 18, 2018
