Santo Domingo. – Franklin García Fermín, member of the Executive Directorate of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), responded firmly to the criticism issued by former presidents Leonel Fernandez and Danilo Medina on the Government’s handling of the effects of Hurricane Melissa.
The political leader stressed that the opposition “intends to distort a management who acted with speed, planning and responsibility in the face of the national emergency.”
Garcia Fermin described the statements of the former leaders as “irresponsible and lacking historical memory,” recalling that during storms Noel and Olga, which occurred in 2007 under governments of the Party of the Dominican Liberation (PLD), The country suffered one of the worst weather crisis management in its recent history.
“While in 2007 the country was overwhelmed by improvisation, without coordination between institutions, with hundreds of victims and entire communities abandoned As luck would have it, today we see a State that prevents, responds and accompanies the people,” said García Fermín.
The Perremeísta leader stressed that the difference between both moments it is evident and verifiable, arguing that, during storms Noel and Olga, There were more than 130 deaths, thousands of displaced people, and severe agricultural losses due to the lack of foresight and the government’s slowness to declare an emergency and assist the affected areas.
On the other hand, compared to Melissa (2025), the President’s Government Luis Abinader acted “immediately, transparently and coordinatedly”prioritizing the protection of human lives and the rehabilitation of essential services.
“Here there was no abandonment or institutional silence. From the first warning from the Emergency Operations Center (COE), the president Abinader mobilized all State institutions, “It provided humanitarian assistance, reconstruction of infrastructure and direct support to the affected families,” García Fermín highlighted.
The leader explained that decrees 626-25 and 627-25, issued by the Executive Branch, declare 14 provinces and several localities in a state of emergency.in compliance with the response and reconstruction protocols established by Law 147-02 on Risk Management.
“These decrees are not Political whims are legal instruments that make it possible to accelerate the contracting and execution of works processes to restore normality in the affected communities. Its objective is to guarantee a rapid, transparent and effective recovery,” he said.
García Fermín added that, unlike past administrations, the current government has acted with order and accountability, channeling resources with supervision of the Comptroller’s Office and the Purchasing and Contracting Directorate“without political use of tragedy.”
He assured that the statements of Fernández and Medina demonstrate “an outdated political vision,” and criticized that both former presidents They try to use the people’s pain to gain electoral advantage.
“You cannot speak of social sensitivity when you governed with indifference to the suffering of the people. The country remembers perfectly how you handled Noel and Olga: without foresight, without response and without transparency,” García Fermín emphasized.
The leader concluded by stating that President Luis Abinader has demonstrated leadership, responsibility and proximity to the populationconsolidating a government model that prioritizes human life, transparency and institutional efficiency.
“The PRM governs with facts, not with excuses. Today the Dominican Republic “It has a prepared State, firm leadership and a society that does not allow itself to be confused by those who represent the past,” stated García Fermín.
