Orlando Jorge Mera

Orlando Jorge Mera (22 November 1966 – 6 June 2022) was a Dominican Republic politician, television host and producer, environmental manager, and lawyer, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources from 2020 until his assassination in 2022. He previously served as Director-General of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications. He was a member of the Modern Revolutionary Party.

Early life and education Orlando Jorge Mera was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic on 22 November 1966. His parents were Salvador Jorge Blanco and Asera Altagracia Mera Checo, President and First Lady of the Dominican Republic from 1982 to 1986.

From 2000 to 2004, during the Hipólito Mejía administration, he served as Director-General of the (INDOTEL), the country's regulatory body for telecommunications.

Also in 2004, he began producing and hosting his weekly talk show Líderes TV (Leaders TV). He analyzed current national and international issues and interviewed newsmakers and government leaders on television every Sunday morning for more than 18 years.

He was a member of the Dominican Revolutionary Party and served as its general secretary. Upon taking office, he vowed to work for the "responsible use of natural resources, to protect ecosystems and slash pollution", with a focus on enforcement of rules and regulations. Jorge Mera was shot to death in his office at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Santo Domingo on 6 June 2022. Cruz confessed to a local priest after killing Jorge Mera and was arrested in the church. They were childhood friends, since Cruz's father, Major General Fausto Miguel Cruz, was a leader in the Dominican Air Force during the presidency of Jorge Blanco, Jorge Mera's father.

Dominican President Luis Abinader decreed three days of national mourning.

The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña de Antuña, acted as Minister of the Environment until the next minister was appointed by the President. His sister Dilia Leticia Jorge Mera is the Dominican Deputy Minister of Innovation, Transparency and Citizen Attention.

He was a noted beekeeper.