[music] [music] [music] [music ] [music] [music] [music] [music] A country is truly transformed [music] when development reaches every province, every municipality [music] and every community, because it is in the provinces where the food that reaches our table is produced, where the energy that moves our economy is generated, where new tourist destinations are born and where our industries operate, exports grow and the [music] natural and cultural wealth of the nation is preserved. Each province has a vocation, each region possesses resources, capabilities and [musical] talents. And each community has the potential to contribute to the growth of the Dominican Republic. Because when a province develops, it increases its production capacity, generates new jobs, attracts investment, strengthens local businesses [music], and creates more opportunities for its people. The government's commitment is to expand that contribution, connect its capabilities, and turn the potential of each region into greater well-being for its people. That is why regional development is a priority and a commitment to the future. A commitment that translates into new roads that connect productivity with markets, into ports and airports that bring our regions [music] closer to the world, into energy and technology projects that strengthen competitiveness, into transport systems [music] that improve mobility and into new tourist and production centers that boost local economies. Developing a region means much more than just building my works. It also means supporting our producers, strengthening micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), preparing young people for new jobs, improving public services, and creating the conditions for every Dominican to prosper in their own land. Today on the weekly agenda we review the projects that are transforming the national territory. What have we done? What are we doing? And what are we going to do this week [music] from Santiago on the weekly agenda? Regional development. Good afternoon, welcome to today's weekly agenda from Santiago de los Caballeros, the Heart City, but also with a topic that also involves Santiago. When we designed our government program, we designed it from a territorial perspective to accelerate development in different parts of the Dominican Republic, and that's how we designed it, that's how we designed it, and that's how we are implementing it. That's why we designed several development points, not only in Greater Santo Domingo with the works we are doing to consolidate and improve the quality of life in terms of both infrastructure and mass transit, but also in the second metropolitan area in the case of Santiago, with the triangle of Santiago, La Vega, Moca, and now integrating it with the Amber Highway to Puerto Plata as a second important metropolitan area in the country. We have consolidated and supported the Puntacana, Verón area so that it becomes the main tourist development area of ​​the country and also so that a whole area of ​​housing and services can be developed to support that development. But in the same way we also started special projects such as the case of Punta Bergantín to relaunch tourism on the north coast, which will also be supported by the Amber Road. And if we also go to Manzanillo, there we are achieving several national strategic objectives, from converting and having the port that would be closest for our exports to the United States, saving us at least a day on each journey. We are also mitigating that generation deficit we had in the north of the country with about 2000 megawatts of natural gas and also wind and solar energy, part of which has already entered the system. And if we go south, well, with all the infrastructure we are building in the area that had the lowest per capita income in the country, in the Enriquillo region, with the development of Pedernales, all that is starting to change, also connecting Baraona, the province of Independencia, the province of Bauruco and also the region, the Valley, which are San Juan and Elias Piña, which will support the entire region from an agricultural point of view. We are creating a country, even though we are a small island, half of an island, we are creating regions of opportunity so that all the inhabitants, as happened in and was one of the characteristics of underdeveloped countries, that everyone went to a single city, well, we can have regions of development with quality jobs in different parts of the country. We are also developing ports in Samaná through public-private partnerships . And this program is going to be to explain to you, [clears throat] teach you in four areas that we have designed it, in that development policy that we have, how and to what it corresponds and what is the reason for these investments and these public-private partnerships that we are making. Today we are going to describe four axes. The new ones, the first, the new regional development poles that I have mentioned some of them. The second focus is infrastructure and mobility to connect opportunities. The third axis: investment, innovation and territorial competitiveness. And the fourth axis, the impact on communities. Regarding the first axis, which is, we are going to start with the different central projects that we are developing, which I have already mentioned, the Manzanillo, Punta Vergantín, Cabo Rojo and Miches projects. Starting with the Manzanillo project, we have here one of those responsible, Vice Minister Roger Pujols, and also Alejandro Campos, who has the port component, and Minister Eduardo Estrella, who also has responsibility for the development of the reconstruction or construction of the new port of Manzanillo. We will also elaborate on that regarding electricity generation. Manzanillo is a key port, and it will be multimodal, not only for electricity generation, but also a tourist port is planned, but at the same time also a cargo port where many of the most important free trade zones in the country, located on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, from Santiago, Moca, La Vega, will be able to ship goods. They will have another port through which exports can be sent, mainly to North American territory. Regarding the Manzanillo project, we would like Vice Minister Roger Pujol to begin by explaining what it entails and how investments in energy, ports, logistics, and roads converge, which works are completed and which are underway, and when its benefits will begin to be fully felt in the Northwest Line province and throughout the country. Thank you very much, Mr. President, and Ministers, for the invitation to join you at this working meeting. As President Abinader has said, Roger Puhols, Vice Minister of Project Execution of the Presidency, and as such, we take attention to matters related to trusts, cabinets, councils and special commissions of which the Presidency of the Republic is a part. In this regard, we participate in the trust for the development of the FitRAM RD mass transit system, the propedernales trust, the Infrastructure Development Fund trust, the Dominican Mining Company in charge of the exploration work of rare earths in the Ávila Fiscal Mining Reserve and some projects that do not necessarily fit into these categories, but that have the special attention of President Abinader and Minister Paliza, such as Manzanillo and Google, for which I am here. I'll start with Manzanillo. Based on President Abinader's vision in 2022, the Manzanillo Master Development Plan was designed and put into service . That plan, evidently, which has been the basis, has served as the foundation for the construction of the Manzanillo vision, which, as we say over the years, has been based on four essential components. The first of these is port infrastructure, the second is infrastructure for energy security and risk diversification, the third is the industrial ecosystem, and the fourth is socio-environmental and cultural infrastructure. Let's start with the first one, port infrastructure, and we have Alejandro Campos who will give us more details. Manzanillo is now more than just a port, but every conversation about Manzanillo has a basic starting point, which is the construction, the Manzanillo port project. The port of Manzanillo, a project financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, has a pier with 242 m of berthing space and an access bridge of 183 m. Uh, it's at 52.9% physical execution, 56% financial execution. 99% completion in terms of material procurement and design, which puts us in the first quarter of 2027 as the delivery date. Added to this is President Abinader's interest in developing cruise tourism in Manzanillo, aiming to leverage its potential, the potential of the province of Montecristi, and the tourism potential, and to complement destinations such as Samaná and Cabo Rojo, why not? Besides, of course, Puerto Plata. And that is also complemented by the already completed renovation work on the current pier, which, let's say, exceeds the investment of $3,000 and is completely finished in its three stages of intervention. The technical acceptance certificate has already been issued and is only pending the administrative closure of the project, which was managed by Apordón. Regarding the second component, the infrastructure for energy security and risk diversification, we begin in chronological order with the commissioning of the investment made by Energía 2000 in Manzanillo Powerland, a 414 MW power plant that entered operation in simple cycle in March of this year and is expected to enter commercial operation on August 13 in combined cycle. An investment exceeding 950 million that is now about to operate in a combined manner and proceed to integrate those 414 MW into the interconnected national electricity system. To that end, in addition to the other project I will mention, the Dominican government built the Manzanillo-El Naranjo, Manzanillo-Guayubín, El Naranjo transmission line, a 345 kV line 128 km long, with 321 towers spaced every 400 m, which will take that energy, that new generation from Montecristi, from Manzanillo Powerland and from the next project, which is Manzanillo Gas and Power, and will incorporate it into the national electricity grid at SENI. Manzanillo Gas and Power, for its part, comprises two power plants and a gas terminal, an investment of over 1.7 billion dollars that is expected to be ready by 2028 and will contribute an additional 15% of installed capacity to provide firm energy to more than 1 million Dominican homes. The simple cycle must be in November, one must be in November 27. Correct. Correct. Mr. President, in combined cycle already between February and April of 2028. Of 2028, correct. That would be a total of 800 megabytes. Yes, 840 megabytes divided into 420 for each power plant and generation plant. The third component, the industrial ecosystem, responds to the vision of President Abinader and Minister José Ignacio Paliza to develop the industrial sector, combining road infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and port infrastructure to create jobs and improve the quality of life for citizens of Manzanillo and the northwest region. In principle, Madam President, we are already in advanced talks with some owners and operators of existing industrial parks and other interested parties, as well as foreign-owned companies that are interested in the Manzanillo area, with a view to generating what we have conceived as the Manzanillo industrial district. This gives greater relevance and importance to the investment made by the Ministry of Public Works regarding the Barrete bypass, which the minister has said he expects to be delivered by this year 2026 with an investment exceeding 12 billion pesos. Finally, in that component, Mr. President, technical training, we are also making preparations for the construction of a regional Infotec center, as soon as the land is transferred to the Technical and Professional Training Institute, which is a component that will round out the workforce of the area with a view to the development of the Manzanillo industrial district. Finally, the component we have called socio-environmental and cultural includes the construction and reconstruction of the police station, which is already underway; the territorial planning plan under the Ministry of the Presidency, which is also in an advanced stage awaiting the completion of the management plans for Esterobalza and Laguna Saladilla, which have already been contracted by the Ministry of the Environment and are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027; the Port Master Plan, whose final report was already presented by the consulting engineer for the B, Roberto Suárez Nicolini, in May of last year; and the conceptual design and budget allocation for what we have called the cultural space allegorical to the banana industry and its impact on the area. Thank you very much, Mr. President. And you're missing, Roger, Mr. President , the titling of Pepillo Salcedo's own land, which we have already delivered nearly 700 resulting titles to, that is, 700 titles to the same number of citizens, especially around their small houses or their businesses, which gives them the ability to, well, to have a realizable, manageable and useful asset for themselves and for future generations. Of all the things that most transform the lives of citizens, the most has to do with qualifications. And there in Manzanillo the president already delivered the first phase of 700 and regarding titling we are going to have to make a special weekly agenda. Yes, but the truth is that if we interpret that there is no development in the community, then there is no national development either. And I want to give the floor to the Minister of Public Works, Eduardo Estrella, who will have to intervene in almost all points because his actions are transversal, because it is not only about building the port that is in charge through an agreement with the B, the Ministry of Public Works, he will say when it is finished, but also all the road infrastructure that facilitates and what has been built so that the port can also be developed. Yes, that's right, Mr. President. That project is already quite advanced, as he says, on the inside track. We expect to have it fully operational in the first half of next year, and along with that project, the government is carrying out many secondary roads throughout the province of Dajabón, as well as Montecriste, Santiago Ridge, Valverde, and Mao. But with that comes the Navarrete bypass, which we plan to put into operation by the end of this year, if not all goes according to schedule. The section of the Navarrete bypass up to the Esperanza intersection, a four-way road, has already been put out to tender. It is a way of bringing the cities of Santiago, Puerto Plata, and the different regions closer to the port of Manzanillo, which, as the president said, is our closest port to the United States. That intersection with Esperanza will have an overpass so that all the traffic from Valverde Esperanza, Valverde Mao and Santiago Rodríguez will go through the overpass and the traffic going to Montecriste and Daajabón can continue on the direct route. This will significantly reduce the current distance, but there is also this entire communication axis that will connect Santiago with Puerto Plata, which will also include the Duarte Highway with Jarabacoa, all the tourist development, and the main axis of the Duarte Highway, which we will also begin to have ready at the beginning of the next quarter, in the quarter of next year, including the airport. from Santiago until passing Loma Miranda. In other words, this would serve six lanes, bringing you closer to the entrance of Moca, closer to La Vega, and closer to San Francisco de Macorí. That's all part of the president's vision for the development of different communities. Within that, we have and have been delivering just this week the president will already deliver around seven bridges. We have 21 bridges completed in these 3 months that we are going to deliver as part of the resilience and an already anti-seismic design. But we could go to what the president of the Pedernales pole speaks about, with the Barahona- Pedernales road that we plan to have later on, don't get ahead of yourself. Forward. I'm staying here in Cibado. Yes, there is a lot. Yes, but we're also going to put out to tender the entrance to Moca, Mr. President, and the entrance to San Francisco de Macorí. It is a vision of the Cibao state that will create a boost and development that is well conceived by the presidency of the Republic. Okay, and before we move on to Alejandro Campos from the Port Authority, uh Eduardo, uh it 's also good that we built several roads via Guayubín and also via Castañuela, the Mate de Santa Cruz, so that you can avoid entering Monte Cristi and save yourself about 25 minutes, approximately half an hour to get to the safe port. Now, we are even starting the Castañuela bridge that is going to be built and I have no doubt, friends, that this destination of Manzanillo in a few decades will be one of the main industrial points. It will be done in the 28th, it will be one of the generation centers along with Caucedo, one of the main generation centers in the country. And at the same time, with the port ready and multimodal also including the cruise port, which is good that you're talking about now, Alejandro, well, they're going to have a port, a very important industrial area , energy, which will achieve a balance of generation with the one on the north coast, where there isn't significant generation, and also a tourist port that will also help to highlight all the beauty and history that towns like Montecristi have in the surrounding area. Alejandro, thank you, Mr. President. Greetings to all. Well, basically we at the port authority have understood the vision that the president has instilled in us . The port authority, beyond being a regulatory, operating or supervisory body of the Dominican port system , is a transversal axis for all investments that take place in the Dominican Republic in terms of transport, in terms of tourism, and other specific sectors such as those we see in Manzanillo as well. As the president says, there we will have a multimodal ecosystem where we will have, or already have, investments in the special energy terminals, of which there are two. We have the cargo port, which is being developed with the loan from the B through the Ministry of Public Works and working hand in hand with the Ministry of the Presidency we have been developing other investments with the private sector as well, such as the issue of a bulk terminal that will also be installed there. uh for the issue of the country's food security . But if we go directly to the cruise terminal, that idea already brings what would be a seventh cruise terminal in the Dominican Republic, when our goal will be nine by the end of 2028 and that terminal will be the first eco-friendly terminal in the region where we intend to have that process ready in the month of October and we also intend to have a ship in that terminal in January. By 2028, God willing, the socio-economic impact that this will generate, not only in Manzanillo but throughout the region, will be quite significant. This will be combined with all the investments being made to date, which have generated around 15 jobs in the construction phase alone. Another regional development project: Punta Bergantín. Where is Punta Bergantín? Next to Playa Dorada. Where did tourism begin in the Dominican Republic? At Playa Dorada. But it shifted eastward and, in relative and even absolute terms, the hotels of Puerto Plata were converted into apartments, and few hotels remained and have remained. And basically because the North American market never really developed effectively, which is what has mainly developed the Puntacana area. So, to relaunch the entire north coast, from a hotel point of view, we have Punta Brigantín. All that land belonged to the Central Bank and we coordinated with the Reserve Bank to develop that project there, which has hotels and also an important real estate component and even an international innovation center that is designed. This project, while it is going to be a development project, has also been an economically successful project, as the president of the Reserve Bank, Leonardo Aguilera, who is present here, will tell us . And that project has four TVs, all from North American and international brands, so with the marketing capacity of those brands, which we will say which ones they are, we are sure that it will help to relaunch the entire sector, the entire north coast in terms of hotel tourism. And after Leonardo, the Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio, will also continue with the regional design we have for that project. Leonardo. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. President. The first thing is that [clears throat] Punta Vergantín has a territory of 9,600,000 square meters, that is, it is a project that we have already called the new north to recover the primacy that Puerto Plata had in tourism and now we are on that path. For example, last year we already made the first down payment for the Meliad hotel, 450 rooms, but at the beginning of December of this year we are also going to make the first down payment for Westing, which is the second hotel as well, 450 rooms, and by March of next year we are going to make the down payment for Dreams 500 rooms, which is also a North American brand of North American tour operators, correct? This indicates that it is not only a major tourism project with these hotels, the third of which, as we said, will have its first groundbreaking in March, but also a real estate project, as the president said. And for example, a great businessman from Santiago named Pantaleón Salcedo is one of the promoters of the entrepreneurs involved in the Punta Bergantín project. He owns a lot of 180 apartments, of which 120 have already been sold, and 263 have been sold in the project so far. As the president says, it's not a project, it's not a dream, it's not a plan, it's already a reality. Even about two weeks ago, Andrés Marrancini, our executive director, organized an event here with the business community of Santiago. Well, just two or three weeks ago, and after that visit, more than $40 million in sales have been made to businessmen from Santiago as well. So what we have seen, and it must be said, this was an initiative in August 2020. For the first time, I went to Punta Bergantín, and the one who spoke about it was the President of the Republic in a meeting that we had with the current Minister of Tourism, the President, and me, and the President said, "Look, I am handing over this to you, which we have to recover, we have to open it to the Dominican Republic, and we are going to open it to tourism." And that's where I first heard how that project, Bergantín points out, is not something that arose spontaneously, but rather a plan of the President of the Republic himself to recover the north coast as one of the main bastions of tourism in the Dominican Republic, as it once was. And Punta Bergantín is precisely that dream now turned into reality. And the reserve bank is the arm, the spearhead of that project that together with the private sector we are advancing and have already turned into reality in a short time and we will continue to grow with Puta Vergantil. Mr. President, and one important thing that we will also move forward on after José Ignacio speaks and we continue with this topic of the Bergantín, we will move forward. Both Cabo Rojo and Punta Vergantín are public-private partnerships. Punta Vergantín belongs to Banco de Reservas, to the holding company of Banco de Reservas, but it is a project that, while having enormous importance in terms of public policy, in the case of the tourism sector, is also a project that benefits Banco de Reservas, that is, it does not burden Dominican taxpayers, but rather we are on the same path with a development, a public-private partnership for the benefit of all Dominican society. José Ignacio, Mr. President, allow me to add that what you say is of paramount importance. The reserve bank is not, let's say, making a sacrifice; on the contrary, we are doing business. But there is also something else that is extremely important. One of the problems that state-owned banks present throughout the world and in Latin America is that state-owned banks are inefficient, unprofitable, and are truly a sea of ​​defects. Well, I want to tell you the following. Banco de Reservas is currently the bank with the lowest delinquency rate in the Dominican system. And not only that, the authorized limit is up to 2%. What we have is barely 0.17. Number one, not only in the Dominican Republic, but also in Latin America with the lowest level of delinquency, being a state bank. The thing is, now it's run by an economist, but the president of the Republic is also an economist. Yes, but also, uh, I'm not going to ask you about the benefits of Punta Vergantín, you'll have to say that later, right? Look, Mr. President, after I had COVID, I don't hear well, [laughs] Mr. President. In 2019, Puerto Planta received barely one million visitors. At the close of 2025, five years into the administration of President Luis Abinader, Puerto Plata received 2.5 million visitors. We added 1.5 million visitors in 5 years. This does not include second home tourism, which is primarily from the local market, especially from the central Cibado region. Puerto Plata is different today, and with the various initiatives being implemented, this is the beginning of a great journey that will lead Puerto Plata to once again become a benchmark in various aspects. The main one of these projects is the A-6 highway, recently tendered by the Ministry of Public Works and RD Vial with an investment of over 28 billion pesos, which will shorten the distance between Santiago and Puerto Plata by half or less than half and will put Puerto Plata close to Santiago in less than 25 minutes. In other words, José Ignacio, a person will be able to live in an apartment facing the beach and work in Santiago. And it will also give the people of Puerto Plata access to the benefits of a great city. Correct. Well, it will be a win-win because among the things it seeks is to bring together our economies that are currently segmented, to bring together or unify and complement economies such as those of Santiago and Puerto Plata, and of Santiago, I also mean those of Payat and La Vega, and unify them in such a way that we can generate synergies that we have never been able to experience before . Mr. President, just so that those who are listening have a little reference point. The distance between Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo in Puntacana is the same today, 200 km distance. However, it takes a resident of the capital city almost an hour and a half longer to reach Puerto Plata. With this Amber Highway we will be able to have a very close proximity in time to what is now Puntacana. And since the opening of the Coral Highway in 2012 to date, Puntacana has tripled in size and doubled the number of hotel rooms it has, reaching 60,000 hotel rooms. Something similar will happen between Puerto Plata and the Central Cibao with the completion of this highway, which, of course, will take time beyond the term of our government, but which is undoubtedly so important and structuring that the governments that will come will have to complete it. Of course, it will be at very advanced stages, but completing it is essential because of the central impact it will have on the lives of all of us who live in this part of the Dominican Republic. And then we went to Cabo Rojo. Cabo Rojo is Pedernales. There we have in that Pedernales project, in that public-private partnership, hotels, airports, road works are progressing, while the cruise port and the aqueduct are already in operation. We have an updated timeline to consolidate the destination and connect its various components. A question. Alejandro, how many tourists are projected to visit the port this year? 200,000 tourists, Mr. President. And next year we expect 350,000 tourists, and we will inaugurate the third stage, God willing, in January 2027. The port is also the first of its kind in all of Latin America and this region. It is nominated in Sea Trade eh Cruz Met in Europe, which with God's help we will win in two days with two European ports from the United Kingdom and Noriega, a port from the Dominican Republic in Cabo Rojo. And that's quite an important milestone, just being nominated. José Ignacio, what are the expectations for the hotels, the airport, and the other projects in that area? There is no doubt, Mr. President, that the southern region of the country is a region of contrasts; it is a beautiful region with infinite natural resources, yet it has not had luck or opportunities. This is where poverty is most concentrated in percentage terms, and it is perhaps where Dominicans living there have had the least luck. However, that has changed drastically since he came to power, and Cabo Rojo will be the engine of all development in the Enriquillo region and beyond. The estimated investment when the project reaches such a level of maturity is over $3 billion , excluding the works that are complementary to the destination from public works and other government institutions , such as the almost 70 km road that unites Enriquillo with Pedernales in an advanced stage of execution. In this first stage, by 2028, we will have invested millions of dollars, both from the government's point of view and from our private partners. Mr. President, Oviedo Airport is planning to open its operations in February of next year. Its runway must be completed by October 30th . However, the complementary works and technology that accompany an airfield of that level are missing, right? which expects to receive aircraft of different sizes. And we will also have our first hotel open in February, a 500-room Iberostar hotel, along with two other hotels currently under construction, two HAT hotels, and a second hotel, one of which will be open in the second half of next year. But we want to announce, Mr. President, that in agreement with the private partners of the group, we would be starting construction of a fourth hotel, a third Hayat hotel, and it would be the fourth hotel in the entire Cabo Rojo project, which in this initial stage would be in operation. Mr. President, we are talking about the fact that just at the airport, to give you an example, the Oviedo airport generates more than 500 direct jobs, apart from the 300 direct jobs that government institutions have to provide. 800 direct jobs at the airport, just at Oviedo airport. This is a transformative project that includes countless other social and impactful components for the entire region, such as, Mr. President, the delivery of more than 2,400 property titles. The corresponding surveys have already been carried out in the town of Pedernales so that each citizen of Pedernales can receive a property title in the coming months. Excellent. And I want to say, and I ask the Dominicans who want to go to Pedernales, that they can go to the port; it's a themed port where there are many activities for children and families, and next year they will incorporate more than 60% more tourist activities than they have this year. There is also a hotel under construction in the same town, Pedernales, a Holiday Inn in the same town, which has a very beautiful beach in front of a boardwalk that we have built, which will also bring development, much more development to that area, and I want to tell you that not only for Pedernales, I say that with what there is already there is enough employment and with a hotel there is enough employment because each hotel, each hotel room generates around two direct jobs and three indirect ones. Imagine that for a small province like Pedernales. The Cabo Rojo project does not begin in Pedernales, it begins from Plaza de la Bandera with interconnectivity with the great Nur of Santo Domingo. It is strengthened with the Ucateva of Pedernales and the expansion of Ucateba in Barahona with a new Infotep and tourist school in the old Guarocuya hotel in Barahona. Mr. President, it is strengthened by the new academic capabilities that we have also built in Neiva and in other locations in the Great South. Uh, Pedernales is going to be the great engine that will develop that vehicle uh of the southern region, which will undoubtedly be that enclave uh that is fundamentally touristic, but that has countless other components. And to make that happen, José Ignacio, we are building the infrastructure. the minister of public works. We have already opened two parts because there was only one access to Pedernales, which was the road along the coast. Well, now we have a second access point. That second access is almost finished. We already have the first, the first and the third. We are missing the second part, which is the road from Cabral, from the Cabral crossroads to Cabral. Polo, Polo Enriquillo Exacto. We are missing the part about Polo Aligüero. Aligüero because it's already ready from Ligüero to Enriquillo. Then we left in the municipality of Enriquillo to take the road that goes from Enriquillo to Pedernales, which is also being modified by Enriquillo Oviedo, Mr. President, we have it ready this year, just like the one from Cabo Rojo to Pedernales, but there we must add that you sent us the tender and we are going to award it before the end of the year for the Pedernales-Puerto Escondido- Duvergé road, which connects the province of Pedernales with the province of Baurucco- Independencia and the entire area of ​​Lake Enriquillo. That means that before the Enriquillo road, which still took some time, without that road, someone going from Duberget had to go all the way around and get to Baraona and from Baraona then go back again to Pedernales so that they could enjoy the tourist development, as José Ignacio said, which is a development of the whole region. We have a road that is already being put out to tender and that should start this year, which goes from the municipality of Duberg in the province of Independencia to Pedernales, which will mean that people will be able to travel from there in about 50 minutes, but there is Duberg which is also close to the city of Neiva and the province of Bauruco. And that's also where agricultural development will impact San Juan de la Maguana as the Granary of the South province, enabling them to transport their agricultural products to Pedernales. In other words , it's a complete development integration that we're doing, well designed and well executed. Mr. President, and it's good to clarify that the port is already generating around 100 jobs in Pedernales, and in the coming months the port of Cabo Rojo will receive the largest ship in the world, the Legend of the Seas. Perfect. And now we move on to Miches. What's happening in Verón, and from Verón it's already developing westward, northwestward, is a growth engine for new hotels. But when we arrived in Miches, which belongs to the province of Seivo, many of the business owners were saying, "We lack all the infrastructure. We don't have roads, we don't have electricity, we don't have drinking water, we don't have roads." We reached an agreement so that the government could provide some of that infrastructure, and the private sector could also provide some. We built the aqueduct, we built the roads, we are also building a new hospital, we are also bringing education to the area, and we brought the INFOTEP (National Institute of Technical and Vocational Training) to Seivo so that hotel staff could be trained at the Seivo hotel. And in that public-private partnership, we went from a single hotel in Miches, which had started about two or three years ago—the isolated Club M— to 3,000 new hotel rooms, with another 3,000 under construction. Imagine what that means for the province of Seivo. which was one of the provinces with the highest poverty levels in the eastern region. So, that's development. We've gotten there through that coordination, with the private sector and the government fulfilling their responsibilities. And today, Miches is another independent tourist development area with its own strengths and development, in addition to the Verón and Puntacana areas and the development that has followed towards Nisibón, a municipality also belonging to the province of La Alta Gracia. We now move on to the second axis, which is infrastructure and mobility to connect opportunities. We've already talked about the A-6 highway, which will transform this region into a large metropolitan area in the north. But Mr. President, and excuse me, I know we're short on time and we have a lot to do, but besides those regional macro-projects that we've identified and highlighted, there are also other projects or sub-regions that have been impacted, such as the entire northeast region, with the infrastructure projects that will bring it closer, especially to San Francisco de Macorís. Santiago, San Francisco de Macorís, Samaná, and the two new cruise ports in Samaná are in full swing, one already operational and the other nearing completion, which will begin operations in November, right? On November 24th, we are inaugurating the first stage, called Portaná. Portaná, which will be another theme park. That's right. Which should also have—we're talking about nearly 800 jobs. Yes, between indirect and direct jobs, plus Mr. President. [clears throat] Uh, and that, Mr. President, also connects with the entire urban transformation of Nagua, which is currently underway with the Nagua boardwalk, which is more than just a boardwalk; it's the protection of Nagua itself, because in some parts it's below sea level, a beautiful amphitheater, and a potential or future marina that will be developed there. Uh, just like that project, but with a different structure, there's also the case of San Juan with the San Juan plan, which seeks to change or transform the The productive matrix of the San Juan Valley, identifying sources, sectors, and other techniques that can make what is grown there more interesting, more efficient, and more competitive, which even includes the construction of an airport that is also about to be opened so that what is produced there can be more easily transported to other areas of the Dominican Republic and other parts of the country for multiple uses, including military use . That's right. Speaking of Samará, the Reserve Bank is investing there, financing 40 million dollars. So it's everywhere, Mr. President. I mentioned that at the beginning, yes, about Samaná, but Samaná is a special development. That's right, indeed. And it's also good that you go and see the city of San Fernando de Samaná, so you can see that entire boardwalk along with the port, how that whole area has changed for the better, and it really is a very important difference. Just like the Nagua waterfront, as José Ignacio was saying , it's... when Are we going to finish the boardwalk? The boardwalk will be practically finished by the end of the year . The boardwalk and protection, and then you'll see, a marina will come as well. Mr. President, I wanted to add the 103 km of highway that's being built from Atomayor, the Port, Vallahuana, Monte Plata, to Cevico, which will connect El Seivo, right, to Cotuí and San Francisco de Macorís, without having to go through the capital city or the main highway. It's an alternate route of 103 km, two sections of which you've already inaugurated, and there are two more that will be completed because we're not just talking about tourist access, it's access for producers. Producers from those provinces will have access to supply the hotels and the tourist area on the internal road. We continue with, we've already talked about the road connections of Manzanillo, the roads of Cabo Rojo as well, and Miches, and we're going to come here now, where we are in the heart of the city, to the mobility of Santiago. Santiago de los Santiago has the first and most important free trade zone. It has all the country's universities with campuses or extensions in Santiago. It has a very entrepreneurial sector and had suffered from underinvestment for decades. For Santiago to continue and become increasingly efficient and competitive, many projects were needed, like the ones we're undertaking now: sanitation projects such as the one in the Gurabo ravine, but primarily mass transit projects so that people can access their workplaces and, specifically, their free trade zones in less time and at a lower cost. And that's where Santiago's mobility comes in, with that very important project we've discussed on other occasions, but which we need to emphasize now with our presence here in Santiago. Yael. Thank you, Mr. President. Well, first of all, Mr. President, I want to highlight Santiago's integrated transportation system, which consists of a 13-km monorail with 14 stations, a cable car, and seven bus corridors that have been planned and designed as part of the system, as well as public bicycles. That's the whole plan. Today we were at the Economic and Social Development Council. And we recall that it was in 2021, in September of 2021, with Compromiso Santiago, that this conceptualization began. That is to say, it's rare to find that a project, especially a mass transit project due to its high level of complexity, can be studied, designed, and built in a single administration or even two . So, in this case, Mr. President, today we can say with great satisfaction that we have been working on this project for 4 years and 138 days, and on Wednesday we completed the final section. That means we will have designed and built 4,252 piles, 662 foundations, 716 columns, 658 capitals, and 1,132 beams. All of them are manufactured and ready for assembly between this month and next. This will complete 13 km with 14 stations, and a maintenance yard that already has 3.2 km of service track. Furthermore, Mr. President, it is important to highlight that in this process, two bridges were built over the Gurabo and Denivaje ravines. A trench tunnel of approximately 500 meters to protect the monumental zone. It's a project—it has to be the largest project that the city of Santiago has ever had, and it will also be the project that will last, as we said today, more than 50 years to serve the entire population of Santiago. Because I would like to highlight, Mr. President, some things that came out of the studies and that are now coming to light . Santiago had areas of congestion, such as the Hermanos Patiño Bridge, which was going to be disconnected because the demand is in the same direction, from Cen Fuego to Pekín, connecting the free trade zone and the city center. And the cable car, which will experience a surge in demand once it's connected to the monorail. We're often asked why it's being built. But we had the Hermanos Patiño Bridge, with 46 vehicles per minute, the point of greatest traffic load, nine shared taxis per minute, Mr. President, an area of ​​high congestion but low demand. So, when we built The monorail, connected to the cable car, would have required five times the investment for any mass transit system—be it a metro, monorail, or tram—to cross the Hermano Potiño Bridge. That's why we opted for a cable car connection, which allowed us to connect the monorail within the planned timeframe and with the same investment, as we will see by the end of the year. So, Mr. President, I'd like to highlight what we have completed, or will complete this month: the structural work. During these next two or three months, before December, we will be in the finishing phase, installing floors and facades—the beautiful, finished parts of the project. But more importantly, Mr. President, we have completed the electrical connection, and starting in October, we will begin train service. As promised, by the end of this year, the monorail will be operational, and we will begin offering guided tours, as we have done with the cable car and other projects, and begin the opening process. The commercial operation of the system will be the first of its kind in Central America and the entire Caribbean. We've gotten ahead; other projects have already started, and we're not competing, but it's worth noting that we've moved ahead of projects that began before us, and we'll be delivering this Santiago monorail ahead of all the other projects in the region. And we're one of the few countries in Latin America, even though we're a small country—half an island—that has a mass transit system in its second-largest city. That's right, Mr. President. I think people will appreciate what a connected city will be. Santiago is the center of the entire Cibao region: North Cibao, Central Cibao. The majority of trips to Santiago come not only from the metropolitan area but also from the entire Puerto Plata area, Navarrete, San Francisco, Moca, La Vega, Jarabacoa, and all those trips will contribute to consolidating the city of Santiago. What will be the difference? You'll be able to arrive in your vehicle and park in the historic center, where we've expanded the service. park, and from there you'll be able to travel to the free trade zone, you'll be able to go from 100 km/h to Beijing. Mr. President, the Santiago monorail will reach speeds of 60 to 80 km/h, with 90-second intervals between trains. In other words, the service we'll see in the heart of the country will traverse the entire city, connecting all destinations and origins, all universities with a dignified and high-quality transportation system. This breaks the pattern of underdevelopment, which, as I said at the beginning, is having only one important city, investing everything in that city, and having the entire country migrate to that city. Here we are developing, and this is the point we want to emphasize and explain to the population. We are developing several development centers to distribute work and wealth throughout the country. And what better place than Santiago? It has been the starting point for many things: the first free trade zone, the first private university, it's also the center of cigar and tobacco production, and it 's the capital of the Cibao region. So we are giving this investment so that the people of Santiago... They should be competitive enough here, so they don't have to migrate and have many more business opportunities, and they shouldn't have to migrate to other cities, especially Santo Domingo. And if we move on to a third pillar, which is investment, innovation, and territorial competitiveness, there's a project that will give us a lot of competitiveness, especially for data centers and artificial intelligence. That's the Google project. José Ignacio, I'd like you to explain the status of that project, which we announced some time ago, at the beginning of the year, and which has been progressing and developing, though perhaps the public isn't fully aware of the details. Look, first, Mr. President, we are currently interconnected with the world through four submarine cables. However, those cables have a lifespan of 25 years, and most of them are reaching the end of their useful life. Furthermore, they have limited capacity, especially for handling data. In terms of fiber optics, they offer only minimal or basic capabilities compared to today's world, where artificial intelligence and technology in general are forcing us to... that the level of data flowing between our countries is constantly increasing. With the connectivity we have achieved through Google, which is connecting to a new port in Punta Cana, specifically in Punta Cana, the data handling capabilities will be limitless. The way in which the capabilities we obtain are limitless for handling information entering our island, as well as leaving it, but Punta Cana will be a meeting point where Google will connect with Panama, from Panama to Chile, and also on its route to Europe via Bermuda. This is placing us, with an investment that in the Dominican territory alone ranges between 500 and 800 million dollars, but whose investment is clearly higher. It is placing the Dominican Republic at the center of all digital connectivity between the United States, South America, and much of the world, giving the Dominican Republic enviable conditions to become a major data center, a major hub for artificial intelligence, and a place where countless industries can be supplied around this important issue, including, Mr. President, in a At a recent meeting held in Punta Cana, which brought together all the telecommunications regulators of the Caribbean region, Google announced two new cables that would be interconnected from here . By the end of this year, we will have the first cable connected in Punta Cana, which will give us resilience, reduce the failures or the reluctance, the lack of speed that the system sometimes imposes on us, right? It gives us, the users, and gives us today a level of competitiveness that will clearly be superior. I don't know, Roger, if you would like to add anything else. Thank you, Minister. Um, as you were saying, uh, the Dominican Republic is connected by six cables, only one of them, Mr. President, with six submarine cables, I mean, fiber optic cables. Only one of them connects the continental United States with the Dominican territory. With Google's cables, we will have, we will increase from one cable that connects directly with the North American territory to three cables, that is, we will triple our connectivity with the continental United States, not only in number, but also in speed. Much greater, by 10 times 10 times 10. Uh, the number by three, but the number by 10, and as the minister says, we are going to substantially increase the number of fiber optic pairs . Google initially, for the first phase, as Minister Paliza mentioned, planned an investment of no less than 500 million dollars in the Dominican Republic, but that's only the first phase. The second phase, the second phase to which Google has already committed, announcing two more new cables that were announced at that event hosted by the Association of Telecommunications Regulators of Central America and the Caribbean: the Alicios, Canoa or La Luz cables, and the Branch cable that will connect us to the Firmina cable. And on [clears throat], next September 24th, Google will also announce the connection from the Dominican Republic to a large South American country. Last Friday, they shared with us the economic report they were preparing, which we were waiting for, and it is expected that this Google cable system will impact the Dominican Republic's gross domestic product. In 15.2 billion pesos, that is, 12% to be exact, 4% of the gross domestic product, with a slight reduction in internet prices and a significant reduction in latency, as Minister Paliza mentioned. It is expected that two of the first cables will be ready and operational in October 2027 and the next two in 2028. The first cable will be interconnected this year, and starting in February, the installation and deployment of the remaining cables will begin. This gives us—and I repeat, this is Google's hub—an opportunity. This encourages many other companies not related to Google to invest in the Dominican Republic, in data centers, in everything related to artificial intelligence, in all digital development, and also in terms of logistics, which has been one of the government's key initiatives with its design as a regional logistics hub , the port. From Manzanillo, imagine what it's like: from the south of the country, it takes four days—I think it's four days—yes, transportation to the southern United States. From Manzanillo, it would be three days, so that's a saving of one day. Imagine, multiply that by the week of the year, multiply that in terms of fuel. We're talking about improving the competitiveness of our free trade zone, of our exports. Even international organizations told us they didn't understand why the port of Manzanillo hadn't been built earlier. And in terms of technical training, before moving on to axis 4, we've prepared ourselves for the training. But Mr. President, there's another company that wants to lay other submarine cables connecting with the... Welcome everyone. Welcome all. It's important, Mr. President, to mention the government's role in these projects through Decree 113-26, issued by President Abinader, which declares the installation and deployment of digital exchange ports to be of high national interest. It has instilled a lot of confidence, which Google also mentions in its economic report. Correct. Regarding technical training, in each region we have expanded—we've said this many times, but it bears repeating—from eight Infotec facilities to 64, including the latest one, the former Hotel Guarocuya, which will continue to operate as a hotel, but now as a training center for the development of Pedernales. Similarly, we handed over the Seo Hotel, which was closed, to WAS. Today it's open, receiving visitors, but also providing WAS training in coordination with the Miches Hotel Association to train staff. We also assisted Lucatbra, the Catholic Technical University of Barahona, in establishing a campus in Pedernales. to also train the staff. Likewise, as Roger said, we are going to build an Infotep in Manzanillo and convert the Loyola Technical Institute into a university in Dajabón as well, with new buildings that we have supported, to continue supporting the technical and professional development of that area. At the same time as we are building a university city in the region, which is in Sabaneta de Santiago Rodríguez, so that it will also help the entire industrial zone of Manzanillo. We now move on to axis four, impact on communities. When we talk about the A-6 motorway, well, that will be in two and a half years, in three years, but it is already starting to have an economic impact. The Amar highway is projected to create around 2,000 direct jobs during its construction and about 4,800 indirect jobs for both provinces, Santiago and Puerto Plata. And it seems to me, Eduardo, that the idea is to start with the two points to be built. Yes, we're going to start with the two points, and once the environmental impact study is complete , and the public hearing has already taken place , we're going to open a third front in the center of the road, which is the part where a tunnel can go, which will be the critical path of the project, Mr. President. But also when we talk about the port of Manzanillo that is being built, we already have, and with the industrial development, many employees from the area and even from all over the country who are benefiting from that construction . The same goes for all the economic benefits that these projects represent. Imagine, gentlemen, in Miches, that with 5,000 hotel rooms there are two direct jobs and three indirect ones. It's not just for Miches anymore, it's for all the adjacent municipalities, including El Seibo, because we're improving the road, the Seo Miches road, because we have a lot of demand for employees from El Seibo to Miches as well . Mr. President, I would like to highlight that during the construction of the monorail we have had a production of 2,917 jobs for women and men who have not only been employed. It is worth noting that a technical and professional training process is being created. All types of prestressed and reinforced structures, everything we have seen is a university in terms of its construction, where architects, technicians and all these professionals have participated, and also now during the operation in railway matters, there is even an agreement with PUCAMima for the training process in the railway industry in the city of Santiago. During the 2016 campaign, a person from Bonao, who has since passed away, a very intelligent leader—the kind of intelligence you acquire in life—told me, "I want Abinader to see development move beyond the tollbooths in Santo Domingo." that the development passes through the tollbooths of Santo Domingo. That phrase, which is very intelligent, is what we have done in this government. We have brought development to the poorest areas, but it is not a temporary development, it is real development. It is those beautiful beaches of Pedernales, fill them also with hotels, with tourists so that they create jobs in sustainable tourism that will last there for years, which will support the agricultural producers of Independencia de Bauruco, San Juan, and Líaspiña with those roads that we are building. It is in Miches that they do not have to travel to Puntacana, but that they have their jobs and that they also help the agricultural producers of the east. It is in Santiago that the employee who lives in Beijing can get to the free zone in about 15 minutes and not have to spend 45 minutes or an hour during peak hours and pay double to get to that area. That Manzanillo area, which the first time I visited Manzanillo in the 80s with my father seemed like a ghost town from when the Grenada Banana Company was there, now they have their property title, they have a present, they have a future, and a large center is going to be developed there, a multimodal port for industrial development, energy development, and tourism development. It's about relaunching tourism in Puerto Plata and Samaná, not only the real estate development and the hotels that are being developed and have been developed on the land in a very important way now in this period, but also creating jobs in southern Samaná that will impact Royobarril, Sánchez, and the municipality of Samaná itself. That's what we're creating: regions of opportunity so that development can come from Santo Domingo, which also has its own development. We have the municipality of the largest municipality in the country, which is Santo Domingo Este, and we have also built the infrastructure for its development. Those are the plans we've had. Even with all the limitations we have had to govern under, we are creating, we have created a region and regions of opportunity. Thank you very much, and now we move on to questions from the public. They ask us, this is via Instagram. I want to know about a transit plan for the city, and whether some streets need to be modified. I do n't know which city you're asking about, I imagine it's Santo Domingo, or Santiago, or Santiago. Uh, we have a transit plan in conjunction with the City Council and also with Intrán. That has been modified and has also been made more efficient to improve that transit. Now, the best transit program, which is being solved with more and more vehicles, with more and more engines due to the acquisition every year, is a transport plan, the best mass transport plan of the monorail, in addition to making it more efficient, one-way streets have been made. The same modification that has been made to the historic center of Santiago, but when in December and gradually until March, April, when the monorail is fully installed, you will see how traffic will improve significantly in this city of Santiago. Santiago needs wider avenues and overpasses at critical points. There is a city road plan. Well, we also built and extended the ring road from C Fuego to the Joaquín Malaguer highway, which involved a significant eviction. But also, Eduardo, it's good that you explain the plans we have. We are also building the electric avenue. Yes, it goes from 100 miles to get there and connect with Augusto Lora Avenue, which is on the other side of the river. That will help the connectivity of all [clears throat] people who can go from 100 Fuego to La Barranquita and to the university, the WAS. Likewise, people who live in the other part of the city can come to work in the free trade zone for jobs both in A del Yaque and in the Perta neighborhood. That will greatly reduce congestion on the El Mano Patiño bridge, which we will also be carrying out extensive repairs on with the B programs, the four largest bridges in the country. But we have Tui Avenue, which is a solution, and now we are putting out to tender the bridge over the Gurabo stream that goes to El Palmar, Tui Avenue with this side where the central park is, and also the expansion of the Licei road, and we are going to put out to tender now the expansion of the Santiago Alicei road as well, all of that with its crossings, all of that will help all the traffic in the city of Santiago. [clears throat] My president, I need your support for a microcredit. Uh, that's true. We have significantly increased microcredit through Promipyme, but we are going to send it here to Santiago so that they can come and have greater access to microcredit, which is fundamental for the development of micro , small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), right? If the president writes to us directly via DM, we will gladly act as a bridge and put him in contact with the Promipyme executives who also provide a lot of support to entrepreneurs, not only from a credit point of view, but also for formalization and for all the structuring of their businesses. Yes. Excellent. What happened, Mr. President? They remodeled Francia Avenue, but they left the back of the Genaro Pérez school exactly the same. They did nothing. That's part of the paving plan, Mr. President. As you were just talking about the impact on the communities, we have to talk about the great impact that the entire paving plan you're implementing has had throughout the country, from the provinces, municipalities, and small districts to these large ones. What he's talking about regarding the general school is part of the paving program we're currently working on in C Fuego, Puñal, Villa González, and Navarrete, within the Santiago paving plan. We'll take that request into account and visit that area in the coming days . He's very attentive, so take that into account. Name of Luciano Gómez Martínez, Mr. President, the only thing you need to do is finish the Gurabo road . So I am very grateful to you for the work you have done in Cumbres Bambera, Yaroa, Carrizal, San José de la Mata; all of that work is thanks to you. Yes, that's from the Gurabo road. Part of it was missing because there was work being done with Corazán, but we will complete that part later. It's part of the missing program we have for Santiago. Good morning. God bless you, Mr. President, and your family. My name is Rubio, I'm from here in Nivia, but I'm withdrawing first too, but what happens is that the work they started they couldn't finish. The Arroyo avenue, they also left it there in the works they have done, they have also finished there. What's the matter with that, Mr. President? That's all. Blessings and have a great day. Yes, the arrival of the stream is part of the work that has been done, which has to be done because all the drainage of the snowmelt was being done there with the drainage part. So we are going to inaugurate that area which is near the Genaro Pérez area that I was talking about there too, which by the way, through the City Council we are doing the complete remodeling of the market in NIBAE which will become almost a tourist market. Thank you so much. And we'll see you next Monday for another program on the weekly agenda.