Carib Scope

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  • Mental health safe houses planned four years after Act

    Mental health safe houses planned four years after Act

    Nearly four years after Bahamian lawmakers passed a sweeping bill to modernize the nation’s outdated approach to mental health care, the national government has only just announced plans to acquire two dedicated safe houses for unhoused people living with severe mental illness — and still has not released a clear timeline for when the facilities will open to the public.

    Speaking at the 2026 World Suicide Prevention Day Symposium and Orange Alert Day on Monday, Minister of State for Health and Wellness Owen Wells confirmed that provisions of the 2022 Mental Health Act mandating the development of these safe housing facilities have yet to be enacted into active policy. The 2022 legislation was introduced to replace a decades-old framework dating back to 1969, billed as a transformative overhaul that would expand patient protections, increase access to evidence-based treatment, and set national quality standards for all mental health services across the country.

    Wells told attendees that while key portions of the new law are already in effect, the safe house mandate remains unimplemented. “There are portions that are currently in force now, and portions that we have to bring into force. Specifically, from my address today, what we have to bring into force is the one on safe houses,” he explained. The minister added that his team is in the early planning phase, and will submit a formal proposal to the national Cabinet “very shortly” to secure approval for purchasing two separate facilities, one for male residents and one for female residents.

    “We are currently in the process now. Very shortly, my ministry will be bringing a paper to the cabinet so we can purchase these safe houses where people who suffer from these mental difficulties they will have a safe space, as I would have mentioned in my speech,” Wells said. Despite this commitment, the minister declined to provide concrete dates for when the Cabinet proposal will be submitted, when the property purchases will be completed, or when the facilities will begin accepting residents. The safe houses are specifically intended to house unhoused people living with severe mental health conditions, a visible population across The Bahamas that has drawn consistent public concern.

    “You would see around the country, people who we all deem to have some mental challenges just on the street,” Wells said. “So what we are looking to do is get these safe spaces for them and move them in there, and they’ll be secure, the public will feel secure, so that’s something that we’re looking to do very shortly.”

    Wells’ announcement comes amid years of growing scrutiny over the government’s slow pace of implementing the landmark 2022 legislation. As far back as September 2024, then Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Michael Darville admitted the bill had not been fully rolled out, despite the government having previously positioned the reform as a central pillar of its national mental health strategy.

    Two months after Darville’s admission, opposition Senator Michaela Barnett-Ellis of the Free National Movement publicly slammed the delay, arguing that timely full implementation of the law could have prevented two high-profile violent crimes linked to unaddressed mental illness. She accused the governing administration of “sitting on” the legislation for more than a year, letting a critical reform languish without action.

    When the Mental Health Act was debated in Parliament in 2022, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis framed the bill as a long-overdue step to expand community-centered mental health resources and ensure all people living with mental illness could access appropriate, local care. At the time, Darville, who led the health ministry then, tied the reform to rising rates of unhoused people living with untreated mental health conditions, noting the bill would shift The Bahamas away from outdated institutional care models toward community-based treatment and stronger legal protections for patients. Earlier this week, Wells characterized the 2022 law as one of the most comprehensive mental health frameworks in the Caribbean region, even as he acknowledged its key provisions remain unimplemented.

    The push for safe housing also comes amid a decades-long shortage of specialized supported accommodation for unhoused people, including those with mental illness. Earlier this year, The Tribune reported that Great Commission Ministries, a leading faith-based charity serving the unhoused community, has spent decades struggling to secure government land for a dedicated homeless shelter. Founder Bishop Walter Hanchell has repeatedly noted that a large share of the unhoused population on Bahamian streets lives with unaddressed severe mental health challenges. The organization’s planned 100-bed Hope City shelter has been stalled for years amid a public dispute over access to government-owned Crown land.

  • Bahama Rock workers call on govt to help save jobs

    Bahama Rock workers call on govt to help save jobs

    A widespread work stoppage shut down operations at Bahama Rock, a major Grand Bahama aggregates production facility owned by American construction materials giant Martin Marietta, on Wednesday, as more than 80 employees walked off the job to push the Bahamian government to greenlight a proposed expansion project that workers say is essential to keeping the plant open and protecting their livelihoods.

    The industrial action comes as the company exhausts its current dredging license area, and is set to implement a mandatory 60-day temporary shutdown that will furlough all 84 affected workers if approval is not granted in time. Bahama Rock’s proposal would allow the firm to acquire and begin mining operations at a 290-acre site that previously housed the shuttered Bahamas Cement plant, but the plan has drawn pushback from nearby Eight Mile Rock residents, who have raised longstanding concerns about potential negative impacts from blasting, particulate dust pollution and increased noise from expanded operations. At a recent public town meeting held by the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection to review the project’s environmental impact assessment, residents shared accounts of existing blasting activity causing structural cracks in local homes, amplifying their calls to block the expansion.

    Hundreds of workers and industry stakeholders gathered outside the plant’s main entrance yesterday, holding hand-picked placards that outlined Bahama Rock’s far-reaching contributions to iconic Bahamian infrastructure projects, including the multi-billion-dollar Baha Mar resort development, Freeport Harbour, and the new Celebration Key cruise terminal. For long-tenured employees like Kevin Evans, who has spent 19 years on the plant’s workforce, the stoppage is not a protest against the company, but a urgent plea for government and corporate leadership to strike a deal that saves their positions. “We are fighting for our jobs,” Evans emphasized, adding that Bahama Rock has been a core economic anchor for Grand Bahama and the entire nation for decades.

    The work stoppage has already rippled across Grand Bahama’s construction sector, leaving dozens of hauling trucks idling outside the facility gates unable to collect critical raw aggregate for ongoing projects. Independent trucker JC, who requested only his first initial be used, told reporters he had been waiting since 7:45 a.m. to pick up a load of sand for a concrete pouring crew, and said the shutdown is already cutting into his daily income. “I get paid by delivery,” he explained. “I run a 20-ton truck, make 10 runs a day, and today I’m on track to lose around $1,100. I just want the gates open and everyone back to work.” Other independent haulers who rely exclusively on Bahama Rock for aggregate supplies reported identical disruptions, putting multiple construction projects across the island on hold.

    For the plant’s employees, the immediate crisis is the looming 60-day furlough that will go into effect once current dredging operations wrap up. Alvin Wilson, a 22-year veteran of the facility’s electrical department and a team lead, said workers have already received formal notification of the temporary layoffs. “We’re just out here standing together, showing our support for each other, because none of us know what our future holds or where we’re heading,” Wilson said. He added that the uncertainty around the plant’s long-term future has left workers anxious, with many unsure how they will support their families even through a two-month shutdown. “It will affect everyone here,” he said. “We all count on this paycheck to pay our bills and take care of our loved ones – no one can afford to lose two months of income.”

    Workers and company advocates stress that Bahama Rock’s importance stretches far beyond its own employee payroll, as it is the largest aggregate supplier in the entire Bahamas, providing raw materials for nearly every major construction project across the archipelago. “The foundation of this country starts with us,” said Arnetta Rollins, a 12-year employee of the facility. “We supply the materials for roads, affordable homes, hospitals, local businesses, and block manufacturing. Without that material, how can any of those critical projects move forward?”

    While workers acknowledge the validity of nearby residents’ concerns, they argue that the government can strike a balanced solution that addresses environmental and quality-of-life issues while protecting the economic benefits the plant provides. Harold Williams, a five-year production employee who was born and raised in Grand Bahama, said workers do not dismiss the impact of operations on local communities. “Besides being an employee, I’m a Grand Bahamian,” Williams said. “By no means would I ever want any community to be harmed by what we do here.” Even so, he emphasized that Bahama Rock is a core driver of national economic growth, supplying aggregate for the Freeport Container Port, Grand Bahama Shipyard, and Celebration Key, among other major economic hubs. “We provide the foundation that the entire country builds on,” he said. “We just want government ministers and company leadership to sit down together, find common ground, and reach an agreement that moves everyone forward.”

    For younger workers like Lavado Cooper Jr., who has worked at the plant for a year while pursuing a law degree, the uncertainty is uniquely destabilizing. Cooper joined the company directly after graduating high school, and relies on his wages to cover his tuition and living expenses. He also warned that the loss of the nation’s largest aggregate supplier would have widespread consequences for all Bahamians, driving up construction material costs and creating supply shortages across the country. “When you close the biggest aggregate company in the Bahamas, where are we going to get the material we need to build?” he asked, noting that reduced supply would almost certainly push prices higher, raising costs for everything from new homes to public infrastructure. Cooper added that Bahama Rock contributes roughly $5 million annually to the local economy through power company payments alone, and supports a range of community initiatives, including donating laptops to public school students and funding upgrades to local public parks. “It’s a trickle-down effect,” he said. “At the end of the day, the people who get hurt most are ordinary Grand Bahamians.”

    Workers are calling on the public to support their push for a balanced decision, asking the government to weigh residents’ quality-of-life concerns against the hundreds of jobs and billions in economic activity the plant supports. “We want to get our story out to the public,” Rollins said. “We need their support as we fight for our future.”

    Bahama Rock’s General Manager TJ Mackey declined to provide comment on the work stoppage or the expansion proposal, but workers confirmed that company management supports their industrial action. The 60-day temporary shutdown is expected to go into effect as the government continues its review of the expansion proposal and a decision on whether to allow the company to extend operations beyond its current dredging area.

  • Rokers Point school renamed in honour of veteran educator Pembroke Ferguson

    Rokers Point school renamed in honour of veteran educator Pembroke Ferguson

    A landmark ceremony held in Exuma, The Bahamas, on Wednesday marked the official renaming of Rokers Point Primary School to Pembroke E. Ferguson Primary School, a tribute to the late beloved educator whose decades of devotion shaped generations of learners and strengthened local communities across the island nation.

    Bahamian Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis opened the official ceremony by framing the occasion as a milestone moment for Exuma, celebrating the enduring legacy of Ferguson, who devoted his entire professional life and personal energy to advancing education and public service.

    Born in the small Exuma community of Farmers Hill in 1908, Ferguson built a 47-year career in education that spanned multiple Bahamian islands. He began his career as a head teacher in Crooked Island before advancing to principal roles first in San Salvador, and later returning to his home island of Exuma to lead the local education community.

    His impact extended far beyond the classroom walls. Beyond his work in education, Ferguson served the public as a justice of the peace, worked as an ordained Christian minister, and operated a small farm where he grew fresh produce to distribute to low-income and food-insecure families across the region.

    Prime Minister Davis emphasized that Ferguson’s commitment to community uplift was visible wherever he worked. He noted that Ferguson regularly went above his formal job requirements, staying after school hours to provide extra support to struggling students and offering mentorship to early-career teachers new to the profession.

    “In Mr Ferguson, we see a generation of Bahamian educators who understood that teaching was never confined to four walls. To teach was to serve. To educate was to build a community, and that is precisely why this renaming matters to us,” Davis said during his address.

    Bahamas Education Minister Chester Cooper echoed Davis’ remarks, noting that the formal recognition of Ferguson through the school renaming was a long-overdue honor for one of the nation’s most iconic educational leaders.

    “As the children walk through the doors, some will ask who he was and we must tell them. Tell them that he came from right here. Tell them that he did not begin with any advantage. Tell them he worked, he learned, he taught and served,” Cooper said, highlighting Ferguson’s story as an inspiration for current and future students at the school.

    Ferguson’s son, Bishop Franklyn Ferguson, spoke on behalf of the family at the ceremony, expressing gratitude for the honor and echoing Cooper’s sentiment that the recognition was a long time coming. “We are rejoicing today because as many would have said that this was long overdue,” he added.

  • Advocate calls for chargesafter dog thrown to ground

    Advocate calls for chargesafter dog thrown to ground

    A disturbing viral video has sparked widespread outrage among animal welfare advocates in The Bahamas, who are calling for felony animal cruelty charges against a woman caught on camera assaulting a dog following a heated confrontation with a local animal advocacy group. The incident, which took place on August 7, has thrown a spotlight on gaps in animal welfare enforcement and the link between animal abuse and broader patterns of violence in the country.

    The sequence of events began three days earlier, on August 5, when members of the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness (BAARK) were conducting a routine spay and neuter outreach across local communities. During the outreach, a local man flagged down the BAARK mobile clinic and asked the team to collect two unsterilized dogs from his property on St Charles Vincent Street. After granting the team permission to enter his land and collect the animals, BAARK workers spotted an additional stray dog without a collar, wandering loose under a parked car on a public roadway. Since the animal had no identifying tags and was not on private property, the team added it to their transport and brought all three canines to the clinic for sterilization procedures.

    Once all the dogs recovered from their surgery, the BAARK team returned the animals to their neighborhood on August 7 to be released back to their original environment. It was during this return process that the conflict erupted, according to BAARK’s official account of the incident. After the stray dog stepped onto a private porch, a local woman approached the animal, grabbed it forcefully, and hurled it down to the hard ground. Video footage of the confrontation captures the woman screaming repeatedly at BAARK members who were recording the interaction, while the team members confronted her about her obligation to spay her companion animals and questioned her ability to care for the dog.

    Kim Aranha, an advocate with the Bahamas Humane Society, told reporters that the footage left her physically ill, and that there is no justification for failing to file formal animal cruelty charges against the woman. “It’s on tape. There’s no reason why she shouldn’t be charged,” Aranha stated in an interview. She added that the unprovoked attack on a defenseless animal raises serious questions about potential harm to other vulnerable people in the woman’s home, noting that animal cruelty is widely documented as an early warning sign of other forms of violent behavior toward people. “If she does that with a dog, then my next question is, ‘Oh please God, tell me she doesn’t have children or an elderly person in the house,’” Aranha said, calling for the country’s Department of Social Services to launch a parallel investigation into the home environment if at-risk individuals live there.

    BAARK has labeled the incident “horrific and deeply disturbing,” arguing that the attack serves as a painful reminder of why consistent enforcement of existing animal welfare laws is so critical across the archipelago. As of press time, the organization confirmed it has not received any response or update from Bahamian Ministry of Agriculture officials, which oversees animal welfare regulation in the country, regarding the documented incident.

    Aranha noted that the dog appeared unharmed but visibly shaken after the assault, and remarkably returned to the woman moments later wagging its tail — a moment she said highlighted the innate loyalty and forgiveness of canines even in the face of abuse. She added that the incident reflects wider, systemic gaps in animal welfare protection in The Bahamas, saying, “because I know that she’s not the only person who behaves like that, and I know that there are hundreds of dogs out there being treated like that.” Aranha was careful to emphasize, however, that the violent behavior captured on video does not represent the majority of Bahamian animal owners, many of whom provide loving, responsible care for their companion animals. She noted that cases of good animal stewardship rarely receive the same viral attention as graphic footage of abuse.

    BAARK’s ongoing spay and neuter program is designed to address the root of the country’s stray animal crisis by reducing the number of unwanted litters born on public streets and cutting down on the widespread suffering of homeless canines. The organization is also currently working alongside the Bahamian national government to update existing animal protection legislation and improve the enforcement of animal welfare standards across the country.

  • $300,000 patrol boat to target illegal charters

    $300,000 patrol boat to target illegal charters

    The Bahamian government has strengthened its maritime law enforcement capabilities with the introduction of a nearly $300,000 purpose-built patrol vessel, a key upgrade aimed at curbing widespread illegal activity in the country’s $544 million annual maritime industry. The 36-foot Fluid Patrol Cabin 36 was officially commissioned in a ceremony hosted at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Harbour Patrol Unit on Wednesday, and will be operated by the inter-agency Maritime Revenue Unit (MRU), a multi-department task force established to regulate maritime activity, secure national borders, and protect critical government revenue streams.

    Finance Minister Michael Halkitis emphasized that the new vessel addresses longstanding gaps in the country’s maritime enforcement regime. For years, the Bahamas has struggled with unregulated activity including unlicensed foreign charter boat operations, unregistered vessels, and widespread non-payment of dock and vessel registration fees. Beyond revenue losses, MRU operations have already uncovered far more serious violations, ranging from improperly imported watercraft and contraband tobacco to the illegal cross-border movement of heavy machinery, illegal firearms, and narcotics.

    MRU Director Captain Bertram Bowleg noted that previous enforcement sweeps have uncovered a range of violations beyond maritime boundaries, including the discovery of illegal drugs and weapons in private residential properties during coordinated land-based support operations. He framed the new patrol boat as a transformative investment for the task force, which was first launched informally in May 2023 and brings together eight government agencies including the RBDF, Royal Bahamas Police Force, Customs Department, Immigration Department, Port Department, Department of Inland Revenue, Department of Marine Resources, and National Insurance Board under the oversight of the Ministry of Finance.

    Early results from the unit’s work have already delivered significant revenue gains for the government. The MRU’s first major enforcement operation, conducted in Bimini during U.S. Independence Day celebrations in 2023, collected more than $10 million in unpaid fees and penalties over just a few days. Captain Bowleg confirmed that subsequent targeted operations have generated millions more in recovered revenue that would have otherwise been lost to non-compliance.

    Formal legislative backing for the MRU was laid before parliament during the 2025/2026 national budget debate, after the unit had already begun operations under the Ministry of Finance. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis explained at the time that the legislation was designed to formalize the unit’s authority, create consistent regulatory standards for the maritime sector, and ensure that all collected maritime revenue is properly allocated to local governments across the country’s Family Islands.

    Under the new legislation, the MRU now has formal authority to coordinate inter-agency responses during maritime emergencies, conduct specialized law enforcement training for personnel, issue and collect fines and penalties for regulatory violations, and take on additional operational responsibilities including public mooring management and abandoned watercraft base removal. The new patrol vessel, built for high-speed coastal enforcement, is designed to carry a crew of up to 20 personnel with a maximum operational load of 4,647 pounds. Powered by twin 300-horsepower Mercury Marine engines and equipped with a 130-gallon fuel tank, it is capable of extended patrols across the Bahamas’ extensive coastal waters.

    Senior leadership from all participating MRU agencies, including the RBDF, Customs, Port Department, and Immigration Department, attended Wednesday’s commissioning ceremony to mark the vessel’s entry into service. Halkitis stressed that the investment delivers dual benefits for the country, advancing both national border security and long-term fiscal sustainability. “This vessel represents a critical investment in the protection of our maritime borders, and the strengthening of our national revenue systems,” he said, adding that it underscores the government’s unwavering commitment to protecting the Bahamas’ natural and economic maritime resources while ensuring all commercial activity operates in full compliance with national law.

  • Domestic violence up more than 125%

    Domestic violence up more than 125%

    Newly released mid-year crime statistics from the Royal Bahamas Police Force paint a concerning picture of shifting crime trends in the country, revealing a dramatic 125% jump in domestic-related incidents over the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period the year prior. Total domestic cases have surged to 825 this year, up from just 366 in the first half of 2025 – a sharp acceleration from 2025’s already concerning 16% year-over-year increase, which saw cases rise from 317 in 2024. What makes this year’s jump particularly notable is that dozens of subcategories of domestic harm have recorded triple-digit percentage increases, signaling a widespread escalation of intimate partner and family-related violence. Breaking down the data, domestic-related assaults have climbed 118% from 94 incidents to 205, while assaults involving deadly weapons have skyrocketed 267%, jumping from only three cases to 11. Requests for emergency protection and assistance from police have spiked 254%, growing from 35 to 124, and public disturbances linked to domestic conflict have risen 200% from 17 to 51. General domestic incident reports have jumped 173% from 48 to 131, and cases of grievous bodily harm have increased 133% from three to seven. Non-lethal harm cases have more than doubled with a 106% increase from 50 to 103, death threats have risen 102% from 42 to 85, property damage linked to domestic conflict has grown 74% from 31 to 54, harassment has increased 54% from 13 to 20, and general threats of harm are up 38% from 16 to 22. On the fatal side, this mid-year period saw two domestic-related murders, double the one recorded in the first half of 2025, while attempted murders held steady at one case. Only a small handful of domestic incident categories saw declines: fighting fell 25% from eight to six cases, threats of arson dropped 50% from two to one, zero domestic-related woundings were recorded compared to one last year, and trespassing cases remained unchanged at two. Alongside the surge in domestic incidents, police data also confirms a 13% increase in overall sexual offenses, rising from 87 cases in the first half of 2025 to 98 in 2026. This increase reverses the encouraging downward trend recorded in 2025, when sexual offenses fell 30% from 125 cases in 2024’s first half to 87. Within sexual offense statistics, reported rapes increased 12% from 25 to 28, and unlawful sexual intercourse cases rose 19% from 57 to 68. The only decline in this category was seen in attempted rapes, which fell 60% from five to two. Demographic breakdowns of the 2026 rape data reveal stark disparities: all 28 reported rape victims were female, 86% (24 victims) were under the age of 36, 18% (five victims) were tourists, 11% (three cases) were linked to domestic relationships, and in 36% of cases (10 incidents), the victim already knew the person accused of the attack. All identified rape suspects were male, 46% (13 suspects) were under 36, and 11% (three suspects) were tourists. Police note that single rape cases can sometimes involve multiple suspects, so these numbers do not represent a one-to-one ratio of cases to suspects. For unlawful sexual intercourse cases, 93% of the 68 victims were female and 7% were male. A striking 96% of victims knew their alleged attacker, and more than half (57%) of all incidents took place inside a private residence. Looking back at 2025’s mid-year data, that period’s decline was broad: rapes fell 24% from 33 in 2024 to 25 in 2025, attempted rapes dropped from six to five, and unlawful sexual intercourse cases fell 34% from 86 to 57, making 2026’s reverse in that trend all the more notable for law enforcement and public safety advocates.

  • Turio launches specialized tourism academy in Dominican Republic

    Turio launches specialized tourism academy in Dominican Republic

    On Wednesday, Santo Domingo welcomed a groundbreaking new addition to its professional education landscape with the official launch of Turio, an academy purpose-built to advance specialized training and professionalization for the Dominican Republic’s critical tourism sector.

    Unlike traditional tourism education models that center almost exclusively on hotel operations, Turio has been designed to cast a wider net, addressing the full spectrum of diverse segments, specialized roles, and growing activities that make up the modern Dominican tourism ecosystem. Its curriculum is built to fill critical gaps in existing training offerings, adapting to the sector’s rapid evolution in recent years.

    All of Turio’s training programs are structured to be practical, up-to-date, and tailored to the specific needs of three core groups: existing industry companies, active tourism professionals, and emerging entrepreneurs entering the space. The academy’s course catalog covers a wide range of high-demand areas, including tourism strategy and management, daily sector operations, hospitality services, commercial management and distribution channel development, tourism technology, industry innovation, and sustainable tourism practices. It will also roll out flexible, role-specific modules targeted to individual tourism segments, ensuring learners gain skills directly applicable to their specific career paths.

    The launch ceremony was hosted at the JW Marriott Santo Domingo, drawing a cross-section of key tourism stakeholders in attendance. Turio’s co-directors Yahir Asjana, José Cedeño, and Sarah María joined industry representatives, academic leaders, tourism association members, working professionals, and students for the day’s events. The agenda included an official institutional presentation of the academy’s mission and structure, a public panel discussion exploring the future of tourism workforce development, and a networking session that connected industry firms, educational institutions, potential partners, and aspiring learners.

    Speaking at the launch, co-director Yahir Asjana emphasized that Turio represents a fresh, forward-thinking proposal for Dominican tourism training. The academy’s core mission, he noted, is to make targeted professional development accessible and aligned with the needs of an industry that is growing increasingly diverse, technology-driven, and specialized every year. Ultimately, Turio aims to cultivate a new generation of tourism professionals whose skills directly match the evolving demands of one of the Dominican Republic’s most economically important industries.

  • Punta Cana Forum 2026 to bring Dominican leaders together to discuss the country’s future

    Punta Cana Forum 2026 to bring Dominican leaders together to discuss the country’s future

    Next week will mark a landmark milestone for public and cross-sector dialogue in the Dominican Republic, as GALA Media Group prepares to launch the very first edition of the Punta Cana Forum 2026. This exclusive, invitation-only gathering will bring together a diverse cross-section of the nation’s most influential voices: sitting government officials, senior political leaders, top corporate executives, veteran media professionals and prominent public opinion shapers, all convening to unpack the most pressing challenges and untapped opportunities facing the Caribbean nation today.

    Organized around the forward-looking theme “The Country That Is Coming,” the 2026 forum centers its discussions on five core priority areas: sustained economic development, large-scale infrastructure expansion, attracting and retaining foreign and domestic investment, strengthening national public institutions, and elevating the perspectives of the Dominican Republic’s rising generation of political leadership.

    The event will open with two in-depth thematic panels covering the foundational pillars of long-term national progress, before wrapping up with a spotlight on youth political leadership featuring a book launch and a targeted roundtable discussion.

    The first panel, titled “Infrastructure and Investment: Engines of Dominican Economic Development,” will be led by moderator Nairobi Viloria. Confirmed panelists include Public Works Minister Jean Luis Rodríguez, Hostos Rizik, director of national highway authority RD Vial, Milagros De Camps Germán, Sustainability Director for regional energy leader InterEnergy Group, and prominent economist Richard Medina. During this session, participants will dive into the long-term policy frameworks and capital investments required to maintain steady, inclusive economic growth, draw new international capital flows to the country, and develop infrastructure projects aligned with multi-decade national development goals.

    The second panel shifts focus to the regulatory environment, with the theme “Legislation and Legal Security: Foundations for Investment and Development.” Veteran journalist Roberto Cavada will moderate the discussion, which brings together a roster of legal and policy experts including Yorlin Vázquez, Charles Mariotti Jr., Carmen Ligia Barceló González, Liz Mieses, Rogelio Antonio Genao and Natanael Concepción. Attendees will tackle long-delayed legislative reforms and examine what legal safeguards are needed to boost investor confidence, reinforce institutional stability, and strengthen the rule of law across the country.

    To close the full day of dialogue, the forum will host the official launch of *Young Politician*, a new book by author Andrés Vander Horst. Dominican Republic Culture Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo will introduce the book ahead of a moderated roundtable conversation centered on the next wave of Dominican political leadership. Award-winning journalist and author José Luis Taveras will lead the discussion, which features rising political figures Omar Fernández, Juan Garrigó, Gloria Reyes and Johnny Pujols. The conversation will explore how this new generation of leaders is reimagining governance in a rapidly changing political landscape, one increasingly shaped by social media, artificial intelligence, and the rise of new political actors outside the traditional party system.

    In a statement ahead of the event, GALA Media Group emphasized that the Punta Cana Forum was created to fill a critical gap in national public life: a structured, neutral space for open dialogue, critical analysis, and collaborative problem-solving focused on the Dominican Republic’s economic, political and social future. The inaugural 2026 edition has secured backing from four major Dominican groups, with Grupo Puntacana, Grupo Dupla, CEPM and United Petroleum all stepping in as official sponsors of the event.

  • Dominican Republic hosts Parlatino Special Commission on the Caribbean

    Dominican Republic hosts Parlatino Special Commission on the Caribbean

    SANTO DOMINGO – A landmark regional parliamentary gathering has kicked off in the Dominican Republic’s capital, as the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino) formally launched the latest session of its Special Commission on the Caribbean this Thursday. Hosted at the Hugo Tolentino Dipp Hall of the Dominican Chamber of Deputies, the two-day meeting brings together elected legislators from across the Caribbean basin to confront the unique set of challenges facing the small and medium-sized nations of the region.

    At the opening of the session, Chamber of Deputies President Alfredo Pacheco took the stage to underscore the strategic significance of the Dominican Republic serving as host for this important dialogue. Pacheco, who holds multiple key regional leadership roles including vice president of the Forum of Presidents of Legislative Bodies of Central America, the Caribbean Basin and Mexico (FOPREL) and secretary of Parlatino, framed the gathering as a critical step forward for Caribbean integration.

    In his opening remarks, Pacheco emphasized the rich complexity that defines the Caribbean region. Stretching from Spanish-speaking island nations to English-speaking territories, and from former French colonies to Dutch constitutional entities, the Caribbean carries a patchwork of distinct colonial histories, cultural identities, and evolving political and legal institutions. This inherent diversity, Pacheco noted, makes sustained, structured dialogue between regional legislators not just useful, but essential.

    Against this backdrop of varied national contexts, Pacheco argued that a permanent, dedicated parliamentary forum creates the stable space needed to keep communication open between countries with differing political and legal traditions. Through consistent engagement, he added, regional lawmakers can build the trust and mutual understanding required to craft and implement lasting, inclusive regional agreements that address shared priorities.

    Over the course of the two-day session, participating legislators are set to leverage this convening platform to share on-the-ground perspectives, coordinate policy approaches, and deepen institutional parliamentary cooperation across the full spectrum of issues impacting Caribbean communities. Organizers and participants alike frame the session as a key step toward building a more cohesive, collaborative regional bloc capable of addressing common challenges more effectively.

  • Anadegas to disconnect Verifone at 780 gas stations on September 25

    Anadegas to disconnect Verifone at 780 gas stations on September 25

    In the Dominican Republic, a major standoff between fuel retailers and global payment technology provider Verifone is set to escalate later this month, after the National Association of Gasoline Retailers (Anadegas) formally announced a coordinated disconnection of the company’s electronic payment systems across all 780 of its affiliated stations starting September 25. The industrial action comes after years of growing frustration over what retailers describe as unsustainably high processing costs that eat into already thin profit margins.

    Anadegas president Juan Elías Pérez explained that station owners are currently forced to cede 27% of their total gross profits to Verifone for payment processing services, a burden that has become financially unmanageable for small and medium-sized retail operations across the country. The sweeping decision to disconnect services was not made lightly: Pérez confirmed that the plan received unanimous approval from all of Anadegas’ regional branches, and leadership at both the national and local level has been holding ongoing consultations with affiliated station owners to finalize logistics for the nationwide action in the lead-up to September 25.

    The association has acknowledged that third-party mediation efforts have already been attempted to resolve the dispute, with both the Dominican Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs and the executive director of Pro Consumidor, the country’s national consumer protection agency, stepping in to facilitate negotiations. However, those talks have failed to deliver a resolution that meaningfully addresses the core concerns raised by fuel retailers, pushing the group to move forward with its planned disconnection.

    Pérez added that the National Federation of Merchants has already publicly thrown its support behind Anadegas’ demands for fairer payment processing costs. He has also issued a call to action for other retail sectors across the Dominican Republic, including hardware stores, auto parts vendors, appliance sellers and small grocery chains, to draw attention to what he says is a widespread problem impacting nearly all businesses that accept card and digital payments.

    “Out of 34 countries where Verifone operates, we pay the highest processing fees in the entire region,” Pérez noted. “That is not a burden we are willing to accept any longer from anyone.”

    Throughout this week, Anadegas has planned a series of regional meetings and mobilization activities to update station owners on the plan and coordinate logistics for the upcoming disconnection. The organization stressed that support for the industrial action is massive across its 780 affiliated locations, with members remaining fully united in their demands for lower costs. Despite the planned separation from Verifone’s services, Anadegas has repeatedly emphasized that it remains open to good-faith negotiations, and still holds out hope that a last-minute agreement can be reached that establishes fairer, more sustainable pricing conditions for fuel retailers across the country.