Several groups calling for President Leonel Fernandez to be re-elected attended a public function in Manoguayabo. The groups' requests were described as "spontaneous" by Presidential Press Director Rafael Nunez, who claimed that neither the government nor the President had anything to do with them. When Fernandez arrived at 5:50pm, an uncontrollable crowd started chanting the slogan "Leonel, four more years and then we talk". PLD Secretary General Reinaldo Pared Perez and Presidential Minister Danilo Medina both stated that the party directorate had not had any official discussions about their relations with the pro re-election demonstrations that have been taking place at public functions led by the President. Medina also explained that he had not resigned from his position in the Cabinet, and assured that his only political plans are within the PLD. Chamber of Deputies leader Julio Cesar Valentin said that both Fernandez and Medina are aware that groups unrelated to the PLD want to create confrontations between the party leaders. Pared Perez also reiterated that the demonstrations in support of Fernandez's re-election are spontaneous and have nothing to do with any influence or directive from within the party.
The coordinator of the Constitutional Reform Commission, Msgr. Agripino Nunez Collado, has proposed that through a political agreement, the candidates for Congressional and municipal positions in 2010 could be elected for just two years and that the 2012 elections could be moved closer to the Presidential election. He opposes the proposed extension of the Presidential term, as reported by El Caribe. Msgr. Nunez Collado also stated that he wants to believe that the demonstrations in support of President Leonel Fernandez's re-election have not been approved by the President. He specified that if the head of state is in favor of re-election he has not mentioned it in any of the meetings about the constitutional reform.
Diario Libre editorial today focuses on the contradiction between all the attention the higher authorities of the nation are paying to political problems when the real problems of the nation are others.
"The debates will be long, dense and interesting. We are about to immerse ourselves into constitutional reform, period extentions, inter and intra political party struggles and reelectionary conflicts. But those are not our problems. We have real problems.
"We are about to implement a free trade agreement with the US. We will need the best tools to compete in a global market and it appears we are not prepared. We want to plunge into modernity and among us there are two million Dominicans that do not legally exist.
"Energy, health, education. And jobs, and justice and equal opportunities and social security.
"That the political parties discuss these topics and their popularity will rise in the polls. In the street, and not in the offices of government officers, are those problems. We don't have time to loose, we are already behind."
The special commission appointed by the Chamber of Deputies to study shortlists of three candidates for the post of Ombudsman will meet at 9am this Thursday to begin the new process of consultation. The information was provided by commission president PLD Deputy Julio Horton.
Deputy Police Chief, Major General Rafael Guzman Fermin, and Lieutenant Colonel Mario Ramon Valdez Rijo, have attended a "Perfecting for Latin American Police Executives" seminar held by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) academy in Quantico, Virginia. Representatives from 19 countries attended the 160-hour seminar.
The story never seems to end. Yesterday, the electricity system reached critical deficit levels of over 550 MW, resulting in an increase in the frequency and length of power outages around the country. Diario Libre reports that the generator at Haina, with an installed capacity of 213 MW was only providing 45MW, whereas Cogentrix with its installed capacity of 300MW was completely out of service and Palamara-La Vega was only producing 50%. The Puerto Plata Electricity Company was providing 43 MW under its installed capacity of 65 MW. Outages were reported in residential areas, causing traffic jams due to traffic lights being out of service. The newspaper attributes the increased outages to "fuel saving" due to the financial crisis.
Nevertheless, the Superintendent of Power, Francisco Mendez, as reported in Hoy, said that yesterday morning 1,400 MW were available. The newspaper reported that EGE-Haina service cuts were due to lack of fuel. The Superintendent attributed the blackouts to breakdowns caused by the rains of recent passing storms.
French Ambassador Cecile Pozzo di Borgo has stated that the protection of foreign investment through juridical security must be strengthened in the Dominican Republic. Listin Diario reports that foreign investors from France, Italy, Spain, Canada and other countries have experienced problems. The diplomat admits that the DR is strong in the Caribbean, but that it has weaknesses in terms of justice security that must be solved. She also mentioned the possibility of investment in the Santo Domingo Metro by companies from France, Spain and Germany. She expressed hope that difficulties in terms of justice security encountered by French investors in the past will be resolved soon.
According to Dominican Ambassador to Canada, Eduardo J. Tejera, if Verizon Dominicana (buyer American Movil) and Falconbridge (buyer Xstrada) have been sold and in consequence generated capital gains of national origin, they should pay taxes, as do all companies in Canada or any other part of the world. In a note to Clave Digital, the diplomat explains that the cases of the two companies are very different and should be studied under different tax formulas. Tejera claims to be surprised at the fact that Verizon Dominicana President Jorge Ivan Ramirez had asked him not to mention the company as being Canadian in his speeches, because it was from the United States. The former GTE-Codetel was Canadian. Thus, Tejera believes it is a great surprise that Verizon now claims to have a company established in Canada that owns Verizon Dominicana, through another company in Luxembourg and one other country. "These seem to be strange mechanisms and legal technicalities, demonstrating low ethical standards towards a country and its people. There is a social and tax debt to our country. All seem to show that these are attempts to evade tax, seeking the support of the Double Taxation Treaty which has other objectives, because in 1976 there were no tax havens or paper companies," stated the diplomat.
Economist Hector Guiliani Cury gives reasons why he believes the companies should pay taxes on the capital gains in the Dominican Republic in an analysis on the topic published today in Hoy. He concludes that the sale of shares of one foreign branch to another is irrelevant regarding to tax obligations. "The capital gains are from a Dominican source, generated by a company resident in the country, and the Tax Code establishes that all income from Dominican source is subject to the payment of taxes," he writes. He says that the tax treaty between the DR and Canada also recognizes that the Dominican authorities have the right to charge taxes for income generated by a Canadian company with permanent residence and base and management in the country.
See http://www.hoy.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=86918
Public Health officials have registered 2,265 cases of dengue throughout the country so far this year, and the Ministry is on the alert. According to the Epidemiology Directorate, 24 people have already died of the disease in 2006, six more than the total for 2005. Clave Digital reports that the information was disclosed by Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez following a meeting with several mayors from the National District and Santo Domingo Province, with whom he agreed to carry out joint actions to control the propagation of the dengue-transmitting mosquito. Ninety-eight of the 2,265 cases have been hemorrhagic dengue. The deaths have been attributed to persons not recognizing the disease, and instead treating it as a normal cold.
Stem cells extracted from his bone marrow were used to cure 54-year old Ernesto Hinojosa, treated at the Corazones Unidos clinic in Santo Domingo. The patient would have died if he had not been operated on. The all-smiles patient is in the intensive care unit, but is expected to be sent to a recovery hall due to the success of the operation. Cardiologist Reynaldo Vargas explained that Hinojosa was on the verge of death when he arrived to the clinic. The procedure was carried out by physicians Maria Benzo and Eduardo Grullon. Vargas said that 60% of his heart capability is expected to be recovered. He explained in another country, the patient would have qualified for a heart transplant.
District Attorney Jose Manuel Hernandez Peguero has announced that an investigation will begin to look into what happened at the house seized from accused drug trafficker Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo in the Los Cacicazgos neighborhood in Santo Domingo, where luxurious handrails, kitchen counters, metal windows, luxury doors and bathroom appliances have been stolen. The house had been turned over to Fr. Manuel Ruiz, of the Santa Cecilia Catholic Church of Residencial Jose Contreras, on 16 August 2005. Diario Libre was unable to locate the priest for more information. The DA announced that Quirino's wife Belkis Ubri Medrano and his lawyers have accepted that the house should be sold at a public auction before a court order comes through.
Defense attorneys for former Bancredito executives Manuel Arturo Pellerano and Juan Felipe Mendoza Gomez have appealed against the court's 17 August 2006 ruling, in which Judges Antonio Sanchez Mella, Giselle Mendez and Ileana Perez Garcia found them guilty of fraud. A report by Diario Libre indicates that the appeal was filed by attorneys Fernando Langa, Tulio H. Collado Aybar, Antonio A. Langa, Hidalma De Castro and Santiago Rodriguez last Sunday. It asks for the ruling of the Court of First Instance to be nullified.
The Punta Caucedo port in Santo Domingo has been attracting cargo that otherwise would have made a stopover first in Jamaica. As reported in the Jamaica Observer, shipping lines are bypassing Jamaica because of the huge cost savings the result of cheaper operational fees at the Dominican port. As reported, loading and discharge fees are less in Santo Domingo, according to Graham McAllen, general manager of Hapag Lloyd in Jamaica. The transshipment is causing inconveniences for Jamaicans, because of the delays in getting cargo back from the DR. Congestion and delays at Jamaican ports have also sent cargo to the DR.
Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) assistant vice-president for public relations, Pat Bellinfanti, admitted to the Jamaican Observer that the recent congestion, that brings about costly delays, among other issues, had forced some other ships to opt for that route, but insisted that it was not a significant number. He reassured the reporter that next month the ships would return to Kingston.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20060826t210000-...
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