Dominican First Lady Dona Rosa Gomez de Mejia spoke of the country's teenage pregnancy rate at the XII Conference of First Ladies of the Americas which opened in Santo Domingo yesterday. Dona Rosa linked teenage pregnancy with poverty and mentioned the high childbirth mortality rate amongst teenage girls in the country. Of all pregnancies, 27% occur in teenage women and 16% of deaths in childbirth affected girls between the ages of 10 and 15. Reducing these rates is the utmost priority, according to the President's wife. She said that young Dominicans, who make up 30% of the population, have little knowledge of prevention when it comes to pregnancy and drew a clear link between absenteeism from school and early parenthood, most obvious in the poorer sectors of society. Gomez de Mejia presented a proposal aimed at dealing with this problem at the conference, which is taking place at Hotel El Embajador.
President Hipolito Mejia presented six new international loan contracts to Congress, totaling over US$125 million. The funds are destined for an aqueduct in Maria Trinidad Sanchez province (Nagua), a fruit cultivation project and technical support for the armed forces. The loans come from the Israeli Bank Leumi, HSBC and Exim Bank of the United States. The Senate has approved 40 million euros worth of loans aimed at improving the electricity supply network in the Santo Domingo area. These latest loans are being introduced despite the International Monetary Fund's stern warning about the country's excessive debts.
The federation of retail traders Fecoderd estimates that over the last four months, 18 basic consumer items have risen in price by an average of 42% and retail sales have fallen by 40% as a result. Fecoderd president Gilberto Luna commented that such price rises were impossible for low-income families to bear and called on the government to take measures to reverse the trend. Meat, beans, rice, eggs and oil have experienced the sharpest increases, according to the retailers' figures, whose percentage of 42% is well above the Central Bank's 13% inflation calculation for that period. Meanwhile, the papers report that the dollar is on the rise again against the peso, costing just over RD$35, after the downward trend of the earlier part of this week.
Diario Libre reminds its readers that one whole year has elapsed since the 8th National Population and Housing Census of October 2002, and the results that were originally scheduled to be released in mid-2003 are nowhere near ready. Canvassing an estimated 2.5 million homes, 120,000 individuals were recruited to carry out the survey. Their questions included new categories, such as maternal mortality and whether the household was in receipt of remittances. The census office, which has changed management over the last few months, told the newspaper that March 2004 is the current target date and that "technical and administrative problems under the previous management" were the reason for the delay. Preliminary details about population (8.2 million, compared to the 1993 figure of 7.3 million) and housing were released some months after the census took place, but the full report is far from complete. Diario Libre's editorial comment states that this is not the first time a census has ended in disaster. The writer outlines the importance of carrying out such surveys and concludes that the main result of this latest attempt has been to highlight characteristic incapacity of the authorities to fulfill a basic task, and one which is of great importance to the nation. "This result is as discouraging as the poverty of our statistical resources, in a world where numbers are what define social policy and decision-making." The 18-19-20 October 2002 census cost Dominican taxpayers over RD$250 million. The previous poll was conducted in 1993.
The International Monetary Fund's mission to the Dominican Republic begins its study of the government's re-acquisition of the Edes, the two power distribution companies formerly under the control of Spanish electricity company Union Fenosa. Another IMF delegation will arrive in the country at the end of the month to finalize the details of the standby arrangement in process. Central Bank Governor Jose Lois Malkum made the announcement as he emerged from a Senate meeting yesterday. Malkum assured that the agreement was going ahead, allaying fears that the IMF's displeasure over the government's decision to take over the electricity companies would lead to a suspension. Malkum added that the IMF accord would prompt a "budget reform" in the next fiscal year, and predicted further austerity measures as more funds are set aside for the payment of debts. There would also be some sacrifices required in what he termed "public spending". Malkum said that the IMF was correct to view the debt situation with concern. The Central Bank governor said that he supports the removal of the controversial 5% tax on exports as well as the introduction of a 2% surcharge on imports. Jorge Ivan Ramirez, president of the American Chamber of Commerce and telecommunications company Codetel, called on the government to comply with the terms of the IMF agreement, with a strong focus on public spending reduction. Ramirez expressed his belief that this would create greater economic stability and warned that the consequences for the country, should this fail to be achieved, would be serious. Private business association CONEP urged the government to press ahead with its plans for fiscal reform. CONEP president Elena Viyella de Paliza said that the business community needed to know what lay ahead. "It is important that we define clearly what this reform is going to consist of. We cannot proceed with new projects if we do not know what awaits us on the taxation front." Her comments are printed in the Listin Diario, calling for cooperation between government, civil society and the business sector.
The Listin Diario carries a report on a new proposal made by consultants Campos Villalon-Alvarez, who suggest that 50% of the Edes' shares be offered for sale to Dominican companies as a way of solving the problem in the power sector. Local capital should be given priority, according to consultant Francisco Campos Villalon, and if there is not sufficient interest from the national business sector, only then should the authorities consider foreign investment. It is reported that a local company is interested in buying up 50% of EdeNorte, and Campos Villalon is quoted as saying there is no reason why this should not be extended to EdeSur as well. The report also recommends the introduction of alternative sources of energy, such as mineral carbons and solar power. The CDEEE general manager, Cesar Sanchez voiced his support for local investment in power distribution months back, when the Edes were in the hands of Union Fenosa. Other sectors say that for major foreign companies to participate in the tender for the renationalized power distribution companies, this would have to be announced now, with a year in advance. Reportedly, serious investors would not show if only months were given.
Twenty-hour power outages are testing the tolerance of the residents of the Dominican Republic's second city Santiago and its surrounding areas. The situation is reportedly due to the removal from service of generating plants such as Smith & Enron and Puerto Plata II, caused by overdue payments owed to the operating companies by the state electricity board, the CDEEE, according to the power authorities. Only 14 out of 73 traffic light systems were in operation yesterday, according to El Caribe, with predictable effects on the circulation of traffic in the city's busy streets. Business and community leaders in the city are calling on the government to give the situation their urgent attention. The rector of PUCMM University Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado warned that the energy crisis combined with the increased electricity bills could provoke serious social unrest and called on politicians to demonstrate that they were looking after the interests of all Dominicans, and not just their own personal benefit. In its main editorial column, El Caribe awards Santiago with the title "Electric Cinderella", saying that its experience of power cuts, while by no means unique, is one of the worst in the country. The writer reminds us that the government has promised to improve the situation, while showing no signs of doing so. The column ends with an appeal to the government to "end the abuse of the people of Santiago" and to find a quick solution to the problem.
Since the remarkable deterioration in the energy supply in the entire country over the past week, Pedro Silverio, the head economist at the Cenantillas economic think-tank, wrote in yesterday's El Caribe about vertical integration of the electricity sector. His point is that such integration is not necessarily the best thing. The term "vertical integration" is in the first place, he says, a term used in industrial organization, and is not exclusively a technical process. As a point of departure, Silverio says that the electricity distribution should be kept separate from the electricity production from a financial point of view. This avoids problems in one sector becoming indistinct from the other. The integration would only serve to hide a problem of one or the other processes. On the other hand, vertical integration would severely limit competition within the sector. In the DR at the present time, the distributors hold geographical monopolies and any integration would mean that the monopolies would spread to the generation of energy. The argument that vertical integration would generate economies of scale, according to Silverio, is not valid, as production levels do not have to be affected by integration, unless, of course, a reduction in the number of electricity generators is effected and the monopolistic aspect becomes more of a reality. In practice, the DR has experimented with vertical integration, although in small markets with few customers. The results are not clear, but higher energy prices are a certainty. The Cenantillas economist warns that if such a scheme is transferred to the large urban areas, where there are millions of customers with varying degrees of income, the problems of an equitable distribution of energy would be so numerous as to absorb a huge amount of energy from the generators as they try to satisfy millions of clients with different propensities of payment. As a final point, Silverio reminds the reader that the best producer is the best salesperson, and that there is always a tendency within the market to push economic players towards specialization in what they do best. This is why the distributors of electricity are such an important bridge between the producers and the customers.
President Hipolito Mejia told reporters and Bonao schoolchildren on Tuesday that US$50 million enters the Dominican Republic every day, and that there is no reason for the exchange rate to be so high. According to the President, even though the banking establishment incurred US$7 billion in debt, with that much money entering on a daily basis, the exchange rate levels are unfounded. When questioned by the adolescents, the President said that in the coming days he would see to it that definitive measures be taken to bring the exchange rate under control. Once again the President said that "our patience is running out."
During a live broadcast from Iraq produced by Freddy Beras Goico, President Mejia asked the Dominican troops stationed overseas to give their best efforts to help Iraq rebuild. Talking directly to the troops over the direct satellite link, Mejia talked to Lt. General Soto Jimenez, the head of the armed forces, as well as the troops. Family members of the soldiers were able to go to the Color Vision studios and talk to their loved ones. Soto Jimenez told the President and the family members that the other military leaders have been surprised by the professional quality of the Dominican forces that are leading the Quisqueya Work Force in Iraq. On a humorous note, two full-page advertisements for the televised event carried glaring typos. One gave the rank of Lt. General Soto Jimenez as Lt. Colonel, and the other misspelled the last name of US ambassador Hertell.
Hoy's "Que se dice" column commented yesterday on the proposal of the mayor of Santo Domingo North, Daniel Carvajal Louis, to charge the garbage disposal companies a fee in dollars for the use of the garbage dump in his municipality. Following a growing trend in the local business community by which automobiles and houses are sold in dollars, Carvajal Louis says that there is nothing wrong in charging the waste disposal companies in dollars also, beginning in 2004. Since Carvajal Louis obtained the Duquesa facility by means of the latest political and territorial division of the National District, he feels that he might as well take advantage of his luck. In an upcoming meeting with other mayors, Carvajal Louis hopes to convince his fellow municipal leaders that this is a good idea. "Que se dice" says that we will be the only nation in the world that makes waste in pesos and pays dollars to dispose of it.
The seven PRD presidential candidacy hopefuls are having obvious troubles in their stated aim to select a single Presidential candidate from amongst their ranks. The decision to take this course was made over one month ago, but despite repeated attempts no single candidate has emerged. At last night's meeting it was announced that the selection was being postponed until after the plebiscite due to take place at the weekend, in which the PRD membership will vote on the issue of Presidential re-election. The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has said it will rule on the legality of the plebiscite before the weekend. Hoy newspaper's "En solo cien palabras" by commentator Emilio Lapayesse remarks that this coming election campaign appears to be even worse than its predecessors in terms of content versus personalities. There is no discernible political program being offered by any of the parties and both the PRD and the PLD have abandoned their social democratic and leftist roots. None has expressed an opinion on the forthcoming Free Trade Agreement with Central America and the US and all we will be left with, concludes Lapayesse, are the same old rivals, "with their used, dirty flags, devoid of any popular meaning." The writer can be contacted at e.lapayese@codetel.net.do A more positive assessment came from the back-page commentator Adriano Miguel Tejada in today's Diario Libre, who focuses on PRSC leader Eduardo Estrella's performance at a party event in his home city of Santiago on Sunday. Many people are now saying that the Reformists have a leader, writes Tejada, and he describes a new sprit of unity in the divided party. Erstwhile supporters of Jacinto Peynado are turning out in support of Estrella, who was selected amidst allegations of fraud from the rival Peynado camp. The writer can be contacted at atejada@tricom.net
The Listin Diario reports that children suffering from various forms of cancer are dying due to lack of medicine in the nation's hospitals. The walls of the Robert Reid Children's Hospital in Santo Domingo contain a plethora of sad cases, where the children are the victims and the families suffer from a lack of resources to provide the needed drugs. Cancer patients from all over the country seek assistance at the Robert Reid, but nearly all of them lack the RD$8,000 to RD$24,000 needed to treat their children every month. The article, written by Doris Pantaleon, asks that anyone wishing to donate funds to help these children call any one of several numbers.
As the newspapers went to press last night reports were being transmitted that shortly before midnight there had been another earth tremor that sent people out into the streets of Santiago. The reports indicate that the quake was felt in Puerto Plata and even as far afield as the capital. Schoolchildren were sent home yesterday as a result of a second tremor in the early hours of the morning, which the US Geological Survey registered at a magnitude of 4.6. According to the seismological institute, the latest quakes are aftershocks of the major tremor, which occurred on 22 September. Wednesday morning's quake, which was reported in yesterday's DR1 news, caused some panic in the northern region, but little damage. The US Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center said the "light earthquake occurred at 11:48 UTC on Wednesday, October 15, 2003. Its epicenter was located near Santiago, 30kms south of Puerto Plata and 140kms northwest of Santo Domingo. See http://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/rece...akes/uszyak.htm
Dominican baseball stars are set to thrill fans tonight in the decisive game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Last night's 9-6 Red Sox victory over the New York team brings the American League championship series to 3-3. All eyes will be on pitcher Pedro Martinez, as the Boston team makes its bid for a title that has eluded them since 1986. Fans of the Chicago Cubs and their Dominican stars Moises Alou and Sammy Sosa are having to deal with the disappointment of their team's 9-6 defeat yesterday evening to the Florida Marlins. The Red Sox rallied last night, just in time to force Game 7 tonight. David Ortiz knocked in two runs in the third inning to give the Red Sox an early lead, and later tied the game in the seventh with a run-scoring single to lead the way. Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez and Ortiz led a 16-hit attack, going a combined 7-14 with five runs scored and three RBIs. Trot Nixon hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make the final margin 9-6. The win secures another epic match-up between Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens, with a trip to the World Series that begins on Saturday in the balance. Meanwhile, the Marlins completed the improbable journey to the National League crown. Down three games to one, the Florida Marlins scored an incredible comeback to become only the second team in history to win a Game 7 as a visitor; home teams had won 12 out of 13 times previously. Heading back to Chicago after forcing a Game 6, the Marlins were left with the daunting task of having to beat Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in back-to-back games - something that had never been done before. After Wood gave up a three-run homer to Miguel Cabrera in the first inning, the Cubs stormed back with five runs of their own. It wasn't enough, however, to hold off the resilient Marlins, who scored three times in the fifth and three more over the next two innings, deflating an already gloomy Wrigley Field. Sadly, this series loss for Chicago will forever be linked to the fan who interfered with Moises Alou's attempted foul ball catch.
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