The coordinator of the Cabinet of Social Policies, Tony Peña Guaba, speaks out against the discontent caused by the distribution of the government’s payment of RD $ 100 million to 70 Dominican “popular artists” for parties.
The controversy has taken place mainly on social media, where artists of various musical genres, communicators and media figures have expressed their displeasure saying that “The government had to take into account artists who are not so recognized.”
In an interview with El Gobierno de la Mañana (Z 101.3 FM) on Tuesday, Peña Guaba said that the Government he only awarded RD $ 100 million to distribute among the “most popular artists in the country.”
“We only got about 100 million for popular artists and we are looking for the most popular artists in the country because there is no money for anyone else “, he will explain.
The official admitted that “the problem” lies in that not called RD $ 200 million to support the arts sector at parties, as had been done in previous proceedings, but they were given “90 and peak of millions” and that “If they had given more money, more people would come.”
Peña Guaba clarified that the distribution of funds was done “without political flag”, since most of the artists who were selected “disaffected from the current government”. “I did not come here to select people because they are PRD members, Perremeistas, Peleedeistas or the People’s Force.”
Equally, the coordinator noted that in cases where selected artists do not wish to participate in the initiative, then this money will be distributed to others who are willing.
“Apparently there are two or three people who do not want the resources, we will draw those resources among other important popular artists who had not been contacted for lack of resources, now we will meet those requests as far as possible,” he said. manifest in the radial program.
At the insistence of the interviewers who questioned what will happen to the artists who do not have resources and who have also been affected by the pandemic, Peña Guaba replied that “he can’t do magic” and that he only does what he is told.
He also stressed that the cases where there are more artists and sectors identified that require government assistance for the pandemic by Covid-19 “is something else”, and that in those situations it is the government that must seek more financial resources to provide them.
The person in charge clarified that the funds provided by the State for the fines “are not a gift”, since artists have to work and pay for the activities at a certain time.
“I broke up with that mob”
The official reiterated that “It broke with the mafia” that existed in previous years, where the government selectively gave RD $ 200 million to entrepreneurs who “were looking for people” and did not pay the artists the agreed amount.
“You know that these are parties that are more than 20 and 30 years old, and you know under the circumstance that they are made, and you know that they don’t pay the artists and that they read some prices and others, and that it was without a contract, and that was given to a group of entrepreneurs (…) here that mafia was over, as was the mafia that was making Christmas boxes too”, He expressed raising his voice.
Peña Guaba insisted that the process of delivering funds has been done in a “clear, clean and tidy” way, since it was done in accordance with the law and the artists sign contracts that have contractual obligations and violations.
“I invite any Dominican journalist or any Dominican to come to the Office of Economic and Social Policy and see with the cleanliness that this process of hiring popular artists is being done, in a Christmas process as has always been done in the Dominican Republic,” he expressed.
The official also assures that everything the procedure is done with the knowledge and approval of the Dominican Government and state agencies.
Pandemic crisis
In view of the fact that no revenue was received for the impact of the Covid-19, the arts sector asked for help from the Government, with December being one of the months with the highest economic uptake in previous years.
“Remember that when we came to the Government there was a claim from the arts sector that they had a long time without work and asked for the attention of the government. The government invited them to a luncheon at the Palace in October and the president promised to help them in December, ”said Peña Guaba.
Saying this the coordinator emphasized that the artists who attended the lunch are the same ones who are being paid.
The plan
The coordinator of the Cabinet of Social Policies announces that eThe government is hiring several national television stations to “stop a Christmas special” on December 24, 25 and 31.
As part of this special ship the artists took lives that will begin to air for an hour starting this week throughout the month of December.