APRIL 2009

Recognition for the Port of Santo Domingo

A port of world class level

BREAKING NEWS: The Port of Santo Domingo with its two cruise liners terminals (Sans Souci and Don Diego) was rewarded by the Price for the Best Cruise Terminal for the Year 2008 at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping convention which was held in the town of Miami from March 16 to March 19.

The prize is annually granted by the specialized magazine Dream World Cruise Destinations.

We are extremely happy to have received this prize. It is a recognition of the professionalism of our equipment and of our collaborators and of the quality of our installations; this shows - once again - that Santo Domingo has everything to receive tourists of the whole world by satisfying their needs and those of the cruise liners underlined Mr. Luis Molina, executive director of the Sans Souci Tourist Investments, by stressing that this prize motivates us to continue our task to maintain the Port of Santo Domingo as a world class port, belonging to the surest, more effective and reliable in the area.

Luis Molina took this opportunity to congratulate all his team stressing that it was a pride and an honor for the company and for the country, to have a group of people, devoted to make of Santo Domingo a cruise destination of high level.

Santo Domingo Live, 01.04.09

Floodlighting Operation at the University of Santo Domingo

With the support of the Dominican Companies of Electricity

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO - With the objective to prevent the robberies and to have a greater safety in faculties, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) with the support of the Dominican Corporation of the Official Electric Companies (CDEEE), carries out one floodlighting day’s work of the campus.

The UASD state superintendent of education, Doctor Franklin García Fermín, organized this operation and declared that it was carried out with an aim to offer a greater safety to the students who circulate during the night on the campus and at the same time, to provide greater protection to the goods of the institution.

Engineer Carlos De Los Santos, director of the Department of the Physical Generator of the UASD, supervises the operation and declared that with this measure, they will going to illuminate all the obscure zones of the campus.

De Los Santos also said that this operation, started one week ago, will finish in seven days at the Central Seat, and that brigade of the UASD and of the CDEEE will carry out the same operation to the Agronomic and Veterinary Sciences Faculty.

This operation is carried out in coordination with the Unit of Rural and Suburban Electrification (UERS), of the CDEEE which for this purpose, placed at the disposal members of its personnel, who will work in a joint way with employees of the UASD.

Santo Domingo Live, 02.04.09

American Airlines warmly welcomes the Dominican journalists

National Day of the Journalist

BREAKING NEWS: Las AméricasAirport. - The American Airlines company cordially welcomed the journalists assigned to the communication at the Las Américas Airport with an aim of celebrating on next Sunday April 5^th, the National Day of the Journalist.

At the time of the ceremony, the managing director of American Airlines for the Dominican Republic, Oliver Bojos, the sales representative, Débora Rodríguez, the director of communication Minnette Velezas well as other executives of the airlines company were present.

Among the journalists there were appeared Rafael Castro, of Listín Diario, Diógenes Tejada, of El Nacional and Hoy, Tomás Ventura, Diario Libre, Ray Castro, El Nuevo Diario, Pavel Arias, El Viajero Digital, Julián Herrera, Almomento.net, Francisco Reyes, El Día and Juana Melenciano.

Oliver Bojos declared that this celebration was a form of recognition, for at the same time thanking and congratulating these important press personalities, for the support and the collaboration which the company on behalf of the airport press received in the last few years.

Santo Domingo Live, 03.04.09

President Fernandez praises Dominican journalists

Journalists National Day

BREAKING NEWS: Santo Domingo.– President Leonel Fernandez highlighted yesterday the enormous contribution to society and democracy development made by Dominican journalists every day.

In a message on occasion of Journalists National Day, held today 5 April, Fernandez guaranteed total freedom of press in the Dominican Republic and stated that through the diffusion of information and news the press strengthens the public opinion and paves the way for the free debate of ideas.

According to the President, this commemoration finds the Dominican society trying to surpass its current obstacles, in a democratic atmosphere, in which prevails the respect for dissidence and freedom of speech and thought, an action supported by the State.

Dominican Today, 06.04.09

Santo Domingo to go four days without water

Maintenance work

BREAKING NEWS: Beginning tomorrow and lasting until Holy Saturday, a greater part of the National District, of the province of Santo Domingo and of San Cristobal will be without water, due to the maintenance work being done as well as the interconnection that that Water and Sewer Corporation of Santo Domingo (CAASD) is carrying out from the aqueduct at Valdesia to other systems.

The massive suspension of service will be done this week to take advantage of the exodus of many residents from the affected areas during the Holy Week recess.
The CAASD is asking people to store water for this period and to save water.

The areas that will be affected by the suspension are the neighborhoods of Paraiso, Naco, Julieta, Piantini, Quisqueya, Serralles, Fernandez, and Evaristo Morales. Also, San Geronimos, Miraflores, Ciudad Nueva, Los Prados, Los Restauradores, San Juan Bosco, Zona Colonial, Los Praditos, and Villa Francisca.

The same will happen in Arroyo Hondo I, II, and III, Colinas del Rio, Los Angeles, Cristo Rey, Villas Agricolas, 27 de Febrero, Gualey, Guachupita, Simon Bolivar, Villa Consuelo, Los Guandules, La Fe, Capotillo, Colinas del Seminario, Jardines del Norte, Don Honorio, and others.

Meantime in San Cristobal, the neighborhoods and people of Haina, Madre Vieja, San Rafael, Estefania, Cambelen, Yogo Yogo, Canatica, Sainagua, Nizao, Najayo, La Ermita, Ingenio Nuevo, La Conga, and Dona Ana will not have water.

The aqueduct of Valdesia supplies 130 million gallons of water daily and in its 19 years of use, it has never been serviced or out of use. According to the CAASD, if it is not done this week, it will have to be done on an emergency basis.

Diario Libre, 07.04.09

Barrios prepare for no water

They are taking their precautions

BREAKING NEWS: The neighbors from several barrios and residential areas that will be affected by the suspension of water beginning today and lasting until Saturday were taking their precautions for the lack of water.

Residents of San Juan Bosco, Villa Consuelo, Villa Juana, Villa Agrícola, Ensanche Luperón, Ensanche Espaillat, and Gualey told Diario Libre that they had stored water in tanks and cisterns, but many said that they were worried that the water they had saved might not last until the service is restored.

Others complained that, different from former Holy Weeks, they could not enjoy the improvised swimming pools in the streets.

Diario Libre, 08.04.09

SEOPC orders the opening of the tolls

Prohibition for the heavyweight vehicles to travel during Holy Week

BREAKING NEWS: The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (SEOPC), through the General Direction of Control, Maintenance and Supervision of the Tolls System, ordered the free traffic of the vehicles in all the tolls from this Thursday at midday until Friday at 06.00pm.

This measure will be applied to the tolls systems of the highways Duarte, 6 de Noviembre, Sánchez and Las Américas. It’s a way to avoid the traffic jams in the entrance and edge of the city.

CAUTION POINTS

The drivers who take the Duarte road have to drive cautiously on the sections of the kilometers 61 and 69, where deviations were established, because of works.

The Santiago-Villa González section, in particular at the Las Lavas bridge. This bridge, was affected by crevasse formation during the past February rains. The damages concern the Navarrete- Santiago side, and as the works for a new bridge are developing, the vehicle use the other side too.

The section Puerto Plata-Navarrete next to the municipality of Imbert is concerned too, because of works of maintenance, hols filling in and reparation of damages caused by rains.

The SEOPC works on the touristic road of Puerto Plata, and there are many critical points caused by constant falls.

PROHIBITION OF RUNNING HEAVYWEIGHT VEHICLES

The General Direction of Ground Traffic (DGTT) remembers that starting from this Thursday at midday and until Monday April 13^th at 06.00am, the traffic of heavyweight vehicles is forbidden in all the country.

The vehicle transporting perishable comestible products and fuel are not concerned by this decision.

Any person or enterprise that could merit a special permit should sollicitate it in the regional offices of Transito Terrestre.

Santo Domingo Live, 09.04.09

Water should be normal by Wednesday

In the city’s barrios and neighborhoods

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO.-  In spite of the fact that the Water and Sewer Corporation of Santo Domingo (CAASD) finished the maintenance work on the Valdesia-Santo Domingo Aqueduct, it won’t be until mid-week when the service of drinking water is back to normal in the city’s barrios and neighborhoods.

The Caasd director, Ramon Rivas, reported that by Wednesday of this week at the latest a better service will be offered. Service was interrupted from Thursday to Saturday of last week in many barrios in order to allow for the work to be carried out. Since yesterday operations at Valdesia were begun. But it will take two or three days to fill all of the pipes and cisterns, that are getting water now but they still need more since the pipes were empty, was the explanation given by Luis Salcedo, the assistant director of operations for the Caasd.

The work, that had a cost of RD $15 million, according to Rivas, took place in eight different locations and included the interconnection of networks of pipes and the installation of new valves.

The lines that feed the regulating water tank at Particion Alto at Kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway were joined together, and this will permit a greater flow of water and with higher pressure to the sectors in the upper parts of Santo Domingo.

Six valves, with dimension of between 36" and 60" were changed, and this will allow a better distribution of water to the urban network.

Since yesterday at noon, the lanes of 27 de Febrero Avenue, that had been closed off to finish the work of drainage of the Indio Creek, were reopened to the public.

Rivas pointed out that during 72 straight hours of work that served as part of the celebration of the 36th anniversary of the CAASD, which is today, a total of 1,135,000 gallons of water were delivered to the most popular barrios, including children’s shelters, hospitals and military institutions.

Diario Libre, 13.04.09

Hillary Clinton’s visit looks to bolster Haiti-Dominican relations

State Department confirms report

BREAKING NEWS: Washington. – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Dominican Republic Thursday where she’ll hold several meetings including one with President Leonel Fernandez.

The U.S. State Department said Mrs. Clinton will also meet with Haiti president René Preval, to deal with topics of joint interest that include stability, security and aid.

The former American First Lady will also meet with the representatives of the U.S. Agency for International for Development (AID) in the country.

Prior to her arrival the U.S. official will visit Haiti and according to reports her visit’s main reason is to strengthen relations between Dominican Republic and its neighbor country.

As part of the advance preparations of Mrs. Clinton’s visit a U.S.Embassy delegation visited the National Palace Monday morning, and met with officials of the Presidential Guard and of the Presidency’s Press Office.

It was learned Mrs. Clinton will remain in the country until Friday and from here fly to Trinidad & Tobago to participate in the Summit of the Americas, event president Leonel Fernandez is also scheduled to attend.

Dominican Today, 14.04.09

Sparksfly as Dominican lawmakers start reform of Constitution

Revisory Assembly

BREAKING NEWS: Santo Domingo. – Amid heated debates and disorder from the different proposals in the Revisory Assembly, Senate and Assembly president Reinaldo Pared had to postpone for today the continuation of the discussion over the preamble in the bill to reform the Constitution submitted by the Executive Branch.

Many lawmakers criticized the decision, including some in his own ruling PLD party, noting as the very rigid manner in which he conducts the debates.

Previously the Revisory Assembly approved a proposal by the opposition PRSC party regarding the manner in which the Constitution will be organized and in articles of modification of the regulation that will govern the assembly’s procedure.

I understand that there’s a failure because many legislators of the PLD assumed an individual protagonism that is inexplicable. You saw the amount of turns that they have asked for, it’s an excess of protagonism, Pared said.

Domínguez complains

The limit Pared imposed on the turn of the senator Francisco Domínguez (PLD Santiago), sparked an incident.

Pared ordered Domínguez’s microphone be shut off, as the latter insisted on continuing because the Assembly had just approved a proposal that limited the bill sent by the Executive Branch to 115 articles, when the original legislation is 254.

After the Assembly president ordered the technicians to cut short Dominguez’s turn, the Santiago senator said, luckily it’s only the first reading and non-binding.

Dominican Today, 15.04.09

The reform work goes slow

Only six of the more than 60 articles on the agenda were heard

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO.- The desire of the delegates to the Revisory Assembly to participate, on occasion with little to say, prolonged the discussions during the second day of the assembly where only six of the more than 60 articles on the agenda were heard.

Also allowing for the passage of the first six articles of the Constitution was the meeting that took place between President Fernandez and the leading members of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC). The PRSC supported four of the official proposals based on an agreement that was reached during this meeting.

The assemblymen and women left things as they were in the current Constitution where Article 1 that deals with the Nation, its sovereignty, and its government, and they rejected the proposal from the Executive that said Of the Nation, Of the State and of its Fundamental Principles.

They also rejected the Executive’s proposal for Article 1 of the constitutional modification and reaffirmed the current version that says The Dominican people constitute a nation organized in a Free and IndependentState, with the name of the Dominican Republic.

A new Article 2 was approved after one reading of the government’s proposal, and now will read The sovereignty resides exclusively in the people, from who come all of the state powers. The people exercise the sovereignty by means of their representatives or in a direct manner, in the terms established in this Constitution and the laws.

Also approved was The Constitution is founded on the unbreakable union of the Dominican Nation, common fatherland of all Dominicans,  » which is now Article 5.

Moreover, that All of the bodies that carry out public responsibilities are subject to the Constitution, the supreme and fundamental norm of public order. All the people. All laws, decrees, resolutions, regulations or acts that are contrary to the Constitution are null and void.

Both proposals from the Executive Branch were presented by the vice president of the assembly, Julio Cesar Valentin.

Everything was going along well in the assembly’s session, up and until the second chapter, On the Social and Democratic State of Law when for PLD members voted against the proposal, which rejected the motion and two of them alleged that the control used to vote had fallen down.

This set off a big argument between PRD and PLD members, who asked for a recount. Among the digressions there were insults and even on PRD assemblyman, Manuel Sanchez, threw down his microphone in protest. But later calm was restored, with the excuses and explanations as usual. The issue remained on the table and will be heard again in this afternoon’s session.

Another disagreeable note, that bothered the PRD delegation, was the one that was set forth by veteran legislator Luis Jose Gonzalez Sanchez when he recommended the PRD delegates to mind their (Bingo) cards , a reference to a 1994 incident whereby the PRD delegates walked out of the discussions on a constitutional reform, and the 50% plus one requirement to win the presidential elections was passed, and this impeded Jose Francisco Peña Gomez from winning the election that year.

Diario Libre, 16.04.09

Details of Hillary’s visit

A dinner to welcome the Secretary of State

BREAKING NEWS: President Leonel Fernandez hosted a state dinner to welcome United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Dominican Republic.

The agenda, according to El Caribe, says that Fernandez will host Clinton for talks at the Presidential Palace at 9:30 Friday morning.

After the meeting the two will hold a press conference for local and international reporters in the Ambassador’s Room of the Presidential Palace.

Hillary’s stay in the Dominican Republic, which is preceded by a visit to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, takes place on the eve of the V Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, which will be attended by President Fernandez and US President Barack Obama.

According to news agency reports, in Haiti Clinton met with President Rene Preval to discuss issues of common interest, such as stability, security and assistance, « while in the Dominican Republic her talks with Fernandez will focus on bilateral cooperation for development and efforts to combat drug trafficking.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Clinton will accompany President Obama at the summit and will present the issue of assuring the future of our citizens by means of promoting human prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability.

DR1, 17.04.09

XII International Book Fair of Santo Domingo

44 intellectuals of various nationalities will animate conferences

SANTO DOMINGO: BREAKING NEWS.- A total of 44 specialists in various sectors will take part this year to the Cycle of Conferences of the International Book Fair, traditional spaces for the ideological debates, established since the first event of the fair in 1997 and which constitutes one of the most important activities of the event.

The subjects exposed at the time of the Fair whose inauguration will take place this evening, will be centered on the life and work of Juan Bosch, to whom te Fair is devoted, and on Brazil, honor guest country.

In the beginning of the day of the conferences, Wednesday 22, a book which joins together all the talks of the conferences of the last International Book Fair of 2008 will be put in circulation.

The cycle of the conferences is directed by the poet Basilio Belliard, director of the Literary Management of the Ministry of Culture.

The XII International Book Fair of Santo Domingo 2009 will take place from Monday April 20 to Sunday May 3 in the Place of the Culture Juan Pablo Duarte, from 09:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m.

Santo Domingo Live, 20.04.09

Inauguration of the « Tierra » exhibition at the French Embassy

Michel Bizet presents his most recent works

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO. – At the occasion of the commemoration of the Earth World Day, an exhibition of the French painter Michel Bizet was inaugurated on last Thursday April 16.

This new proposal of art works called « Tierra », underlines the concern of the artist for the safeguarding of the environment, and will be opened to the public to May 22, 2009.

The commitment of Michel Bizet with our planet is represented through the donation of part of the benefit collected during the exhibition to the CEDAF (Center for the Agricultural and Forest Development Inc.), with which he contributes to the protection of the natural resources.

This important event was marked by Irving Redondo and Juan Jose Espinal, respectively President of the CEDAF and Executive Director of this organization, accompanied by Ginny Heinsen de Freites, Director of the Corporative Relations of the Center for the Agricultural and Forest Development.

Mrs Catherine Mac-Lorin, Adviser of the Co-operation and the Cultural activity of the Embassy of France, and Marianne de Tolentino, director of the Art Gallery of the Museum of Fine Arts were also present.

Monika Despradel, director of the Public Relations of Orange Dominicana, attended the inauguration by representing a company which also offers its support for the safeguarding of the nature.

In the presence of Michel Bizet, the hosts had the unique opportunity to discover some fifty art works, through which the French artist proposed to transmit a major emotion, an unconditional love for our planet, guided by the beauty of the natural landscapes.

« Tierra » is undoubtedly an exhibition whose spirituality points out the importance to take care to our environment and to preserve the natural resources, and that Dominican Republic Live warmly recommends to discover.

Santo Domingo Live, by Lucie Houdayer, 21.04.09

Assembly approves Article 30

Abortions remain illegal

BREAKING NEWS: The National Assembly has passed the highly controversial Article 30 that the President sent to the Congress as part of his constitutional reform proposals.

The Article establishes the right to life from conception until a natural death. With this approval, as part of the Constitution, abortions remain illegal and subject to criminal prosecution.
The vote was 167 in favor and 32 against. Only 133 votes were needed to validate what will be Article 11 of the new Constitution.

The proposal was voted on without taking into consideration one proposal, presented by the bloc of assembly members from the PLD party.
The proposal from the Executive was accepted, moreover, by the PRSC and PRD blocs as well as by the majority of the PLD members.

The coordinator of the Youth Fellowship (Pastoral Juvenil) of the Catholic Church, Father Luis Rosario, said that this is not a triumph for the Church, but rather for life, and he maintained that this was about an exercise in democracy, because those who voted were the assembly members. The right to life is not negotiable, even though he recognized that this was a media, political and party issue.

Fatima Portorreal, from the Center for Gender Studies of the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) accused the Church of being fascist and the President of being machista and patriarchal. She said she felt that with this vote there will be an increase in the number of maternal deaths that result from abortions.

After the approval of Article 30 that says, The right to life is inviolable from conception until death. The death penalty cannot be established, pronounced or applied in any case, the assembly members began to work on Article 31 of the President’s proposal for the constitutional reform.

Article 31 was approved rather quickly, with some modifications introduced, with 195 votes. The article basically says: All persons have the right to freedom and their personal safety. The only modification was the part that says, All persons have the right to be free except in the case of flagrante delito. » This will be Article 12.
Paragraph 5 was changed where the word « judge » was changed for « competent authority » . And in number 7 the expression a written document certifying the physical and mental state of the person arrested.

In this sense, number 7 of Article 31 was left with the part that all persons arrested have the right to communicate immediately with their relatives, lawyers and persons of their trust, and these person have the right to be informed of the place where the person arrested is located, and to be notified immediately as to why the person was arrested.

Article 32, that says, Slavery is prohibited, bondage, and the trafficking of persons in all forms, was taken by the assembly members Rafael Alburquerque and Luis Rene Canaan just as it was proposed and approved with 180 votes in favor.

Article 34 establishes the right to develop a personality without any limitations except those that are imposed bythe rights of others and by judicial order.

Article 35, which will be Article 16 in the new Constitution, guarantees the right to privacy and guarantees the respect and the non-interference in a person’s private, family life in his home and in his correspondence.

Also approved was the State guarantee of freedom of conscience and religion, subject to public order, and a respect for good behavior, and this will be Article 17.

Diario Libre, 22.04.09

Hundreds to benefit from US Navy doctors

The U.S. Navy hospital ship is anchored next to the Malecon in Santo Domingo

BREAKING NEWS: Rosa Mendez is hopeful that the doctors from the United States Navy will operate on the hernias that her 18 month old baby and her six year old daughter have for free. In the country they charge RD $3000 for each of the surgeries.

In a combination of English with Spanish yesterday dozens of persons waited like she did in the Damas Diplomaticas School in Los Tres Brazos to see whether the surgeons will give her the « yes » . If it is affirmative, the children will be taken aboard the USNSS Comfort that is anchored next to the Malecon in Santo Domingo, where the operations will take place in one of the five operating rooms that are available.

Until the first of May, 640 doctors and nurses from the US Navy will also carry out visual, dental, radiological, pediatric and general medicine operations as part of the on-going exercise called « Continuing Promise 2009 » that is being held with the Dominican Armed Forces.

Before coming to the country, the Comfort spent 14 days in Haiti.

Uriel Negron and Alex Parada Lopez say that they feel satisfied when they take a break from their military duties to help countries that need them. In the operations they give away medicines, glasses and other materials to the patients they attend, after a pre-selection process carried out by Dominican doctors in the different parishes.

The US Navy personnel will move on to the Otto Martinez School in Los Tres Brazos tomorrow.

Diario Libre, 23.04.09

President Fernández inaugurates the first mobile industrial kitchen

To help the poor persons

BREAKING NEWS: President Leonel Fernández qualified as extraordinary the first of the five mobile kitchens which was delivered this Thursday to the Administrator of the Economic Restaurants, Nicolás Calderón, to satisfy the request of the poor people, especially in emergencies and natural disasters situations.

At the time of a ceremony which proceeded on the esplanade of the National Palace, the agent considered that the kitchen, which was especially conceived for the Economic Restaurants of the country, was a very complete innovating project, which will be able to produce thousand dishes per hour, five thousand dishes daily in normal conditions and ten thousand in case of emergencies.

He affirmed that this project does not project elsewhere in the world, we inaugurate the Dominican model of mobile kitchen for poor persons where modernity, where innovation, creativity and aid to the needy people are highlighted.

The Administrator of the Economic Restaurants guaranteed that in July, the five mobile kitchens would be in function in the country.

The mobile kitchen which cost 2.9 million pesos, is part of the social policy of the government.

Santo Domingo Live, 24.04.09

The Parliament will decide this Tuesday of the fusion of the Articles on the press

The Article 40 is disputed

BREAKING NEWS: The Parliament of the Revisers will devote this Tuesday to knowledge the disputed Article 40, relating to the freedom of the press, the professional secrecy, the clause of conscience and the intimacy, on the basis of the report that a special subcommittee will present, including the fusion of more than 15 draft amendments in this paragraph of the reform project of the Constitution.

The parliamentary block of the Party of the Dominican Liberation said yesterday that they are against any proposal which affects the press freedom the exercise of the communication specialists.

It was known as that to limit the informative function of the communication Medias won’t contribute to the transparency which is necessary in the public and private institutions to avoid corruption.

Santo Domingo Live, 27.04.09

Nationality on the agenda of the Revisory Assembly

This article already has numerous proposals for modifications

BREAKING NEWS: The issue of nationality will be on today’s agenda at the National Constitutional Revisory Assembly, although it is listed among the last six items. This point and the right to work will probably produce some heated debates, together with the issue of marriage, although the latter will be to a lesser degree.

The proposal of the Executive Branch says that Dominicans are: Those born in the national territory, with the exception of those that are children of foreign members of diplomatic and consular missions or of foreigners that are in transit or that reside illegally in Dominican territory.

Dominicans are also, Those born in the national territory from unknown parents or stateless persons.

The article includes, Those born in the national territory of foreign parents, if the legislation of their country of origin does not give them any nationality.

Those born overseas, from a Dominican father or mother, no matter having acquired by the place of birth, a different nationality from their parents. Once a person reaches the age of eighteen, that person can profess his or her decision, before the competent authorities, to take keep the double nationality or renounce one of them.

And Those who marry a Dominican man or woman that opt for the nationality of their partner, as long as they fulfill the requirement imposed by the law » are also citizens.
« The direct descendants of Dominicans who reside overseas automatically become Dominican.

Those who have been naturalized. The law will establish the conditions and formalities required for naturalization.

This article already has numerous proposals for modifications that will be sent to a commission in order to speed up the discussion of the Constitutional text.

Diario Libre, 28.04.09

Dominican Constitution to bolster rights of property

Five articles approved

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO.- The Revisory Assembly yesterday approved 5 articles of the Executive Branch’s proposal on the rights of property, the disabled, decent housing, access to quality goods and services and unemployment insurance.

The assembly members, which sent other articles to a special commission for study, approved with modifications Article 42, regarding property rights. It’s first paragraph states that it recognizes and guarantees the right of property as a social function which implies duties and obligations. All persons have the right to the use of, enjoy and dispose of their properties.

Literal B states that the penalization of general confiscation of properties for reasons of a political nature will not be imposed.

It states that in an exceptional manner could be the object of confiscation or seizure, by means of a firm sentence, the properties of physical or legal, national or foreign people, who generally have their origin in illicit traffic of psychotropic and narcotic substances or regarding transnational organized crime and any infraction anticipated in the Penal Code in the special laws.

Literal D stipulates that the State will promote, in adherence with the law, the access to property, especially to titled real estate property. It is declared of social interest the dedication of the land to useful purposes and the gradual elimination of the large tracts.

Dominican Today, 29.04.09

Dominican capital’s 2nd subway line

Investors to buy the lands

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO.- It will be the private sector and not the State that’ll pay for the lands in the subdivision Los Alcarrizos, which the Government recently declared eminent domain to build the Santo Domingo Metro’s second line.

Transport Reform Office (Opret) director Diandino Peña, interviewed in the National Palace, said the total amount the investors have will to pay has to be totaled, since the negotiations with the proprietors are still underway.

In the first stage there are perhaps one or two owners who are going to be affected in Los Alcarrizos. Later, each station throughout the line (14) has interventions that affect proprietors, then each case is dealt with individually, so we’re not doing anything that’s unfair, the official said.

The second line goes from Los Alcarrizos, on the Capital’s northwest, to San Luis, in the East, and built under concession to the private sector, whose two proposals Peña said his agency currently evaluates.

Dominican Today, 30.04.09