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Daily News - 7 May 2001
Proposals for building Pan Am Games sports venues
The Organizing Committee of the 2003 Pan American Games says it has received 23 proposals from 14 companies for the construction of sports venues at the Mirador del Este Park. A committee spokesman said construction could begin in 60 days. The government will be using funds from the San Jose Accord, a credit on petroleum purchases provided by the government of Venezuela.
The proposals are for weightlifting, tennis, badminton and table tennis facilities.
The engineering companies bidding for the contracts are: Constructora Oro, Mapek, Consorcio Dominico-Venezolano, Constructora HP/Policancha, Proyectos Cronos, Ingeniero Civil, C& J Ingenieros, MS Servicios Generales, Ingeniero Jorge Abreu & Ingeniero Manuel Soto, Consorcio A&S, Obras & Tecnologia, Cocivieca, Servicios Tecnicos Dominicanos, Pinsa-Marvar and Consorcio B&M-MG.
Forget the city metro, says Minister of Public Works
A spokesman for the Minister of Public Works said the government has thrown out plans to build a Santo Domingo metro due to its high cost. This contradicts recent statements made by the director of the Santo Domingo Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET) Oneximo Gonzalez and Technical Secretary of the Presidency Rafael Calderon, both of whom announced the government would go ahead with the construction of the train.
President Mejia to look into Duarte bridge problem
President Hipolito Mejia promised to investigate what has happened to the repair of the 50-year old Duarte Bridge. The bridge is very busy as the main connecting point of the eastern expressway into the city.
Last week, Engineer Jaime Duran Hernando, a former Minister of Public Works during the Fernandez administration, warned about delays to repairs on the Duarte Bridge. He said the repairs are now being carried out by non-specialized workers. He expressed his concern that the bridge could collapse due to its progressive deterioration and the more than three years of rehabilitation, reinforcement and repairs. "At the speed that the repairs are going, that bridge could have a spectacular failure," said Duran.
Duran is critical of the contracting of Conde-Mouchel for the repair work. Duran's successor, the current Public Works Minister, Diandino Peña, hired the consortium (Dominican and British companies) at a much higher cost than the American firm Duran had hired. Duran says Conde-Mouchel has not fulfilled the conditions stipulated in the contract.
Furthermore, El Siglo reports today that those in charge of the repairs have allowed the suspension cables to deteriorate. Duran said those cables had a six month guarantee and they have been sitting in the open air for three years, today showing signs of deterioration.
RD$1.6 million cost per hospital bed criticized
El Caribe continues to campaign against the government's signing of a questionable turn-key offer to build 10 hospitals by a little known US company. The newspaper says the beds would cost RD$1.6 million each, since a RD$818 million loan would be needed to build the proposed 500 beds for the 10 hospitals.
The newspaper says that in the end, the state will have to pay US$50 million in interest, when it will only receive US$20 million. It complains that the authorities will have to underwrite a letter of credit for US$29.6 million. The so-called loan for the hospitals was rushed through the Senate, passing on 24 April, after only 40 days in the Senate. It obliges the government to deliver a letter of credit for 60% of the total, or US$29.6 million, to Jamco Medical as the lender, promoter of the loans and builder of the 10 hospitals.
The contract was signed by Minister of Public Works Miguel Vargas Maldonado, who refused to comment on the deal.
The newspaper says Minister of Public Health Jose Rodriguez Soldevilla also declined to comment, saying that his role was only to determine where the demand for the hospitals was, and that the contract came from the National Palace.
The hospitals would be built in Santiago Rodriguez, San Cristobal, Gurabo (Santiago), Km. 9.5 Carretera Sanchez (Santo Domingo), Neyba-Galvan, Sabana de la Mar (Hato Mayor), Guaymate (La Romana) y Bohechio (Independencia).
The Dominican government has committed to cover all the expenses of the lender, be they legal, pocket expenses or taxes and to exempt the company from all taxes on construction materials, equipment and supplies. The state will also provide the land where the hospitals will be built.
The contract passed by the Senate does not permit the government to rescind.
El Caribe says two principal executives of the project have contradicted themselves on several occasions. For example, Jean Aimee Medici, president of Jamco, said the hospitals would be built in 120 days after the prefabricated materials arrived in the country. Hector Evertz, president of the building company, said the construction would take 220 days.
Zero growth in first trimester
El Siglo newspaper reports that the Dominican economy showed negative growth during the first trimester of the year, after more than five years of posting high growth rates. The economy declined 1%, according to Technical Secretary of the Presidency Rafael Calderon.
Regardless, he said the forecast is for the DR to post a growth rate above the Latin American average. He said inflation has been kept below 3% while the slowdown in imports means for the first time in many years the country will show a surplus in its current account.
Furthermore, he commented that the net international reserves have been increasing and are at US$440 million. He also said that tax collections were up in March, to RD$4,929 million. Sources at the Central Bank say this is an indication that the difficult adjustment period to the new economic measures has passed and there should be a recovery of the economy.
Miami Herald on the Mejia administration
The Miami Herald featured a story on the Dominican economy in its Friday edition. The story focuses on the local perception of the management of the economy in light of campaign promises made by President Hipolito Mejia. The link to the story is:
http://www.miami.com/
Minister of Environment denounces government officers
Minister of Environment Frank Moya Pons has for the second time publicly accused government officers of complicity in the deforestation of Dominican forests. In Azua yesterday for a meeting with the Federacion de Productores de Bosque Seco del Sur, he claimed that government officers use Haitian labor so when they are caught in the act they can blame the foreigners.
He said the people of Oviedo will soon have no water if the deforestation continues.
Some weeks ago, Moya Pons made the accusation for the first time at a meeting with President Mejia.
He blames government officers for much of the depredation in Pedernales, Azua and Los Haitises National Park. "The ecological resources of Pedernales, Azua and the East are being turned into charcoal, the authorities are involved and this Ministry has sent a report to the President who is aware of this situation," said Moya.
Free zone fire in San Pedro de Macoris
The Pan American Sport Limited company located in the San Pedro free zone suffered major content losses on Sunday. There were no injuries. The fire started at 10 am and was put out by noon by firemen from Santo Domingo, La Romana and Hato Mayor who came to assist the San Pedro de Macoris fire department. Reportedly, the company assembled shoes, sneakers and beauty products.
Palacio del Cine construction site torn down
The builders of the Palacio del Cine were authorized to tear down the multi-storey movie house they were building in Santiago. It collapsed killing six people last Saturday 28 April. The remnants of the building endangered people passing by the construction site in central Santiago. The judiciary has detained builders Horacio Alvarez, Hugo Castillo and Manuel Emilio Rosario at the Palacio de Justicia of Santiago as the investigation continues.
Apple Vacations to launch air carrier
The Dominican Republic stands to benefit from Apple Vacations efforts to launch USA 3000. The leading US tour operator is following the European model of integrating tour operator and air carrier. The company says this move would ensure they have sufficient air seats to meet the growing demand for seats, as reported in Travel Weekly.
The US Transportation Department has tentatively approved the company's plans to launch the air carrier.
The planes will fly nonstop from Philadelphia, Chicago and Newark to Cancun, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the company's two leading sun-and-surf destinations.
At present, the tour operator buys seats on Alaska Airlines, Aloha Air, Air Jamaica, American Airlines, America West, Continental Airlines, Mexicana Airlines, TWA, US Air and many more.
For more information on this story, see http://www.twcrossroads.com/
New cruise ship to dock in Puerto Plata
El Siglo newspaper reports that the M/S Caribic Star will depart from Puerto Plata port twice a week starting 21 June. The cruise ship will also dock in Santiago (Cuba) and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Embassy Suites in Juan Dolio
President Hipolito Mejia broke ground over the weekend to formally start construction of the 126-room Embassy Suites in Juan Dolio. The new hotel is going up on the premises of the Los Marlins golf course and the Metro Country Club. This would be the first franchise of the Hilton Hotels corporation in the DR. President of the hotel, Luis Jose Asilis Elmudesi, said the US$10 million investment will provide golfers a high quality place to stay in a quiet residential community.
Also present for the ground breaking ceremony was Minister of Tourism Ramon Alfredo Bordas. Moya Construcciones will build the hotel.
Central Bank parking opens for employees
The Central Bank announced the opening today of the RD$330 million parking building adjacent to the Central Bank headquarters. It is for the use of its employees.
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