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Daily News - 14 March 2000
Prince Charles of Wales to visit DR
Prince Charles of Wales will visit the Dominican Republic to personally observe advances in organic produce farming, José Manuel Armenteros, president of the Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce announced yesterday. Prince Charles promised to visit after meeting with Dominican businessman Jesus Moreno, president of Helados Bon in Kingston, Jamaica. No date has been set for the visit.
"The future king of England has shown great interest in the economic development of the Dominican Republic and has shown great interest in the topic so he has accepted to visit," said Armenteros in a press conference at the National Council of Business (CONEP) called to announce the forthcoming visit of Prince Charles. During the visit, Prince Charles would visit coffee and cacao plantations.
Prince Charles was in Jamaica to participate in the Corporate Citizenship and Sustainable Development Workshop that was promoted by the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum.
Jesus Moreno represented the Dominican Republic during the meeting. Helados Bon recently launched its new Organic Chocolate ice cream, which is part of a concerted effort to help farmers increase their earnings, at a time when cocoa world market prices are at record lows. Organic Chocolate has become a big seller.
David Luther, who is president of the Alianza ONG, an alliance of non-governmental agencies, also attended the meeting that focused on leadership strategies for business and community partnerships for social responsibility and economic development in the Caribbean.
President Fernández plans trip to US
President Fernández has plans to travel to the United States in the beginning of March. On his agenda is a visit to Seattle, Washington. He has accepted an invitation to meet Bill Gates of Microsoft. He is also scheduled to visit Sillicon Valley and Virginia high tech parks, as part of his effort to promote the Santo Domingo Cyberpark. The park is part of an effort to attract high tech industries to the Dominican Republic. The first phase of the park will open 1 August. Japan and Korean goverments have committed to make investments in the park. And leading companies such as Terra and SoftBank and others have also shown a serious interest in operating there.
Stats on motor vechicles in DR
Jose Antonio Barreto Reid, sales manager for Reid & Compañía, the Chrysler dealer in the DR, shared the following statistics in an interview on automobile sales in the DR in El Siglo newspaper:

Number and type of motor vehicle units:
Total units: 1,580,000
60% motorcycles
23% automobiles
11% cargo vehicles
6% jeeps

74% of the vehicles motor are 80s models.
In 1999, 16,500 new vehicles were imported, and 36,000 used cars, of which 80% were 1993+ models.

Origin of models circulating: 35% Japan (Toyota 36%, Mitsubishi 19%)
24% Europe (Peugoeot, 20%, Skoda 17%)
16% US (Ford 36% Ford, Chrysler 23%).
Drought and construction works affect water supply
The director of operations of the Corporación Acueductos y Alcantarillados de Santo Domingo, Juan Ramón Guzmán confirmed that less water is entering the city potable water system. He told El Caribe newspaper that potable water levels are down to 294 million gallons a day, when demand is 350 million gallons a day. This is causing a water scarcity in several uptown barrios. He said that to meet the demand, the water department of the city would reconnect wells that had been closed when the Valdesia Dam entered into operation in 1993. It has not been raining since December, which has reduced water levels at city sources.
Guzmán said that the drought primarily affects the Haina-Manoguayabo river basin, and the western, northern areas of the city and those southwest of the Av. J. F. Kennedy that feed directly off the Haina-Manoguayabo system.
El Caribe newspaper also publishes an article reporting that the indiscriminate extraction of sand and gravel from the Haina River for government work construction works has affected the flow of the river.
Local TV producer murdered in his apartment
52-year old Jean Louis Jorge, a renown television and movie producer, was found dead in his Gazcue apartment yesterday around 2 pm. His hands were tied to his back and he was gagged. His throat had been slit and there were eight stabs in different parts of his body, according to news reports. He lived alone in a third floor apartment located in the Calderón building of Av. Pedro Henríquez Ureña corner Rosa Duarte street. The police is questioning Manuela Brea, his maid for 15 years, about the incident. Upon finding the body, she reported the tragedy to the producer's close friend, percussionist Isidro Bobadilla, who lives in the same building. Then the police was called.
News of his death caught on fast, and several renown show business persons, including producer Freddy Beras Goico, showed up at the apartment before the police.
They noticed his room had been upturned, but also that his dog Domino never barked, which made them think that whom had killed the producer was a close acquaintance.
Jorge, a native of Santiago, was a graduate of cinematography from the University of California-Los Angeles. His graduate thesis, "La Serpiente Luna de los Piratas", won him an award in the French film festival of Toulont.
He was a popular jingles and music video producer. He was also known for producing the Casandra Awards shows, and for several very successful TV shows such as Sábado de corporán and Ritmo del Sábado.
His most recent work was the production of the showing of aspirants to be the Dominican Republic representative in the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants. He also had just completed the video that launches the career of Marcos Hernández (of 4-40 fame) as a soloist.
Simón Suárez now with Coral Hotels
Coral Hotels & Resorts announced the appointment of Simón Suárez as vice president project development. He has been in the tourism industry since 1974. He is known for his many years of work with the Unión Hotelera Dominicana-Occidental Hotels Spanish hotel chain. Previously he had worked with a development bank participating in the design of financing for several important hotel projects.
Suárez is also president of the Tourism Promotion Council (CPT), and vice president of the Board of Directors of the National Hotel & Restaurant Association (Asonahores), as well as regional vice president of the Caribbean Hotel Association.
DR dentists okayed to practice in Spain
Ambassador Pedro Verges in Spain said that the government has reached a satisfactory and final solution of the problem of getting Spanish authorities to sanction dental study titles of Dominicans now residing and practicing in Spain. Some 200 dentists had been affected when the Spanish government failed to recognize the validity of their titles.
Most Dominicans back work of electoral court
65% of Dominicans have a good opinion of the work of the Junta Central Electoral, the body in charge of organizing the presidential, municipal and congressional elections in the DR, according to a recent Hamilton & Staff-Hoy newspaper poll that took place during the first week of March. The survey also showed that 81% of the voters are in favor of international observers coming for the presidential election scheduled to take place on 16 May 2000.
Police Force announces psychological testing of members
The Chief of the Police Pedro de Jesús Candelier announced that all members of the police force will be submitted to psychological testing. Lieutenant Colonel Maria Gómez and a group of psychologists and psychiatrists of the force will be carrying out the testing. The Police said that they will first evaluate those who have shown violent behavior, or those with several disciplinary faults. In necessary cases, the agents will be disarmed and assigned to posts that require little contact with the public. Agents that cannot overcome their behavior problems will be discharged from the force.
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. The Botanical Gardens are open 9 to 5 pm.
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.
National Symphony Orchestra Season
The second half of the National Symphony Orchestra 1999-2000 season continues at the National Theater in Santo Domingo.
The calendar for the upcoming presentations is as follows:

Wednesday, 22 March.
Julio de Windt, Conductor.
Reynaldo Han. Overture of the Mozart opera.
Bienvenido Bustamante's Concert for Flute and Orchestra. Special performance by Luis Ruiz.
Franz Liszt's Concert No. 1 for Piano and Orchesta.
Special performance by Italian pianist Enrico Pace.

Wednesday, 29 March
Night of Chamber Music.
Tchaikovsky, Chavez, Wagner and Bizet.
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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