Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

Daily News - 3 April 2000
Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata airports go private
Four Dominican international airports, including the two of most traffic, are now under the private management of Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom).
Aerodom is a consortium made up by majority shareholder DR-based Operaciones Aeroportuarias del Caribe (Dominican Republic), Ogden Corporation (United States), YVR Airport Services (Canada) and Impregilio (Italy).
Ogden Corporation is the world's largest independent aviation services company. See http://www.ogden.com/aviation/index.htm
YVR Airport Services is the development/operations arm of the Vancouver, British Columbia, airport authority. The Vancouver Airport has a reputation as one of the best-managed airports in the world. See http://www.yvr.ca/generalinfo/airportauthority/yvras.htm
Impregilio is the Milan, Italy-based subsidiary of the Italian company Fiat with significant airport development and construction experience.
Aerodom was formed to undertake the airport improvements and to provide ongoing oversight and management of the airports. Aerodom will collect and retain aeronautical revenues such as aircraft landing and parking fees, airport terminal revenues including passenger facility charges and fees from airport services providers, and all commercial revenues, rents and fees at Las Americas Airport (Santo Domingo), Gregorio Luperon Airport (Puerto Plata), Maria Montez Airport (Barahona) and Arroyo Barril Airport (Samana). Of the four, only the first two are in operation.
The contract establishes that Aerodom will be responsible for the administration, operation, maintenance, modernization, commercial exploitation, renewal and expansion of the airports. The consortium commits to invest US$203 million (US$96 million in Las Americas-Santo Domingo, US$47 million in Gregorio Luperon-Puerto Plata, US$55 million Arroyo Barril-Samaná and US$5 million in Maria Montez-Barahona) in a 24-month program to improve the infrastructure of all four airports to meet project traffic increases until the year 2015. A second round of improvements worth US$106 million (US$52 million, US$32 million, US$14 million, US$8 million, respectively) is foreseen to meet needs until the year 2030. It also promises to invest US$85 million during the contract period to promote and foster tourism in the DR.
Under the terms of the concession, the government can at any time during the first 20 years demand changes in modernization plans for the airports. The consortium's investments are guaranteed not to raise present taxes on passengers and cargo, although it is allowed to impose a special US$5 charge for the use of Arroyo Barril airport in Samaná.
Safety, customs, and migration services will continue to be operated by the government.
President Leonel Fernández to meet Bill Gates
President Leonel Fernández leaves tomorrow morning for Seattle, Washington where he is slated to meet with Bill Gates of Microsoft. His trip comes shortly after Microsoft announced an alliance with Telmex, a Mexican telecommunications company to create an Internet portal for Latin America.
Microsoft portal will come on computer screens with the opening of Explorer/Windows. Microsoft is preparing versions for several Latin American countries. The first to appear will be those of Mexico (http://www.t1msn.com/homepage.asp), Chile, Argentina, US, Venezuela and Colombia.
Mauricio Santillán, regional vice president for Microsoft Latin America told journalists during the announcement in Miami that the company has plans to set up a Caribbean office. According to the Listín Diario, they are seriously considering Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
President Fernandez wants Microsoft to set up shop in the Santo Domingo Cyberpark. This is a complex of high tech university, high tech industrial plants, and port facilities going up near the Las Americas International Airport.
30 minors arrested in Friday night disco blitz
District Attorney Francisco Domínguez and Drug Control Department agents participated in a Friday night blitz of three discotheques frequented by middle class and upper middle class clientele. Press reports named Jubilee at the Jaragua, and mentioned another was located in a Winston Churchill mall. The blitz was held on occasion of April being the month for the prevention of child abuse. During the blitz, 30 minors were detained until their parents got there to pick them up. Several 13 to 14 years olds were among the group. No arrests were made, but the DA said that the blitzes would continue. The discos face a maximum penalty of being shut down for 15 days if minors are again found on the premises. The operation began at 11 pm and concluded at 3 am. The DA requested the cooperation of the parents to not allow their children to frequent the discotheques. Establishments also face a fine of RD$2,000-RD$20,000 for selling alcohol to a minor, and jail sentence of six months to two years.
DA says Police only solved 25% of homicide cases
District Attorney Francisco Domínguez Brito said that the National Police resolved less than 25% of the cases it handled in 1999. He told El Siglo newspaper that this shows the weakness of their investigation systems. According to the District Attorney, the Department of Crime and Homicides of the Police handled 12,000 cases. Of the 184 cases of murder, it resolved only 31. The District Attorney wants the responsibility for handling homicide cases to be transferred to his office. He believes they can do a better job resolving the cases and guaranteeing human rights.
Balaguer wants to reinstate agrarian reform
94-year old Joaquín Balaguer, on the campaign trail in San Francisco de Macorís for the PRSC, promised to concentrate on agrarian reform, preservation of natural resources and assistance to farmers. (Many studies show that agrarian reform in the DR was a total failure and is one of the reasons for the low general farming productivity.)
The Listín Diario reported Balaguer arrived to San Francisco de Macorís around 3:30 pm riding a Mercedes Benz property of his longtime political supporter Guaroa Liranzo. Balaguer has an old Cadillac Classic.
Meanwhile, in Santo Domingo, vice presidential candidate Jacinto Peynado criticized the PRD, saying that in eight years in power (1978-1986) the PRD showed that it is not capable of managing the country. Leaders of the PRD had said that Balaguer was not physically capable of governing.
Danilo says PRD is accomplice to forced abstention
Danilo Medina, the presidential candidate, of the PLD complained over the weekend that 800,000 Dominicans have problems with their voting cards. He accused the PRD of avoiding a discussion of solution to problems found with the lists of voters, and thus trying to provoke a forced abstention in the May presidential election.
Mejía accuses government of corruption in imports
Hipólito Mejía on the campaign trail for the PRD in the Northeast, Nagua, denounced that sectors linked to the PLD government have a plan to import rice, milk and meat for RD$20-RD$25 million for personal profit. He said that those that would carry out the imports could care less for national production. He criticized that those imports would enter duty free. He also criticized the government for maintaining debts with producers. Hipólito campaigned over the weekend in Rio San Juan, Nagua and Samana.
Better planning, less complaining
The new president of the Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana, JAD, Carlomagno González urged that the poultry sector self-regulate itself and stop criticizing the government. González is the president of the Corporación Avícola y Ganadera in Jarabacoa, a leading national poultry producer. He said that bad planning and not the government is to blame for the present one million-unit surplus. Production is at 12.3 million units per month, while consumption is at 11.3 million. As a result, supermarkets are advertising frozen chickens for under RD$8 the pound.
Telecable shuts the door on Supercanal
Telecable Nacional, the largest cable TV network in Santo Domingo, said they have no channel space available for Supercanal, the new UHF TV station that begins broadcasting on 8 April. This new station will transmit Freddy Beras Goico and his very popular Gordo de la Semana Sunday program. Supercanal transmits on Channel 33 of the UHF frequency, and wanted that same channel on Telecable. The Caribbean Traveling Network occupies channel 33 on Telecable. Telecable offered it Channel 54, but the offer was turned down. News reports say that Supercanal took the case to Indotel, the government telecommunications regulatory agency, at which point Telecable said they had no channels left for Supercanal.
Supercanal's majority shareholder is Frank Jorge Elías, who is also the principal shareholder of Supercable, a competitor of Telecable Nacional.
Spring chicken pox outbreak in primary schools
Epidemiologist Jesus Feris Iglesias alerted to a Spring chicken pox outbreak affecting principally primary school children. He recommended that parents vaccinate their children to prevent severe cases of chicken pox.
Range Rover exhibitionist taken to justice
Relatives of 35-year old Luis de la Hoz Michel brought him to the District Attorney, after the Police was on his trail for exhibitionist behavior in Santo Domingo. The law establishes a maximum fine of RD$5,000 and six months to a year in jail. De la Hoz's story made the newspapers when he was denounced by Nani Martínez, press director for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after her daughter and other adolescent friends complained of being harassed in front of Diamond Mall, an upscale shopping center on the periphery of one of Santo Domingo's most fashionable neighborhoods. De la Hoz had stepped out of his Range Rover jeep totally naked from the waist down. He wore an unbuttoned jacket. Several employees of nearby shops responded to the girls' screams and chased the man back to his jeep, in which he quickly sped away.
Wilfrido Vargas marries Mexican
Wilfrido Vargas, one of the most innovative and best known merengue band leaders of all times, married Mexican Sandra Lilian in Santo Domingo over the weekend. They met during one of Vargas' work trips to Mexico. This is Vargas second wedding. He had been single for two decades. The wedding was a private ceremony at Fiesta Deluxe, with limited access to the press, reported the Listín Diario.
71 Dominicans on Major League rosters
The Listin Diario reported that a record 71 Dominicans were on the rosters of the 30 Major League teams that opens in the US today. Last year, 66 Dominicans were on the rosters. Star players include Pedro Martinez, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero. Of the 71 players, 18 were born in Santo Domingo, 10 in San Pedro de Macorís.
National Sports games scheduled for 29 April
The government is promising the National Sports Games are on for 29 April in La Romana. Some 2,700 athletes are expected to compete in the games that will last through 6 May. Delays have been reported with the completion of the Olympic pool, the multi-use sports facility and the villa. The La Romana sports games facilities suffered major damages due to Hurricane Georges in September 1998. The games are said to have a tab of RD$177 million.
Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008.  DR1. All Rights Reserved.