Plan of Urban Development of Santiago prevents Real development

Engineer Jaime González, President of the Dominican Association of the Builders and Promoters of Residences (ACOPROVI), affirmed that today in Santiago, only for this year, they ceased perceiving approximately 1 billion pesos in real investments because of the invalidating policy of the Plan of Urban Development implemented by the Town council of Santiago.

He indicated that many manufacturers and residences promoters of Santo Domingo came to Santiago to develop projects, but that they could not because of the constraints required by the Plan, disadvantages which could be solved easily.

He supported that under these working conditions, it is not possible to attract investments and this is why a lot of investors came to other cities, like Puerto Plata, Samaná, Juan Dolio, Bavaro, Santiago being not attractive because of the time spent in the mandatory steps to follow there and because finally the projects are rejected without any valid justification.

Engineer Jaime González asked the press, the authorities and the country to observe the development that Santiago enjoyed before and to now observe it in order to see at which point the situation is stagnant because of the problems of the Plan of Urban Development of the Town council.

He moreover affirms that except for some privileged manufacturers who were favored with the approval of their projects, the majority of the builders ofSantiagoare frustrated by the difficulties met at the mentioned municipal department.

He indicated that he does not understand the reason why the projects are paralyzed and he pled in order that the Town council can solve this problem as soon as possible.

El Libelo, 02.12.07

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To protest, they paralyze a sector of Santiago

SANTIAGO - Community organizations, drivers and student’s paralyzed the commercial, educational and productive activities of the sector Los Platanitos of this city to require a series of claims. The inhabitants claim the repair of several streets, the suspension of the power cuts, the improvement of the drinking water service and the cleansing of the sector, where residual waters are accumulated harming public health.

At the time of the first hours of the strike, detonations of home made bombs were heard and groups of young people blocked the principal streets, stopping the traffic of the vehicles. Moreover, strong confrontations, fire and jets of stones occurred between the demonstrators and the policemen sent on the spot to prevent disorder.

Several people, among them children and elderly people fainted following the teargas inhalation diffused by several bombs thrown by the police force to disperse the demonstrators. The sector Los Platanitos with more than 30 years of existence shows a great environmental deterioration, which already generated more than 5 protests this year.

El Diario Libre, by Cornelio Batista, 03.12.07

Operation against accidents

Preventive program

SANTIAGO - public and private institutions joined together to structure an accident’s preventive program during the festive season and exhorted the Dominican families to take the necessary precautions in order to have activities which will happen without problem.

« Christmas without Accident » is the name of the program carried out this year, prepared by all the aid institutions gathered with the Civil Defense.

With this program, they want to limit the number of traffic accidents which occur every year at that time.

Civil Defense, institution charged to take care of the physical safety of the citizens, informed that « Christmas without Accident » will come into effect as from December 23 at midday until December 25, Christmas Day and will start again on December 30 until January 1, 2008.

Ten thousand volunteers will be dispersed at the strategic points of entrance and exit of the city to help those which would need some, however Civil Defense already informed all the drivers who would like to leave the city, to drive by respecting the law for their own safety.

El Libelo, 04.12.07

Domínguez Brito launches the campaign « no violent toys »

Reflexion on the non-violence

Senator Francisco Domínguez Brito, required to the society to privilege an education for peace and to work out a series of measures to eradicate violence under its various demonstrations.

The Senator of the Province of Santiago explained that the Dominican families should not buy toys which cause violence to offer to the children and that they should promote new values or values which really characterize the family.

He specified that the families must take part in a permanent way in the process of education of their children and that it is also necessary to have within the family a reflection as for non-violence.

He explained that when he was Fiscal of the Distrito Nacional, he has on several occasions to take care of children harmed by toys coming from the hand of other children and he commented that this kind of situation is very depressing and discouraging for the parents as for the society.

Domínguez Brito pronounced these declarations within the framework of the activity carried out every year by the Inter-institutional Commission to Educate for the Peace (CIEPAZ), which had its opening ceremony to the Centro Pedro Francisco Bonó.

The entities composing this commission are Casa Abierta, the Center Antonio Montesinos, the Center of Formation los Clavelones, the Institute For the Development of the Community, the School Domingo Sabio, the Forum Inter Permanent district, among others…..

Diario @ Diario, 05.12.07

The workmen who worked on the repair of Monumento of Santiago were not paid

Work was authorized by the Secretariat of the Culture

Even if the government of the Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana invested the sum of 100 million pesos in the repair of Monumento de los Héroes de la Restauración in Santiago, inaugurated on last 16 August, the team of workmen who worked there did not receive any centime for the work performed.

Work was authorized by the Secretariat of the Culture, directed by Rafael Lantigua, whereas tens of workers have difficulty to recover the resources gained in the execution of the latter. The workmen carried out walking, strike pickets, denunciations through the media but feel sorry that President Leonel Fernandez did not make a decision.

The contractor Faustino Perez, who completed with his team work of the steps, the way for handicapped people and the repair of the marble, affirmed that it will be necessary to give 200 thousand pesos to his workmen for the rebuilding.

Engineer Juan Garcia is considered as responsible for the situation and declares that the authorities of the Culture did not make the corresponding pays and that for this reason he could not pay the workers.

El Nuevo Diario, by Marcelo Peralta, 10.12.07

The Town Council of Santiago will distribute 15 million pesos as bonus to the personnel

Three thousand 805 people will directly benefit from the handing-over of the additional wages

The economic activities of this municipality will become dynamic in the coming days, following the handing-over of the double wages to its more than three thousand employees on behalf of the municipal administration managed by which Enrique Sued Sem.

The delivered total amount represents 15 million 840 thousand 320 pesos and 71 centimes, said the mayor during a short ceremony carried out in his office.

Three thousand 805 people will directly benefit from the handing-over of the 13th wages on behalf of the authorities of the town council, among them civils servant, active employees, 41 managers of the various parties represented and pensioners.

After December 20, they will start to pay the wages corresponding to this month, which will represent a distribution of 15 other million pesos.

In a short message, the mayor requested the municipal employees to pay attention to the expenses and to make the best possible use with the resources than the town hall puts between their hand, since we are in times of crisis and that it is necessary to be reserved at the time to invest « little money » .

Sued Sem wished a Merry Christmas to the servants of the town council, and said to hope that the year 2008 will be more prosperous and promising, desire which he extended to all the municipalities and all Dominican in general.

El Nuevo Diario, 10.12.07

The President guarantees assistance to victims

Tragedy

SANTIAGO - President Leonel Fernández qualified yesterday of a great tragedy the human and material losses caused by the rising of the Yaque del Norte river following the rains, at the time of guaranteeing an immediate help to the thousands of victims.

He allotted the last events to a phenomenon of the global warming which disturbed the climatic behavior.

The President informed that he visited this city to be assured that the victims receive the necessary one and gave orders in order that the Social Plan of the Presidency distributes mattresses, food and other equipment vital in these circumstances.

Fernández was received by the civil servants of the Government in the Fortress San Luis, and since there, he could observed the flow of the Yaque del Norte river, near to the sector Bella Vista, one of the places the most affected by the storm Olga.

He visited the Corporation of Aqueducts and Sewers of Santiago (Coraasan), company which underwent an approximate loss of more than 300 million pesos, because the rains damaged on a large scale its treatment plants and the principal commercial offices.

What happened is tragic and regrettable but with the task of the government, with the task of the churches, the participation of the civil society which collaborates with us, we will turn over to normality as soon as possible and you will be able to come back home and thus we will overcome this situation, affirmed the agent at the time of his passage to the club Gregorio Urbano Gilbert (G.U.G), where he visited hundreds of victims sheltered in this sport center.

President Fernández promised that by the means of the National Institute of Housing (INVI), the Government will rebuild the houses which were destroyed by the floods.

After having listened to the reports of the damage caused in the east of the province, the President said to the journalists that the phenomenon left behind it many damages to the agriculture, the electric system and the supply of drinking water, but he did not quantify the losses while waiting for the corresponding authority’s full report of the damages.

In addition of promising the rebuilding of all the residences destroyed or affected by the overflow of the Yaque del Norte river in Santiago, Fernández announced that he will call upon the international aid to equip the aid organizations of the country.

Hoy Digital, by José Alfredo Espinal, 13.12.07

Communities are still isolated after the passage of “Olga”

60 thousand persons were evacuated

SANTIAGO - At least 60 Northwest and Northeast communities of Dominican Republic are still isolated because of the tropical storm Olga rains and the overflow of the Yaque del Norte and Yuna rivers, according to the authorities.

The director of the Civil Defence in Dominican Northwest, Ramón Reyes, said that in this zone, near to 60 thousand persons were evacuated because of inundations provoked by the Yaque del Norte, which is out of its bed since Tuesday, as a consequence of the hydroelectric central Tavera-Bao venting.

The Montecristi province governor, Santiago Caba, informed that all the preventive measures had been taken on time to avert personal tragedies.

However, the official confirmed that the overflow of the Yaque river flooded thousand of cultivated hectares of different agricultural sectors and inundated thousand of houses.

Caba re vealed that in the mentioned communities the drainage hasn’t made deathly victims.

However, press versions that come from Northeast report inform that the river drowned 12 illegal Haitians immigrants, but the official authorities haven’t confirmed this report.

In the Maria Trinidad Sanchez province, at the NortheastCounty, the flood of the Yuna river today kept isolated at least 28 villages.

In Nagua too, and others Northeast communities, near to 5600 persons were evacuated due to the Yuna river inundations, said the Civil Defense.

The person in charge of this aid organism in the province, Minerva Santos, communicated that food, mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets are being distributed to refugees, while Public Healh maintains a permanent vigilance in shelters to avoid the epidemics coming up because of the humidity and pollution.

However in Santiago, where the river destroyed thousands of homes and caused the death of at least 29 persons confirmed by the authorities, the situation today stills gloomy and distressing, despite the promise of Dominican President, Leonel Fernandez, to help victims.

Today, many people are still lifting up mud and rubbles that left Yaque del Norte looking for disappeared relatives.

El Viajero Digital, 17.12.07

President disposes of 1.700 millions pesos inversion for Santiago

600 houses will be built

President Leonel Fernández stated out a 1.700 millions of pesos inversion to mitigate the disasters caused in this province because of the Río Yaque del Norte flood after the passage of the storm Olga.

When leading a Government Meeting in which took part representatives of the different sectors of this demarcation, the State Chief explained that in road infrastructure term, the Government will invest 550 millions pesos to repair roads and bridges, and as well to remove mud and rubbles left by the floods.

He declared that although the Santiago aqueduct was affected, works are in progress to re-establish definitively drinking water service within two weeks.

Meanwhile, he said, 22 trucks are available for delivering water to population.

He said that through the Housing National Institute (Instituto Nacional de la Vivienda (INVI) 600 houses will be built to accommodate families that lost their roof, for which an inversion of 350 millions pesos will be done.

The leader added that nine aqueducts of the province were affected by rains, but that with a 80 millions pesos inversion, already six are working, meanwhile works are realized in the rehabilitation of out of order systems.

In the Government Meeting, the Republic General Attorney, Radhamés Jiménez, informed that the damages in the Rafey jail added up to 112 millions pesos, for which President Fernandez explained a new prison for woman will be built, since this precinct part was totally destructed.

Concerning the agricultural sector, the leader stood out that to help the affected producers an outlay of 30 millions pesos is required, although that at national level and through the Agricultural Bank, 168 millions pesos have been granted to more than 5000 producers.

He said he instructed the Finace secretary, Vincente Bengoa, to pay attention to the Northwest line banana producers reclamations, with a loan line of 400 millions pesos, via Reservas and Agricola Banks.

In the Government session, celebrated this Monday in the Santiago provincial government, the President stated out of 25 millions pesos too for the definitive conclusion of the industrial park of Villa Bao-Hato del Valle which will be putting up various enterprises that will contribute to make more than 10 thousands employments.

In relation to the Public Health and Education secretaries, in the meeting was determined that the medical portfolio is intensifying its efforts to prevent epidemics and diseases, while only two schools are out of order due to the great amount of mud.

Concerning environment damages, it was indicated that the vegetal formation was seriously affected and the necessity to create a reforestation program in the whole basin to prevent future landslides was posed.

The Government Meeting took knowledge of damages caused in sport infrastructures and installations in the Cibao and the North West line too, and it was set that the damages add up to 151 millions pesos.

A report in which it is assured that a great amount of shops and small enterprises localized in inundated sectors has millionaires losses was known too, that’s why President Fernandez asked for a report on them to quickly help.

In the Government Meeting, representatives of religious, academics, politics, industrial, commerce sectors, as well as provincial and national officials, legislators, between other members of Santiago province live forces were present.

Al Momento, 18.12.07

In spite of « Olga » Santiago prepares for Christmas

Thousands of Dominican arrive by the Cibao airport

The Festive Season reactivated during these last hours the sales and the economic activities in Santiago, where the principal commercial establishments are full of customers looking for all kinds of products.

Contrary to the previous days, where according to storekeepers of calle del Sol, principal commercial artery of Santiago, the sales were weak, we record a significant increase in the number of visitors and purchasers.

Another very active commercial zone is the Mercado Hospedaje Yaque, where thousands of customers are looking for the products which they will consume for Christmas dinner.

The president of the Association of the Storekeepers of the Historical Center of Santiago (ASOTISA), Carlos Lora, said that for last Saturday the sales have started to increase downtown.

The terminals of buses which operate in the periphery of the city were yesterday full of passengers who traveled towards various villages of the area to enjoy Christmas with their parents.

The number of Dominican who arrives from the United States by the Cibao airport also increased these last days, according to responsible people for this terminal.

The director of the Operations of the Airport Cibao, Víctor Suárez, said that for December, they await the arrival of approximately 100 thousand travelers.

With regard to road public transport, some drivers increased by 12 to 15 pesos the price of the taxi journey, tariff in force from December 23 to 25.

The police authorities multiplied the patrols in the residential and commercial zones to permit that everybody can enjoy quietly the Festive Season.

Diario Libre, by Cornelio Batista, 23.12.07

The districts of Santiago forget the shortages and celebrate Christmas

« Navidad, ya llegó Navidad »

The joy of Christmas flooded tens of districts yesterday evening where people forgot at least temporarily, the bitterness of the days of storms which flooded the streets, the urbanizations and the avenues.

Every hour fireworks illuminated the firmament of their multicolored lights and the detonations could be heard until the districts made safe by the Democratic Security Program. The residents of the districts get mixed up with the policemen and between drinks and BBQ in the street, the festivities transformed the sad faces of the storm Olga.

« Navidad, ya llegó Navidad », and other popular songs were sung during these festivities which made forget the tragedies of last weeks.

The festivities extended to the refuges where tens of families who lost everything, even their dreams, at least received some joy.

El Nacional, by Santiago Gonzalez, 26.12.07

Rehousing of the floods victims

934 families are acommodated in rented houses

With an investment higher than RD $100 million, the Government finished yesterday the rehousing of the 934 families who had been evacuated in various refuges of the city, after being affected by the overflow of the Yaque del Norte River.

These people were replaced in rented houses where they will remain for three months until the authorities build of new residences for the victims.

All the families which were sheltered in refuge received 15 thousand pesos for the rental of the houses, informed the governor of Santiago, Izquierdo.

The majority of these people resided in the sectors Bella Vista, Rafey, Joya, Baracoa, Brisa del Norte, Nueva York Chiquito and los ensanches Bermúdez, Román and Dolores.

Everything happens as we had foreseen since we do not have currently anybody any more in the refuges which had been set up after the passage of the Olga storm, Izquierdo expressed. The civil servant also explained that the Government located in the section Herradura, of Santiago, the lands where they will start to build as from next January the 600 houses for the families who lost their roofs.

He also announced the beginning of the process of « patronage » $varof the affected people to help them by the means of the solidarity card during the next year.

They also began yesterday the delivery of household appliances for the residents of Rafey.

Diario Libre, by Cornelio Batista, 28.12.07

Santiago will welcome year 2008 with fireworks

30 minutes of entertainment

Thousands of santiagueros and visitors of other villages will have an appointment on Monday December 31 in the monumental sector to say goodbye to year 2007 and to welcome 2008 with a multicolored spectacle of fireworks.

The event takes place for the third consecutive year under the auspice of various companies and public organizations of this province.

Several bands of music and orchestras will also take part in this New Year evening.

Last year, the launching of the fireworks lasted 30 minutes, the same time which is planned for this year.

The security will be ensured by policemen and firemen of Santiago.

Diario Libre, by Cornelio Batista, 29.12.07