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Daily News - 13 March 2000
Two years, not two months
The DR1 Daily News Friday release reported that Lurgi Lejes Bischoff of Germany and Acres International and Interteck Consulting, of Canada, would work together to install a power-producing incinerator. The news story said that the incinerator would be installed in "two months". This should have read "two years." This is a project that will be developed with the support of the Municipality of Santo Domingo at a cost of US$200 million. The generator is expected to produce 102 megawatts. The plant will be fed garbage selected from the Duquesa landfill, where most of the garbage generated by Santo Domingo residents is dumped.
President Fernández announces construction of frontier free zones
President Leonel Fernández announced the construction of a free zone industrial parks on the frontier with Haiti. "If we build these parks on the frontier, Haitians will be able to come to work in the morning, and return to Haiti once their shift is over," he said. It is expected that urban communities will sprout in Haiti near the free zone industries. One of the DR's biggest problems is dealing with the large numbers of illiterate and indigent Haitians that cross over seeking to make the living they can't in Haiti. The DR will also benefit from Haitians having buying power to purchase Dominican goods.
President Fernández said the frontier parks would emulate the US-Mexico frontier model. He said the free zones will be installed in the DR, because this country offers the needed political stability and business climate.
President Fernández says that the construction of the parks has the support of the governments of France and the United States. He said that it is a way to contribute to the development of Haiti with investments, not donations that governments find difficult in justifying to their taxpayers.
President Fernandez said that French President Jacques Chirac offered his support for the project during conversations in Guadeloupe on Friday. As a result of meetings of President Fernández with Deputy Secretary of State for Interamerican Affairs, Peter Romero, a mission is expected soon to study the US involvement in the frontier free zone park.
"We cannot wait for gifts or donations, because that is not going to happen, and obviously, we prefer the free zones," he said.
The Dominican government has been the strongest advocate for Haitian development in international forums.
President Fernández was in Guadeloupe to participate in the France-Cariforum summit that took place on Friday and Saturday. The Dominican government is proposing, along with the Haitian government, that foreign governments help implement US$283 million in joint investment projects.
Spanish builders responsible for Pan Am Olympic Village
Spanish-Dominican group, Consorcio OHL-Grupo Alfa was given the full responsibility to build the Santo Domingo Pan Am Games Olympic Village. The eight 23-floor towers with 700 apartments will house an estimated 5,000 athletes and coaches coming for the Summer 2003 Pan American Games. Two other companies that had been assigned three buildings were discarded when they could not ensure the sale of the apartments following their use for the games. The apartments will go up diagonally across from the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, site of most of the Pan Am Games competitions.
Police passes Vimenca case to judicial authorities
The National Police passed on to the District Attorney's office the investigations regarding the assault on the transporters of values for Vimenca-Western Union. Last year, assailants dressed in National Drug Control uniforms stopped and later fired at the guards, killing three of four, and stealing more than RD$3 million in values. Leftist party leader Narciso Isa Conde denounced that the Police was covering up a police officer that is said to be involved in the case.
Santo Domingo airport construction advances
A report in Hoy newspaper says that the new La Isabela Airport of Santo Domingo will be ready by the end of the Fernández administration. The report says that the airport will be able to handle American Eagle 70-passenger aircraft. The runway is 1,650 meters by 30 meters wide, and meets all OACI and FAA requirements. The airport is going up at a cost of RD$300 million at a time when the government has privatized all other airports in the DR.
Interest rates climb
Prime interest rates climbed to 24% as a result of the Monetary Junta recent measures. While the measures are primarily targeted at restricting government spending, the constraining of bank lending funds is affecting credit to businesses and individuals in the DR. This will have a negative effect on business expansion and on sectors such as construction. News reports say that consumer financing has increased to 34%. Last week the government announced it was restricting to last year's levels money in circulation, and issued new 90-day certificates in order to remove money in circulation. The measures are being implemented due to the increase in petroleum prices.
Antonio Espín, president of the Herrera Business Association, said that the measure penalizes productive sectors. The alternative would have been to increase the price of fuel, but this option was discarded for political considerations. The presidential election is scheduled for 16 May 2000.
Dominicans favor foreign investment, but not yet capitalization
Economist Bernardo Vega, writing for El Siglo newspaper, highlights how the perception of foreign investment has improved in the DR over the years. In 1983, the Penn-Schoen poll firm asked Dominicans if foreign investment was damaging or beneficial for the economy. Back then 41% favored foreign investment. By 2000, foreign investment is getting a 84% positive vote. The strongest nationwide support for foreign investment is found in the East, where European investors have poured millions into the construction of hotels in the Punta Cana-Bavaro-Macao beach strip area. There, 96% of voters favored foreign investment in 2000.
Nevertheless, a recent Hamilton & Staff survey showed that 59% of Dominicans do not feel capitalization (or privatization) of state enterprises has been beneficial. Only 31% voted in its favor. This percentage reflects the the perception that capitalization was to blame for the recent blackouts and increases in electricity bills consumers received coinciding with the start of operation of the new private companies.
Amilcar Romero chosen Medina's running mate
Danilo Medina, presidential candidate for the ruling Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, chose Secretary of Agriculture Amilcar Romero as his running mate. Amilcar Romero is considered a man close to former President Joaquín Balaguer and his family. The PLD candidate needs the PRSC votes to win the presidency. Prior to accepting the nomination, Romero consulted with the former statesman. Romero is seen as one of the most successful agriculture ministers of all times. He is credited with delivering an outstanding harvest following the devastating effects of Hurricane Georges on Dominican agriculture in September 1998. Romero, a agriculture and business administration graduate, is a former administrator of the Banco Agrícola and the Corporación Dominicana de Electricidad, the state electricity utility during Balaguer administrations. For many years he was a top executive at Fertilizantes Químicos Dominicanos, a fertilizer company, prior to returning to government when requested by President Leonel Fernández. It is the first time that the PLD chooses a person outside of the party for the vice presidential candidate. Medina recently had a far better showing during the Uno + Uno televised interviews that matched him separately against contender Hipólito Mejía, who leads in the polls.
With the announcement of Romero, Balaguer's PRSC remains the only one of the three majority parties yet to announce its vice presidential candidate. The deadline to do so is 15 March at 12 midnight.
Balaguer has highest acceptance rate of all candidates
A recent Hamilton Staff-Hoy newspaper survey shows that 94-year old presidential candidate Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) has the highest acceptance rate of all running political candidates. He received 71% favorable opinion of voters in a recent survey. Runner ups are Hipólito Medina (PRD) with 61%, and Danilo Medina with 46%. In the survey, former Vice President Jacinto Peynado received 58% acceptance rate, and Vice President Jaime David Fernández Mirabal received 55%.
Five persons die in clash with minibus
Five persons died and 14 were injured when a Toyota Corolla car crashed into a Nissan minibus on noon on Sunday. The vehicle was traveling on the wrong lane along the Azua-Barahona highway. The two occupants of the car died, 3 persons on the bus, and 14 persons traveling on the bus were injured. The occupants of the bus were on their way to a political rally.
Houston Astros win both Santo Domingo games
Houston Astros won both of the exhibition games played against the Boston Red Sox in Santo Domingo. Brothers Pedro Martinez and Ramón Martínez opened the first game for the Boston Red Sox, each pitching one inning, and allowing no hits or runs. Pedro Martínez was struck out on his time at bat.
José Lima opened the second game for the Astros. The Astros won the first game 4-3, and the second 3-2. José Lima of the Astros pitched for four innings, striking out six, not permitting runs, and putting on a show for Dominican fans. Jeff Bagwell of the Astros batted two home runs on day one, and Dominican Julio Lugo delighted fans with his home run that clinched the Sunday game win for the Astros.
José Lima campaigns for Balaguer
Baseball player José Lima visited 94-year old former President Joaquín Balaguer prior to opening the spring training game for the Houston Astros at the Quisqueya Ball Park. He urged Dominicans to vote for the former statesman, "because he is the only person who has done everything for the country." He said he would request permission from the Astros to come in May to vote for Balaguer.
The winner of 20 games in the last Major Leagues season, Lima asked Balaguer for a favor. He said he wanted to make real a dream that he had of arriving to the stadium in the former statesman's car. He did so, attracting a crowd upon his arrival. The crowd thought it was the former statesman arriving to watch the game. Lima opened the car door winning a big applause from surprised onlookers.
Orchids exhibition announced
The Dominican Orchidology Society announces its spring time exhibition/competition of orchids. The exhibition will be open to the public 17-19 March at the Botanical Gardens. The orchid growers will be competing for 26 prizes.
Theater at the Sala Ravelo
"Las Damas de las Camelias, of Spanish playwright Ramón Pareja" will be staged at the National Theater's Sala Ravelo on 16-19 March and 23-26 March.
Paul Taylor Dance Company
The Paul Taylor Dance Company (www.ptdc.org) will perform in Santo Domingo 24 and 25 March at the National Theater. The group will perform in a benefit for the Fundacion Mir in La Romana. Fundación Ritmos por la Danza brings this company to Santo Domingo. The company has toured 650 cities in 60 countries and was appointed cultural ambassador of the United States in the program Millennium Council of the White House.
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