Puerto Rico General Election Results

Winners for each race will appear in bold. Check back throughout the evening for
updates. Results are from the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico.

Updated as of: 11/09/16,  10:12 AM AST
97.32% of precincts reporting



Governor                                                            Total Votes     Percentage    Rank  

Rafael Bernabe (Working People's Party)                 5,336                 0.3              6  
David Bernier (Popular Democratic Party)             605,646               38.9             2
Manuel Cidre (Independent)                                   89,051                5.7              4
Alexandra Lugaro (Independent)                            172,882              11.1             3
Maria de Lourdes Santiago (PR Ind. Party)             33,173                2.1              5
Ricardo Rossello (New Progressive Party)         649,569               41.8             1

Voter participation rate: 55.10%


Resident Commissioner                                     Total Votes     Percentage    Rank  

Hector Ferrer (Popular Democratic Party)             685,361                47.2             2
Jenniffer Gonzalez (New Progressive Party)     706,964                48.8             1
Mariana Nogales (Working People's Party)             18,691                  1.3             4
Hugo Rodriguez (PR Indepedence Party)               39,056                  2.7             3


Mayor of San Juan                                            Total Votes     Percentage    Rank  

Antonio Carmona (Working People's Party)                1,298               0.9                 4
Leo Diaz (New Progessive Party)                             65,163            43.7                2
Adrian Gonzalez (PR Independence Party)                4,196             2.8                  3
Carmen Yulin (Popular Democratic Party)            78,366             52.6                1




US Presidential Election                                       % of Popular Vote   Electoral Votes

Hillary Clinton (Democratic Party)                                  47.5                          218
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)                                     3.3                              0
Jill Stein (Green Party)                                                   1.0                              0
Donald Trump (Republican Party)                               47.7                          279

The Puerto Rico Monitor Endorses Rafael Bernabe For Governor

Puerto Rico has long been under the stranglehold of two large, corrupt political
parties, which are both in large part directly responsible for the social and econo-
mic dire straits that Puerto Rico finds itself in. The Puerto Rico Indepedence Par-
ty can no longer be seen as a viable alternative to these two parties...we need par-
ties and candidates who do not make the relationship between Puerto Rico and the
US Federal government their main reason for being. Independent "man (or woman)
on a white horse" candidates can't and won't tackle the real issues affecting middle
and working class Puerto Ricans. This is why the Puerto Rico Monitor endorses the
Working People's Party candidate Rafael Bernabe for Governor of Puerto Rico in
the 2016 election.

Dr. Bernabe's priority is to make Puerto Rico a place that works primarily for the
people who keep it running, not millionaires, industrialists, so-called investors or
corrupt machine politicians. He is the only candidate advocating for much needed
ideas like single-payer health care, a taxation system that demands fair contributi-
ons from our upper classes and economic reforms that will promote local business
over big-box-style retail and capital flight. He is also a friend of the LGBT comm-
unity and an advocate of preserving our valuable natural resources. Mr. Bernabe is
also in favor of an electoral system based on proportional representation, which
would open up our democracy to greater and more meaningful representation.

It is time to walk away from the corrupt party hacks, the hustlers, thieves and liars,
and cast a vote for the Puerto Rico that the majority sorely needs. Bernabe is not be-
holden to political party machines, donors or corporations. Regardless of your views
on Puerto Rico's political status, we encourage you take that first step by voting for
Rafael Bernabe on November 8th.

For more information, visit: http://ppt2016.org/candidaturas/nacionales



-The Editor

Puerto Rico News Digest For September 26, 2016

THREE MURDERED IN CAROLINA ON SUNDAY

As reported by El Nuevo Dia, three people were murdered Sunday night at around
7:30 PM on Road PR-857, in the Canovanillas sector of Carolina. A 911 call alerted
the police to three people who had been shot. Upon arriving, police found the bodies
of Julio M. López Castro, age 41, and Jonathan J. López Pizarro, age 22. A 23-year-
old man, Jonathan Rodríguez Cabrera, was taken to Centro Médico in Río Piedras
with various gunshot wounds. He died while receiving treatment. These three killi-
ngs were part of seven overall murders registered across the island during this past
weekend. The number of murders for the year in Puerto Rico now stands at 484, 70
more than at this time last year.

TOURISM COULD FACE LOSSES FROM BLACKOUT

From Caribbean Business:

"Despite the lengthy lines thousands of Puerto Ricans did on hotels and restaur-
ants after the island remained partially dark for more than 40 hours, the final bal-
ance of the incident isn’t necessarily positive for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry,
much less for the general economy. While hundreds of hotels saw a significant in-
crease in their occupancy since Wednesday, others have had to cancel reservations
due to the outage or have had to send guests to a different accommodation because
their electric plants didn’t work, exploded, or simply couldn’t tolerate the emergen-
cy usage, revealed economist Jorge Elguera to Caribbean Business. Similar incide-
nts occurred at some restaurants that didn’t have electric generators or hadn’t given
them maintenance..."

PPT CANDIDATE CALLS FOR PLACITA AGREEMENT

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Puerto Rican Working People’s Party (PPT by its Spanish initials) candidate for
the San Juan municipal assembly Jorge Farinacci Fernós on Thursday proposed
reaching a “consensual agreement” that will allow the harmonization of the inter-
ests of the diff erent sectors at the Placita de Santurce. “We have to recognize that
we are all part of the same community, so we have to try a reach a consensual agr-
eement,” Farinacci Fernós said, referring to the public dispute between the reside-
nts and business owners in the area. Farinacci Fernós noted that certain issues need
to be cleared up regarding the aff ected parties and the interests involved, such as the
fact that residents of the area have a right to be able to rest and to the “tranquility they
deserve after a long day at work;” the businesses and their staff s, which are trying to
make a living, and the people who visit the establishments to enjoy one of the only
open public spaces remaining in Puerto Rico..."

UNITED WAY: ECONOMY STRANGLING NON-PROFITS

From News Is My Business:

"In Puerto Rico’s embattled economy, everyone is at risk. Nonprofit organizations
are no exception.To survive, organizations are cutting staff, services and administra-
tive costs, maxing out their credit cards and even borrowing from their board mem-
bers. Those are among the findings of a recent informal survey conducted by United
Way of  Puerto Rico, a coalition of 131 charitable organizations. “There was nothing
surprising [in the survey] since we constantly receive financial reports and do moni-
toring. What does worry us is that there is too much dependence on government fun-
ds,” said United Way President Samuel González..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For September 19, 2016

CONGRESS COULD MAKE PROGRESS ON ZIKA

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"A long impasse that has delayed money to combat Zika for months neared an
end Thursday as congressional aides said Republicans would relent and let Pla-
nned Parenthood affiliated clinics share in new funding to fi ght the virus. The
potential deal would ease the way for Congress to quit work until after the Nov.
8 election. Democrats welcomed the move, which would address their chief
complaint to a GOP plan intended to fight the virus..."

PR WAR VETERANS VISIT SOUTH KOREA

From Yonhap:

" South Korea has invited Puerto Rican soldiers who fought during the Korean
War (1950-53) to visit the country 66 years after hostilities ended, military offi-
cials said Monday. Sixteen Puerto Rican war veterans are scheduled to make a
six-day trip to South Korea from Tuesday to Sunday as part of the 131 veterans
and their families from the United States and Puerto Rico. This marks the first
time that the veterans from the Caribbean island will be visiting the country, the
Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs said. While here, they will visit the truce
village of Panmunjom, the Joint Security Area (JSA), the Seoul National Ceme-
tery and historic palaces, the ministry said in a statement..."

LUGARO ENCOURAGES VOTER REGISTRATION ON FB

From Caribbean Business:

"n a Facebook video that she appeared to have recorded in her residence, indep-
endent gubernatorial candidate Alexandra Lúgaro urged people to register to vote
before the deadline Monday, Sept. 19. In her Sunday evening video, Lúgaro em-
phasizes the importance of voting with, among other examples, speaking about
the massive electoral campaigns that focus on voting as a priority in some coun-
tries...In her message, which she also recorded in sign language, Lúgaro urged
voters to record a video or post anything, “even art,” that expresses the importa-
nce of voting, adding she would share these and that some 300,000 people would
be seeing them..."

MESON SANDWICHES TO EXPAND IN CENTRAL FL

From News Is My Business:

"Mesón Sandwiches, a Puerto Rico-based fast casual restaurant that marries
the flavors of the Caribbean with an American staple, will open this week its
third Central Florida location at the Premium Outlets Vineland in Orlando. Two
other Mesón restaurants are scheduled to open next year in Lee Vista Promenade
and the Gardens on Millennia, also in the Metro Orlando area, for a total of five
locations by the fall of 2017..."

The Sign Of The Lord

Opinion

Tiberiu Dianu


The Divine Sign

One of the most popular festival events in Puerto Rico takes place every year
on August 15 in the municipality of Cayey, about 30 miles south of the capital
city of San Juan: the Matron Festivities of Nuestra Señora de Asunción. The
festivities are celebrated during 10 consecutive days, bringing singers and ba-
nds from around the island. Cayey is relatively close to the southern shores of
Puerto Rico, the southernmost part of the United States.

This year, on the same day, in one of the northernmost largest cities of the Uni-
ted States, the popular Christian feast was observed being accompanied by a
special event. Almighty God has chosen the skies of Chicago to cast his vote for
President.

A “yuge” heavenly Donald Trump - displayed on the Lord’s ceiling - has dem-
onstrated to us that neither the place, nor the day have been chosen randomly.

The Place

Thus, for the Chicago place: God is reminding us of his displeasure for the un-
healthy policies of the former Illinois senator, now president of the United Sta-
tes, Barack Hussein Obama. These policies have targeted constantly the most
blessed country on earth, which the Almighty – still – loves and protects. It is
also a reminder to the (lefty) Chicagoans of their ugly manners and despicable
reception they had prepared in their Windy City for the Republican presidential
candidate. On March 11, they brutally infringed Trump’s constitutional right to
free speech by blocking his rally in the city.

This did not prevent Trump from easily winning the Illinois primary on the fo-
llowing Tuesday, March 15, exactly five months before the Divine Sign. Indeed,
God sees and takes care.

The Time

As for the date, rare are the days of the year loaded with so much religious sig-
nificance and variety of human events as August 15. Let us review some of them.
A few are related to the acute problems that concern the American society of to-
day...

-  the Assumption of Mary,  one of the most important Christian feast days and
holidays; according to some sources,  Mary’s death occurred 11 years after the
death – in 30 A.D. - of her son, Jesus (in 41 A.D.);

- the beginning of the Arab-Byzantine wars (in 636);

- the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople (in 718);

- the foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the
Three Wise Men, is laid (in 1248);

- the end of the Byzantine Empire, as a result of the Ottoman victory in Tre-
bizond (in 1461);

- the Sistine Chapel is consecrated by Pope Sixtus IV (in 1480);

- Paraguay's capital city of Asunción (the Assumption) is founded (in 1537);

- The Battle of Fort Dearborn (now Chicago) is fought between the U.S. troops
and Potawatomi, during the Anglo-American War (in 1812);

- the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral (Our Lady of Peace) in continuous use
in the United States is dedicated in Honolulu, Hawaii (in 1843);

- the Panama Canal opens to traffic (in 1914);

- coincidentally or not, my maternal grandmother, called Maria, is born on the
Assumption Day, also known (in her native Romania) as the Falling Asleep of
the Blessed Virgin Mary (in 1915);

- The Wizard of Oz premieres in Los Angeles (in 1939);

- effective surrender of Japan in World War II (in 1945);

- the birth of stadium rock, with The Beatles playing to 60,000 fans at Shea
Stadium in New York City (in 1965);

- The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in upstate New York (in 1969);

- a radio telescope operated by Ohio University, The Big Ear, receives a radio
signal from deep space, named “Wow! Signal” from the notations made on the
project (in 1977).

The Identity

In case anybody still doubts the significance of the Divine Sign, take another
look at the profiles of Earthly Donald and Heavenly Donald. They are…
I-DEN-TI-CAL!



TIBERIU DIANU is a scholar and author of several books and articles in law and post-
communist societies. He studied law, human rights, and criminal justice at the univer-
sities of Bucharest (Romania), Strasbourg (France), Oxford and Manchester (U.K.), Am-
erican University (Washington, DC),  and University of Maryland at College Park (Ma-
ryland). He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he works for various government 
and private agencies.

The opinions expressed in the preceding article are those of those of the author alone and do not 

necessarily represent the views of The Puerto Rico Monitor, its contributors, editors or advertisers.

Puerto Rico News Digest For August 11, 2016

GOV'T TO HAVE FISCAL PLAN READY FOR BOARD

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla confirmed Tuesday that his admi-
nistration will have a new fiscal plan ready shortly after the federal fiscal over-
sight board is “appointed and operational.” The seven-member board, which is
a component of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stabil-
ity Act (PROMESA), should be appointed by Sept. 15, when the García-Padilla
administration expects to “hit the ground running in complying with PROME-
SA’s requirements,” he said speaking to reporters and experts who took part in
a special one-day seminar entitled “What’s next for Puerto Rico?” hosted by the
Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
in Manhattan..."

MAN MURDERED IN CANOVANAS

Police are investigating the murder of a man whose bullet-riddled body was
found Wednesday morning in the San Isidro district of  Canóvanas. Police fo-
und the deceased man on Calle #1 at around 5:09 AM yesterday. He has been
described as dark-skinned and approximately 30 to 35 years of age. At the time
of this writing, he was yet to be identified.

NPP BLASTS BERNIER OVER PERFORMANCE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"For the second consecutive day, the leadership of the New Progressive Party
(NPP) has fi red its canons against the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) candi-
date David Bernier considering him unqualified “for his lack of capacity as se-
cond in command.” “The poor performance and the lack of ability to achieve
results characterize the record of David Bernier in his governmental work and
it is the best example of the negligence with which Puerto Rico has been gov-
erned,” said Miguel Romero, NPP Senate candidate for the district of San Juan..."

COLISEUM OF PR ANNOUNCES RECORD YEAR

From Caribbean Business:

"SMG, manager of the Coliseo of Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot, announ-
ced fiscal 2015-2016 as one of the most successful years in the 12 years of its
existence. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, Coliseo de Puerto Rico hos-
ted 103 events, which accounted for a total attendance of more than 700,000
guests and more than $35 million in gross ticket sales. The Coliseo de Puerto
Rico is ranked #13th in the world in Pollstar’s mid-year 2016 rankings of Top
100 arenas worldwide..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For August 3, 2016

DUMPS HELP PROPAGATE ZIKA MOSQUITOS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The Zika epidemic has rapidly expanded in Puerto Rico but the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) still refuses to close out-of-compliance land-
fills that are cauldrons of cultivation for mosquitoes that could transmit the dis-
ease. This makes the federal agency partly responsible for the rapid propagati-
on of the epidemic, said the community group Puerto Rico Limpio. The Puer-
to Rico Health Department announced last Friday that the number of Zika ca-
ses had taken off to nearly 7,300 with more than 1,700 reported in one day in
July. Despite a citizens’ campaign for several months demanding that the EPA
close municipal landfills that have not complied with federal laws for more
than a decade, the agency has refused to take measures..."

     

CIDRE PROPOSES FISCAL RESTRUCTURING PLAN

From Caribbean Business:

"Entrepreneur Manuel Cidre presented Tuesday a restructuring plan for Puer-
to Rico that includes consolidating the island’s 78 municipalities into eight re-
gions to achieve depoliticization and increase efficiency by eliminating dupli-
cate efforts and services. The independent gubernatorial candidate said his pl-
an can achieve a $340 million savings, or about $100 million more than the go-
vernment’s annual contribution to municipalities for their operation. His propo-
sal, he added, is based on scientific evidence obtained through local talent who
have studied the matter of restructuring of the government..."

BACO CONFIRMED AS INTERIM GDP PREZ

From News Is My Business:

"Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Alberto Bacó will take on
an additional role in Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla’s cabinet effective Monday,
when he started as acting President of the Government Development Bank. The
Board of Directors of the GDB approved the appointment unanimously on Sun-
day afternoon. Bacó’s incursion into the GDB is not new, given that part of his
role at Economic Development has called for sitting on the GDB’s board since
2013..."

PR CERTIFIES FIRST CANNABIS DOCTOR

From Culture Magazine:

"Dr. Michael Soler is the first medical doctor on the island of Puerto Rico to get
licensed to prescribe patients medical cannabis. In order to legally obtain medical
cannabis, patients must have at least one of 14 qualifying conditions, which inclu-
de Alzheimer’s, cancer, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, HIV, migraines, persistent mus-
cle spasms, severe nausea, etc.  It was by coincidence Dr. Soler became the first doc-
tor permitted to prescribe cannabis to patients. He stated in an interview that his in-
volvement as a trailblazing cannabis doctor, “was a coincidence...I completed all my
requirements and submitted all my documents in a timely manner and I became the
first one..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For July 29, 2016

TWO MURDERS REPORTED THIS MORNING

As reported by El Nuevo Día, two separate murders were registered in Puer-

to Rico this morning, with the first one occuring at around 12:52 AM at the 

Placita de Santurce in San Juan. After callers reported shots heard in the vic-

inity, Police found the body of 44-year old Mario Díaz Pérez, whose body was 

riddled with bullets. The second killing occured at around 8:11 AM this morn-

ing in the Barahona sector of Morovis, on Road PR-633. Police have yet to id-

entify the victim or release any other information. 

TROPICAL WAVE TO BRING WEEKEND RAIN

From Caribbean Business:

"The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami says a tropical wave, loca-

ted about 1200 miles east of the Lesser Antilles is moving westward at about 

25 mph. The associated shower activity is poorly organized, “and given the 

fast motion of the system any development should be slow to occur..." The 

chance of it forming into a tropical cyclone through the next 48 hours is low 

at 20 percent. Its formation chance through five days is still considered low 

but rises to 30 percent..."

PIP CANDIDATE DEFENDS PUBLIC EDUCATION

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) gubernatorial candidate María de
Lourdes Santiago said Wednesday that as part of her electoral proposal, pu-
blic education must become the great democratizing element  and the most
important investment of a society in which public schools are faced with a
systematic campaign of discrediting and abandonment. “The public Depart-
ment of Education has been the object of a systematic campaign of discredi-
ting to pave the way for privatization,” Santiago said in a press conference
at PIP headquarters in Hato Rey, in which she told of a shortage of materials
and books despite a $3.2 billion budget..."

TREASURY REPORTS 2% REVENUE INCREASE

From News Is My Business:

"The Puerto Rico Treasury Department collected some $9.1 billion in reve-

nue for the General Fund during Fiscal 2016, exceeding Fiscal 2015 numbers 

by $214.4 million or 2.4 percent, agency Secretary Juan Zaragoza-Gómez said. 

The increase was much greater considering that last year, there were revenues 

from legislative measures of nearly $468 million that were not recurrent for FY 

2015-16, he said. When comparing the revenue registered for the year to the re-

vised total estimate of $9.2 billion, the government achieved a 98.7 percent co-

llections rate..." 

Puerto Rico News Digest For July 11, 2016

ATHEISTS SUE EDUCATION DEPT OVER RELIGION

From Patheos:

"Ateístas de Puerto Rico has just filed a federal lawsuit against the island’s
Department of Education and several government individuals, claiming that
several schools held Christian religious ceremonies this past March in which
converting students was part of the goal...In one case, non-religious students
were “required to assist [at] the basketball court where the religious service
was being held.” When they didn’t want to participate, their teacher told them
they had to..."

PUERTO RICAN COP INJURED IN DALLAS ATTACK

From AP:

"Ivan Saldana was among the Dallas police officers directing traffic down-
town during the protest when the shots rang out. By Saturday, Saldana was
up walking around his home, recovering from a shrapnel wound to his right
leg. "Everything happened so quickly, but at the same time, everything was
so slow," Saldana, 44, told The Dallas Morning News...Saldana began his po-
lice career with the Guaynabo Police Department in Puerto Rico, where he is
from..."

UPR FIRES WALKER AS PRESIDENT

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Board of Governors fired President
Uroyoán Walker on Thursday, naming Dr. Celeste Freytes as interim presi-
dent of the institution. Walker was fi red after the board accepted the reco-
mmendations of an investigative subcommittee, which issued a vote of no-
confidence for Walker’s alleged favoritism in the irregular awarding of pre-
sidential scholarships last academic year..."

BERNABE CALLS FOR UNITY TO COMBAT CRISIS

From Caribbean Business:

"The gubernatorial candidate for the Working People’s Party (PPT by its Spa-
nish initials), Rafael Bernabe, on Sunday called for unity between workers and
community pharmacies in order to fight the crisis Puerto Rico is facing. Berna-
be said privatization policies “not only affect workers, but also small-business
people, including community pharmacies"...“Workers’ struggle  for better em-
ployment conditions in [both] the public and private sectors is the  same fight
and has the same enemy as small-business people do,” the candidate said dur-
ing his participation in a forum at the convention of the Puerto Rico Communi-
ty Pharmacies Association at the Ritz-Carlton, San Juan..."

Puerto Rico 2016 Primary Results

All results provided by the State Electoral Commission.


Democratic Primary

Updated 6/8/16

President

Hillary Clinton                51,862 votes       59.66%

Bernie Sanders              32,946 votes       37.90%

Rocky De La Fuente          300 votes         0.35%

96.42% of units reporting



Popular Democratic Party

Resident Commissioner

Hector Ferrer               88,487 votes      57.70%
Angel Rosa                  64,881 votes 42.30%


New Progressive Party

Governor

Ricardo Rosello               230,034 votes 51.08%
Pedro Pierluisi                 220,279 votes      48.92%


Resident Commissioner

Jenniffer Gonzalez               315,120 votes       70.56%
Carlos Pesquera                  131,469 votes       29.44%

The Puerto Rico Monitor Endorses Bernie Sanders For President

The Editor

The Democratic Party Presidential nomination caucuses in Puerto Rico take
place on June 5th. While residents of Puerto Rico can't vote in the Presidential
election, they can at least have a say in who gets to be the nominee for each of
the two major parties. Those Puerto Ricans who are planning on voting in the
Democratic primary would do well to use that voice to tell the Democrats that
Bernie Sanders needs to be their nominee.

Senator Sanders is the only candidate who is calling for real help for Puerto Rico
as it goes through its devastating financial crisis,and is also the only one who has
committed to really following through on the desires of the Puerto Rican people
regarding the island's relationship with the U.S., whether that turns out to be state-
hood or independence. He is also for instituting common-sense government pro-
grams that nearly every other industrialized country already has: universal health
care and free access to state colleges.

Unlike his primary opponent Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders is not owned by the
financial industry, and does not take their money. Also unlike Clinton, he is agai-
nst involving the US (and Puerto Rico) in more unnecessary wars. Senator Sand-
ers is the only candidate that makes sense, both for the mainland and for its lar-
gest colony. A vote for Sanders can spare us the insanity and instability of Donald
Trump and the calculating corruption of Hillary Clinton. He is truly a people's can-
didate who stands up for the little guy and the working class. His career in Congress
more than proves that.

“When people are suffering and hurting, you don’t continue to squeeze
them. We cannot allow Puerto Rico’s budget to be balanced on the backs
of the most vulnerable people – working families, veterans, the elderly,
children and the poor. It is not only morally wrong, it is also economically
unsustainable.”   — Bernie Sanders

For more information on Bernie Sanders' positions on Puerto Rico, go to https://berniesanders.com/issues/puerto-rico/. And for information on how to
participate in the Democratic caucus, email partidodemocratapr@gmail.com
or go to https://www.facebook.com/dpcpr/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/PRFor
Sanders/.

The May Edition of The 2016 Elections Puerto Rico Poll

Pasquines

As we promised after our initial poll, today we launch the May round
of our 2016 Elections Puerto Rico Poll. Our March edition proved to
be a success, in terms of gathering insight of the Puerto Rico electorate
looking to the June 5 primary of the New Progressive, Popular Democ-
ratic and Democratic parties. Due to the closeness of the primary, this
time we will be collecting responses in a shortened period, until May
30, after which we will release the results...[CONTINUE READING]

Finalist Donald Trump vs Semifinalist Hillary Clinton: There is Something Missing Here

Feature

TIBERIU DIANU


After the Indiana primaries, on May 3, 2016,  the Republican contender,
Donald Trump, has secured his “presumptive” party nomination for No-
vember general elections. However, not the same thing can be said about
Hillary Clinton. She, in spite of her ardent desire to compete with Trump
on the same national arena, could have not secured a similar position in
her Democratic party yet.

In other words, the Donald is already a general election finalist (from an
initial group of seventeen candidates), but Hillary is – still – a primary el-
ection semifinalist (from an initial group of… three). Trump has managed
to defeat 16 other Republicans, some of them with pedigree, and some of
them respected party rank-and-file members, like popular governors and
senators. While Hillary, in spite of her “inevitability” aura created by the
press, has managed to defeat only Martin O’Malley, who constantly sco-
red below 5% in all Democratic primaries. She, in her own words, could
not “close the deal” with Bernie Sanders. And still all we keep hearing is
about Trump vs. Clinton in the general elections. Is it just my reasoning or
am I missing something here?

Let us clarify some points. Hillary is not going to secure her party nomin-
ation anytime soon. First, Sanders keeps winning states (the last ones, West
Virginia on May 10, and Oregon on May 17), or breaks even (like in Ken-
tucky on the same May 17). He has already created a movement and, for su-
re, he wants to stick around for the July 25 Democratic Convention in Phila-
delphia. It will be interesting to see if this trend holds in the following – pre-
California (June 7) -- weeks, at the party elections in Washington (May 24),
Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico (June 4 and 5). Second, the ongoing FBI in-
vestigation of Clinton’s e-mails is still a powerful factor (some call it “a wild
card”). FBI recent interviews include Clinton’s long-time aide Huma Abedin,
and the Romanian notorious hacker Marcel Lazar, aka Guccifer, extradited in
April from Romania to the U.S.

Therefore, until there is a clear Democratic Party challenger, Trump’s disco-
urse should focus on his policies for the country and restrain from personal
attacks against Hillary. She is not even worth of such attention. She is just a
semifinalist. When she earns the honor of being a finalist, then she is entitled
to ‘personal attacks” against her challenger. I just cannot envision, like in any
sports or competition of any kind, why a loud-mouthed semifinalist like Hill-
ary is given the right to skip stages and, at least on the discourse level, offe-
red the free ride of “competing” for a tournament which she has not qualified
herself in yet.


Tiberiu Dianu is a legal scholar, book author, graduate of the American  University Washington 
College of Law in Washington, DC, the University of Manchester Faculty of Law in Manchester, 
UK, and an exchange scholar of the Oxford University in Oxford, UK. He currently lives in Wa-
shington, DC and works for various government and private agencies. The opinions expressed in 
the preceding article do not necessarily reflect those of The Puerto Rico Monitor, its editors or 
advertisers.

Puerto Rico News Digest For May 19, 2016

AGP DECLARES ROAD AGENCY EMERGENCY

From ABC News:

"Puerto Rico's governor on Wednesday again used a state of emergency 

decree to protect one of the island's struggling public agencies from law

-suits and preserve dwindling liquidity as the U.S. Congress works on a 

bill to restructure the island's $70 billion public debt. The order allows Pu-

erto Rico's Highways and Transportation Authority to suspend the transfer 

of toll revenues to bondholders and imposes a stay on legal claims, Gov. 

Alejandro Garcia Padilla said. That will allow the government to pay con-

tractors and avoid paralyzing safety and improvement projects, he said..."

TOWNS WASTE $35M ON VANITY PROJECTS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The Office of the Comptroller said Tuesday that in a period of six years
more than $35 million has been squandered in municipal works and proj-
ects that are not used by the public. The data comes from 35 different si-
tuations in 17 municipalities between 2011 and 2016, according to Inter
News Service. In the municipalities of Culebra, Luquillo, Naranjito and
Vieques, $27.3 million was spent for activity centers, and in Aibonito,
Culebra, Peñuelas, Rincón and Río Grande, $2.3 million was spent for
recreation areas, and in Gurabo, Santa Isabel and Vega Baja, $1.2 million
was spent for the installation of monuments, structures and bronze plaques..."

BILL CLINTON STUMPS FOR WIFE IN PR

From Caribbean Business:

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton promised Puerto Ricans on Tuesday
that his wife, Hillary Clinton, will fight for equal treatment of the econo-
mically struggling island if she’s elected president. He also said she backs
immediate action to restructure the island’s $70 billion public debt as the
local government warns it is running out of money for essential services...
Clinton visited the island ahead of the June 5 primary, and officials say the
Democratic presidential candidate herself will come before the vote. Verm-
ont Sen. Bernie Sanders visited on Monday..."

PR LOSES MAJOR CONVENTION TO ZIKA

From News Is My Business:

"The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) conf-
irmed Tuesday the cancellation of its upcoming convention slated to take pla-
ce in San Juan, due to concerns related to the Zika virus, Akram Atallah, first
president of ICANN’s global domains division, said. It is the second consecu-
tive event the organization in charge of coordinating the maintenance and pro-
cedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the internet has relo-
cated this year over the mosquito-borne ailment. Earlier this year, ICANN ann-
ounced it was moving the ICANN56 convention from Panama City, Panama,
to Helsinki, Finland..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For May 16, 2016

BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGNS IN PR

From Caribbean Business:

"The Vermont senator is expected to present an economic recovery plan for 

the island on Monday and talk about the crisis’ impact on its education and 

health systems. He will hold a town hall meeting at the Fundación Luis Mu-

ñoz Marín in San Juan at 9 a.m., go to the Juan Ponce de León School in Gu-

aynabo at 3 p.m. and then speak at an event at the University of Puerto Rico’s 

Río Piedras Campus at 7 p.m. His visit comes a day before former U.S. Presi-

dent Bill Clinton arrives to campaign for wife Hillary Clinton. The island “fa-

ces enormous problems,” with poverty and unemployment rates that are “much 

too high,” Bloomberg quoted the senator as saying. “And meanwhile, the vultu-

re capitalists on Wall Street are trying to get a hundred percent back on their 

bonds at a time when so many of the children and the people of this island are 

suffering...”

TEACHERS' UNION REJECTS EVALUATION PLAN

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Members of the National Union of Educators and Education Workers (UNE-
TE by its Spanish acronym) on Thursday rejected the agreement the Teachers
Association had reportedly arrived at with the secretary of Education with res-
pect to using the results of the META-PR tests to evaluate teachers. “Recent
statements by the secretary of Education indicated that he would impose a per-
centage -- around 20 percent -- of the evaluation of the teacher based on the re-
sults of the tests, and has the approval of the Teachers Association,” said Virgi-
lio Vázquez, librarian and vice president of UNETE. “This is unacceptable be-
cause the Association must not arrive at an agreement with management that
will be used to fire teachers.”

IBERIA REESTABLISHES DIRECT CONNECTION

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico government officials welcomed Sunday the return of Spanish air-

line Iberia, which has resumed direct flights after a three-year absence. Iberia 

has scheduled three weekly direct flights between Madrid and San Juan through 

October, which will represent an economic boost for the island of $21.2 million, 

Tourism Co. Executive Director Ingrid Rivera-Rocafort said..."

BELTRAN 3RD PR PLAYER TO HIT 400 RUNS

From ESPN:

"Carlos Beltran belted career home run No. 400 on Sunday afternoon, which put 

the New York Yankees slugger in some rare company. The 39-year-old became 

the 54th player in major league history to reach that milestone and just the fourth 

switch-hitter. He joined fellow Yankee Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Chipper 

Jones...Beltran is only the third Puerto Rico-born player to hit 400, along with Car-

los Delgado and Juan Gonzalez..."

The Puerto Rico Monitor Endorses Bernie Sanders For President

The Editor

The Democratic Party Presidential nomination primaries in Puerto Rico take
place on June 5th. While residents of Puerto Rico can't vote in the Presidential
election, they can at least have a say in who gets to be the nominee for each of
the two major parties. Those Puerto Ricans who are planning on voting in the
Democratic primary would do well to use that voice to tell the Democrats that
Bernie Sanders needs to be their nominee.

Senator Sanders is the only candidate who is calling for real help for Puerto Rico
as it goes through its devastating financial crisis,and is also the only one who has
committed to really following through on the desires of the Puerto Rican people
regarding the island's relationship with the U.S., whether that turns out to be state-
hood or independence. He is also for instituting common-sense government pro-
grams that nearly every other industrialized country already has: universal health
care and free access to state colleges.

Unlike his primary opponent Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders is not owned by the
financial industry, and does not take their money. Also unlike Clinton, he is agai-
nst involving the US (and Puerto Rico) in more unnecessary wars. Senator Sand-
ers is the only candidate that makes sense, both for the mainland and for its lar-
gest colony. A vote for Sanders can spare us the insanity and instability of Donald
Trump and the calculating corruption of Hillary Clinton. He is truly a people's can-
didate who stands up for the little guy and the working class. His career in Congress
more than proves that.

“When people are suffering and hurting, you don’t continue to squeeze
them. We cannot allow Puerto Rico’s budget to be balanced on the backs
of the most vulnerable people – working families, veterans, the elderly,
children and the poor. It is not only morally wrong, it is also economically
unsustainable.”   — Bernie Sanders

For more information on Bernie Sanders' positions on Puerto Rico, go to https://berniesanders.com/issues/puerto-rico/. And for information on how to
participate in the Democratic caucus, email partidodemocratapr@gmail.com
or go to https://www.facebook.com/dpcpr/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/PRFor
Sanders/.

Puerto Rico News Digest For May 5, 2016

DEMOCRATS PUSH FOR PR DEBT MEASURE

From Bloomberg:

"House Democrats are stepping up pressure on Republicans to advance legis-
lation addressing Puerto Rico’s worsening debt crisis by issuing a report ar-
guing that austerity cuts can’t be sustained and have made the island more
vulnerable to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Health-care cuts in response to
the $70 billion debt crisis have created a potentially “disastrous” outcome for
residents and show how further sharp reductions in government spending can’t
be a part of a legislative solution, according to the report released Wednesday
by Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee..."

TAXI DRIVERS PROTEST UBER IN SAN JUAN

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The streets of San Juan were clogged with traffic Tuesday during a protest
carried out by taxi drivers against the possible arrival on the island of the com-
panies Uber and Lyft. The demonstration, organized by the Puerto Rico Fede-
ration of Taxis, began Tuesday morning at Luis Muñoz Marín International Air-
port in Isla Verde and proceeded to the Capitol in San Juan. Juan de León, pre-
sident of the federation, said the protest took place because the government so-
ught to “leave behind a sector that has been growing with the development of
our country and has contributed to the treasury to allow the entrance of com-
panies that take out money and don’t contribute anything...”

FEDS WANT PIERLUISI TO RETURN MONEY

From Caribbean Business:

"The Federal Election Commission (FEC) wants Puerto Rico’s Resident Co-
mmissioner in Washington, Pedro Pierluisi, to return more than $91,000 in ge-
neral election donations to his reelection campaign for resident commissioner,
Politico magazine reported Wednesday. The FEC contends that, since Pierluisi
is retiring from his nonvoting position in Congress to run for Puerto Rico gover-
nor, there is no need for him to retain those funds. The Office of Electoral Comp-
troller in San Juan, which oversees campaign fundraising, has also begun an in-
vestigation into Pierluisi’s gubernatorial campaign, specifically whether he rai-
sed money from Wall Street executives and lobbyists without reporting it, Poli-
tico said..."

PR IRKED BY BASEBALL SERIES UNCERTAINTY

From The Tribune-Review:

"Puerto Rico officials on Wednesday expressed indignation over the potential
cancellation of a Pittsburgh versus Miami baseball series scheduled on the is-
land, saying concerns about the Zika virus are overblown. Calling off the ga-
mes would be disrespectful to the family of the late Pirates star Roberto Cle-
mente and, more importantly, could cost the cash-strapped U.S. territory mi-
llions of dollars in lost revenue, lawmakers and tourism officials said. “It's an
outrageous situation,” Rep. Angel Matos, head of the tourism commission for
Puerto Rico's House of Representatives, told the Tribune-Review..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For May 2, 2016

PR DEFAULTS ON GDB PAYMENT 

From Caribbean Business:

"In a televised message Sunday, Gov. Alejandro García Padilla announced
he has declared a moratorium on the Government Development Bank’s (GDB)
debt service, as the commonwealth stands ready to partially default on as much
as $270 million due May 2 on the bank’s debt. The cash-strapped institution
would have faced a $400 million payment on principal, with an additional $22
million in interest. But during the past few days, the GDB pushed maturity on
roughly $30 million after reaching a deal with local credit unions, followed by
an agreement struck with a creditor group to enter into a 30-day forbearance
agreement that would cover more than $100 million of the bank’s May payment.
The GDB already stated it will pay about $22 million in interest due May 2, as
well as roughly more than $40 million in debt payments across other common-
wealth credits that also hit on Monday..."

FIRST ZIKA DEATH REPORTED IN PR

From The Guardian:

The first American has died from complications related to the Zika virus,
health officials with the Centers for Disease Control reported late Friday.
A Puerto Rican man in his 70s died in February from “complications re-
lated to severe thrombocytopenia”, the CDC reported in its Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report. The man, from the San Juan area, fell ill with the
Zika virus and experienced symptoms including fever, rash and joint pain.
After recovering from the Zika symptoms, the man then developed immu-
ne thrombocytopenic purpura, or ITP, an autoimmune disorder that has been
linked to the virus. The bleeding disorder that killed him was as a side-effect
of the ITP..."

BERNIER CALLS FOR IVA REPEAL

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President and gubernatorial candidate Da-
vid Bernier on Thursday called on the PDP majority in the Legislature to pass
legislation to repeal the value-added tax (IVA by its Spanish acronym) slated
to go into effect in June. “To permit an increase in the value-added tax would
hurt the pocketbooks of our people and the operations of our businesses,” Ber-
nier said. “The responsible thing at this time is that the Legislature act to pre-
vent the IVA and the increase in the B2B [business-to-business tax] from being
enacted in final form.”

Pierluisi Trounces Rossello In 2016 Primaries Pasquines Poll

by William-Jose Velez

Pasquines

Pedro Pierluisi managed to turn out more supporters for the 2016 Elections
Puerto Rico March-April Poll, easily defeating opponent Ricardo Rossello.
That said turnout from New Progressive Party affiliates was comparatively
low, in comparison to Popular Democratic Party supporters, which indicates
the results are likely not as accurate as we would have hoped for. Only NPP
affiliates were asked the question of which gubernatorial NPP candidate they
would choose in the primary, and 166...[CONTINUE READING]

Puerto Rico News Digest For April 26, 2016

HHS CHIEF TO VISIT PR, ADDRESS ZIKA

From The Washington Times:

"President Obama’s top health official will visit Puerto Rico this week to
get a firsthand look at how the island is combating the Zika virus, a trip
that coincides with Senate efforts to partially fund President Obama $1.9
billion request for emergency funding to stave off the mosquito-borne ill-
ness. On a two-day trip, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Ma-
thews Burwell will meet with Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla,
tour a blood bank and personally urge pregnant women and those of child-
bearing age to protect themselves against mosquito bites that could lead to
infection..."

PIP DENOUNCES DNA TESTING OF ACTIVISTS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

The vice president and secretary general of the Puerto Rico Independence
Party (PIP) María de Lourdes Santiago and Juan Dalmau, respectively, con-
demned late last week the arrest of independence party activists by the FBI
to take DNA samples from them... The denunciation from both PIP leaders
came after reports circulated through social and mass media of the arrests of
Orlando González Claudio and Norberto Cintrón Fiallo after federal José Fus-
té issued orders against 16 independence activists to provide their DNA..."

TREASURY PAYS VENDOR, PRIMARIES TO PROCEED

From Caribbean Business:

"State Election Commission President Liza M. García announced that the
Treasury Department has paid its $1.6 million balance with Dominion Vo-
ting Systems, which is providing electronic vote count equipment for Puerto
Rico’s Ju- ne 5 primaries. Dominion Voting machine“We are pleased with
[Secretary] Juan Zaragoza’s engagement with suppliers and because the two
checks emitted have settled the remaining balance with Dominion Voting
Systems for this fiscal year,” the official said..."

PR RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS IN JUNE

From News Is My Business:

"The 5th edition of “Puerto Rico Restaurant Week” will take place June
1-11, when premier restaurants will offer specially designed three course
dinner and/or lunch menus at a fixed price. These “prix fixe” menus are
the cornerstone of the event, that seeks to get foodies to try new establish-
ments and revisit old favorites, enticed by affordable multiple course me-
nus. The menu is set at either $28 or $38 for dinner and $20 for lunch, ex-
cluding beverages, tax, and tip. There are no tickets for the event, but re-
servations are required and must be booked directly with participating
restaurants.."