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Daily News - 29 March 2001
President returns tonight
President Hipolito Mejia returns today from his visit to Taiwan. 
He is scheduled to arrive at 9 pm at the San Isidro Air Base. 
News reports say that on his way back from Taiwan he made a stopover 
in Sacramento, California where he met with California state high ranking officers and members of the High Tech Industries  Committee of the US Congress.
Mining to generate US$600 million a year soon?
Engineer Miguel Peña de los Santos is optimistic that efforts of the government’s Corporate Mining Unit which he presides over will pay off. He forecast an increase in Dominican mining exports from US$200 million at present to more than US$600 million by the year 2004. He said an investment by major mining companies of around US$1,200 million is expected in the next four years. In a press conference, 
he said his department has been contacting major mining business and international organizations to promote private investment, restore the gold exports and promote small mining operations. The goal is for mining to contribute 5% to the Gross Domestic Product by 2004. "This growth will generate exports of US$600 to US$800 million but it will be carried out with a environmentally responsible vision to achieve sustainable developments in mining.  Last year mining contributed 1.8% to the Gross Domestic Product. Mining exports were primarily those made by Falconbridge Dominicana which exported US$237.4 million last year.
More on the government property scandal
The registrar of land titles, Wilson Gomez Ramirez, has denounced that he has pending 18 cases of irregular sales of government property. The Senate in turn announced it would return 26 contracts for the sale of property of the State Sugar Council (CEA). The announcements were made after television investigative journalist Nuria Piera denounced the scandalous sale of a 3,000 meter lot owned 
by the government for RD$5 per meter when the market value in that area is RD$2,000 per meter. Meanwhile, the government department in question, Bienes Nacionales, has been militarized and its director Victor Fernandez Tio and eight other department directors have been suspended from office as investigations take place. The beneficiary of the controversial government sale, Samuel Dario 
Nuñez Gomez is a fugitive. His wife, nevertheless, returned the RD$3.5 million purchase price to businessman Edmon Elias Barnichta Geara. Bienes Nacionales had days sold Núñez the lot for RD$16,940.10 just days before.
Police to confiscate slot machines in neighborhood shops
The Police announced an operation to confiscate slot machines in grocery stores and shops all around the country. The slot machine operation is illegal. The machines are only legal inside casinos.  The Police says it will first confiscate the slot machines that are located near schools.
Central Bank confirms sale of Hotel Hispaniola
The Central Bank confirmed the sale of the Hotel Hispaniola to Palmeras Dominicanas for US$18 million. US$1.5 million of that was paid to the Corporación Hotelera to release the 25 years pending on its contract to operate the hotel. The Bank said the sale of the hotel was a process dating back to 1998 and is part of the resolution of the Monetary Junta that required the bank to divest itself of its real estate and other property that are not in agreement with its essence as a Central Bank. Furthermore, the Central Bank confirmed 400 employees had been let go, mostly persons of lower levels. The lay offs were said to be due to the excess number of employees. The Bank says the levels of employees had reached 3,000, when the Central Bank of Chile operates with only 587 employees.
Free trade talks with Haiti
The Minister of Industry and Commerce Angel Lockward announced upon his return from Haiti that talks will be held to work towards the signing of a free trade agreement with the neighboring country. In Haiti, he met with Prime Minister Jean Marie Cherestal and Minister of Industry and Commerce Stanley Theard on the subject. He said the Dominican Republic could sell its production surplus 
to Haiti, including eggs, yucca, beans and potatoes. He said the government has authorized the sale of one million gallons of propane gas to Haiti, or approximately 5% of national consumption. He said development projects that could be financed by the Hispaniola Fund were also discussed. The Hispaniola Fund would be created if the US government allows the DR to pay moneys into it that are owed to the bilateral debt with the United States. The second round of talks would take place on 6 April during the meeting of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
FTA with Central America moves on to Presidential Signature
The FTA with Central America has advanced another step.
The Chamber of Deputies gave its symbolic approval to the agreement as received by the Senate. As per the Constitution, the agreement only requires senatorial approval. The Senate chose to pass the framework treaty but sat on two protocols of five, those signed with Costa Rica and Nicaragua on grounds that they grant privileges that could create problems with other DR trading partners. There has also been opposition to the protocols from local producers.
The document will now move on to the Executive Branch for signing and then to the Ministry of Foreign Relations which is responsible for formally notifying the interested parties in Central America prior to its going into effect.
Okay to Higuero and El Catey airports
The Chamber of Deputies authorized an addendum to the Aeropuertos
Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom) airport management contract. 
Under the addendum, the company will complete the construction of and manage the Higuero Airport in northern Santo Domingo and the El Catey airport to go up in northeastern Samana. Aerodom already is responsible for the Las Americas (Santo Domingo), Gregorio Luperon (Puerto Plata), Maria Montez (Barahona) and Arroyo Barril (Samana) airports.
Higher salaries for mayors 
The Secretary General of the Dominican Municipal League announced an increase in wages of mayors andaldermen. His argument for the increase was that the mayors should have the same privileges congressmen enjoy. As of April, mayors in Santiago, La Vega, San Cristobal, San Francisco de Macoris, La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris, Moca, San Juan de la Maguana, Puerto Plata and Monseñor Nouel will be paid RD$50,000 a month. Mayors in the other provinces will earn
RD$35,000 to RD$40,000 depending on the municipality category and the population. He said that aldermen of Santiago, La Vega and San Cristobal will earn RD$30,000 and those of the other provinces will make RD$20,000.
Taiwan government commits US$15 million a year
The Consul of the Taiwan Embassy, Robert C. Huang, told the Listin Diario that the government of Taiwan has committed US$15 million a year in cooperation agreements signed by both countries. President Mejia recently traveled to Taiwan to request US$200 million in assistance from that nation for development projects.
Huang told the Listin Diario that a US$3 million investment is already planned to build a hospital in Azua, plus US$8.7 million over five years for a reforestation program, scholarships and loans to small farms.
Harder to get to US legally
Bernardo Vega, former DR ambassador to the United States, said that the US government decision to grant only 20,387 migrant visas in 1998, down from 51,000 in 1994, is one of the factors motivating an increase in the illegal boat trips to Puerto Rico. He explained that new migration law provisions passed in 1996 oblige petitioners of relatives to prove they can support their relatives. He spoke during the Fundacion Global Democracia y Desarrollo seminar on the Bush Administration’s focus in Latin America.
City public schools get long weekend break
Almost 500,000 public school students have been given a forced long weekend, Thursday and Friday off, after the Dominican Association of Professors went on strike today. The public school teachers want a 100% increase in their wages and other benefits. The strike affects more than 200 schools in the National District.
Largest convention center in Caribbean to open in May
The president of the Barceló hotel and tourism group in the Dominican Republic, Felix Felipe, announced that the Barcelo Convention Center should be operational by May 2001. He said the Spanish company has invested US$16 million into the center and that it will be the largest in the Caribbean. The center has capacity for meetings of up to 3,000 persons and up to 24 meeting rooms. He said that marketing efforts have already secured a meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of Latin America, and they hope to attract the Miss Universe pageant in 2003. In the area, Barcelo operates the Bavaro Beach, Bavaro Garden, Bavaro Casino, Bavaro Golf, Bavaro Palace hotels. Felipe announced the construction of two additional 600 room hotels. He said that by the end of 2001 the company could operate 25 hotels in the DR. Barcelo's first investment in the DR was the Bavaro Beach which opened in 1985.
Air France announces spring fares
Air France is offering round trip fares from Santo Domingo to:
Paris 580 USD
London 640 USD
Madrid/Barcelona 650 USD
Milan/Rome 675 USD
Frankfurt 700 USD
Zurich 700 USD
Amsterdam 700 USD
Hong Kong 1130 USD
Beijing/Shanghai 1130 USD
Singapore 1130 USD
Bangkok 1130 USD
Taxes are not included in these fares, advance purchase is required, 
and some conditions apply. The offer is valid until 27 June 2001. 
For more information please call Air France at 686-8432 or consult your travel agent.
What about the pool?
Sadia Cepeda, of the Swimming Association of Santiago, said that Santiago’s athletes have not been able to practice for the Panamerican Diving Championships, even though their city will host the event, because the pool is out of order. "We are the site of the Panamerican Championships in December, but we don't have a pool," she protested. She took advantage of the fact that the president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Jose Joaquin Puello, was in
Santiago to speak on the upcoming 2003 Pan American Games to protest that the funds for the repair of the swimming pool and diving installations have not been forthcoming. The pool complex is located in the Pontificia Universidad Madre y Maestra campus in Santiago. For years it has been under repairs, and these are now paralyzed for lack of funding. While the Mejia government has enthusiastically supported the Pan American Games, the funds for preparing athletes and repairing and building sports venues have only trickled in.
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