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Daily News - 1 February 2000
Voting registration period ends
The Junta Central Electoral, the Dominican election board, announced the closing of the voting registration period. 200,000 persons did not register to vote. The JCE still has to deliver nearly 1 million cards to citizens that have requested these. Persons that renew their cards from now on will be given a renovation slip, but will not be able to vote in the 16 May 2000 presidential election. The JCE would have considered an extension of the voting registration period, but president of the JCE, Dr. Ramón Morel Cerda said that the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano opposed this.
Morel Cerda said that as of Friday, the JCE had handled 4,343,940 voting registration requests. The voting registration closed on Monday, 31 January, at midnight as planned. Morel Cerda said that they have delivered 3.3 million cedulas (voting registration/identification card), and 300,000 are just waiting to be picked up at the JCE. Another 250,000 are under investigation and 50,000 citizens need to reprocess their applications.
Egypt will send mission to the DR
The Ministry of Foreign Relations said that the government of Egypt will soon send a delegation to the DR to look into investment and business opportunities. Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Latorre met in Cairo with his colleague Alumed Samir Seif et Yasel, at the end of a Middle East tour. The DR and Egypt governments are considering opening of embassies, said the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Dominican delegation travels to Chile
A Dominican delegation traveled to Santiago de Chile to begin conversations that could lead to the signing of a free trade agreement with that South American country. Frederic Emam Zade, the nation's chief trade agreements negotiator heads the mission. Other members are Magdalena Lizardo, Juan José Espinal, Marcelo Puello, Andrés Manzueta, representing the public sector. Michelle Waschmann and Claudia Mejía Ricart accompany the group representing private sector interests.
New yellow cabs and buses
The Technical Secretary of the Presidency reported on agreements with Spanish and Venezuelan credit organizations for the purchase of transport vehicles.
Engineer Temístocles Montás said that under the Dominican-Hispanic Agreement (Convenio Dominico-Hispánico) signed with the Spanish government, the country will purchase 2,000 Nissan vehicles to be used for taxi service in Santo Domingo. The first 1,000 Nissan-brand vehicles will be in service in February, with the additional 1,000 cars in service by the end of March. The new taxis will be painted yellow, in the style of New York City cabs.
Montás also said that 300 26-passenger buses will soon arrive. They are financed by the Fondo de Inversiones de Venezuela (Acuerdo de San José), and will be used to feed the Metropolitan Transport Authority's (AMET) principal bus routes. AMET has eight bus routes, of which five are located in Santo Domingo and three in Santiago.
US$385 million in increased generation capacity by 2002
Generadora Itabo, the Coastal-Gener consortium that in September won the bid to take over several state power utility generating units, announced it will double its production adding 470 megawatts in the next three years.
The company announced its is investing in the installation of two new Itabo-type generators as well as repairing already installed plants.
In partnership with the state-owned Corporación Dominicana de Electricidad, the company would invest US$35 million from now through year 2002, 117% more than the US$177.7 million they bid to obtain 50% of the CDE power units.
Engineer Sergio del Campo, general manager of the Generadora Itabo, told the press that by the year's end the company will have added 150 megawatts with the repair of installed plants. By 2002, the company promises that 320 new megawatts will go on line with the entering into operation of the new Itabo III and IV.
The privatization contract establishes that Generadora Itabo has to increase its generation by at least 100 megawatts per year. Del Campo said that from 8 September to the present, the company has already increased generation capacity by 80 megawatts with prospects to increase to 150 megawatts by the year's end. The Itabo I and II originally had an installed capacity of 125 megawatts each, but the plants were received in very bad condition. Other Generadora Itabo plants are the Vapor I, Vapor II, Itabo Turbogas I, II and III. Central de Higuamo (Higuamo I and II), Central Santo Domingo-Timbeque (Santo Domingo V and VIII, Timbeque I and Timbeque II) and Central de los Minas (Los Minas I and Los Minas II). Many of these plants have high operational costs. One of the main reasons for the power outages in the DR is the deficit of production. Once online, the Itabo power plants will sell power to the electricity grid at lower costs than that established by private power firms that negotiated their contracts during a past Balaguer administration.
Cardinal doesn't like birth control programs
Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez had strong words against newly arrived US ambassador Kathleen Manatt for her praise of the Profamilia family services organization. Profamilia (Asociación Dominicana Pro Bienestar y Familia) offers obstetrics (including birth control assistance), pediatrics, immunization, and other family orientation and health related services in clinics throughout the country. The US AID, a US government agency, has supported these programs that have high repute among most of the Dominican population.
The Cardinal was referring to comments made by Mrs. Manatt upon visiting the Clínica Rosa Cisneros in Santiago and hearing an explanation of the services made by José Rafael Martínez, northern region director for Profamilia. Martínez explained that about 700 patients are assisted per day. What seemed to bother the Cardinal was Mrs. Manatt expressing her satisfaction with the clinic after he explained that 600 Dominican women had been sterilized.
The outspokenness of the Cardinal also reflects the differences of opinion within the Dominican Catholic Church. Modern sectors within the Church support programs that make birth control services available to low income Dominicans. The Cardinal represents the more orthodox and traditional views of the Church. The Cardinal urged Dominicans to not be mislead by the new currents, that he said supposedly seek to aid in the sex education of Dominican youths.
The Cardinal spoke during a mass in Santiago on occasion of National Youths Day. He considered the Profamilia program a kind of "death squad" and urged that the ambassador promote the birth control programs in the US and not in the DR.
The actual quotes of the Cardinal in Spanish can be read in El Siglo online at http://www.elsiglord.com/nacionales/1/5.htm
White slavery news report implicates DR army man
El Mundo, a leading Spanish news organization, infiltrated journalists that filmed Santo Domingo-based Dutch white slavery kingpin and his Dominican contact, none other than an Army Secret Service agent, on the job. The newspaper shows Dutch citizen Otto Maas and Dominican Silvino Medina Cuevas as they market their women to supposed buyers, the undercover journalists. The news story reports that the Dominican women are sold for US$4,000 including the cost of the airfare and the false documents. News reports in Santo Domingo say the National Army announced Silvino Medina was arrested for investigation. To read more (in Spanish) of this undercover operation see http://w3.el-mundo.es/sociedad/tratablancas/
Rock of the 70s and 80s in Santo Domingo
"Men at Work," the popular Australian rock group will be playing at the Salon La Fiesta of the Hotel Jaragua on 6 February. The group won the 1982 Grammy Award. They are known for their hits: "Who can it be now?" "Down under," Be good, Johnny," "Catch a Star, "Everything I need," "It's a Mistake," and others. For ticket information, call the Jaragua ticket office at 221-1435 or Ticket Express at 535-5272.
Other performances slated for the Jaragua in February are:
Fausto Rey. Saturday, 12 February. (Those purchasing tickets before 8 February receive a free CD with 30 Fausto Rey hits.) Joaquin Sabina. Sunday, 20 February. 8:30 pm. RD$500.
Victor Manuel & Ana Belén. Thursday, 24 February. 8:30 pm. RD$500.
Aguilas to seek 13th Caribbean World Series title for DR
The Aguilas Cibaeñas will defend the flag colors of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean World Series that opens 2 February in Santo Domingo. The Aguilas squad has been reinforced with players from other Dominican Winter Baseball League teams. These are: José Jiménez, Jesús Sánchez, Efraín Valdez, Miguel Batista, Adrián Beltré (most valuable player of the Dominican Winter Baseball Series), Rubén Mateo, David Arias and Neifi Pérez.
Aguilas players are Luis Polonia, Miguel Tejada, Tony Batista, Guillermo García, Alberto Castillo, Felix Martínez, Dionys César, Omar Ramírez, Mario Encarnación, Melvin Rosario. Aguilas pitchers are José Cabraera, Antonio Alfonseca, Julián Tavárez, Fernando Hernández, Robinson Pérez Checo, José García, Hector Ramírez and Benito Báez.
The Dominican Republic is the Caribbean Series participant country to have won the most titles. The DR has won 12, Puerto Rico 8, Venezuela 5 and Mexico 3.
Caribbean World Series opens 2 February
The Caribbean Baseball Championship, known as the Caribbean World Series, opens Wednesday, 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.
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