DR1 Daily News - Thursday, 28 July 2016

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Back to school on 22 August 2016
MIC: RD$18 billion to small business over four years
New earthquake building vulnerability test lab
ProConsumidor offices at Cibao and Las Americas airports
Yaque del Norte River to get a cleanup
Barahona beaches get cleanup
Travel permits for minors now available only online
UN reports ?serious setbacks? regarding abortions
DR now exports to 150 countries
Pagan of OISOE confirms delays in public hospital renovations
Senate rejects bill for free access to beaches
Services restored at La Isabela Airport
Collado seeks advice of Enrique Penalosa of Bogota
DR is a hot country in more ways than one
Expo Cibao set for September 2016
Merengue at JetSet Club
Chris Brown concert cancelled



Back to school on 22 August 2016
The Ministry of Education announced the official start date for the public schools in the Dominican Republic is 22 August 2016, for an estimated 2 million students. Education Minister Carlos Amarante Baret said this year one out of every three classrooms is newly built, a result of part the massive school construction plan under the Medina administration.
Amarante said that last year the Ministry invested RD$19 billion in school construction and RD$3 billion in teacher training. Around 4,000 school principals are also participating in school administration courses. He observed that when a school director is good, the school is good and takes a leadership position in the community.
Amarante said the biggest challenge is the retraining of school teachers. He says over the past four years, the government has provided 213,000 scholarships for 87,000 public school teachers. He explained taht they are in the middle of the difficult task of evaluating the preparedness of 89,000 teachers, staff and directors of public schools.
While the Association of Public School Teachers is asking for a 25% wage increase for teachers across the board, the Minister countered saying that the goal is to award wage increases to teachers who pass the competency tests.
The Minister noted that elementary teachers can earn RD$43,000 per month and high school teachers can receive a monthly salary of RD$50,000. Both pay scales include incentives for the completion of a college degree and based on years in service and performance in the classroom.
He also announced that the school construction program will continue nationwide. Most of the schools under construction will offer instruction to students from 8am to 4pm.
http://elnacional.com.do/ministro-educacion-anuncia-ano-escolar-inicia-el-22-de-agosto/
http://eldia.com.do/543778-2/

MIC: RD$18 billion to small business over four years
Industry and Commerce Minister Jose Del Castillo Savinon highlights that the Medina administration has provided support to some 283,000 micro, small and medium businesses over the last four years. This support includes RD$18 billion in credit through the government-owned Banca Solidaria and Banreservas banks.
During an activity held 27 July 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Del Castillo Savi?on stressed that through the Reservas Foundation some RD$1.7 billion has been lent to 35 business associations.
The minister also revealed that the number of free zone industrial parks now in operation has grown from 51 to 65, and at the close of 2015 these industries accounted for 162,000 jobs representing an increase of 28% over 2011.
Free zone exports account for 55% of total exports, and 67% of exports when gold exports are excluded. He said free zone exports reached US$5.5 billion in 2015.
He spoke at the First Forum of Industry and Commerce and Small Business held on Wednesday, 27 July 2016.
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia...nes-de-rd-pertenece-a-zonas-francas-MK4480394

New earthquake building vulnerability test lab
The government inaugurated the Earthquake Resistant Engineering Laboratory, where diagnostic tests can be carried out to determine the vulnerability of buildings in the country. The new lab falls under the National Office for Earthquake Evaluation and Vulnerability (Onesvie).
The director of Onesvie, Freddy Santana Martinez, said the state of the art laboratory will carry out both destructive and non-destructive seismic tests. The equipment was donated by the Japanese government.
http://hoy.com.do/inauguran-laboratorio-evaluara-edificaciones-sobre-sismos/

ProConsumidor offices at Cibao and Las Americas airports
The Civil Aeronautics Board (JAC) and the Pro Consumer Agency (Proconsumidor) announced a working agreement to help make consumers more aware of their traveler rights and obligations. New booths are being set up at the Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo and the Cibao International Airport in Santiago.
The agreement was signed by the director of Pro Consumidor Anina del Castillo and the president of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Roger Jover.
Castillo and Jover explained the new service offers a platform where travelers can lodge their complaints. ?Passengers have rights and duties, the same as the airlines,? stated Del Castillo. An important aspect of the service is to address traveler complaints without engaging in the legal system.
http://acento.com.do/2016/actualida...-reclamos-usuarios-servicio-transporte-aereo/

Yaque del Norte River to get a cleanup
The Council for the Strategic Development of Santiago (CDES) and Santiago mayor-elect Abel Martinez announced initiatives to favor the Yaque del Norte River, the largest in the Dominican Republic and the second largest on the island. Carlos Fondeur Victoria, the CDES president, said several meetings have already been carried out to plan efforts to clean up the river during the upcoming Martinez administration.
Fondeur Victoria said: ?The time has come to take on the responsibility [of cleaning up the Yaque del Norte River] since we have lived for a long time with our backs turned to this important waterway.
Fondeur stressed the importance of the Yaque del Norte that provides drinking water and irrigation for large farming areas. He said today as the river passes through Santiago, it looks more like a sewer than a clean body of water. The river is clogged with vegetation and carries tons of plastic garbage down the Cibao Valley.
In length, the Yaque del Norte is only surpassed by the Artibonito River that flows from the Dominican highlands in the Central Mountain Range down into Haiti.

Barahona beaches get cleanup
The Ministry of Public Works has been at work cleaning up and conditioning several beaches in Barahona -- El Quemaito, Bahoruco, San Rafael, Los Patos and La Cienega.
A press release from the Ministry of Public Works says that the beaches were prepared to accommodate an expected increase in domestic tourism during the summer school vacation months.
Colonel Jacobo Matos Moquete, coordinator of the effort, says that so far more than 1,200 m? of refuse and plastic have been removed. Likewise, a hiking trail between the El Quemaito beach and Bahoruco beaches was prepared so that visitors can visit both beaches on foot.
The beach clean-up efforts are being coordinated with the local beach vendor associations.

Travel permits for minors now available only online
The Migration Agency (DGM) announces that as of 1 August 2016 authorizations for minors traveling without both parents and travel certificates will only be available online. The service seeks to reduce the cost for applicants, while saving time for all parties.
The DGM also announced new residence permit IDs are now being issued with integrated electronic chips. The new IDs are being issued when citizens and residents renew their expired IDs.
http://www.migracion.gob.do/sitev1/noticias/aviso-3/

UN reports ?serious setbacks? regarding abortions
A group of United Nations experts urges President Danilo Medina and legislators to repeal all restrictive legal provisions regarding abortion, especially in cases of risk to the health, including mental health, of the woman or girl, of rape and incest and malformation of fetus.
The appeal of the experts was made shortly after the Chamber of Deputies removed provisions in the Criminal Code that would partially decriminalize abortion in these cases. The deputies only left the option of abortion in the case when the life of a pregnant woman or girl was at risk.
In a statement issued on 27 July 2016, the UN experts state:
?In comparison with the text of the Criminal Code adopted in 2014, the new proposal to amend the Dominican Criminal Code constitutes a clear regression in women?s and girls? rights, especially to access safe healthcare services.?
?Denying women and girls? access to safe abortion services for health reasons, fetal impairment and pregnancy resulting from rape, will certainly cause excessive and long-lasting physical and psychological suffering to many women,? they said.
?Reducing access to such health services violates the rights of women and girls to be protected against gender-based discrimination and from torture and ill-treatment?.
The experts also warned that restrictive abortion laws exacerbate the risks to the health and safety of the women and girls affected, driving them to undergo sometimes desperate life-threating procedures to end an unwanted pregnancy.
The proposed text of the Criminal Code establishes that women who induce the termination of their pregnancy will be subject to a 2 to 3 year prison sentence. Health professionals who perform abortions under any circumstances other than risk to the life of the pregnant woman or girl, could be jailed for four to 10 years.
?We urge President Danilo Medina and his government to take all necessary steps and measures in accordance with their international human rights obligations to ensure that women and girls have effective and safe access to all necessary healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive services,? they concluded.
The Dominican Republic remains one of the Latin American countries with the highest maternal mortality ratio. According to the World Health Organization, the Dominican Republic had a maternal mortality ratio of 92 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015, while there is a ratio of 67 deaths per 100,000 in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20307&LangID=E

DR now exports to 150 countries
The president of the Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo), Alvaro Sousa Sevilla reported on 27 July 2016, that while the United States is the country?s main export market, with nearly 50% of all exports, local businesses have been able to expand the number of destinations of Dominican exports to more than 150 countries.
Sousa Sevilla made the observation at the Adoexpo luncheon-conference held on Wednesday, at the Embajador Hotel.
Sousa Sevilla said: ?Our country should not only bet on being the leader in the Caribbean and Latin America, but we should become aware that we are currently competing against the world to reach a preferential exporter position.? He called for a plan of action that promotes an ideal climate for the development of exports.
The Adoexpo president reaffirmed how exports are an excellent way to generate wealth and jobs for the country. For these reasons he called for a push for an increase in exports and productivity and a continued effort to create an export favorable conditions in order to strengthen the economy and create new jobs.

Pagan of OISOE confirms delays in public hospital renovations
Engineer Francisco Pagan, director of the Office of Supervisory Engineers of the Presidency (OISOE), confirmed delays in the renovations underway at 37 public hospitals nationwide. Several of the contracts date back to 2013. He said the works at many of the 56 centers under renovation had been stopped to modify the renovation plans to meet requirements of the Panamerican Health Organization.
But contractors interviewed by El Nacional said the delays are because of lack of payment by the OISOE, and efforts on behalf of the OISOE to rescind their contracts won in tenders so these can be passed on to persons with influence in the ruling party. Pagan has denied these accusations.
El Nacional reported delays in works at the public hospitals Luis Bogaert in Mao, Esperanza in Valverde, Nisibon in La Altagracia, Vinicio Calventi in Los Alcarrizos, Dr. Pedro Marchena in Monsenor Nouel, Juan Pablo Pina in San Cristobal, Antonio Musa in San Pedro de Macoris, and General Santiago Rodriguez in Santiago Rodr?guez.
Also there are major delays at the Luis Morillo King Hospital in La Vega; the municipal public hospitals in Villa Altagracia, Rosa Duarte in Elias Pi?a, Jose Maria Cabral y Baez in Santiago. Also at the public hospitals in the provinces of Montecristi, Dajabon, Espaillat and Maria Trinidad Sanchez are experiencing construction delays.
As reported in El Nacional, the renovations and construction of primary care centers at 56 locations nationwide were contracted by the Ministry of Public Health during the administration of former minister Eduardo Hidalgo Nunez.
http://elnacional.com.do/gobierno-admite-retraso-reparacion-hospitales-publicos/
http://hoy.com.do/oisoe-asegura-mas-de-mitad-hospitales-estaran-en-abril-2017/

Senate rejects bill for free access to beaches
A Senate commission that reviewed and then rejected a bill that calls for improved public access to beaches. The legislators recommended the process of drafting of a new bill that would include the voices of the representatives of private businesses. The National Hotel & Tourism Association (Asonahores) had been critical of the bill presented by senators Felix Nova (PLD-Monsenor Nouel) and Jose Rafael Vargas (PLD-Espaillat).
Asonahores favored the approval of a set of regulations and proposed these be drafted by a multi-sectorial technical commission.
http://hoy.com.do/el-senado-desecha-el-proyecto-de-libre-acceso-playas-rios-y-balnearios-2/

Services restored at La Isabela Airport
Services were restored yesterday, 27 July 2016, at the La Isabela Airport, after being temporarily interrupted when a private plane crash-landed on the airport?s runway. The Piper PA28 was returning to the airport from Dajabon at 1:25pm, when the accident occurred. The plane?s pilot, who was the only occupant, was not injured. The airport was temporarily closed to clear the landing strip.
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...tomar-tierra-isabela-sin-tren-aterrizaje.html

Mayor-elect David Collado seeks advice of Enrique Penalosa of Bogota
National District mayor-elect David Collado traveled to Colombia to meet Bogota mayor Enrique Penalosa. Penalosa is regarded as one of the most successful Latin American city mayors of all times. The meeting was organized by the Dominican Embassy in Colombia and the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic.
As reported, Collado discussed experiences regarding land use, sidewalks, and cemetery administration. The two mayors agreed to sign a cooperation agreement for both cities.
In Colombia, Collado also met with the chief of intelligence of the Police of Colombia. He also observed the operation of 700 surveillance cameras in Bogota.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ooperacion-de-seguridad-en-colombia-CL4481172
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...con-el-alcalde-electo-david-collado-LJ4469418

DR is a hot country in more ways than one
The head of the Climate Department at the National Meteorological Office (Onamet) Juana Silie told Diario Libre they are expecting temperatures above 38?C during the month of August 2016. Silie says that man-made factors have a lot of influence in the rising temperatures. Silie points out that there are places where before we had forests and the temperatures were much more agreeable, but construction has replaced the forests giving rise to higher temperatures.
Over the last 65 years the highest temperature registered in Dominican Republic has been 43?C (109.4? Fahrenheit). This temperature was registered at the end of August in 1965 in the town of Duverge, a city in the southwestern province of Independencia. The previous high was registered in La Victoria in northern Santo Domingo, with 42?C (107.6?F) in 1958.
The average temperature in the Dominican Republic is 28?C (82.4?F). August is the hottest month, and the border area with Haiti is the most affected. During the summer, temperatures often reach 34?C (93.4?F). The small town of Altamira in the province of Puerto Plata and Cabrera in the province of Maria Trinidad Sanchez have registered the highest temperatures in 2013 and 2015, respectively. In Altamira in December 2013 the temperature reached 39?C (102.2?F) and in Cabrera, the temperature reached 37?C (96.6?F).

Expo Cibao set for September 2016
The Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCPS) announced the 28th Expo Cibao, the largest regional product and services exhibition, will take place from 30 September to 2 October 2016 in the parking lot of the Gran Teatro del Cibao.
Juan Manuel Urena, president of CCPS, said the theme of this year?s exhibition is ?Towards a nation of sustainable business?. As reported in El Nuevo Diario, he stressed the importance of fostering the use of clean energy.

Merengue at JetSet Club
Hector Acosta (El Torito) and his merengue band is performing at the Jet Set Club of Av. Independencia on Monday, 1 August 2016. Showtime is 10pm.
Dance to several of his best hits, including ?Es urgente,? ?Uno pa? que lo quieran,? ?Como me curo,? and ?El perdon.?
Tickets for sale at the JetSet box office.

Chris Brown concert cancelled
Casa de Campo announced the cancellation of the Chris Brown concert that would take place 6 August 2016 at Altos de Chavon in La Romana after Brown wrote to tell the management taht he would not be coming. The motive for his cancellation is ?unforeseen causes.? The performance was part of Brown?s ?One Hell of a Nite? Tour. Those who had purchased tickets can request their reimbursement as of 1 August 2016.

Read more about upcoming events at http://www.dr1.com/calendar

To read more news, see the DR1 News Archives at: http://dr1.com/premium/news/2016/index.shtml