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Daily News - 8 March 2001
President Mejia wants gaming culture to change
President Mejia would like to eliminate the slot and gaming machines that have been installed in stores and entertainment spots all around cities. Yesterday, he issued Decree 323-2001 that restricts drawing to Wednesdays and Saturdays for lottery shops, electronic lotteries and other types of gambling operations that depend on the state lottery. This does not affect the drawing days of National Lottery, according to the decree.
"I want Dominicans to save the cents they earn, not wager them away, and rather invest them in their family's welfare," said the President. He spoke with the press at the end of the Government Council held yesterday in Villa Mella. He said the measure was intended to improve the purchasing power of the poor, the most prone to gamble.
Nevertheless, he told El Caribe newspaper, "If I do not see that people are rectifying in their ways, I will set back the decree."
The vice president of the Association of Lottery Shops of the National District, Juan Fernandez told El Caribe that the government receives RD$400-RD$425 million a year in duties charged for licensing betting shop operations. He said that the country cannot resist more than 15,000 betting shops. He blamed the present administrator of the state-operated National Lottery, Miguel Vasquez for the increase in betting shops to 25,000 at present.
He complained that the decree will force betting shops to again go underground. He said the sector employs 100,000 people.
El Caribe reports that a study carried out by the National Lottery shows that thousands of low income Dominicans bet RD$200-$300 a day.
Government favors constitutional reform consultations
After meeting yesterday, President Hipolito Mejia and the president of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, Hatuey de Camps announced they were in favor of an openly debating constitutional reform. They would like former Presidents Joaquin Balaguer, Salvador Jorge Blanco and Leonel Fernández to participate in the talks, alongside with representatives of churches, political parties and civic society organizations. De Camps said that the plans to reform the Constitution would not modify the structure of the Supreme Court of Justice.
According to a Senate proposal for constitutional reform announced yesterday by Dario Gomez (PRD-Santiago Rodriguez), there would be changes in the duration of the judges, the attributes of the President, perpetual jail sentence, chemical castration of sexual violators of minors, among other changes. It also establishes that a simple majority of 45% would be necessary to win the presidency without having to go to a second round, or a 10 point percentual difference between the first and second position.
Sociologist Rosario Espinal, participating in a Workshop on Electoral Reforms held at the Hotel Renaissance Jaragua yesterday, said that there are not the conditions for Congress or a special assembly to carry out the reform. She says that Congress is not representative of the different sectors of society because it is controlled by a single party, the incumbent party. She is the director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, USA.
Three Dominicans extradited this week to US
The Dominican government yesterday extradited two nationals that had been requested by the US government to stand trial for drug trafficking charges. These were Wander Aristy Salvador and Wellington Isaac Miranda. On Monday, the government extradited Pablo Almonte Lluberes who will stand trial for the murder of a New York policeman. The government is studying extraditing another 60 persons. In the past 10 years, 19 Dominicans have been extradited at the request of the US, most to face drug trafficking charges.
Steps ahead on the Hispaniola Fund project
The Commission Pro-Development Fund of the Dominican-Haitian Frontier rendered a report to President Hipólito Mejia at the Ministry of Foreign Relations yesterday. The Commission is made up by Minister of Foreign Relations Hugo Tolentino Dipp; Governor of the Central Bank Frank Guerrero Prats; the director of the Institute for Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI) Silvio Carrasco; Minister of Environment Frank Moya Pons; director of the European Union development funds office, Manuel Caceres Troncoso; businessman Camilo Lluberes Henriquez; lawyer Luis Heredia Bonetti; business consultant Luis Alvarez Renta; and Wenceslao Guerrero, in charge of Haitian affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The idea is to lobby to garner US approval for the condoning of the Dominican Republic debt with the US so that it may be used to create a fund that would be invested to plant trees, save river basins, build industrial free zone, hydroelectric dams, ports, highways, and develop small and medium-size business programs along the frontier with Haiti.
The Dominican group is awaiting the appointment by President Jean Bertrand Aristide of a Haitian commission to participate in the discussions.
Public works for North of Santo Domingo
During the 19th Government Council held yesterday in Villa Mella, north of the city of Santo Domingo, President Mejia announced studies are underway to build a bridge parallel to Puente Peynado, facing the old installations of the Cementera. During the event, Minister of Public Works Miguel Vargas Maldonado announced the construction, paving and improvement of 240 kilometers of highway, roads and rural roads in the north of the National District.
President approves improvements for Sosua
El Siglo reports that President Hipolito Mejia met recently with a commission from Sosua to discuss how the government could help boost that community, probably the oldest tourism destination in the DR. Spokesmen for Sosua were Herman Strauss, president of the Compañia Industrial Lechera (Productos Sosua); William Kirkman, of Sea Horse Ranch residential community, Mayor Edmundo Brown, among others. The newspaper reports the President ordered the completion of the sewage and rain water drainage systems. Likewise the construction of dwellings for the occupants of the Los Tablones shacks town to go up behind the apartments that originally were to have lodged these people. Once constructed, the government distributed the dwellings to others, not resolving the problem of the shack town along the beach.
Likewise, the government gave instructions for the paving of the westbound Carretera Sabaneta-Puerto Plata, the streets of Sosua.
News reports indicate that 20 hotels have closed in Sosua. The closures are also attributed to high operational costs, lack of money to renovate, competition from newer all-inclusive resorts in the area, competition from newer resorts in other areas of the North Coast and the DR, vendor-packed Sosua beach, among other problems.
Only 25% of working-age women are employed
The Listin Diario reports that only 25% of working-age women in the DR are employed. This contrasts with the fact that 60% of the enrollment in national universities is female. A Central Bank report on the labor market says that of 2,902,518 working-age women, only 735,000 are employed. Of these 140,527 have received a university education. The study reports that of 2,902,518 working-age men, 1,788,701 are employed.
President of Chile to visit
News reports advance that President Ricardo Lagos of Chile will visit the DR on 23 April. The Santo Domingo International Book Fair is dedicated to Chile this year. It is possible that the book fair opening date, set for 26 April, will be changed so that President Lagos can be present at the event.
It's free if we charged you ITBI by mistake
The Supermercado Nacional and La Despensa companies announced that they would give the client any item on which ITBI tax was charged incorrectly. The chain made the announcement as part of a strategy to win consumers' trust. At present, there have been many complaints regarding stores charging the ITBI tax on items incorrectly.
Vice President of Pan Am Games promises tenders
Raul Barrientos, executive vice president of the Organizing Committee of the 2003 Pan American Games promised that his office would call tenders for the construction or purchase of supplies for the Santo Domingo Pan Am Games.
"The builders of sports venues at the Mirador del Este Park or the suppliers of services, consulting and supplies will be chosen in tenders with the most absolute transparency," he promised.
Sport world incongruency
The Listin Diario reports on the frustration of the Russian track and field trainers Surgey Korotaeva, Serguey Vassilieu, Alexei Balalov y Natalia Korotaeva at the delays in the repair of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Stadium facility. The Russian trainers are here to prepare Dominican athletes that will compete in the Central American & Caribbean Games in 2002 (San Salvador) and the Pan American Games in 2003 (Santo Domingo). They have been working on improving the general physical fitness of the athletes, but say that they need to move on to track and field training aspects. Press reports indicate that the nation's best athletes will be moving on to Puerto Rico to continue their training until the track is available here.
The situation of the track and field athletes is not one and only. Athletes in many other sports await the construction or remodeling of sport venues so that they can hone their skills. The president of the Olympic Committee, Jose Joaquin Puello since the request of the site has justified the hosting of the games in Santo Domingo on grounds that it would leave behind excellent sports facilities for the future development of Dominican athletes.
Cubans and US experts to help prepare Pan Am Games
According to Dr. Jose Joaquin Puello, president of the Organizing Committee of the Santo Domingo Pan American Games, a Cuban commission of technicians is set to arrive on 1 April to assist the organizers with most organizational aspects of the Games. They will consult on villa management, press, computerized support systems, opening and closing ceremonies, torch relay organization, protocol, sports medicine, formation of judges, arbiters and preparation of volunteers, among other areas. Dr. Puello says he is working closely with Humberto Rodriguez, president of the Instituto Nacional de Deporte, Educacion Fiscia y Recreacion of Cuba.
He also said that US technicians will assist the organizers in the television and marketing aspects of the Games. He said that this will be in the hands of Meridiam, that carried out the marketing for the Sydney Olympic Games, as well as that of Winnipeg, Canada. Puello also told the press that the US Olympic Committee has offered to help train Dominican athletes. Some athletes will be sent to train at the US Olympic Colorado Springs training center.
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