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Daily News - 20 January 2000
Long weekends in 2000; DR1 takes a break on Friday and Monday
Dominicans will enjoy their second long weekend in January starting tomorrow. Friday, 21 January is a holiday in the DR. It commemorates Altagracia Day, honoring the patron saint of Dominicans. Most of the events are centered at the Basílica de la Altagracia in the city of Higüey, capital of La Altagracia province, where Punta Cana-Bavaro beaches are located. The long weekend extends through Monday, 24 January that in turn commemorates Duarte Day, honoring the birthday of the founding father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte. This long weekend is exceptional because of the Friday and Monday holidays.
Note that as is customary, the DR1 News Service will not appear on Friday or on Monday, due to the holiday celebrations.
Other long weekends (time when Dominicans will take off Friday afternoons to travel to resorts) in the DR this year will occur on Friday, 21 April (Good Friday) to Sunday, 23 April; Friday, 28 April through Monday, 1 May (Labor Day); Thursday 22 June (Corpus Christi Day) ­ Sunday, 25 June 2000; Friday 3 November ­ Monday, 6 November 2000 (Constitution Day); and Friday, 22 December ­ Monday, 25 December 2000 (Christmas Day).
US Secretary of the Army visits frontier
The US Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera and Thomas J. Umberg, Deputy Director for Supply Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy visited the Dominican frontier with Haiti yesterday. They were accompanied by the chief of the National Army, Major General Eliseo Noble Espejo. They visited the frontier points in Pedernales and Independencia province (Jimaní). They were able to confirm the need of increasing the availability of technology to assist Dominican soldiers in detecting contraband of arms and drugs. AFP press release says that 12% of the 300 tons of drugs that were shipped to the US from the DR in 1999 entered the DR via Haiti, coming from Colombia. The US has offered to assist Dominican frontier control points with computers and modern communications equipment. Likewise, in a subsequent visit to Haiti, press reports say President Rene Preval accepted the installing of a radar detection system. From Haiti, Caldera and Umberg traveled to Colombia where they were slated to visit the Colombian head of state.
Caldera said that the modern equipment will become available as a control program is implemented in the next coming months. News reports say that the Dominican Department of Customs is also assisting the military in implementing additional phyto-sanitary control measures along the frontier.
DR establishes relations with Qatar
The Dominican Republic established diplomatic relations with the State of Qatar, an independent monarchy off from Saudi Arabia. The country is one of the smallest in the world. It is a 11,437 sq. km. peninsula and its capital is Doha. It has a population of about 725,000 persons, and its principal industry is petroleum. Its GDP in 1998 was US$12 billion. It has a literacy rate of almost 80%.
The Dominican and Qatar ambassadors will hold the diplomatic representations. Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Latorre visited Doha on Tuesday as part of an official tour of the Middle East to expand Dominican international relations and promote investments. During his visit he met with the chief of state of Qatar, Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at the government palace. The Minister of Foreign Relations of Qatar is expected to visit the DR later this year. Accompanying Latorre on the tour is ambassador Vilma Arbaje and Manuel Guerrero, marketing director of the Dominican office of promotion of investments.
Construction of Santiago Airport begins Tuesday
Santiago businessmen announced the start of construction of the Aeropuerto Internacional de Cibao in Licey al Medio in Santiago province. The construction is opposed by ecologists and farmers that fear their lands will be affected. Spokesmen for the Corporación Aeropuerto Internacional Cibao say the lands are not appropriate for agriculture. The Licey al Medio location of the airport is promoted as an equi-distant point for the cities of Santiago, Moca, La Vega, San Francisco de Macoris. The airport will be built on 2,400 "tareas" (about 1.5 million square meters) at an investment of US$30 million. The land was contributed to the corporation 20 years ago by the Balaguer administration. José Clase, a business leader of the region, said, "This is the first project of great magnitude that brings together Santiago and regional businessmen." He announced the first phase of the project would be completed in two-years time. The airport is expected to move upwards of 100,000 passengers in its first year. It is slated to be especially important to the development of a new high technology free zone that will go up adjacent to the airport. Nearby, the Avenida de Circunvalación will link the airport to the city of Santiago. The airport will have a 2,450 long meters runway in its first phase.
Profit margins for fuel intermediaries increased
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce increased the profit margins for distributors, retailers and fuel transporters. Minister of Industry and Commerce Luis Manuel Bonetti announced that these would be effective 22 January. He said the government will be giving up RD$590 million in monies derived from the fuel tax, since it will not be passing on the loss in revenues to consumers. The association of fuel transporters was not happy with the new profit margins assigned to them. They said the Ministry of Industry and Commerce had agreed to pay them RD$0.73 per gallon transported, and only authorized RD$0.64 per gallon, up from RD$0.49.
Puerto Plata senator opposes airports contract
The Senator Ginette Bournigal (PRD-Puerto Plata) has taken her opposition to the contract granting the privatization of the two Dominican leading airports, including the Puerto Plata airport to the Supreme Court of Justice. She says the contract violates the Constitution because the Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI company that won the bid was not a legal entity at the time it was favored by the contract. Congress passed the privatization contract in the last legislature. It calls for the privatization of the Las Americas (Santo Domingo), Gregorio Luperón (Puerto Plata), Arroyo Barril (Samaná) and María Montez (Barahona) international airports.
Good news for visitors
Tourists visiting the DR this winter will get more pesos to their dollar. The US dollar is commanding RD$16 pesos. Some exchange banks were paying upwards of RD$16.20 to the dollar. The Central Bank set the rate at RD$15.98 to the US dollar. US dollars in turn are costing around RD$17.
Paradores in Salinas, Palenque, Playa Caribe and Nagua
The Ministry of Tourism announced that it expects the tourism "paradores" to be completed by August. These are primarily frequented by Dominican beach-goers. They will offer washroom facilities as well as food sales. These are:
Playa Caribe (3,000 square meters), between Boca Chica and Juan Dolio, in the National District Playa Caribe (southeast).
Cocolandia in Playa Palenque (3,000 square meters), San Cristóbal province (southwest).
Punta Salinas (40,000 square meters) in Peravia province, RD$500,000 investment.
Poza de Bojola (50,000 meters), in Nagua, María Trinidad Sánchez (northeast), RD$300,000 investment.
Agroindustrial high school degrees
The National Council of Education approved three new careers for vocational high schools. The new technical degrees will be offered in the provinces of Peravia, Azua, La Altagracia and Monte Plata where large agroindustrial industries are located. Students may specialize in processing of meat, dairy, or fruit and vegetable products.
West Indies Flyers are back
The group of private flyers that tours the Caribbean every year, the West Indies Flyers will be visiting the Dominican Republic again this year as part of its visit to the Caribbean. The group wrote history when in 1992 it promoted the landing of almost 500 airplanes to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first settlement in the Americas. The group of private flyers will be staying at the Coral Canoa in La Romana and visiting the Saona Island the Parque Nacional del Este. They will be landing at the La Romana International Airport.
Lunar eclipse tonight
Persons in the DR are likely to be able to enjoy full view of the millennium's first total lunar eclipse. The first full moon of the year can be seen late tonight and through Friday, 21 January. Astronomers are predicting a 76-minute total eclipse of the moon, to make the late evening show even more spectacular this time around. The last total eclipse of the moon over the Western Hemisphere took place in 1996.
Eclipses occur when the Moon or a portion of it enters the Earth's shadow. Earth, traveling counterclockwise around the sun as viewed from the North Pole, blocks sunlight from the moon as it orbits the planet.
This great spectacle of nature can be viewed from almost anywhere in the DR, clouds permitting.
During the total eclipse, which will be able to be viewed from 11:01 pm in the DR, the moon won't completely fade from view, instead changing to a dimmer reddish hue, a reflection of sunlight bent by the Earth's atmosphere falling on the orb. The reddish hue the moon takes on during the glimpse depends on the amount of volcanic dust in the atmosphere, which colors sunlight that passes through the air and is refracted onto the moon. Generally, the less soot in the stratosphere, the brighter the moon during an eclipse, astronomers say.
Local weather experts say it can be viewed in the DR from 11:05 to 12:22 am of Friday, 21 January.
Unlike solar eclipses, moon eclipses can be safely viewed with the naked eye.
"Pokémon, the Movie" opens in Santo Domingo
Pokémon the movie opens at cinemas in Santo Domingo today. Pala Pizza, a local pizza franchiser, has special promotions for all the Pokemon fans in the DR. Pokémon is right now a craze among 4-12 year olds. For more on this movie that set sales highs in the US, see http://www.pokemonthemovie.com/
Drama at the National Theater
"Chicken Cordon Blue", by Frank Disla is being staged at the Sala Ravelo of the National Theater, as final showing of the National Theater's drama season. The play will be staged on weekends through 6 February. It tells the story of four Latin Americans who migrate to the United States. Reynardo Disla directs the play. General production, Sovko Productions. Starring Zaida Corniel, Hernando Tellez and Wallis Uribe.
Baseball playoffs
Playoffs (round robin) standings as of Wednesday, 19 January 2000
Estrellas 8-7 (.533)
Aguilas 8-7 (.533)
Leones 7-8 (.467) ­1 game
Tigres 7-8 (.467) -1 games

Remaining round robin game to choose the contenders for the finals:

Thursday, 20 January, 8 pm
Santo Domingo: Escogido vs. Licey
San Pedro: Aguilas vs. Estrellas
Tickets for sale to the Caribbean Baseball Series
The Caribbean Baseball Championship, known as the Caribbean World Series, opens 2 February in Santo Domingo. It will last through 7 February. Games are slated for 4 pm and 8 pm at the Quisqueya Ballpark. The championship winners from Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the DR will vie for the regional title. The Aguilas of the Dominican Republic, are the regional champions. Tickets are selling for RD$500 Palcos A, RD$350 Palcos AA, RD$250 preferencias, RD$40 bleachers. Cadena Microondas Nacionales will transmit by Channel 7, Antena Latina and by radio the games. For tickets, call 567-6371 or 540-5772. The series was last played in Santo Domingo in 1996.
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