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Daily News - 3 April 2001
President opens drug enforcement conference
Today, President Hipolito Mejia inaugurates the Annual Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC XIX) at the Hotel Jaragua. The conference will continue until April 5. Major General Manuel Antonio Lachapelle Suero, chief of the National Drug Control Department of the DR, presides over the event. The conference theme this year is the Strengthening of Multilateral Cooperation to Fight Drug Trafficking." Here for the event is Donnie R. Marshall, director of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and delegates from 31 nations in the Americas, Australia, Japan and Thailand, in addition to Chec Republic, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain and England. The DR was host to the event in 1995.
Talking to the press, Marshall recognized Dominican Republic efforts to combat drug trafficking and money laundering at a time when Haiti has become what he called "a sanctuary" for international drug traffickers. As part of the event, the governments of the DR, Haiti and US will sign an agreement to fight drug trafficking and money laundering operations.
Colonel Jacobo Moquete, spokesman for the Drug Control Department (DNCD) said that Marshall handed over RD$19.1 million pesos to the Drug Council and Drug Control Department to be used for education and drug combat programs. The money is the result of sales of goods confiscated from drug trafficking operations.
Most companies pay, says tax department
The Direccion General de Impuestos Internos said that only 118, or 20%, of the top 592 companies have not met the second monthly payment of the new 1.5% tax on gross sales. These companies account for most of the government's tax revenues from private business. President Mejia said earlier this week in Santaigo that only 50,000 of 300,000 companies had paid the 1.5% tax.
Lack of funds to deport Europeans
Hotel and travel sectors are requesting that the government deport a number of foreigners who are described as vagabonds and are operating illicit businesses in tourist areas, violating morals and good customs, as reported in the Listin Diario. The director of the Immigration Department, Brigade General Trajano Moreta Cuevas, says that one of the main problems is that his department cannot afford the cost of air fares to deport the Europeans. Many of them have criminal records in their home countries. The National Hotel & Restaurant Association has complained that many Europeans who come here as tourists become involved in scams or illicit businesses. Asonahores says they are giving a bad name to tourism development.
Gambling okayed for Leidsa, not for others
Press director Luis Gonzalez Fabra said that only Leidsa has been authorized to operate daily electronic lotteries. He said the company was allowed to do so until the expiration of their contract, according to El Siglo. The contract expires in February 2005.
Other companies say they too have contracts signed with the National Lottery, the state gambling operation, and want these to be honored. On 6 March 2001, President Mejia ordered that lotteries be held only on Wednesdays and Sundays. A subsequent Decree 376-01 excludes electronic lotteries from the measure. Leidsa on 26 March announced it was authorized to operate daily lotteries again.
There is now confusion over whether all electronic lotteries are authorized to operate or not.
Tax collections fall short of estimates
El Caribe newspaper reports that the government had estimated tax revenues of RD$61,710 million in its 2001 National Budget. This was 29.6% more than taxes collected in 2000, which reached RD$47,598 million.
Nevertheless, the first two months show that the taxes are falling short, increasing only 27.3%, or RD$157 million less in the first two months than what was estimated.
The government was counting on revenues to go up as a result of the increase in the ITBIS (value-added tax) from 8 to 12%, the new 1.5% tax on gross sales, the increase in the petroleum differential tax and an increase in the tax on luxury items. The money has not been coming in as planned. El Caribe newspaper says that the government had to borrow RD$800 million from local commercial banks in the first two months of the year to meet payments due on the national foreign debt. This loan needs to be repaid this year.
Furthermore, the newspaper report shows concern for what it calls a lack of control over current expenditures, especially for the increases in the payroll after the government has honored political commitments by hiring thousands of PRD party members, and the tendency to borrow from commercial banks at high interest rates and with non-favorable conditions.
Lockward causes bottleneck
The badly parked Toyota Prado of Minister of Industry and Commerce caused major circulation problems yesterday at the Huacal government offices building. The vehicle blocked the Francia Avenue exit of the building. The El Caribe newspaper reports that when the governor of the building, Julio Guerrero, called Lockward's office to speak to him about removing the vehicle, Lockward's assistant responded that the Minister only spoke to those who had a previous appointment.
Minister of Education says strike is not justified
While the president of the Dominican Association of Professors, Olimpia Gonzalez, has urged union members to not strike on Wednesday and Thursday as announced, she seems to no longer have control over her constituency. The ADP seems to be divided and affected by many internal problems. A recent scandal of a major RD$15 million+ fraud within the organization has met with resistance by the executive committee to investigate, giving way to speculation that some union officers may have been involved.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Milagros Ortiz said the two-day strike of public school teachers is unjustified. Teachers claim they are paid RD$2,500 a month, but the Minister says that the average salary is RD$5,652 for working one shift. She says the union is not taking into account the incentives the teachers receive.
Ortiz says that Ministry statistics show that 53% of the 54,479 teachers on the public payroll make RD$8,000 to RD$12,000 a month. She says that 14% make more than RD$12,000, 25% makes RD$4,000 to $8,000 and 23% make RD$2,500 to RD$4,000.
Olimpia Gonzalez has urged the teachers to wait until meeting with President Mejia before going on strike.
ESL training for 1,000 public school teachers
The Ministry of Education signed a contract with the Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano and the Centro Cultural Dominico-Americano (Santiago) for the training of 1,000 public school teachers in English language education. The RD$3.6 million program was promoted by the United States Embassy, with the cooperation of businessman Ramon Baez Figueroa. Fund raising efforts have also been carried out by Dominican Major League baseball players. The private sector is contributing 50% of the total investment, and the government the remainder.
Upon making the announcement of the start of the program, Minister of Education Milagros Ortiz highlighted the importance of training Dominicans in English "if we really want to enter the age of globalization."
Ban on lobster
The Ministry of Environment announced the start of the lobster fishing ban. It extends from 1 April to 31 July and is intended to give the lobsters a chance to breed. The capture, possession, processing and marketing of lobsters during this season is prohibited by a Fishing Law that dates back to 1962. During this period, restaurants are allowed to sell only imported lobster.
Central American FTA signed
President Hipolito Mejia signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement yesterday. The Ministry of Foreign Relations now needs to notify the participating countries prior to its going into effect.
Evidence erased at government department
The director of the Department for the Prevention of Corruption, Dr. Jesus Feliz Jimenez, said documents that would prove irregularities regarding the administration of Victor Tio Fernandez at the Direccion de Bienes Nacionales, the government division in charge of state property, have been destroyed. In turn, President Mejia fired Santiago Moquete as director of the National Land Deed Titling Plan. Tio Fernandez had been suspended for 30 days. Moquete had accused Tio of being the head of a major mafia at the department. Hoy newspaper in its page two commentary says that before the scandal erupted, Tio was about to be suspended by the President for complaints about Tio's handling of the department. The newspaper says no one knows why the President changed his mind, but speculates that a high ranking officer of the PRD party intervened to prevent Tio's firing at the time.
Hoy newspaper reports that the registrar of deeds for the National District announced that the Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that from now on all sales of government property by way of proxies need to be certified by the Legal Advisor of the Executive Branch.
Sports federations get RD$8 million
The Ministry of Sports has been able to honor its commitment to fund sports federations' programs. Yesterday the Ministry handed out the first of ten monthly payments to be made this year. The money is slated to be used: 50% for development of the sport in the DR, 30% for participation in international events, 20% for the training of coaches.
Sports federations will receive:
Track & Field RD$733,000
Baseball RD$490,000
Volleyball RD$485,000,
Basketball RD$440,000
Wrestling RD$440,000
Swimming RD$430,000
Weightlifting RD$420,000
Boxing RD$390,000
Softball RD$390,000
Equestrian RD$315,000
Soccer RD$274,720
Tae Kwon Do RD$265,000
Racquetball RD$246,000
Karate RD$245,000
Bowling RD$215,000
Judo RD$211,000
Cycling RD$195,000
Tennis RD$190,000
Handball RD$179,000
Table Tennis RD$175,000
Skeet RD$171,430
Archery RD$150,000
Badminton RD$150,000
Fencing RD$131,000
Hockey RD$131,000
Sailing RD$115,000
Modern Pentathlon RD$112,000
Art & Culture RD$100,000
Triathlon RD$90,000
Sports Medicine RD$60,000
Gymnastics RD$56,000
Rowing RD$50,000
Chess RD$50,000
Botando el Golpe sans Jochy
The show must go on. Radio's most popular afternoon talk show, "Botando el Golpe" aired yesterday without its creator, Jochy Santos. The program was billing more than RD$2 million a month. Jochy will be moving on to Zol 106.5 another radio station, to accept an attractive offer. There wouldn't have been much ado about the move, but Jochy leaves behind the name of his show (which was registered by the Rumba FM station) and without most of his crew which will stay on with Botando el Golpe. News reports say that Botando el Golpe is enlisting TV producer Roberto Salcedo to be the lead man of the show. Jochy Santos has not yet announced when his new program starts.
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