Rosa Santos questions march against mining exploration in Santiago and asks to “reflect” on fuel costs

Santiago.- Santiago’s provincial governor, Rosa Santos, questioned this Monday the march called for this Tuesday by priests, farmers, and environmental groups in rejection of alleged mining activities in the province, considering it a “hasty” reaction to a process that, according to her, does not correspond to mining exploitation, but to a preliminary exploration phase. The representative of the Executive Branch stated that the protests are occurring amid a misinterpretation of the work being carried out, after reiterating that the authorities have explained that no large-scale extraction is taking place in the area. “The right they have to demonstrate, but I believe we are rushing, because they are talking about an exploitation that is not taking place”, Santos expressed when referring to the mobilization announced by the Northern Coordinator, which plans to gather in the parking lot of the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration, in front of the Gran Teatro del Cibao. The official indicated that the corresponding minister recently went to the Government of Santiago, where he offered a press conference to clarify that the ongoing work consists solely of a small exploration, ruling out that it is a mining project in the exploitation phase.

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“What was being done is just a phase of a small exploration, because that is not something on a large scale either. It is a right that the people and the State have to know what they have in those territories, if they have anything,” he maintained.

Rosa Santos defended that the Dominican State has the power to conduct studies to determine the existence of natural resources in certain areas, insisting that this stage should not be confused with a formal extractive process. In other news, the governor also questioned the economic feasibility of the march, noting that the rise in fuel prices would increase the cost of mobilizing people and the logistics of the protest.

“I imagine, I don’t know, with the rise in fuel prices, how that march that is announced for tomorrow is going to be paid for, because without a doubt it will be very expensive for the organizers,” he stated.

The representative of the Executive Branch concluded with a call to the conveners to reconsider the activity, appealing to prudence and the current economic situation. “Let’s hope they reflect and, for the sake of economy and to help the State, they don’t do it,” he pointed out. The walk has been called by priests, farmers, and environmental groups, who have expressed concern about possible mining interventions in communities of Santiago and other areas of the Cibao, in a demonstration that seeks to reject any attempt to exploit natural resources in sensitive areas of the region. Meanwhile, the authorities maintain their position that, so far, only preliminary exploratory work has been carried out, without any active mining exploitation as denounced by the convening sectors.