President Leonel Fernandez will travel to Panama this afternoon to participate in the inauguration of that nation's President-elect Martin Torrijos on 1 September. This is Fernandez's first official trip abroad since the start of his government on 16 August. President Fernandez will travel with his wife Margarita Cedeno and Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso. The return date is slated for Wednesday or Thursday, according to the Press Secretary Rafael Nunez.
The Fernandez government announced the elimination of the subsidies on propane gas used by industries, hotels and restaurants. The elimination of the subsidy will also affect transport vehicles that use 100 lbs tanks in their cars. Propane gas will now cost RD$56.19 the gallon, and a 100 lbs tank will sell for RD$560.
The government chose to maintain the subsidy on gas sold directly to consumers through the filling stations in tanks of less than 100 lbs.
This subsidy will be removed in January 2005 by which time the government expects to have a program in place to exclusively benefit the poor through propane subsidies.
The withdrawal of this official assistance is expected to eliminate the propane scarcity problems that have affected the country in recent months. A shipment of propane gas is expected to eliminate the shortage latter this week.
The immediate elimination of the subsidy to businesses is expected to bring monthly savings of RD$176 million to the government, given that the commercial and industrial sector consumes 22% of the LPG.
While blackouts of eight hours are still common in several areas, the government reports that online production is sufficient to cover 90% of the demand. As reported in the Listin Diario, electrical generation attained 1,160 megawatts today, with a peak-hour demand of 1,631 megawatts. Radhames Segura, of the CDEEE, says that the government is awaiting US$25 million in assistance from the World Bank to stabilize the service.
Pedro Diaz was appointed president of the Consejo Nacional de Transporte of the Plan Renove, the government institution that oversees the generous financing for vehicles intended for public transport.
President Leonel Fernandez has placed the army's controversial Colonel Pedro Julio (Pepe) Goico Guerrero into retirement. Goico had been accused of embezzlement at the National Lottery, but was subsequently pardoned and taken on as the chief of security by former President Hipolito Mejia. Later, he was accused of involvement in a million-peso credit card scam to do with the now-defunct Baninter. In addition, Goico's personal travel visa for the United States was revoked by the US government. Goico had threatened to name other higher-ups involved in the credit card scandal and other matters of his knowledge if a criminal case against him were to be pursued through the judiciary.
Residents of the Dominican Republic should take precautions now, as meteorologists say Category 4 Hurricane Frances is making its way towards the North Coast, and could still affect the area with intense winds and rains.
The Miami hurricane center says that Frances is moving toward the west near 24 km/hr, and a gradual turn towards the west-northwest is expected during the next 24 hours. On that track, the core of the hurricane would apss to the north of the US Virgin Islands today. However, the NHC alerts about the effects of the outer bands of the storm.
While the hurricane is not projected to make land in the Dominican Republic, the National Weather Office issued warnings along the diagonal from the East Coast point of Cabo Engano to Manzanillo in the northwest. The head of the National Emergency Commission, retired Admiral Radhames Lora Salcedo, urged everyone to monitor the storm closely as it approaches the Dominican Republic. Hurricanes frequently change direction. To follow the hurricane, see the thread on the storm at:
http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34105
Ligia Amada de Melo, the new minister of higher education, has been asked to act as arbiter in the worsening of the crisis at the UNPHU after the cancellation of rector Margot Taule by the Federacion Universitaria Dominicana. The Academic Council of the school disputes her removal. The National Pedro Henriquez Urena University (UNPHU), in the 70s the leading private university, has plummeted from a peak one-time enrollment of 14,000 students to its present student body of 2,000. Apart from its decline in registration, the institution is affected by a major financial crisis that its authorities had hoped to resolve with the sale of the 57,000 square meters of its Campus I. The sale hasn't happened yet, and the university has all but collapsed. "This university has a tradition in this country, has produced very good graduates, has developed careers, and is accredited in this country and abroad. We consider it part of the nation's heritage that should not perish," said Melo.
Remittances from Dominicans living abroad were up in the first half of the year, according to a report in the Listin Diario. Dominicans sent home US$1.03 billion from January to June, for a 7.5% increase over the data registered the previous year. Interestingly, March is the peak month for sending remittances, which have increased every year over the past 11 years. In 2003, they grew 5.1%, with the total for the year being US$2.06 billion.
Despite the Environment Ministry technicians' recommendations to the contrary, former Deputy Environment Minister Rene Ledesma granted the go-ahead for the construction of a hotel in the Laguna Bavaro on the East Coast. Current Environment Minister Max Puig is reviewing the case and has sent a team of inspectors to Bavaro to verify the authorization obtained by Compreica to build the Laguna Bavaro and Beach Golf Resort (300 hotel rooms, 269 cabanas and 18-hole golf course) on the delicate wetlands and lagoon. The area in question was previously safeguarded by the protected-area status ordained by Law 64-00, but this status was later overridden by former President Hipolito Mejia's ratification of Law 202-04 shortly before leaving office. The approval for the construction was granted on 2 May 2003, more than one year before the new law's passage. Hector Then Cruz, the president of Compreica, was unavailable for comment to El Caribe reporter Panky Corcino, who is covering the story.
The president of the National Association of Restaurants (Asonares), Elizabeth Scheker, urged senators not to increase the ITBIS (VAT) tax from 12 to 16% as part of the proposed fiscal reform package. She said the increase will mean patrons will have to pay a minimum of 26% on what they consume, and this is without including the additional 10% goods and service charge that is customary. Scheker fears the increase will considerably reduce the number of restaurant-goers, possibly affecting the business of around 1,000 restaurants that employ 100,000 people.
He who perseveres succeeds, says the old proverb, and Gary Zemialkowski might agree. As a member of local rock group Top 40, Zemialkowski and his bandmates hold the record for Dominican rock group longevity, having been together for 17 years. Born in the US of a Polish-origin father and Dominican mother, Zemialkowski arrived in the DR in 1984. All these years later, he is now promoting the group's first CD called "Uno de tantos." The CD contains 11 tracks, ten of which were written by Zemialkowski himself. In an interview with Diario Libre, the musician compared the CD to a photographic album, in which each song is a snapshot of some event. Throughout September, the group will be performing live across the nation. Future plans include a promotional tour abroad, with stops in Miami and Colombia. Zemialkowski says that while Dominican rock definitely exists, further development is needed. Nonetheless, he is pleased with the vitality of so many bands that are producing good work. The Top 40 front man predicts a place for Dominican rock alongside merengue and bachata, as a manifestation of the country's identity. For the performance schedule, see http://www.dr1.com/calendar
Do not miss "Nostalgia," a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Carlos Piantini at the National Theater. The benefit for the Juan Manuel Taveras Foundation, which supports those who cannot afford quality medical treatment and provides for the training of young interns, includes the following music: La Strada by Nino Rota, Malambo by Alberto Ginastera, Compadre Pedro Juan by Luis Alberti, music from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, and Santo Domingo by Rafael (Bullumba) Landestoy, among others.
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