El director Consejo Directivo de la Cámara Minera y Petrolera (CAMIPE), Martín Valerio planteó posibilidad de la explotación minera con mínimo daño.
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00:00to a National Council of the Magistrate, which he detains the majority, there are only two members of the opposition,
00:09which is Senator Omar Fernández and Congressman Tobias Crespo.
00:18The rest will obey the president's line, but as Finjo pointed out, what a shame that the candidate
00:26does not publicly expose, as is done with the election of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Tribunal,
00:35the Supreme Court, that he exposes and the country knows him.
00:39No, the president submits a name and in two days he will be selected, there was no such gain.
00:47Let's hope that the president selects well, several names are sounding to me,
00:54Jenny Berenice Reynoso, Attorney General of the Prosecution of Corruption,
01:03Don Milton Rey Guevara is mentioned, a man who has all the merits,
01:11he was the first president of the Constitutional Tribunal,
01:16it is an extraordinary work of management and only the sentence 168-13 to him and that group of judges consacrates him.
01:27If today we still have a little sovereignty and the Haitian issue has been able to be limited a little,
01:34and what was already said in all the Constitutions of the 29, that the son of an illegal is not Dominican,
01:43we owe it to Don Milton Rey Guevara and that first group of members of the Constitutional Tribunal.
01:50Dr. Jorge Zubero Iza also sounds to me, he was also the first president of the Supreme Court,
01:58elected by the National Council of the Magistrate and he started,
02:06he led and produced the first wave of reforms of justice in the Dominican Republic.
02:13Manuel Esquea is mentioned, a great lawyer, although he was from the PRD for many years,
02:21he has all the conditions, and Dr. Jorge Polanco is mentioned, pay attention to that name, Jorge Polanco.
02:30He coordinates the team in charge of recovering state assets in cases of corruption,
02:37but he has always been very attached to the PRD and the PRM, he is not a member,
02:45but there are times when there are sympathizers who are more loyal than the members.
02:53Let's hope, there are a few hours left to know, maybe they are not any of those names,
03:00and a hidden rooster emerges, but today it will be known,
03:04and that name presented by the president and the appointments together will be selected in a few days,
03:12rather, they will be ratified by the National Council of the Magistrate.
03:19On the other hand, yesterday the deadline was exceeded at four in the afternoon,
03:24and all the parties met, presenting their observations to what will be the law,
03:37or the part of the electoral law that will govern the independent candidates.
03:44You know that there is a sentence in the Constitutional Court that may or may not be in agreement,
03:51but it is binding, it is mandatory,
03:54which established the figure of the independent candidate, submitted by civic and social groups.
04:01There are many interesting proposals, in the sense that, for example,
04:08it cannot be allowed that one who was a pre-candidate of a party and who lost,
04:14is then launched as an independent, because we are going to have hundreds of non-conforming candidates,
04:22under the figure of the independent candidate.
04:25There are proposals that those civic or social organizations
04:28also register in the Central Electoral Board, the issue of financing,
04:35the Hunt method, which is the method by which the deputies are selected.
04:41That method adds up all the votes of the deputies of a party,
04:47and of another party, or of all the parties.
04:50So from there, the party that has the most votes added,
04:55well, it is up to the number one deputy, the most voted.
05:01From there, they reduce half of it, but in the end, that method,
05:05benefits the great parties.
05:07Obviously, when you have an independent candidate in the election,
05:12if the Hunt method is applied, never an independent deputy is going to win,
05:17because he is alone.
05:19That was the case of Rodríguez, José Horacio Rodríguez,
05:27who, since he did not have a summary, he got more votes than many of those who were elected.
05:35In 1924.
05:36But the problem is that the others had a vote summary of the parties,
05:40and he did not have that vote summary,
05:42because for his party, the Democratic Option, he only got his vote.
05:49Now the board called the Central Electoral Board for the next 26,
05:54to listen to the parties, but finally the board closes.
05:58Who is going to draft a law for that innovative figure,
06:06that gives more options to the voter?
06:12I hope it works.
06:13There are times when there are things on paper that seem very good,
06:17but when they are put into practice, then you see the difficulties.
06:22On the other hand, President Abinader was in Guyana.
06:26Guyana is a country that is four times the size of the Dominican Republic.
06:32It has more than 700,000 inhabitants, but it is built on oil.
06:40They have discovered deposits, they are being exploited.
06:44Guyana grew 38% last year.
06:50It is the country with the greatest growth in the world.
06:53The president has forged good relations
06:56with the president of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
07:02He was in the Dominican Republic, the president was in an activity,
07:07and a series of agreements have been reached,
07:11which are beautiful on paper, but do not have economic viability.
07:17The Dominican Republic will achieve a concession
07:20to exploit an oil deposit in Guyana,
07:28and it will exploit it.
07:31That requires a lot of money.
07:34The Dominican Republic is going to install a petrochemical plant
07:37to produce fertilizers.
07:39That also requires a lot of money.
07:41There is more money to install a refinery.
07:44My president said that this is going to take some time,
07:47because there is an issue of economic viability.
07:52If it were feasible, our refinery would have become
07:56a real refinery, and it did not.
07:59The Venezuelans did not even do it when they were owners.
08:04They were owners half and half with the Dominican Republic.
08:08There are other agreements that are feasible.
08:10The INFOTEP to collaborate with Guyana
08:13in the field of technical education.
08:15There could also be agricultural cooperation.
08:18I think it was correct.
08:20In a country that is growing,
08:22and I think that this is the country that should receive
08:25more Haitians, because with a territory
08:29of 220,000 square kilometers and only 700,000 people,
08:34they can perfectly receive half a million Haitians.
08:37But they are not going to do it.
08:39They are not going to do it because nobody wants to.
08:41The Haitians do not want to transform their demography,
08:46even though Guyana is a mixture of races and ethnicities.
08:56Let's remember that when we studied history,
08:57there were three Guyanas.
09:00The British Guyana, the French Guyana, and the Dutch Guyana.
09:05The British Guyana is now the Democratic Republic,
09:09the Cooperative of Guyana.
09:12The Dutch Guyana is the Republic of Suriname.
09:16And the French Guyana is still an overseas territory of France.
09:22On the other hand, here we have talked,
09:26in the comment that I record daily,
09:29several times about the issue of the intoxication
09:33of children and teachers.
09:35There are two teachers who, even with the intoxication,
09:39have suffered consequences that force them
09:42to undergo permanent treatment.
09:45We have seen intoxications in Vegas,
09:48in the province of Duarte, as a result of fumigation.
09:54In each case, I have said, but why does the environment
10:00and education not intervene?
10:04It is the fumigation with planes in buildings
10:08that are close to the schools.
10:11The boys are hospitalized.
10:13There are schools that have had to go to virtuality.
10:17Then they have returned and the intoxications have returned.
10:21There is no way to prevent fumigation
10:25at class time.
10:27Fumigation cannot be done on Saturday or Sunday.
10:32There can be no control over that fumigation.
10:35Imagine the vegetables that we consume from those fumigations.
10:42That is one of the reasons for cancer.
10:45Then, the President of the People's Force,
10:49Dr. Leone Fernández, who is in the United States,
10:52well, he wrote a Twitter.
10:55He wrote a Twitter that appears on the screen
10:59where he says that we are deeply concerned
11:05by the intoxications of children in schools
11:07in the province of Duarte, as well as in Vegas.
11:09Despite the alerts and the closure of the educational center,
11:12the PRM government has been indifferent
11:13to this serious situation.
11:15A government that does not care about its children
11:17does not deserve to continue governing.
11:19It is time to change the course of the Dominican Republic.
11:22Listen, this is such an elementary issue
11:24that, unfortunately, President Abinader
11:27will have to take action on this issue.
11:29Maybe with this Twitter and this call
11:32from Dr. Leone Fernández, the President will take action.
11:35Since the environment does not take action,
11:37neither does education,
11:39well, the President always has to be here.
11:41And there has to be control over that.
11:44It is not possible for children to continue getting intoxicated.
11:47Let's wait for a child to die,
11:50or a teacher to a teacher,
11:52to then make a decision.
11:54Let's get to that extreme.
11:57Incredible.
11:58And this is not new.
12:00This has been going on for years.
12:01What happens is that,
12:03in the last few months, it has been recorded
12:04because it seems that it is spreading intensely,
12:08and at any time.
12:10That is, when an airplane spreads,
12:12it launches,
12:14it launches the product,
12:16and that product spreads,
12:17and the air carries it,
12:19and it is falling on the schools,
12:21but it is also falling on the homes.
12:24Mr. President,
12:25let's put a stop to that problem,
12:29and let it disappear,
12:31the intoxication,
12:31so that the kids can go to school safely,
12:35and that they are not losing classes,
12:37or getting intoxicated.
12:40On the other hand, in the international sphere,
12:42which always has to be monitored,
12:44a summit was held in Saudi Arabia,
12:48between the United States and Russia,
12:51more to normalize the relations
12:54between Russia and the United States,
12:56than for the issue of Ukraine,
12:57because after five hours of meetings,
13:01nothing was reached with the issue of Ukraine.
13:04Trump has a lot of empathy with Putin.
13:08Trump has a lot of empathy
13:09with the authoritarian rulers.
13:13And Europe has been relegated.
13:17Europe, so far, has denied a seat
13:20in the negotiation,
13:21but also to Ukraine itself.
13:23It seems that they want to find
13:25a solution for Ukraine,
13:28away from Europe,
13:32which they fear,
13:33and with good reason,
13:34because Putin wants to recover
13:37that Soviet imperial past.
13:42And he thought he was going to swallow Ukraine
13:45in two weeks,
13:46and Ukraine has been battling there for three years.
13:52140,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died,
13:55but also about 300,000 Russians.
13:59Ukraine has been devastated.
14:02And who has supported Ukraine the most
14:04has been the European Union,
14:05because the European Union knows
14:07that Russia wants Ukraine,
14:09and wants Poland,
14:11and wants to annex.
14:14And if they give Putin the green light,
14:16and allow that economy to recover,
14:19what comes next,
14:20and that's what world thinkers say,
14:23geopolitical experts,
14:24what comes next, again,
14:25is a neo-imperialism,
14:27of division of areas of influence,
14:31as was the case at the time
14:34of the Soviet Union and the United States,
14:36as was the case
14:38in the signing of the Yalta Agreements,
14:41where the Soviet Union took some territories
14:44and the United States took others.
14:46What a shame,
14:48that after 80 years of good relations
14:51with the European Union,
14:52that the European Union did not arm itself.
14:57If it supported the United States,
14:58now the European Union has to arm itself
15:01in an accelerated way at the worst moment,
15:04because Russia represents a danger
15:07for the European Union.
15:09We're going to commercials.
15:11Don't miss the interview
15:12with Mr. Martín Valerio.
15:14He is the Executive Director
15:16of the Dominican Republic's
15:18Mining and Petroleum Chamber.
15:20These are fundamental issues
15:22that we are going to discuss
15:24in this interview.
15:43The Interview with Mr. Martín Valerio
15:48The telematurity interview
15:49is important,
15:51and we are going to discuss important issues.
15:52And what is more important
15:54than the issue of mining,
15:57stones, oil,
15:59and now the issue of rare earths?
16:02And to talk about all these issues,
16:04we are going to have
16:06the Executive Director
16:08of the Dominican Republic's
16:09Mining and Petroleum Chamber,
16:11Mr. Martín Valerio,
16:12who is a lawyer.
16:14Good morning, Martín.
16:15Welcome to the debut
16:17of Telematutino 11.
16:19Thank you very much, Ramón,
16:20for your invitation here to Telematutino
16:22to talk about such an important issue
16:23as mining.
16:25Thank you for not calling me
16:26Mr. Ramón, engineer.
16:28And precisely,
16:30there are many issues on the carpet
16:32about mining.
16:33There is the issue of the barrel,
16:36and there is talk of a tail dam.
16:38Most people don't know
16:40what a tail dam is.
16:42But that tail dam
16:43is what will guarantee
16:4410 or 15 more years
16:46of continued exploitation
16:48of those resources.
16:50What is the Chamber's position
16:52on the issue of the tail dam,
16:53and what has arisen
16:55with the barrel?
16:57Look, Ramón, it should be noted
16:58that the Mining Chamber is a union
17:00that brings together the main companies
17:01in the metal and non-metal mining sector.
17:04Together, we currently represent
17:051.2% of the gross domestic product.
17:09It should be more.
17:10It should be more, of course.
17:11And we are on that path.
17:13At one point, we were 2.1%
17:16of the gross domestic product.
17:17But going back to your question,
17:19I can tell you that, effectively,
17:21the tail dam is not something new.
17:22It is something that Barrick
17:24already had,
17:27and it serves to extend the life
17:29of the mine here in the Dominican Republic.
17:31They are talking about 20 to 25 more years
17:34with the construction of that dam.
17:36But what is the tail dam?
17:37The tail dam, as its name suggests,
17:39is where the final part of the rock goes
17:43after the process of separation
17:45of the mineral with the material.
17:48That waste goes that way.
17:51There is already another tail dam,
17:52but it has already run out, right?
17:54It is running out.
17:55Precisely.
17:56There is a tail dam
17:57that is already reaching its maximum capacity,
17:59and therefore, this new work is necessary.
18:03And then, there is also,
18:05because one gets the impression
18:06that we have mineral resources,
18:09but there is no official definition.
18:12This is the case of the gold mine
18:14in San Juan de la Maguana.
18:17What they ask is
18:18for the environmental study to be done,
18:20but the community, the church,
18:22have protested,
18:23and that project is, I don't know,
18:25like in a limbo.
18:27Look,
18:30it is a word that I use a lot
18:32when I go to programs
18:34or when I have expressed myself in other forums.
18:36I am the son of a military man
18:38and a peasant woman.
18:39I got used to hearing many sayings
18:43at the table while we ate.
18:45Precisely,
18:46speaking of those mineral opportunities,
18:49not to say gold opportunities,
18:51happiness is never late.
18:54Happiness is never late
18:57when the news is good.
18:58Precisely, the Dominican Republic
19:01has natural wealth,
19:03mineral wealth.
19:04We have a gold mine project,
19:06the one you mentioned,
19:07there in San Juan de la Maguana.
19:08We also have another project in Dajabón.
19:10Now we also have the resource of the rare earth.
19:13There has been talk of a possibility of oil,
19:16and we already have gold mines
19:17that are being exploited,
19:19copper mines that are being exploited,
19:20and nickel mines that have been exploited.
19:22Therefore, when you talk about
19:23that environmental impact study,
19:25for you to know if really,
19:27and to have a constructive opposition,
19:30and not an opposition, but to encourage a dialogue,
19:32it is necessary to do that environmental impact study.
19:35Why? Because it is what allows you to determine
19:38if the activity that is going to be carried out there
19:41is viable in the long term,
19:43and it is not going to have a risk to the community.
19:45And is the community always consulted?
19:50Is there a discussion with the community?
19:51Look, I believe that the activity
19:54that promotes governance the most
19:56is precisely mining.
19:57It is important that you say
19:59that it is consulted with the community.
20:00Not only with the community,
20:02there is also an opinion of the government,
20:04of the state, that plays its role of owner of the resource,
20:07because the resource, in the end, is of the Dominican Republic,
20:09and second, it has the obligation
20:11to protect its communities.
20:13Therefore, when that environmental impact study is carried out,
20:16which is not an easy study,
20:18nor short, nor simple,
20:19it takes time,
20:20nor is it precisely a permit
20:23for you to exploit that resource,
20:24but for you to determine
20:26if the exploitation of that resource is viable,
20:28dialogues are promoted with the community,
20:31that study of impact is presented,
20:33and the opinion of the community is taken into consideration,
20:36of the civil societies that are there,
20:38the church, the chambers of commerce, etc.
20:42In short, a whole conversation is promoted
20:44in which it is illustrated
20:46what that mining company will be
20:48in the region and in the province
20:50where it is located,
20:51and those opinions will be accepted
20:53against or in favor
20:55to improve what is possibly going to be done there.
21:00Logically, there is fear of people
21:02because in the past
21:04there were mining exploitations,
21:05not only in the Dominican Republic,
21:07but in many countries where there was environmental damage.
21:10In fact, the Dominican Rosario
21:12left an environmental impact
21:14that subsidized it,
21:16the Abarrigol.
21:17So, I understand sometimes that people have fears,
21:19but nowadays it is possible
21:21mining exploitation
21:23with minimal damage,
21:25because any type of work,
21:26even a building,
21:28affects the environment,
21:30but the impact can be minimized
21:32and the benefits compensate
21:34for the minimal damage,
21:36let's say.
21:37Definitely, Ramón.
21:39Look, the Constitution says
21:41in Article 217
21:45that...
21:47No, in Article 67,
21:49which talks about natural resources,
21:51it says that the State will promote the use of technologies
21:53to promote and mitigate the risk.
21:56And mining is not the same
21:58for 30, 40, 50 years.
22:00The technological advances have helped a lot
22:02to control the risk first,
22:04to mitigate that risk
22:06and to foresee that risk.
22:08So, you have to give a chance
22:10to science to work with you
22:12to control all the damage
22:14if it happens,
22:16that they could prevent
22:18or foresee those damages that may occur
22:20during the exploitation
22:22of natural resources.
22:24I would also add, Martin,
22:26that when you have big companies,
22:28for example, like Lavarri,
22:30that trade in the stock market,
22:32nowadays there is a lot of control
22:34in the environment.
22:36A company that trades in the stock market
22:38cannot cause environmental damage
22:40in a country,
22:42because the valuation of its shares
22:44simply collapses.
22:46Indeed, not only Lavarri,
22:48almost all mining companies
22:50trade in the stock market.
22:52And obviously, that investor
22:54often has to do with the environment
22:56or sustainable development.
22:58And it is not true that no one is going to risk
23:00with the amount of information
23:02there is, the amount of journalism
23:04or research there is,
23:06that I invest in a company
23:08that does not take care of the environment,
23:10but nevertheless promotes it.
23:12Because it would not be coherent
23:14with my exercise
23:16and the way I invest my money
23:18to continue growing my business.
23:20So, therefore, you have to be careful with that.
23:22And all those mining companies
23:24take great care of that.
23:26They are quite transparent
23:28in the information they show,
23:30because there are not only
23:32the regulations of the countries
23:34where they operate,
23:36but also the international regulations
23:38they submit.
23:40And in some cases,
23:42those who trade in the stock market
23:44also have regulations
23:46that have to do with trade.
23:48You said that you represent
23:50a lot of people,
23:52and we even fall into the case
23:54of the Pomier Cave,
23:56which has been on the carpet
23:58of how many archaeological values
24:00have been destroyed.
24:02Yes, look,
24:04I read an editorial
24:06by David Trueba
24:08in El País today.
24:10He said at the end,
24:12his conclusion was
24:14that we are living in modern times
24:16in which we are not listening
24:18I read it early.
24:20In short,
24:22we are not using the experience
24:24to have a discussion.
24:26There is simply a group
24:28that says it harms the caves,
24:30it harms the environment,
24:32it is affecting
24:34a cultural heritage.
24:36But where is the conversation?
24:38When have we not met?
24:40When have the arguments been presented?
24:42Yes, you have your arguments,
24:44but what about us as a sector?
24:46When have we put them both on the table?
24:48Where?
24:50And the science is so exact
24:52that you have the absolute truth.
24:54No, I don't believe that.
24:56Definitely not.
24:58That is a conversation of logic.
25:00What does have to be promoted
25:02is a dialogue.
25:04It is a dialogue in which
25:06I, as a company,
25:08I, as a sector,
25:10allow you to present my arguments
25:12and you, as a manager
25:14and you, as a person.
25:16I have to say that
25:18the work that we do
25:20is no longer like the toys
25:22of El Correcamino and El Coyote
25:24in which you put the dynamite
25:26with a long cable
25:28and dynamited it and exploded everything.
25:30No, what is used is micro-blasting.
25:32In fact, we did a seminar
25:34in December
25:36and this Thursday we will do another
25:38in which we will explain
25:40the effects of the blasts
25:42of the technology to mitigate the risk.
25:44Those micro-blasts are the ones
25:46that are used in urban areas.
25:48You have seen
25:50and the people who are watching you now
25:52have seen how in big cities
25:54buildings collapse
25:56without affecting
25:58those who are next to them.
26:00And those micro-blasts are the same
26:02that are used in mining,
26:04that are used to fragment
26:06precisely, or almost precisely,
26:08the stone.
26:10That is what we are talking about.
26:12But when I have heard a single bell
26:14and it says, no, no, no,
26:16we have to close mining,
26:18we have to prohibit mining,
26:20which is causing immediate damage.
26:22But where is the conversation?
26:24When have we had it?
26:26There is also some environmental fundamentalism.
26:28There are some environmentalists
26:30who prefer that the country die of hunger
26:32mounted on a wealth
26:34under the ground.
26:36Look, it is important
26:38to me...
26:40I am not neutral in the debate.
26:42I have always been clear
26:44and I have questioned environmental fundamentalists.
26:46Because you, within your training,
26:48are an engineer.
26:50So it has to do, in some way or another,
26:52with the use of these techniques.
26:54But look,
26:56when I have come out
26:58as Executive Director of the Chamber
27:00to talk about mining,
27:02the last argument I try to use
27:04is precisely the economic contributions
27:06that are tangible are real.
27:08Our contribution moves the needle in the country.
27:10And,
27:12about that,
27:14when you say, no, a country dies of hunger,
27:16it is not only that it dies of hunger,
27:18it is how
27:20that chain
27:22of productivity would fall
27:24with such a drastic
27:26decision.
27:28Why? Because mining today
27:30represents, as I said at the beginning,
27:321.2% of GDP,
27:3443% of national imports,
27:36almost 50%
27:38of the dollar income that enters this country
27:40comes from mining.
27:42Today we wake up with the news that
27:44gold is at 2,933,
27:462,930 dollars
27:48per ounce.
27:50Last week
27:52it reached a record figure of 3,000 dollars
27:54per ounce. When you are talking
27:56about how last year we had the ability
27:58to export almost 700,000
28:00ounces of gold,
28:02in Lapis
28:04I think it ends at the tip,
28:06and with the calculator it possibly
28:08does not go down.
28:10And that is important for the national budget.
28:12And we are talking about
28:14an export of a mineral
28:16in which its dam is
28:18reaching its maximum capacity,
28:20and if we build the other dam,
28:22we have a duration of
28:24possibly 25 years,
28:26and production increases.
28:28So we are living
28:30an opportunity in mining
28:32to contribute
28:34to the
28:36economic diversification
28:38of the Dominican Republic.
28:40When I say that, I mean that
28:42in such recent times when it was
28:44tried to submit a
28:46fiscal reform,
28:48we believe that with the contribution of
28:50mining, possibly,
28:52possibly, that
28:54fiscal reform could have been
28:56covered.
28:58What is going to happen with the Falcon Bridge?
29:00Well, the Falcon Bridge has been
29:02fulfilling its obligations first
29:04inward, which was to pay
29:06that late salary that there was
29:08from the employees, it paid the labor
29:10benefits, it also paid
29:12the Christmas salary.
29:14The Falcon Bridge is already in a process
29:16of continuing
29:18to enter resources to
29:20comply with different creditors,
29:22but definitely... But the part of the
29:24exploitation, of exporting iron and nickel again.
29:26They are still in that process.
29:28There is important news that has come out
29:30from them, that they understand that already
29:32half a year, and being more
29:34conservative, perhaps already in the last
29:36quarter of the year,
29:38they can definitely resume their
29:40operations.
29:42Let's take a short break.
29:44In the next segment, we will talk about
29:46rare earths.
29:48Music
29:52Music
29:56Music
30:00Music
30:04Music
30:08Music
30:12Music
30:16Music
30:18We continue with
30:20Martin Valeyo, lawyer and
30:22Executive Director of the Mining and Petroleum Chamber
30:24of the Dominican Republic.
30:26We talk in another segment of the
30:28Barrigol, the Cola Dam,
30:30the gold mines,
30:32of all the potential the Dominican Republic has
30:34and of the contribution of the sector
30:36to gross domestic product and
30:38to the income of the currency. There is a
30:40topic that is not new,
30:42but with the visit
30:44Secretary of State of the United States, Marcos Rubio, has acquired a category of debate on national issues, and it's the issue of rare earths.
30:56How do you see that? Is there really a possibility, and who says that's a dream?
31:00I've heard some people say that rare earths here are mixed with bauxite, and that it's not possible to separate them,
31:07that when it's with clay, what is the opinion of the mining chamber on this issue of rare earths?
31:14Look, definitely the fact that this issue has come up has given us incredible visibility to the mining sector,
31:24because it has become a trending topic in the last, probably, ten days, every day it's being talked about.
31:30In fact, several special programs have been carried out on that, on rare earths.
31:35But definitely, the first time, on a legal level, the first legal document that has to do with that was a decree,
31:45the 430-18, which declared the exploration of rare earths of high priority,
31:52and declared as a tax reserve the Ávila, which is precisely where that resource is located.
31:58In Pedernales.
32:00And when I talk about resource, it's because it's necessary to clarify that there's a difference between resource and reserve.
32:06Resource is when you really do have the mineral.
32:11Reserve is when you already have the certification that it's exploitable, in a sustainable way, economically.
32:18So, right now, yes, apparently, we do have the resource, and we're in the process of determining...
32:25...which was determined many years ago, I think in 2012, there was a study by the European Union,
32:30and I think by the World Bank, which determined that there was.
32:34There was a study financed by the MESIB, which brought people from Europe to carry out those explorations,
32:41to determine whether or not, and as I say, the first legal document is that decree.
32:47But then, as early as, as recently as August of last year,
32:52President Abinader, in Decree 418-24, creates the company Emidon, a Dominican mining company,
33:02with the objective of exploring if there are rare earths.
33:06So, those are the two legal documents that exist, and right now we're in the process of determining whether they're reserves.
33:13Exactly. Which is not done overnight, right?
33:17No, no, no, that's...
33:19When we're talking about exploration, it's to determine if there's enough merit to cross the subject of the request for a reference term,
33:28for an environmental impact study, and then the exploitation, if it's viable.
33:31That takes its time, but as you well mentioned, I'm sure that didn't start in November of last year,
33:38or in August of last year, but that already has enough time to study,
33:43which leads the Dominican government to create this company by decree,
33:48to continue developing its work, and determine if we actually have enough reserves to be exploited.
33:56But the fact that the Secretary of State of the United States has mentioned it,
33:59indicates that they have a perception that there is a possibility,
34:04because I think it was the United States Army who quantified, or determined the reserves, right?
34:10Indeed, it was worked out, based on the information they gave,
34:14that the US Army's engineering division, now that he mentions it,
34:19has a very, very important value, just like when President Abinader says it.
34:25Why? Because if it's true that there are reserves for rare earths, for the exploitation of rare earths,
34:33it definitely changes the place of the Dominican Republic in geopolitics and geostrategy worldwide,
34:40because it allows to continue a supply chain on this side of the region,
34:44and second, it also has a remarkable economic impact,
34:49not only in the province of Pedernales, but at the national level.
34:53It's a shame that there aren't rare earths in Haiti, so that country can develop.
34:58Well, the mineral doesn't know borders, and since it goes underground, you never know.
35:04We'd have to see if there's something there,
35:07but they also have an institutional problem that maybe doesn't allow them to develop that type of task.
35:12Ah, there's also the issue of oil.
35:15It's known that there's oil.
35:18There's a story that you were a child when Don Antonio Guzmán,
35:21who spoke of Charco Largo, and then the country was referred to as Chasco Largo,
35:27because it's said that there is oil, but it's not economically profitable,
35:32that there isn't enough quantity.
35:34What is the situation of oil in the Dominican Republic?
35:39Look, definitely, the refinery, in June of last year,
35:44issued some reports in which it did say that there's oil, or the resource is there,
35:52but now they're also in the process of quantifying if that resource that's there
35:58has enough quality, and has enough quantity.
36:02So they're in that process.
36:05It's the same, it's a very long process.
36:07They've done surveys in various parts of the country
36:10to determine if that rock can also be exploited for the extraction of oil.
36:18Which is also expensive, the process of oil exploration.
36:20Very expensive.
36:22In fact, as far as we know, there's only been one concession for the exploration,
36:27which was the one that was here in the San Pedro de Macorís strip,
36:31for the Apache Company.
36:33It's the only one I know that has done that work.
36:36But it's the same, I mean, if it's true, then we'd have to build a legal framework
36:43that allows us to update ourselves to be able to carry out those activities.
36:47We have to modify the mining law.
36:49Definitely, we're talking about a law that's 50 years old.
36:52And I already mentioned to you that, for example, in the case of Tierras Raras,
36:56as legal documents, we only have two decrees.
36:59That's very fragile when it comes to carrying out an activity of that type.
37:03How old is the mining law?
37:05Yes, it's from 1971.
37:08At that time, only the Falcon Bridge existed as a mining company.
37:12Correct, and there was no environmental law.
37:16Law 6400, the environmental law came 29 years later.
37:20Here, which is an extremely modern law,
37:23which, with its resolutions, has become a very robust law,
37:26and which the environment is transversal to the entire economy
37:30in the Dominican Republic and in the world.
37:33It's a necessary law.
37:35It's a law that has to promote, its obligation is to promote sustainable development,
37:39the activities that we carry out in our countries.
37:42And therefore, now the time has come for us to also have a new mining law
37:47that already in the final part of the government of President Medina
37:51was proposed.
37:54The thing is that the application mechanism was a little complex,
37:57and an agreement was reached to review that and to propose it again.
38:01At that time, a change of government occurred,
38:03and President Abinader, at the beginning of his government,
38:06gave a proposal that turned out not to be a modification, but a new law.
38:11The sector saw that.
38:13The President was explained the need to harmonize that articulation,
38:17and obviously to have the point of view of the experience
38:21of what had happened in the mining industry in its development.
38:25The President accepted the suggestion,
38:27it was worked on,
38:29and already in June of last year,
38:31we were formally sent a document,
38:35it was reviewed, we did not take the time to review it,
38:39we sent it again, and we are almost starting the process of sitting at a table
38:43and harmonizing positions in case there are any differences.
38:47So yes, what we are doing...
38:49So it can be said that there is a kind of antiproject?
38:52Yes, there is definitely an antiproject,
38:54and it is necessary, a modern law that promotes exploration,
38:59and then exploitation.
39:01Why exploration? Because that is an immediate income,
39:04and an immediate development of the industry that you will see.
39:07And a guarantee that the one who explores and detects, exploits.
39:11No, of course, definitely.
39:14So there must be a legal guarantee.
39:16No, definitely, and in fact the legislator in the Constitution says it,
39:19Article 17, when it talks about the exploitation of natural resources,
39:22they are there, they are to be exploited responsibly and sustainably,
39:26and you can exploit those resources.
39:30The Constitution says it.
39:32Just like in Article 67, I mentioned it at the beginning,
39:34in Numbers 4 and 5 it says that we have to promote,
39:37the State has to promote the use of technology
39:40for the exploitation of those natural resources.
39:45And if you go to Article 218 of the Constitution,
39:48which talks about economic order,
39:50it says that wealth has to be distributed.
39:53That is why many times when we talk about sustainable development,
39:55we cannot limit it to a reforestation.
39:58Sustainable development is to integrate the growth of human dignity.
40:01Better work, better companies, more opportunities for education,
40:05the integration of certain sectors into a productive activity,
40:08and obviously the care of the environment.
40:10And you already have Article 218,
40:14which says that this sustainable development
40:18has to be accompanied by free enterprise.
40:20The State has the obligation to promote business activity
40:23in order to grow the sector.
40:25It can be now in a public or private alliance,
40:27or it can also be exclusively private or public.
40:31How good, the advantage of a lawyer is to be in that position,
40:34because he handles all the elements of mining
40:37in the Constitution of the Republic.
40:39It is necessary, they are fundamental rights,
40:41and if the Constitution mentions fundamental rights,
40:44which coexist harmoniously within that legal order,
40:49which is the mother of all laws,
40:51then we have the obligation, as I said at the beginning,
40:53to come and sit down and harmonize positions.
40:56Finally, Martin, there is an important part of non-metallic mining,
41:00which are the aggregates that are used in construction.
41:03It is inevitable, aggregates are needed,
41:06because it is the basic component of reinforced concrete.
41:10So, there is always talk of river depredation,
41:13but there is another system of extractions,
41:15which is on the basis of rocks,
41:18they crush it and turn it into sand.
41:21So, the people or the industries that are dedicated to this type of mining,
41:25which were part of the Chamber?
41:28If we are talking about the one that does it with all its permission,
41:31legally and responsibly, yes.
41:35Not the one that brings it from the river in a truck with shovels.
41:38That is what the President referred to three weeks ago
41:42in the weekly news, when he said that there are mining companies
41:45that operate as cartels, in which the Chamber totally supports
41:48that statement that the President made.
41:51Why? Because it is not only a harm to the environment,
41:54but it generates a disloyal competition with a sector
41:58that does a whole productive activity,
42:01but when you do that illegal extraction,
42:03your prices obviously go down, because your cost is lower,
42:06and it promotes a disloyal competition with a sector
42:10that is doing everything it has to do to present a quality product,
42:13which is the sector that we promote.
42:16There, among our members, there is the Dominican Cement Association,
42:19as well as there are cemeteries that are individually,
42:22as members of the Chamber, and that association,
42:26as well as the cemetery that is with us,
42:29promotes sustainable development in their activities,
42:32and we work with them by hand to promote that.
42:35We totally agree that our activity is carried out by hand
42:38with the conservation of the environment.
42:41It is fundamental. Mining and the environment are two brothers
42:45that always go hand in hand.
42:48Excellent, Martin Valerio, who is a magnificent communicator,
42:51I congratulate you, and it will not be the first time.
42:54This topic is so recurrent that we will invite you.
42:57Feel confident to always call the Chamber,
43:01as its reliable entity, to get information on mining.
43:04That is our mission, to be a credible entity
43:07for the Dominican society and education.
43:10Again, thank you very much.
43:13We are going to commercials, and we will return to the final stretch
43:16of Telemadudinos.
43:34TELEMADUDINOS
43:40With this interview with Martin Valerio, from the Mining Chamber,
43:43I think it has been very useful for us and for you,
43:46dear viewers. Remember that this interview
43:49will be in a couple of hours on our YouTube channel,
43:53Telemadudinos 11RN, for those who could not see it,
43:56and also on my X and Facebook networks,
43:59and so you can,
44:02whether at night or in the afternoon,
44:05watch it, as well as the comments.
44:09See you tomorrow, God willing. Have a happy Wednesday,
44:12and I invite you to continue with the varied programming
44:15of TeleSistema Channel 11.
44:32www.telemadudinos.org