In his swearing-in ceremony, the new president spoke at length about his work plan: he will rescue the public image of the union and modernize it, advocate for opportunities for young professionals, manage inclusion in purchases and contracts, among other plans to achieve.
SANTO DOMINGO.- The Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (CODIA) will demand that the construction company that caused the collapse of part of the structure of the guild's building in June of this year compensate it for the damages caused.
Upon being sworn in yesterday as the new president, civil engineer Cristian Rojas Mora stated that it is up to the new board of directors to ensure that the company they hold responsible for causing the collapse of part of the roof of the CODIA physical structure can compensate for the losses caused.
“That company has around 35 projects in Bávaro that lack a license; we were victims of the poor application of the country's construction regulations, of the lack of supervision by the institutions responsible for granting licenses and permits,” he declared in his inaugural address.
He called on the entities responsible for ensuring the proper management of construction projects to apply the requirements more rigorously from the design and construction stage to completion, as well as risk prevention and safety.
In his speech to a group of union members and representatives from the Ministries of Public Works, Tourism and Housing, Mora outlined a list of promises that he pledged to fulfill during his year in office.
“I want you to have the firm conviction that we will put all our energy, with God's help and everyone united, to improve the public image that Codia has not had for many years in this country,” he declared, expressing his “concern about the deterioration of the image of the guild both in the physical area and in everything that marks the professionals who make it up.”.
The new president of Codia pledged to ensure transparency and flexibility of conditions so that young engineers and architects and small businesses with little experience can access the state labor market, "which is our main client.".
"That bidders in public tender processes and other contracting methods be classified according to their financial capacity and experience, preventing a large company from competing with a small one, which causes inequity," he stressed.
In that same order, he specified, he will fight to ensure that public institutions increasingly use the lottery system, thus giving greater opportunities to professionals with less experience and companies with fewer financial resources.
“We will continue to demand that private works be built within the established legal framework, with an engineering or architecture professional in charge of each process.”.
He explained that it is a commitment of his administration to insist on a general increase for engineering and architecture professionals in both the public and private sectors, so that they can have a decent standard of living.
“It is no secret that despite being one of the groups that contributes the most to the GDP, every year hundreds of professionals die in poverty and destitution. We will continue to manage their pensions with the Dominican State, since they are deposited with the Executive Branch,” Mora said.
The newly inaugurated president assured that he will go to President Luis Abinader and the National Congress so that Law 340-06 on Public Purchases and Contracts of Goods, Services, Works and State Concessions includes fundamental aspects such as the participation of Codia in the advisory committee, so that its members feel represented.
In his speech, Mora stated that he will try to modify Law 6160, which created the Codia, to ensure that the term of office for the Board of Directors is two years.
Yesterday the country commemorated "National Engineer's Day", created by dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo on January 1, 1953. And the president of Codia highlighted the role of the professional.
"Since its inception, engineering has been dedicated to creating things that solve everyday problems and proposals for improving people's quality of life, such as decongesting traffic, uniting communities through a bridge; in the same way that it creates structures and buildings, it can also create solutions to social problems.".
He guaranteed that under his administration, professional fees would be applied without delay to all construction projects, particularly those built under the low-cost housing trust law. “Under no circumstances can we continue to allow the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects, and Surveyors (CODIA) to lose millions of pesos throughout the year due to this illegitimate exemption from the professional fee.”.
In that regard, he maintained, “we will act in accordance with a ruling of the Constitutional Court that orders the Ministry of Public Works, now the Ministry of Housing, to deliver the list of works with the names of the construction companies and all the developers of the low-cost housing trusts so that the Codia can determine the value and the professional rate, since this tax is directed directly to the one who builds or designs the work.
He promised more continuing education to update and expand knowledge, in addition to holding congresses with national and international topics in the different branches that make up the guild, for which he asked for the help of the professional groups.
He said he will be vigilant to ensure that the names of the company responsible for the work are placed on all buildings being constructed in the country.
Mora proclaimed that the digital revolution had arrived at the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects, and Surveyors (CODIA), as the college would work towards automation, interconnection, and modernization. He concluded his extensive presentation by declaring that under his leadership, the college would defend its members and actively participate in all public procurement processes, adhering to ethics and best engineering practices.
