The organic bill that creates the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) corrects the distortions that were presented in the previous initiative, including the protection of freedom of the press and professional secrecy among journalists.
As explained by deputy Ramón Bueno, who chaired the work, this is one of the most relevant aspects of the legislative initiative because it expressly provides guarantees for freedom of expression and the press.
The piece in question was approved by the Chamber of Deputies this Tuesday in first reading.
“The project clearly establishes that journalists, their source and the media may not be subject to special information objection procedures in order to reveal journalistic sources, thus recognizing the value of professional secrecy and the essential role of the press in a free society,” Bueno said.
DNI Law project background
The legal text, which had been submitted by the president of the Senate of the Republic, Ricardo de los Santos, and approved in that wing of the National Congress, aims to establish the legal framework of the State intelligence system, provided for in article 261 of the Constitution of the Republic, as well as create the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) as the governing body of the system.
Bueno stated that the Commission had the opportunity to review, correct and build a new regulatory framework that responds to the constitutional mandate, that strengthens national security and at the same time, that fully guarantees the fundamental rights of people.
“This new project is based precisely on this premise because it incorporates clear controls, precise limits and guiding principles that require the action of the State’s intelligence, by submitting to respect for due process, legality, proportionality and judicial supervision,” said Bueno.
Also, the deputies approved in the second discussion, the bill of economic incentives for specialist doctors who perform functions in the border area, which includes the provinces of Pedernales, Independencia, Elías Piña, Dajabón, Montecristi, Santiago Rodríguez and Bahoruco.
The regulations proposed by the representative in the Chamber of Deputies for Bahoruco, Juan Bolívar Cuevas, establishes that the doctors who are beneficiaries of these incentives will sign a minimum three-year service contract in the border area.
In the event of non-compliance, the benefits received will be reimbursed, except in duly proven cases of force majeure.
Also, a monitoring committee will be established composed of representatives of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MISPAS), the National Health Service (SNS), the Dominican Medical College and other relevant entities to evaluate compliance with the program’s objectives and propose necessary adjustments.
At the end of the plenary session this Tuesday, the president of the deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, called a session for tomorrow, Wednesday, the 17th of the current month, at 10:00 in the morning.
