Agricultural abandonment, insecurity, and traffic chaos mark demands in the war against Abinader.

Santo Domingo — President Luis Abinader arrived in San Antonio de Guerra this Friday, where he led a new session of the “Government with You” program, aimed at identifying and addressing the primary social and urban needs of the municipality’s communities.

The event marks the return of the presidential program after a nearly four-month hiatus. The final day took place on March 31 in the province of San Cristóbal.

During the meeting, some community members raised a series of issues affecting the municipality, including the lack of buses for transporting university students and ambulances for transporting patients, inadequate educational infrastructure, shortcomings in the agricultural sector, and the need for recreational and judicial facilities.

Álvaro Angulo, representing the Association of University Students of War, requested the donation of buses to transport young people to universities, due to the rising cost of fares.

He also called for the establishment of an Infotep center in the area to expand access to technical education.

From the agricultural sector, Venero Castillo, of the Federation of Sugar Colonists of War, denounced the neglect of local agriculture due to the lack of local roads, technical assistance, and resources.

“Agriculture is deprived. We don’t have rural roads, we don’t have assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture, and we also have few resources,” Castillo said.

He also recalled the government’s promise to build a sugar mill, suggesting that this would be a fundamental solution to reactivate the agricultural economy.

“The solution is a genius here, (but) you know the difficulties there are in terms of investment,” Abinader responded.

For her part, Olga Reyes, a local business representative, criticized the police’s work, stating that “they only carry out raids” to inspect vehicles and nighttime parties, while neglecting urban security.

“They’re never concerned about the citizen, about protecting the citizen,” Reyes said. “We need a police force that’s more preventive, that works hand in hand with the citizen.”

The community members also called for the construction of a cultural center and a sports center, so that children and adolescents have spaces for sports and artistic development.

And the creation of a justice of the peace court was demanded, given the municipality’s population growth.

Manuel Reyes, a representative of the Guerra Chamber of Commerce, asked the president to construct alternative routes to alleviate traffic congestion.

“Even a damaged vehicle creates a traffic jam,” Reyes criticized.

He also raised the need to move forward with the land titling process, to which Abinader responded that the government will carry out a second phase of titling in the municipality.

The community members also demanded the paving of streets in various parts of the municipality.

“We will follow up on all of these issues,” Abinader promised.

So far this year, “The Government With You” has also been developed in Pedro Brand (March 13), La Ureña (February 23), and Barrio Nuevo, Santo Domingo Norte (February 9), always led by the president.