The PRD has instructed its lawmakers to ratify the DR-CAFTA agreement at today's session in the Senate. According to a report in El Caribe, PRD Secretary General Orlando Jorge Mera explained that the party had taken the decision at a meeting last Wednesday, 24 August 2005, in coordination with Senate president Andres Bautista, and the party spokesman Anibal Garcia Duverge. Jorge Mera said the PRD understands that this treaty is an important tool for the country's development and competitiveness. Senate president Andres Bautista stated that the senators would approve the FTA and will later dedicate full time to the debate and evaluation of the proposals to be submitted by the Executive Branch on tax reform and compensatory measures for the national productive sectors and social investment. According to Listin Diario, the Dominican Republic Association of Industries (AIRD) has asked the senators to make the ratification of DR-CAFTA conditional on measures to guarantee the national productive sector's competitiveness. The senators issued a resolution on this subject on 9 May 2005. The Senate Commission on Industry, Commerce and Free Zones, led by Alejandro Santos, recommended ratification to the Senate in their favorable report about the FTA. The Dominican Republic signed the treaty on 5 August 2004 during Hipolito Mejia's administration. It has already been ratified by the US, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Ratification is still pending in the DR, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
The president of the Dominican Free Zone Association (ADOZONA), Arturo Peguero, said yesterday that more than 32,000 workers have been laid off this year, and that 48 free trade zone companies are currently registered as inactive. According to a report in Diario Libre, he said many of the closed companies have made severance payments to their employees and have settled their debts, but have not notified the Ministry of Labor. The data supplied by Peguero does not tally with the Central Bank, which said there have been 8,500 lay-offs in the free zones in the first six months of this year.
The Santiago Association of Free Zone Industries has signed an agreement with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for the installation of a national center for the development of textile products. El Caribe reports that the project requires a RD$25 million investment and will provide state-of-the-art technology for the country's textile industry. The agreement was signed by Carlos Fondeur of the Free Zone Corporation, Carlos Alvarez, president of the Free Zone Association, William Brands for USAID, and Melanio Paredes, Director of Infotep.
Minister of Industry and Commerce Francisco Javier Castillo announced that prices of premium and regular gasoline would decrease by over RD$5 per gallon at midnight. The price of diesel could drop by almost RD$1 per gallon and propane gas may rise by several cents. Diario Libre reports that this decrease in fuel prices is justified by the reductions in the cost of petroleum derivates during the first three days of the week, although the price of crude oil increased to over US$67 per barrel. He called on the population to save fuel due to the international forecast that petroleum will continue to increase in price, while the DR does not produce any.
Arturo Villanueva, vice president of hoteliers association ASONAHORES, said yesterday that if the Dominican tourist industry does not receive the same tax conditions as its competitors in the region, it would lose some of its market share. He said that 70% of hotel rooms in the country are managed by foreign companies that may consider transferring their business to more profitable locations. He made this comment when announcing the XIX Trade Exhibition that is due to take place at the Hotel Dominican Fiesta from 31 August to 3 September. He announced that more than 90 companies would be exhibiting their goods and services. The hotel sector has complained that the government's decision to restrain money in circulation by increasing the quasi-fiscal debt from RD$90 billion to US$140 billion in savings certificates has led to an approximate 25% excess appreciation of the peso against the US$ dollar. At a time when the peso is overvalued, wage and electricity costs have been increasing, affecting the sector's profitability. The sector is currently requesting a lower ITBIS (VAT) rate in order to remain competitive.
The Participacion Ciudadana (PC) civil society movement asked the Central Electoral Board (JCE) yesterday to shorten the electoral campaign periods, in order to reduce costs. As reported in El Caribe, PC Executive Director Javier Cabreja suggested that the JCE bring the political parties together to propose that they delay the launch of the campaign until January 2006. Cabreja explained that this would reduce the cost of electioneering in a country that has still not recovered from the financial and economic crisis of 2003. He stated that lengthy electoral campaigns foster the abuse of state funds and put the winners in the debt of wealthy individuals, including those who have profited from illegal activities. JCE President Luis Arias was receptive to the proposals made by PC. He explained that they posed a challenge for the JCE and said that they would study the proposals. Luis Arias told the press that the staging of the congressional and municipal election in May 2006 will cost RD$986.7 million, that is RD$698 million more than the mid-term election of 2002. He attributed the increase to the fact that there are 300,000 new voters and 151 municipalities, instead of 134 in the 2002 election.
The government of Haiti summoned its ambassador to the Dominican Republic yesterday after three Haitian migrants were beaten and burned to death in an attack that increased the tension between the two countries, as reported by EFE press agency. Immigrants Pierre Willy, Dominique Gilberto and Paul Cinius were attacked on 16 August 2005 in a small suburb of Santo Domingo where they worked in a furniture factory. The three young men, 19 to 22 years old, had been drinking alcoholic beverages with a group of Dominicans at a nearby store. As reported, that night, the Dominicans went to the Haitians' house and demanded money from one of them. When they refused to hand over any money, they were beaten, soaked with inflammable liquid and set on fire, according to a communique by the Attorney General's office. The men died as a result of their burns. Meanwhile, Listin Diario reports that the Dominican government has condemned the murder and is asking the police to carry out a thorough investigation until the murderers are caught. The Director of Information, Press and Publicity of the Presidency, Rafael Nunez, said that the government is opposed to that type of action against any citizen, regardless of nationality. The Haitian Consul in Barahona, Harris Joseph, said that his government regrets the murder and called on the Dominican authorities to capture the criminals and punish them accordingly. DR1 Daily News reported on this event 25 August 2005.
Attorney General, Francisco Dominguez Brito, ordered all the District Attorneys in the country to act immediately to vacate private properties taken over by squatters. The AG said that squatters cannot be given time to claim rights because the violation of private property is a serious problem in this country. That is why the justice department must act immediately to vacate the affected properties because as more time is given to the squatters, the case becomes more of a problem, he added. According to El Caribe, the AG stated that criminals take over private property claiming that they have families to look after and don't have a place to live. Some also claim that the land is owned by the state and consequently they have a right to live there, without considering the documentation that may be presented by the real owners.
During the first five days of the application of the security plan in Capotillo, the Police have arrested 89 persons, 75 of them during raids. According to police reports, 13 were kept in prison because they were driving motorcycles without documents or were carrying knives. The remainder was freed when it was determined they were not being wanted by the justice department. Police representative Brawn Perez said they selectively arrest citizens the fit the profile of suspect and investigate them in the police station. If they are not wanted by the justice department, they are freed. The Harley Davidsons that were recently assigned for the patrolling of this area of Santo Domingo, have become the center of attraction, drawing groups of individuals to inspect them every time one stops at a corner. Half of the 14 Harleys serve in the mornings and the other half in the afternoons. None serves at night, something that is criticized by residents in the area.
Leading transport union director, Antonio Marte, denied having a personal fortune of RD$145 million as reported by the Justice Department during a hearing in the Plan Renove court case. The president of CONATRA said the information was distorted because accounts that are used to collect payments from beneficiaries of the Plan Renove are being assigned as his own. When asked about the real amount of his fortune, he stated he was not indigent but that doesn't mean he has RD$145 million in the banks. He said he doesn't have any liquid assets but he own more than one hundred buses. See DR1 Daily News 24 August 2005.
The authorities and the hotel sector are preparing a plan to protect foreign and Dominican visitors on Boca Chica beach. According to a report in Listin Diario, they are devising strategies to fight the crime and insecurity in this area. Boca Chica is one of the most popular destinations for local tourists. It is also visited by foreigners due to its proximity to Santo Domingo. The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Hans Dannemberg, the new Director of the Tourism Police, Colonel Alexis Pena Mancebo and the Executive Director of the Boca Chica Hotel Association, Henry Pimentel, visited the area together with several hotel managers to identify the problems affecting tourists visiting the area. Nestle & Co is supporting this initiative.
Twelve-year-old Joselito Hernandez Garcia, the boy who was wounded by a stray bullet in his left eye (see DR1 Daily News 23 August 2005) may lose his sight as a result of the injury. The boy lost the sight of his right eye three years ago in an accident in the countryside. His mother Maribel Hernandez is desperate as she went through the trauma when the boy had that first accident, and is expecting days of anxiety when the boy faces the reality of having lost the sight of his other eye. According to Listin Diario, the boy's grandfather Ramon Balbuena says that there is still some hope. Physicians have informed him that medical technology is available in Cuba that could help Joselito recover the sight in the eye that was affected three years ago, and is expecting help from the government to give his grandson this final opportunity. The boy was recovering satisfactorily yesterday in the hospital, but physicians are practically discarding the possibility of him recovering his vision.
Jose Rafael Taveras Grullon, a 27 year old resident of Villa Mella who was the driver of a pick up used to transport money in the East Coast for the La Confianza securities distribution company, turned himself in to the police yesterday. Taveras reportedly ran off with RD$16 million that he was transporting when his two fellow guards stopped to drop off money at a Banco Popular branch in La Otra Banda, on the outskirts of Higuey. The pick up was later found abandoned. Jose Rafael's father, Rafael Taveras Salazar had told the press that it was unlikely that his son would run off with the money. He said that his son had been on medical leave when the company called him back urgently to make the delivery.
Arturo Rodriguez Fernandez, director of the Muestra Internacional de Cine de Santo Domingo has announced that 50 high quality films from 16 countries and the Dominican Republic will be part of the upcoming film festival that opens at the Diamond Mall cinemas in Arroyo Hondo this coming Wednesday, 7 September. During the press conference announcing the festival, Culture Minister Jose Rafael Lantigua highlighted the quality of the films scheduled for the event. Scenes from Andy Garcia's soon to be released film, "The Lost City" will be shown during the festival, as many of these were filmed in the DR.
He mentioned that among the films are:
"Doble juego" (Peru), a story about fraud and deceit.
"Familia rodante (Argentina), winner of the Berlin Film Festival.
"Contra la pared" (Germany), story of Turkish immigrants.
"Contra todos" (Brasil), about society's double standards.
"Tres veces dos" (Cuba), a trilogy by three young Cuban directors.
"Un amor silencioso" (Canada). A story of inter-racial passion.
Other films are: "Papa se volvio loco" (Argentina), "Amor idiota" and
"Inconscientes" (Spain), "Contra todos" (Brazil) and "Piratas en el Callao" and "Doble juego" (Peru).
In total, 50 films from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic will be screened.
For the closing of the event, on 17 September, the film by Felix German, "La maldicion del Padre Carmona," starring Zoe Saldana and shot in the mountain town of Constanza will be shown.
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