SANTO DOMINGO.– The Codiano Institutional Committee (CIC) demanded that the Ministry of Finance and Economy report whether it complied with Article 15 of Law No. 16-26, which stipulates that every three months that institution must send to the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies a report containing the payments made to the contractors of state works included in said legislation.
CIC spokesman, engineer Miguel Liberato, pointed out that three and a half months have passed since the enactment of the law, without it being publicly known whether the first quarterly report was prepared and sent to the legislative chambers.
“We believe that, since the law does not specify the starting point of the calculation, the term should be understood to begin from its entry into force, since it is from that moment that its provisions acquire binding force,” Liberato indicated.
Warning from the entity
The entity warned that the mandate of article 15 cannot be interpreted to mean that the Treasury should only report after making the first payment, as this interpretation would allow administrative inactivity to indefinitely suspend accountability and render meaningless the oversight mechanism expressly established by the National Congress.
The spokesperson for the state contractors grouped in the CIC stated that, if no payment was made during the first quarter, the Treasury must officially communicate this, noting that "zero payments is also a result that Congress and the country have the right to know.".
Engineer Liberato also highlighted the fact that the only publicly known meeting of the Executive Commission was held on July 6, 2026, more than two months after the enactment of the law, and that although the commissioners agreed to hold regular meetings every two weeks, it has not yet been reported whether the Commission met again or what concrete results it has produced.
He also questioned the fact that the permanent observers recognized in article 16 of the aforementioned law had not been effectively summoned to participate in the meetings.
He indicated that the presence of CODIA and representatives of the National Association of Asphalt Producers (ANPRAS) is essential to monitor the process, verify the information that must be part of the quarterly report, and ensure that the implementation of the law is carried out transparently.
“Article 15 is not a suggestion, but a legal mandate for accountability, so the silence of the implementing commission is not a report and the delay cannot become a method of execution,” the CIC spokesperson concluded.
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