SANTO DOMINGO - The mayor of the Municipal District of Verón, Punta Cana, in the eastern Dominican Republic, Ramón Antonio Ramírez (Manolito), yesterday accused the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED) of hindering key investments in the country's main tourist destination, Punta Cana.
He said that this state agency does not comply with the provisions of Law 368-22 , which empowers municipal districts to create their Urban Planning Office, which, he argued, affects the management of territorial and economic development in that area.
During a press conference at the office of lawyer Ángel Lockward, Ramírez explained that Verón meets all the legal and population requirements to manage its land use. However, he stated that Carlos Bonilla, Minister of Housing, refuses to accept the permits issued by the city council, "which causes delays in construction, loss of revenue, and obstacles to key investments in the Punta Cana tourist area."
He revealed that, faced with the ministry's persistent refusal, they have been forced to resort to the courts to enforce the law.
“In order to ensure compliance with the Law in a territory with more than 135,000 people, which contributes 14% of the GDP, more than 65,000 rooms in more than 110 hotels, and the busiest airport in the country that receives more than 60% of visitors, we have formally notified, through Bailiff's Act Number 711/2025, the Minister of Housing, Carlos Bonilla, to comply with Article 24 of Law 368/22, which represents hundreds of millions of pesos per year for the District,” he stated, according to a publication in today's newspaper Hoy.
For his part, Lockward questioned the non-compliance with the provisions of Law 368-22 and stated that if the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, cannot guarantee compliance with that legislation, then he should nullify or annul it.
“The President of the Republic can, if he wishes to support Higüey, allocate special subsidies to it, but what he cannot do is arbitrarily transfer the resources of Verón to that municipality,” he stated.
Elevate to municipality
The Municipal District of Verón continues its fight to be elevated to municipality status. Senator Rafael Barón Duluc (Cholitín), representing the province of La Altagracia, is the proponent of the initiative, emphasizing that the conversion of the Municipal District of Verón, Punta Cana, into a municipality is a matter of justice and equity, given that it meets all legal requirements and far exceeds the minimum conditions demanded.
Community leader Altagracia Poueriet told El Inmobiliario on June 5 that the proposal has generated tension with the Higüey city council due to the potential loss of revenue and political power. "It has also highlighted Verón's lack of essential municipal structures, such as a technical planning office, a courthouse, a peace court, a first instance court, a Central Electoral Board district office for Bávaro and La Ceiba, a tertiary-level hospital in Bávaro, an INTRANT office for licenses and renewals, and a Chamber of Commerce headquarters, among others," she stated.
