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Daily News - 9 January 2001
Company ousted from park area
President Hipolito Mejia authorized Bienes Nacionales, the government department in charge of state real estate, to donate 10,000 square meters located in an area without trees of the Mirador del Sur to the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo for use by the Movimiento de Evangelizacion a traves del Arte for the installation of a school. The Listin Diario says that orders were given to locate another lot in exchange for the 30,000 meters that were sold under contract to Tokio Motors in the previous administration. Tokio Motors claimed 30,000 square meters adjacent to the Catholic Church allotment, in exchange for deferred payments and for the payment of power plants reportedly sold to the Ministry of Public Health. The church said that the construction of a vehicle assembly plant on behalf of Tokio Motors would clash with the operation of the school.
President Mejía shows interest in farm exports
President Hipólito Mejía met yesterday for 45 minutes with the board of directors of the Centro Dominicano de Promoción de Exportaciones (Cedopex) at the export board's headquarters in Plaza de la Independencia. Several private producers were present at the meeting, where Rolando Galván and Minister of Agriculture Eligio Jaquez spoke about the possibilities of finding export markets for surplus agriculture production expected in March. The President hopes the country will be able to recapture markets in the Caribbean islands, and ethnic markets in New York, Miami and Puerto Rico.
Small plane occupants miraculously save their lives
The five passengers and pilot of the HI-363SP six-seater property of Grupo Punta Cana crashed yesterday into a parking lot at Calle Duvergé No. 1, Villa Marina, about a mile away from the Herrera International Airport. The airplane had taken off at around 7 in the morning on its way to the Punta Cana International Airport in the East. While the airplane was totaled, all on board survived. Most suffered burns, but physicians say they will satisfactorily recover.
A bus driver, Ramón Herrera Rosario was the first to assist the victims of the crash with escaping from the airplane that caught on fire after the pilot managed to land. The plane landed on the driveway of the home of Felix Terrero after toppling a tree, a light post, and a Mitsubishi Montero jeep parked in the driveway. The jeep caught on fire, causing the explosion of the aircraft prior to the timely escape of the occupants.
On board were retired general Francisco Alba Lopez, general manager of the Punta Cana International Airport, pilot Lucilo Peralta Núñez, Walter Zemialkowsky, deputy manager of the airport, Rafael Ramírez, Elsa María de Ramírez and Manuel Pool Johnson.
The president of the Grupo Punta Cana, Frank Rainieri said that the causes of the accident are unknown. He said the airplane had undergone all regulatory safety check ups. He pointed out he and his family had flown the same craft yesterday when returning to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana.
Following the accident, Terrero urged that the government relocate the Herrera airport to avoid further tragic accidents. The past administration began the construction of the La Isabela Airport in northern Santo Domingo, but the Ministry of Public Works say the government seeks a private partner to pick up the cost of completing the airport.
Military order clean up of historic park
After Hoy newspaper denounced the abandon of the Altar de la Patria, the monument where the founders of the Dominican Republic are buried, the Ministry of Armed Forces ordered the repair and clean up of the park area and the monument was begun yesterday.
Rector of UASD suffers from heart condition
The rector of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Miguel Rosado will be transferred from the UCE Medical Center to the Cedars Medical Center in Miami, Florida. Over the weekend he presented severe dehydration as a result of a food intoxication that his physicians say could have lead to coronary complications. His relatives have preferred to fly him to the Miami hospital for a complete revision of his case.
A proven honest man
Luggage porter Coralín Medrano Pérez has proof he is an honest man. Hoy newspaper tells the story of the humble resident of La Caleta that makes a living helping travelers with their luggage at Las Americas International Airport. At around 3:30 am, while he was still on duty, Medrano found a manila envelope containing a passport and a US residency card in the name of Alejandro Castillo and US$2,000 in cash. Castillo is coincidentally the airport management employee in charge of the porters at the airport.
"I was going nuts because even if it wasn't so much money, the money had been entrusted to me for delivery to another person, and my documents were there, my passport and my residency," said Castillo after effusively thanking the porter for returning the envelope.
When Medrano Perez found the envelope he immediately told his supervisor and the envelope was deposited at the Aerodom offices of Las Americas International. Castillo was later contacted. Medrano said that even if he was short of money to buy Three Wise Men gifts for his children, his parents taught him not to take what is not his. "Many people said I should have taken it considering it was a Three Wise Men gift, but I feel better having returned the money to its owner, and not having made use of what is not mine," Medrano Perez told the press.
Aerodom reports there are 300 porters on duty at the airport, down from 1,400 that previously held the job. Upon taking over the management of the airport, Aerodom made a selection of the porters. These had to undergo backgrounds checks and take courses on human relations.
Tents to replace outdoor classrooms
The Ministry of Education yesterday received the first 922 tents of 2,146 donated by a Canadian organization. They will replace makeshift outdoor classrooms. The Canadian Foundation for World Development, due to the efforts of Elina Katsman, honorary consul in Toronto, made the donation.
US$13 million scandal at Civil Aviation
The Listin Diario reports today on the US$13 million the country has spent in its efforts to restore the right for Dominican registration aircraft to fly to US territory. The FAA banned Dominican registration from flying to US territory in 1993, after several safety violations were detected.
Despite seven years having gone by, and more than US$13 million spent on the project, the country has not advanced much in this direction, according to journalist Ana Mitila Lora's investigative report in the Listin.
She points to alleged complicity of the United Natons' International Civil Aviation Organization (OACI) officers with local personnel in regards to serious irregularities detected in the project. The agreement with the OACI was signed in 1997 and had a budget of US$2.5 million. The total amounts spent, though are 500% the initial cost of the project.
The reporter says that the civil aviation director of the time, Vitelio Mejía disregarded an offer by US firm Booz Allen & Hamilton to resolve the FAA restriction with a budget of US$500,000. Booz Allen & Hamilton had at the time carried out a diagnostic report of the problems and solutions. Instead, the government preferred to sign with OACI.
Wage increases start in February
The nation's treasurer, Pastora Mendez de Fondeur said that the government will pay the announced 10% increase for state employees making up to RD$5,000 starting with the February 15 checks. The February salary will retroactively include the promised increase for the month January, she said. She said there was no time to make the adjustment in time for the January checks as President Mejía had announced.
Museum directors criticizes historical object gift-giving
For the past 24 years, artifacts that are part of the national heritage have been given away as gifts to foreign politicians. According to El Caribe, Balaguer was one of the first to violate Law 318-68 he himself had passed regarding the prohibition of the export of historic objects. Balaguer himself gave Andrew Young, at the time US Ambassador before the United Nations, a mahogany chest salvaged from a galleon.
Now, Marcio Veloz Maggiolo, director of the Museum of Casas Reales accuses Rosa Maria Vicioso of the Voluntariado del Museo de las Casas Reales of having continued with the practice of donating important pieces that belonged to the Museum.
In a press conference yesterday, Marcio Veloz Maggiolo says that the irregularities in the management of the organization for the past 25 years motivated the rift between the Museo de Casas Reales and the non-governmental organization, known as Voluntariado del Museo de las Casas Reales.
In the press conference he mentions that the president of the Voluntariado gave two valuable coins that were part of the collection of the Nuestra Señora de Concepción salvaged galleon to Cesar Beltran, at the time director of USIA, the United States Information Agency.
Veloz Maggiolo also criticized Vicioso's request for 10 large earthen jars from the 16th and 17th century galleons, Tolosa, Guadalupe and Concepción to be given away as gifts to visiting Central American presidents that came for the November 1997 summit. And the gifts of 17th century Dutch pipes, of historical value for being of the oldest used for tobacco consumption by Europeans to visiting statesman here for a Caribbean summit. The government recently suspended by Decree 1307-00 the incorporation of the Voluntariado del Museo de las Casas de Reales following a request of the Ministry of Culture that seeks to place all cultural organizations under its mandate.
Vicioso said she answer by written statement.
Tariffs reduction awaits publication
The Secretary of the Presidency Sergio Grullón told the National Council of Business (CONEP) that the government will reduce import tariffs as per dispositions contained in the Tariff Reform Law as soon as the law is published in the press. Businessmen have complained that while the government has been prompt to apply ITBIS tax increase from 8 to 12% and the selective tax on luxury items increases, it has not acted on the reduction of import duties contained in the law that was approved at the same time as the tributary reform law. Reportedly, the tariff reductions will be effective six months after the law is in effect.
Escogido continues to lead in baseball semi-finals
For game schedule, see Calendar at http://www.dr1.com/daily/calendar.shtml
 TEAM  WON  LOST  PCT.  DIF.
 Escogido  6  0  1000  
 Aguilas  4  2  .667  2
 Azucareros  1  5  .167  5
 Estrellas  0  5  .167  5
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