Commission Announces Activities Program to Commemorate National Citizens Ethics Day

Commission Announces Activities Program to Commemorate National Citizens Ethics Day
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  4/23/2012

The Permanent Commission for the Celebration of National Citizens Ethics Day announced its activities program to be undertaken between April 23-27 in honor of Ulises Francisco Espaillat, sworn in as President of the Dominican Republic on April 29, 1876, marking an historical precedent under a patriotic, honest, progressive and democratic government.

With this presidential decree, April 29th was therefore institutionalized as National Citizens Ethics Day. It was established that, each year, the commission will put together a program of activities to remember this historical date.

The commission is made up of the ministries of Education, which is presiding over it, the Ministry of Culture, Higher Education and Technology (MESCyT in Spanish), the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Civic Education Consortium, the Permanent Commission for Patriotic Celebrations (CPEP in Spanish), the Academy of History and the Coalition for Transparency and Institutionalism. The Commission for the Celebration of National Citizens Ethics Day was created under Decree 252-05 by President Leonel Fernández on April 18, 2005.

With this presidential decree, April 29th was therefore institutionalized as National Citizens Ethics Day. It was established that, each year, the commission will put together a program of activities to remember this historical date.

The program was made public by the Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel, at a press conference in the Ercilia Pepín Hall of the Ministry of Education (MINERD in Spanish). Ms. Pimentel was accompanied by representatives of the institutions that make up the Commission for the Celebration of National Citizens Ethics Day.

Minister Pimentel said the activities will begin on Tuesday April 24 with a workshop on “Ethics among Public Servants” which will be given to members of the MINERD Ethics Commission. The workshop will be held in the Fuensanta Muñoz Hall of the Instituto Superior de Formación Docente (ISFODOSU). On this same day at 6:00 pm, historian Mu Kien Sang Beng will give the Utopia of Thymos conference in the Education Ministry’s pavilion of the International Book Fair.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday the 25th, Monsignor Francisco José Arnaiz will offer Mass in the Catedral Primada de América, at 10:00 am. At 5:00 pm, Héctor Luis Martínez will give the “Ulises Francisco Espaillat in the Moral Revolution” Conference in the Museum of Modern Art auditorium.

On Thursday the 26 at 9:30 am, there will be a laying of wreaths simultaneously in the Pantheon of the Patria on Las Damas Street in the Colonial Zone as well as at the bust of Espaillat, in Santiago, across from the Espaillat Pharmacy.

Then, at 5:00 pm in the Culture Hall of the National Theater, Juan Daniel Balcácer, president of the CPEP, will give a conference entitled “Ulises Francisco Espaillat: The Martyr President.”

The activities program will end on Friday the 27th with the inauguration of the National Meeting of Civic Educators to be held in the auditorium of the PUCMM, in Santo Domingo, at 8:30 am. The closing act, in the same venue, will include an artistic presentation given by the National Lyrical Company under the direction of Ondina Matos.

The Minister of Education said the program is a call to all Dominicans to reflect on the ethical and moral values that rule society, linking them to the importance of the most honest and just actions that should be part of the state of rights and obligations.

Pimentel urged institutions participating in the Commission to spread the word and to participate in the planned events. This call also went out to students and teachers of private as well as public schools as a way of strengthening the commitment to lead their lives in keeping with the norms of ethics, justice and equity.

Meanwhile, Dr. Marino Vinicio Castillo, president of the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (CNECC in Spanish), said that announcing these activities in honor of Ulises Francisco Espaillat constitutes a huge challenge in getting the message out and penetrating the national consciousness. He said this is so because the times we live in are volatile and difficult and there are abundant signs of worldwide decomposition and dangers which have reached the Dominican community.

Mu Kien San Beng, secretary of the Consultative Consortium of Civic Education, also spoke at the press conference. In addition to the Minister of Education at the press conference were Víctor Hugo Deláncer, representing Ligia Amada Melo, Minister of Culture, Higher Education and Technology and Juan Daniel Balcácer, president of the Permanent Commission for Patriotic Celebrations.


Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel, speaking at the press conference about the program of activities being organized for the Celebration of National Citizens Ethics Day. From left to right: Mu Kien San Beng, Dr. Marino Vinicio Castillo, Juan Daniel Balcácer and Víctor Hugo Deláncer.