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Daily News - 15 May 2001
President to travel to Central America
President Hipolito Mejia is scheduled to fly to Belize, Honduras and El Salvador for day trips to each country from 23-25 May. Media coverage of the trip could be scant because of the difficulties of following the President who will be traveling by private jet. In Belize he will be the guest of the head of government. His visit to Honduras is for personal reasons - one of his daughters is married to a Honduran, as per a news report. On the 25th, he will be in San Salvador to attend a summit of Central American and Dominican Republic heads of government with the President of Taiwan. 
Mejia orders investigation into police excesses
President Hipolito Mejia has created a commission to investigate recent police excesses against civilians. The commission is headed by the Minister of the Armed Forces and includes the chief of Police, the Minister of the Interior and Police and the director of the National Investigations Department (DNI). The commission will investigate who is responsible for recent deaths at the hands of Police agents in the Capotillo slum barrio. Yesterday, two men died in the barrio during protests over the death of another man who had been shot in the head and the groin by Police the previous day. 
Just days ago, headlines told of police ordering a man to put down a baby he had been carrying so they could kill him. 
An editorial in the Listin Diario highlights what it calls "a dangerous chain of police excesses." 
RD$2,000 million fiscal deficit 
The coordinator of the government's Council of Economic Advisors, Jose Lois Malkun, said the present fiscal year could close with a deficit of more than RD$2,000 million because of the low level of revenues in the first trimester of the year. To compensate for the drop in revenues, he said the government will announce cuts in its current expenses that will go beyond freezing all new hiring and would require government departments to exercise stricter control on spending. 
In an interview with El Siglo, Malkun said the government's priority from now on will be to concentrate on capital investments for which it will make available RD$3,000 million above the monies that had already been budgeted. 
He said they expect to collect RD$59,000 million, or RD$2,300 million less than originally budgeted, taking into account the results of the first trimester. 
8,500 plants for city avenues
The government will plant 3,000 coconut trees, 500 sea grape trees and 300 palm trees on the Autopista Seis de Noviembre (San Cristobal highway) and the Autopista 30 de Mayo (Parque Litoral del Sur). Francisco Guillermo Garcia, director of the Direccion de Embellecimiento (Beautification Department) said the project will be done together with the Fundacion Ecologia y Desarrollo. The trees will be planted from the Metaldom plant to Km. 12 in Haina. 
Moscoso Puello Public Hospital reopened
After nine months of renovations, the Hospital Francisco Moscoso Puello has been reopened. It underwent a RD$73 million renovation. A 45-day test period begins prior to the hospital's formal re-inauguration. 
Government programs to counteract surge of "buscones"
Tirso Mejia Ricart, executive director of the National Council for the Reform and Modernization of the State (CONARE), told El Caribe that the government hustlers, known as buscones, will disappear when the automating program of the government is resumed. "The buscones exist to the same extent that bureaucratic inefficiency exists, and as long as there are privileges in the granting of turns," he explained.
Mejia mentioned that government services users can request information on how to get the government documents they need by calling 1-976-2085, the Blue Line. There is a RD$10 cost per call. He said that soon his office will have step by step procedures needed for documents and other government formalities available on the Internet. 
Meanwhile, the Police announced the arrest of 18 buscones at the driver's license bureau and the passport bureau. Nelson del Rosario, spokesman for the Police, said they were fulfilling an order given by President Hipolito Mejia following a meeting with the National Council of Businessmen. 
Minister of Agriculture explains plans 
Minister of Agriculture Eligio Jaquez has justified his department seeking a loan of US$143 million to modernize farming in the DR. The money for the loan, at present being studied by Congress, would be used to build greenhouses, cold storage facilities and modern produce markets. He said that 40% of perishable crops are lost due to the lack of cold storage centers in major farm areas. He feels the money could lead the country to follow in the footsteps of Spain, which went from 16th in development to sixth, thanks to improving its farming technology. He spoke during a conference in Santiago on the Challenges and Perspectives of Farming in the DR in the 21st Century. 
Senator slams government debt plans
Senator Bautista Rojas Gomez (PLD-Salcedo) has warned that the present policy of taking out new international loans is a "very dangerous" turn. He said that at this pace foreign debt payments would be 25% of the total National Budget by the end of this year. Rojas Gomez said he overheard Technical Secretary of the Presidency Rafael Calderon and Senator Jose Rafael Abinader (PRD-Santiago) talking about US$700 million in emergency loans to cover deficits and strengthen the monetary reserves. He expressed his concern because he said President Mejia has spoken of the immense debt capacity of the country. 
He said those that seek the loans are not taking into account the payment capacity of the country. He said that 20% of the budget is already going towards foreign debt. 
If the borrowing spree continues, he predicts the government will end the year with an additional US$1,600 million in foreign debt that today is already a burden at US$4,000 million. He says Congress has approved US$700 million in financing. And if the government goes ahead and issues the US$500 million in sovereign bonds plus another US$200 million in emergency funds, this would bring the total to US$1,400 million, without taking into account other loans being discussed. 
He pointed out that to use 80% of the budget for current expenditures and only 20% for investment is a totally illogical economic policy and is contrary to the development of the country. 
A new president of the Senate?
Ramon Alburquerque (PRD-Monte Plata) who aspires to be re-elected and Senator Andres Bautista Garcia (PRD-Espaillat) are the leading contenders for the presidency of the Senate. Jose Rafael Abinader, who competed with Alburquerque for the post last year, is supporting Senator Bautista. The election will be held 16 August. Alburquerque has had three years in the post. 
Where are the economic stats?
The National Association of Young Businessmen (ANJE) has asked the Central Bank to release the first trimester economic performance figures as soon as possible. "There is no reason for the delay of the monetary authorities in offering the economic statistics for the first trimester," said Jochi Vicente, president of ANJE. 
Exchange rate forecasts
Cenantillas, the economic think tank of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, predicted that those buying US dollars will have to pay RD$18.22 at year end. The official buying rate at the moment is RD$16.66 to the US$. 
Cenantillas also forecasts a year-end growth rate of 4.2%. The decline from last year's 7.8% is attributed to the higher cost of petroleum. 
Tender irregularities and questionable medicines?
The executive director of the Asociacion de Industrias Farmaceuticas Dominicanas (INFADOMI), which represents Dominican pharmaceutical manufacturers, has accused the state pharmaceutical branch Promese of distributing medicines that do not meet minimum standards. During a press conference, Ho Chi Vega, executive director of INFADOMI, presented samples of the medicines in question. 
The organization criticizes Promese for purchasing medicines for distribution in hospital pharmacies from non-traditional suppliers whose products do not meet the legal, sanitary and quality requirements. 
Promese director, Juan Francisco Benoit, responded that if INFADOMI did not retract the comment, he would personally sue the individual members of the association. 
"Those are lies and abuses because the medicine that is sold at the hospital pharmacies has been tested in the quality control department of the National Library and we do spot checks as per an agreement with Indotec," he said. 
Internal differences affect unified ADP position
Political divisions within the Dominican Association of Professors have prevented the teachers union from responding to a recent letter from President Hipolito Mejia. In the letter, the President says that given government finances, a wage review for teachers could not be considered until next year. 
President of the ADP Olimpia Gonzalez and acting president Sigfredo Cabral are divided on how to reply. Meanwhile, the ADP has been carrying out teacher strikes to protest that wages have not been revised upwards. 
No changes to the new eastbound highway, please 
La Altagracia province community leaders are seeking the support of President Hipolito Mejia to keep the original route for the Autovia del Este, the eastern highway. A Central Romana proposal wants to reroute the present highway so that it passes closer to La Romana, but La Altagracia provincial leaders reject this. 
The original project stipulates the new highway will cross through the center of the Oriental plains and would reduce the driving time from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana-Macao tourist destinations from three and a half hours to one and a half. 
Community leaders gathered in Higuey to urge that the highway which starts in San Pedro de Macoris pass near Ramon Santana, by Higueral (8 kilometers from La Romana), next to Guaymate and five kilometers from Higuey on to Veron in Punta Cana. La Altagracia spokespeople say it would pass 10 minutes away from the La Romana city bypass which is under construction. 
Casa de Campo gets big write up in Miami Herald
The resort of Casa de Campo made the cover of the Miami Herald Sunday travel section. The extensive feature looks into all that's happening at the popular La Romana resort and the area in general following the major damage it suffered during Hurricane Georges. See http://www.miami.com/herald/content/features/travel/digdocs/094585.htm
World Shooting Cup announced for Santo Domingo
The International Sport Shooting Federation announced Santo Domingo will host the men's shotgun world cup competition. Some 35 countries are expected to attend. 
William Escobar, president of the Dominican Shooting Federation, made the announcement. The world cup will take place in August 2002 and will prepare athletes for the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo. For more information, see http://www.issf-shooting.org/
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