The general director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), Juan Manuel Mendez, He indicated on his social networks that in “the next few hours” will make a “momentous announcement.”
Through a publication on his Instagram account, where he shows an image where his name appears among the officials “top rated” of the cabinet of the Government of Luis Abinader, the retired general stated that the announcement will have repercussions “in the present and future.”
“I ask God for humility so that pride never takes over my mind and heart. It is time to make important decisions, I know that they will impact the present, but they will be the basis and foundations of a future for those who believe in me. There is no turning back, in a few hours I will announce my decision,” Méndez said on the social network.
Several months ago, after the launch of the Easter 2026 operation, Méndez had indicated that he wanted this to be the last one under his direction, after 29 years of service in the institution.
“We must make way for new promises, new young promises who have the strength and wisdom to give continuity to the work we have been developing, because that is not Méndez’s,” he stated on that occasion, exclaiming that he trusts that President Abinader understands his decision.
Already last year, Méndez had indicated that he wishes to retire from the direction of the COE for health reasons and the need to dedicate more time to his family and that he had already communicated his intentions to ministers José Ignacio Paliza and Andrés Bautista.
So far it is unknown if Méndez’s announcement would have to do with political aspirations for the next electoral process.
