SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.- Cirilo Moronta did not allow the death of Francis Méndez to remain only a source of grief for relatives, friends and New York listeners.
The overseas lawmaker brought the veteran broadcaster’s name to the floor of the Chamber of Deputies and asked legislators to observe a minute of silence in his memory. The request was accepted, and the chamber rose to honor one of the Dominican voices that accompanied the immigrant community in the United States for decades.
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The gesture carried meaning beyond protocol.
Moronta represents the First Overseas District, which includes New York and other states in the northeastern United States, as well as cities in Canada. That same community turned Francis Méndez into a recognized figure in Hispanic radio for much of his career.
The Chamber of Deputies officially identifies Cirilo Ustasio Moronta Then as a lawmaker for the Modern Revolutionary Party representing the First Overseas District.
By making the request, Moronta gave Méndez’s death an institutional dimension as well. Chamber President Alfredo Pacheco conveyed the request to the full body, and the deputies responded by standing for the minute of silence.
For Moronta, that kind of gesture fits a public career built over many years within New York’s Dominican community.
Long before reaching Congress, he argued that overseas lawmakers should maintain a more direct presence among Dominicans living in the United States. In 2016, during a campaign for an overseas seat, he publicly spoke of a “commitment to the Dominican community” and defended the need for political representation to remain connected to the diaspora’s real needs.
The same approach reappeared years later. In 2023, while again seeking a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, he proposed establishing an office in New York where overseas representatives could address community concerns more directly. At the time, he said there were needs that had gone without sufficient attention for too long.
As a lawmaker, his presence has remained connected to community activities in New York. In 2026, he joined local authorities and leaders in responding to a massive gathering announced for Dyckman Plaza, in an effort aimed at protecting residents and businesses in Upper Manhattan.
He also went personally to the Inwood area after a fire affected community families, expressing solidarity with the victims and offering immediate support.
Only days before Francis Méndez’s death, Moronta also attended the opening of a softball tournament in the Bronx, where he reaffirmed his support for sports and Dominican youth abroad.
That history helps explain the gesture he made this week in Santo Domingo.
Francis Méndez built much of his career among the Dominicans whom Moronta represents in Congress. His voice was tied to New York radio, high-audience programs and a generation of immigrants who found in Hispanic media a way to keep their connection with the Dominican Republic alive.
When news of his death arrived, Moronta used his legislative position to carry that grief into the most important institutional setting for Dominican popular representation.
For one minute, the debates stopped.
At the center of the chamber stood the name of Francis Méndez, placed there by a lawmaker who turned the loss of a diaspora figure into a tribute from the entire National Congress.
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