Earlier this month we received a letter I want to share with you. It comes from the communities of Monte Rojo, Sabana, Barrancolí and Loma de la Piña in Samaná, it is dated 31 August 2026, and it thanks Samana Group for helping improve the access road that connects them with the main Samaná–Las Galeras highway.
I am not sharing it to congratulate ourselves. I am sharing it because it is rare to see a principle turn into something people use every single day, and this one did.
What the letter says
The letter is addressed to Samaná Group, S.R.L. through our head of legal, Ronald Báez, and it is signed by Lic. Emilio De Peña Miguel on behalf of the four communities. In short:
- It thanks us for our collaboration on the work to improve and repair the access road that links the communities with the Samaná–Las Galeras highway.
- It says the work directly improves traffic conditions and makes daily travel easier for resident families, agricultural producers, landowners, workers and other people who use the road.
- It singles out Ronald for his receptiveness, willingness and collaboration in making the contribution possible.
- It expresses the hope that cooperation between business and the communities keeps growing for the economic and social development of the municipality.
You can read the full text, in the original Spanish and in English, at the end of this post.
Why a road matters
When people think about development they picture buildings. In rural areas the thing that usually decides daily life is much more basic: whether you can get from where you live to where you need to be. A farmer getting produce out, a worker getting to a job, a family getting to a doctor or a school. All of it depends on the road, and a road that is hard to use quietly taxes everyone who relies on it.
That is why this letter means more to me than many things we have built. It is not about a project of ours. It is about something the neighbours use daily.
The principle behind it
One of the principles written into the governing framework of the Samaná Landbank Trust is that 10% of profits go back to the local communities. It is easy to put a sentence like that in a document. It is much harder, and much more valuable, to see it become something tangible that people can point to.
I believe a developer who wants to build for the long term in a place like Samaná cannot treat the surrounding communities as a backdrop. They are neighbours, they are the people who work with us and, in many cases, the people who were here long before us. If we want what we build to last, it has to make their lives better too, and they have to be able to see it.
Real work, real local value
Not a principle on paper, but real work creating real local value. That is the standard I want us to be held to, and a letter like this is one of the best ways to check whether we are meeting it. Thank you to the communities of Monte Rojo, Sabana, Barrancolí and Loma de la Piña for taking the time to write, and to Lic. Emilio De Peña Miguel for representing them. And thank you to Ronald and everyone on our team who made this happen.
We also posted about the letter on Instagram, where the English version is on the second slide: see the post on Samana Group’s Instagram.
The letter
Original (Spanish)
Samaná, República Dominicana
31 de agosto de 2026Señores:
SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L.
Vía: Lic. RONALD BÁEZ
Su despacho.-Asunto: Carta de agradecimiento por colaboración en beneficio de las comunidades. –
Distinguido señores:
Por medio de la presente, quienes representamos a las comunidades de Monte Rojo, Sabana, Barrancolí y Loma de la Piña, tenemos a bien expresar nuestro más sincero y profundo agradecimiento a la sociedad comercial SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L., por la valiosa colaboración brindada para contribuir con los trabajos de acondicionamiento y reparación de la vía de acceso que comunica nuestras comunidades con la carretera principal Samaná–Las Galeras.
La colaboración realizada constituye un aporte de gran importancia para nuestras comunidades, ya que contribuye directamente al mejoramiento de las condiciones de tránsito y facilita el desplazamiento de las familias residentes, productores agrícolas, propietarios de terrenos, trabajadores y demás ciudadanos que diariamente utilizan esta importante vía de comunicación.
Este gesto de solidaridad y responsabilidad social demuestra el compromiso de SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L. con el desarrollo de las comunidades de Samaná y con aquellas iniciativas dirigidas a mejorar la calidad de vida de sus habitantes.
De manera especial, hacemos extensivo nuestro agradecimiento al Lic. Ronald Báez, por su receptividad, disposición y colaboración para hacer posible este importante aporte.
En nombre de las comunidades beneficiadas, reiteramos nuestro reconocimiento y gratitud a SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L., esperando que este espíritu de cooperación entre el sector empresarial y nuestras comunidades continúe fortaleciéndose en beneficio del desarrollo económico y social de nuestro municipio.
Sin otro particular, y reiterándole nuestros sentimientos de consideración, respeto y agradecimiento, se despide,
Muy atentamente,
LIC. EMILIO DE PEÑA MIGUEL
En representación de las comunidades beneficiadas
Monte Rojo – Sabana – Barrancolí – Loma de la Piña
Samaná, República Dominicana
English translation
Samaná, Dominican Republic
31 August 2026To:
SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L.
Via: Lic. RONALD BÁEZ
Attention.-Subject: Letter of appreciation for collaboration for the benefit of the communities. –
Dear Sirs:
By means of this letter, we who represent the communities of Monte Rojo, Sabana, Barrancolí and Loma de la Piña wish to express our most sincere and profound gratitude to the company SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L. for the valuable collaboration provided in support of the work to improve and repair the access road that connects our communities with the main Samaná–Las Galeras highway.
This collaboration is a contribution of great importance for our communities, as it directly contributes to better traffic conditions and makes it easier for resident families, agricultural producers, landowners, workers and other citizens who use this important route every day to get around.
This gesture of solidarity and social responsibility demonstrates the commitment of SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L. to the development of the communities of Samaná and to initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life of their residents.
We extend our special thanks to Lic. Ronald Báez for his receptiveness, willingness and collaboration in making this important contribution possible.
On behalf of the beneficiary communities, we reiterate our recognition and gratitude to SAMANÁ GROUP, S.R.L., hoping that this spirit of cooperation between the business sector and our communities continues to grow stronger for the benefit of the economic and social development of our municipality.
Without further ado, and reiterating our sentiments of consideration, respect and gratitude, we take our leave,
Sincerely,
LIC. EMILIO DE PEÑA MIGUEL
On behalf of the beneficiary communities
Monte Rojo – Sabana – Barrancolí – Loma de la Piña
Samaná, Dominican Republic
Leave a Reply