DR1 - Daily Dominican Republic News

Fernandez returns with Zelaya

As reported, President Leonel Fernandez was in Tegucigalpa, Honduras yesterday to attend the inaugural of President Porifirio Lobo, before returning to the DR with former President Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was denominated a "distinguished guest" in the DR. After being sworn in as the 30th constitutional President of Honduras in a ceremony at the national stadium, Lobo met with Dominican President Fernandez and deposed president Manuel Zelaya at the Brazilian Embassy and escorted them to Tegucigalpa's Toncontin airport in a convoy of about 15 vehicles. Fernandez and Zelaya then boarded a private jet contracted by Fernandez for the trip and flew to the DR. Accompanying Zelaya were his wife Xiomara, 2 of his daughters, and closest adviser Rasel Tome. The aircraft landed at the San Isidro Air Force base outside Santo Domingo at 8pm.

The new Constitution

According to the new Dominican Constitution proclaimed on Tuesday, if at least 2% of Dominicans with the right to vote get together, they have the right to present a bill to Congress. The new Constitution also establishes that citizens can demand compensation if injured or affected by bad quality of goods and services. Another new disposition is the referendum, and the approval referendum that will now be necessary for future constitutional reforms. Also new is the Constitutional Court that will review cases of violation of the Constitution.
From now on government departments will be known as ministries instead of secretariats. Writing in Diario Libre, journalist Socorro Arias makes the point that abortion, although banned in Art. 37, is affected by a loophole in Art. 42. The Article establishes that nobody can be subject to medical procedures without consent except in the cases when life is in danger.
See the text of the new Constitution at www.dr1.com/news/2010/012810_Constitution_2010.pdf

Five Supreme Court judges to be retired

As per the 2010 Constitution, five judges of the Supreme Court of Justice will need to retire. The new Constitution sets a retirement age of 75. The judges will remain in their posts until they are replaced. The judges who are due for replacement are Margarita A. Tavares, 85; Hugo F. Alvarez Valencia, 86; Julio Ibarra Rios, 75; Juan Luperon Vasquez, 77; Jose Enrique Hernandez Machado, 78; and Pedro E Romero Confesor, 79. First vice president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Rafael Luciano Pichardo will be 75 in July. The National Council of the Magistrates needs to be convened to nominate the new judges.
The ages of the other judges are: Jorge Subero Isa, 62; Ana Rosa Berges de Farray, 66; Eglys Margarita Esmurdoc, 55; Dulce Rodriguez de Goris, 67; Ednilda Reyes Perez and Victor Jose Castellanos Estrella, 59; Edgar Hernaez Mejia, 61; and Julio Anibal Suarez, 67.

Rehabilitating the dams

Celso Marranzini, head of the state electricity corporation (CDEEE), has announced that the government has rehabilitated the Lopez Angostura Dam, which was out of service for 6 months. This will enable the dam to provide 12 megawatts initially and 18 megawatts eventually to the national electricity grid. Marranzini said that the dam was repaired at a cost of RD$125,000, when the original budget that had been submitted was for RD$5 million.
He also announced the resumption of construction of the highway to the Jiguey-Aguacate hydroelectric dam in San Cristobal province. The 11km road from La Colonia to Jiguey-Aguacate was severely damaged during tropical storms Noel and Olga in 2007. Marranzini said that construction works would be completed in 6 to 8 months at a cost of RD$58 million.
The Jiguey-Aguacate dam has two 49-megawatt generators, but one is operating well below capacity and the other is out of service. The dam was unreachable by road. Access had been limited to traveling on donkeys or by helicopter. The hydroelectric division at the CDEEE has been under a new director, Victor Ventura, since Marranzini's takeover of the CDEEE in August 2009.

Elementary education lags behind

Education Minister Melanio Paredes told the audience at the monthly American Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting that US$905 million is needed to build 6,000 new classrooms and repair another 8,000 that are in poor condition. American Chamber of Commerce president Alejandro Pena Prieto said that the country urgently needed to make qualitative and quantitative improvements to the education system. If these are not carried out the DR will not be able to successfully compete on international markets, he said.
The Ministry of Education signed an agreement with AmCham for the implementation of the American Chamber of Commerce program for companies to become sponsors of public schools, contributing to improvements in infrastructure, equipment and teacher training. "It is obvious that public sector education funding at a non-university level has not been given priority in government finances compared to expectations and demands," he said at the luncheon.
See the speech at http://amcham.org.do/anm/templates/discursos.asp?articleid=267&zoneid=9
The Minister of Education says that the educational system has a deficit of 17,500 classrooms. Speaking on Uno + Uno TV show, he said that the government would have to build 3,500 classrooms a year during the next 5 years to catch up. Dominican schools have an average of 12 classrooms. Last year, the Ministry of Education built 1,124 new classrooms.
Marien Aristy Capitan, writing in Hoy, points out that education expenditure in 2009 barely reached 2.10% of the DR's Gross Domestic Product, when a law was passed that required it to be 4% of GDP and 16% of the National Budget.

RD$428 million in medical aid

Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez says that the government has spent RD$428 million and provided medical care for 19,641 Haitian patients, of whom 6,029 were treated in Dominican hospitals and a further 13,612 as outpatients since the 13 January earthquake that devastated the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. Furthermore, he said the Dominican government health personnel have administered 29,493 vaccinations to reduce the risks of tetanus, diphtheria, measles, rubella and rabies. In addition to border hospitals that have seen the greatest numbers of Haitian patients, many others have also been treated at hospitals in Santiago and Santo Domingo.

DR to benefit from reconstruction in Haiti

Customs director Rafael Camilo forecasts that the reconstruction work in Haiti will represent a boom for the DR construction sector. He said that there could be a decline in food exports because of the massive volume of humanitarian aid that Haiti is receiving. "Trade in eggs, chicken and other products will be affected, but once reconstruction begins many products manufactured in the DR such as cement, rebar and other construction materials will be purchased here because of cost-savings", he said. Camilo stated that the DR has the potential to supply the construction materials that Haiti needs. He also predicted that the US economic recovery would benefit the DR and said that he expected more economic activity in 2010. He was speaking on the occasion of the celebration of the World Customs Day.
Meanwhile, Listin Diario reports that the cost of construction materials is already on the rise in local markets. The newspaper says that the price of a bag of Portland cement increased from RD$240 to RD$260, a quintal of rebar is up 36%, from RD$1,100 to RD$1,500, in the past 2 weeks. Speaking for the hardware store importers association (Adoimfe), Martin Piniella Junco said he did not believe the increases were the result of speculation. He said that commodity prices and shipping tariffs are up. He said that a freight container that cost US$1,500 is now costing US$3,000.

Public buildings at risk

Structural engineers and seismologists are warning that 1,500 government buildings nationwide are at risk of collapse or serious damage in a major earthquake. As reported in El Dia, members of the Dominican Society of Seismology and Seismic Engineering (Sodosismica) warned that the DR could be affected by a disaster worse than Haiti if a fixed program to review and improve the structures is not undertaken. They said that many of these structures were built prior to the existence of the current engineering codes that if implemented correctly would prevent the damage.
Leonardo Reyes Madera, Rafael Corominas Pepin, Juan Alberto Chalas and Hector O'Reilly met at the Corripio luncheon meeting to discuss the DR's situation and lessons to be learned from the earthquake in Haiti.
Rafael Corominas Pepin, who chaired the 2003 Commission during the Mejia government that analyzed the DR after the 2003 earthquake and made recommendations, said that this report and recommendations had been filed away.
Corominas Pepin is insisting on the need to reinforce these constructions. He worked in the National Office for Seismic Evaluation and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Edifices that opened in 2001 to evaluate government buildings and reinforce them. Studies carried out point to the 1,500 vulnerable structures. "The problem with the plan is that it is neither applauded nor does it produce votes," said Corominas. He said there were also conflicts of interest with the engineers who carry out the constructions.
As reported in Hoy, he said that his replacement, architect Angel Ramirez, had told him, "I am not here to talk about earthquakes or anything like that. I am here to get a pick-up, a chauffeur, gasoline and a good salary because I want to be a deputy."
Corominas Pepin said that one of the problems is that seismic plans are not required from the builders for the construction of buildings under 4 floors in height. He said this is absurd when most public hospitals and schools are under 4 floors high.
They made the point that Minister of Education Melanio Paredes said that 101 schools had suffered damage in the 13 January quake in Haiti, which Corominas said was a matter for major concern. In the September 2003 earthquake, a public school collapsed in Puerto Plata. There were no injuries because the earthquake occurred early in the morning. Corominas says that the schools must be strengthened immediately.
Engineer O'Reilly says that the DR has had regulations in place since 1979 that reinforce construction, but the problem is that it is up to the engineers and builders to keep to the regulations and not cut costs.
The seismologists said that the island of Hispaniola has been affected by earthquakes in 1562, 1701, 1760, 1770, 1842, 1860, 1904 and 1946, evidence that these phenomena are cyclical. The most vulnerable cities are Moca, San Francisco de Macoris, Salcedo, Tenares, Santiago, La Vega and Montecristi. The seismologists said that Santiago must not grow to the north, which is its most vulnerable section.
Reyes Madera said that Sodosismica has delivered a new ruling to the Ministry of Public Works for constructions to replace those of 1979. This would eliminate the construction of buildings with a parking area on the first floor. He said this building method can survive an earthquake if implemented correctly, saying that this was not unusual in Japan, where earthquakes are frequent. He said the new ruling establishes the areas where buildings higher than four floors can be built.

France praises DR aid to Haiti

Dated Paris, 27 January 2010, a diplomatic note from the French Ministry of Foreign Relations praises Dominican assistance in Haiti. "The French government fully mobilized to assist Haiti wants to pay particular tribute to the Dominican Republic for its great generosity," says the diplomatic note sent by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Relations Bernard Valero through its embassy in Santo Domingo. The note highlights the fact that Dominican government and public and private institutions and civil society showed exemplary generosity. The note recognizes that the DR contributed immediate and massive assistance to the neighboring country, facilitated the transport of the rescue crews and international teams, and the hospitals provided emergency treatment to around 15,000 injured Haitians. Furthermore, the note says that the logistical facilities provided by Dominicans enabled French rescue crews to operate efficiently and swiftly, as in the case of French rescue workers who were able to reach Jacmel on ships provided by the Dominican Navy.
"Our Embassy in Santo Domingo also benefited from all the help of the Dominican authorities to French residents and companies that supported our embassy in Haiti and the rescue operations. It also commended relief efforts by the Lycee Francaise in Santo Domingo, the Alliance Francaise nationwide and the actions of the Dominican-French chamber of Commerce that immediately mobilized and set up an efficient crisis center.

International tutelage for Haiti

Former Dominican ambassador to the Organization of American States and the United States, lawyer Flavio Dario Espinal calls today for a plan for international guardianship for Haiti in view of the "atomic bomb" that he says the 13 January earthquake has represented for the nation.
Mentioning the entrance of international aid and the humanitarian military intervention by United States forces, which he says is justified by the magnitude of the damages and the Haitian government's inability to respond to the challenges that it faces.
"In this context, there is talk of creating a great Haiti reconstruction fund, a kind of Marshall Plan, as some have called it, with contributions of 10 to 20 billion dollars, sums that are reasonable given the devastation," he comments.
He lists the questions that must be asked:
What is the strategic focus for the use of the funds?
What organization will coordinate the efforts?
What would be the scope of the mandate for international presence in Haiti?
What degree of institutional control and autonomy of decision will the international presence have in Haiti?
What judicial modality will the international community have in the process of rebuilding Haiti?
He says that the answers to these questions lead to the basic premise that Haiti needs international tutelage not only to confront the immense task of humanitarian assistance, but also to start the road to reconstruction of the state and the establishment of the pillars that make possible, stability, security and social and economic development.
He makes the point that Haiti before the earthquake suffered from severe and persistent economic, political, ecological and security crises. A certain level of stability had been reached under the government of President Preval with the support of the United Nations Minustah forces.
He recommends that the Security Council of the United Nations extend the mandate of the Minustah as a international civilian force so that it can exercise direct, autonomous and effective control on vital institutional areas, such as internal and external security, customs administration, tax collection, hospital and education administration, construction of infrastructure and environmental management, so that the standards and systems for their operation, human resources and customs that make them viable and sustainable in the long term can be developed.
"This is about creating the conditions so the Haitian people can truly exercise their sovereignty because the magnitude of the problems that the people need to confront, the judicial fiction and the political rhetoric have to be left behind so that the steps for practical solutions be taken with the commitment and support of the international community, especially the US, France and Canada, following Security Council guidelines.
"If international action is limited to humanitarian relief or channeling of funds without strategic purpose, an extraordinary opportunity to rebuild the Haitian state will have been lost. This is the opportunity to set the bases for social-economic and environmental development, as well as for a regime of security that benefits Haiti and the Caribbean region," he writes in today's Listin Diario.
www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=129588

Apparel exports decline significantly

A decade ago, apparel exports to the US made up 60% of Dominican exports. But today, these exports have dropped to a third of that level. Last year alone, textile exports declined 27.6% and reached US$466.5 million, or 18% of the total Dominican exports to the US, as reported in El Caribe, basing its figures on a report on trade between the US and the DR prepared by Ministry of Hacienda economist Gina Guzman. Overall, Latin American exports to the US declined 25%.

Escogido vs. Gigantes tonight

The Dominican Professional Winter Baseball Championship will go to the limit, with a ninth game required to decide whether the Gigantes of San Francisco de Macoris can take their first championship, or the Escogido of Santo Domingo can make a comeback after 18 years without a pennant. Last night, the Escogido lion roared to stay alive and play that last game tonight at the San Francisco de Macoris Julian Javier stadium. The Escogido defeated the Gigantes 4-3 in a nerve-wracking game that went to the eleventh inning. The series is now tied 4-4. In the game, Wilson Betemit batted two homeruns, but Brayan Pena of the Escogido decided the game with a hit in the eleventh inning.

Musicians united for Haiti

More than 35 musical stars will be performing at Santo Domingo's Olympic Stadium on Sunday, 31 January in a fund-raiser for Haiti. The first performers will go on stage starting at 3pm. Tickets are for sale at Uepa Tickets, Solo Tickets Dominicana, Nacional and Jumbo stores. Tickets are RD$400-RD$600. The event is sponsored by the Presidente beer brewery and Listin Diario newspaper.
The musicians who have pledged to sing or perform for Haiti are: Fernando Villalona, Eddy Herrera, Sergio Vargas, Omega, Rubby Perez, El Jeffrey, Hector Acosta (El Torito), Los Rosario, Tono Rosario, Johnny Ventura, Raymond Pozo, Miguel Cespedes, El Prodigio, Michell, Sexappeal, Joe Veras, Yoskar Sarante, Kinito Mendez, Rafely, Miriam Cruz, Pavel Nunez, Jandy Ventura, Cherito, El Chaval, Vakero, Frank Ceara, Audrey Campos, Manuel Jimenez, Ruina Nueva, Tito Swing, Pochy Familia, Juliana, Krispy, Vladimir Dotel, Rita Indiana, Wason, Martha Heredia, Issa Gadala, Chichi Peralta, Pena Suazo, Cristal Marie, Maryury Reyna, Ramon Orlando, Diomedes, Monchy Capricho, Edward El Big Papi, Luis Miguel del Amargue, Alexandra, Marcel, Pakole, Claudia Sierra, The Boss and Alexis.
For more upcoming events, see www.dr1.com/calendar