SANTO DOMINGO.– Deputy Danilo Díaz criticized on Tuesday the enactment and implementation of Law 16-26, a regulation that authorizes the Dominican State to recognize and settle outstanding debts with contractors and construction companies linked to public works.
The legislator assured that the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) is not opposed to the payment of accumulated debts with engineers and suppliers of the State, but is opposed to the procedure used to approve the legislative piece in the National Congress.
During an interview on the television program El Día, the political leader argued that the initiative was rushed through despite involving billions of pesos and files that, in his opinion, should have been subjected to higher levels of review and investigation.
“We can never agree to the approval of something that is being done with an apparently good purpose when in reality the bulk of the money that is going to be paid corresponds to large companies,” he said.
Questions inclusion of large companies
Díaz stated that the project originally arose with the purpose of responding to the situation of small engineers and contractors economically affected after carrying out works for the Dominican State.
He indicated that many professionals went bankrupt, became ill, or died while waiting for a solution related to outstanding payments from the Government.
However, he asserted that large construction companies were subsequently incorporated, which, he said, altered the initial spirit of the proposal.
“When you see large corporations, it undermines the social character that this project had,” he said.
It points to a lack of transparency in the approval process
The congressman also questioned the speed with which the bill was passed in Congress and argued that legislators did not have sufficient access to the documentation related to the files included in the law.
In his view, the Executive Branch should have reviewed the initiative again before its final enactment.
The law has already been put into effect
Law 16-26 was enacted by President Luis Abinader on May 1st and this week the Government officially announced the start of its circulation.
The regulations authorize the recognition, validation, and payment of debts related to public works carried out for various state institutions, including projects completed without formal contracts.
Furthermore, the legislation establishes the creation of a special commission in charge of reviewing and validating the corresponding files before the start of the payment process.
Recommended readings:
