President Leonel Fernandez has assigned RD$1 billion towards the development and strengthening of small, micro and medium-sized business enterprises in the Dominican Republic. The aim is to increase jobs. The President also said that while the government's cash box is not as "robust" as he would like, his team has done some creative thinking and if the government lacks the funds they will be found "with the help of some good friends". According to Hoy, the President said that he had spoken to the head of the National Housing Bank, Leonardo Matos Berridos, requesting his cooperation with the government by supporting small and medium enterprises. The Chief Executive also said that money from the Reformed (State) Enterprises Heritage Fund (FONPER) was also available to help these small businesses. Fernandez said that although he felt that this was not enough, it was the largest amount of support ever given to the sector. The President was speaking at the Fifth Small Business Award ceremonies where dozens of small-scale entrepreneurs were honored. The head of the National Council for the Promotion of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (PROMIPYME), Mayra Jimenez reported that the institution had given loans to 26,000 small businesses for a total of RD$1.8 billion. According to her report, these loans have generated 150,000 jobs. The President is quoted in the Listin Diario as saying that small business provides the largest number of jobs, and as such are the backbone of the Dominican economy.
Monday's DR1 News reported that it seemed as if no one would take responsibility for the decision to restart the Congressional debate on a contract to privatize vehicular inspections. The controversial contract with a Spanish firm was supposed to have been withdrawn from consideration, according to a letter from President Fernandez to the Chamber of Deputies dated September 2005. Now it is clarified that, after conversations with the president of ICASUR during a recent visit to Spain, President Fernandez himself requested that the contract be placed on the agenda of the lower house again. Yesterday a representative from ICASUR contacted Diario Libre to report that the President had sent an Official Note (#6366 of 18 July, 2006) to Alfredo Pacheco, the then president of the Chamber of Deputies, requesting that the chamber to "leave without effect" the former order to halt consideration of the contract. The latest Presidential memo is not listed in the file belonging to the contract that is currently being debated in the chamber. ICASUR president's Joaquin Alvis told Diario Libre that he had talked with Fernandez during the chief executive's last trip to Spain. According to Alvis, the President ordered the Minister of Public Works to renegotiate the contract and to get rid of the more onerous terms. Alvis said that there was a ten-point agreement that had been signed with the Minister of Public Works, and that among the new terms was a 100% increase in the number of inspection stations to be constructed (from 10 to 20) and after the 20-year term was concluded, the inspection stations would become the property of the Dominican government. According to Alvis the ten-point agreement does not need to be sent to the Congress for approval.
The Dominican Senate has begun its search for the new magistrates who will be responsible for organizing the 2008 elections. Yesterday, the Senate was successful in naming a commission that will oversee the public hearings and consultations for the new Central Electoral Board (JCE) magistrates. The commission will be headed by Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez, and will also include Cristina Lizardo, Francis Vargas (PLD), Cesar Diaz Filpo (PRD) and Noe Sterling Vasquez (PRSC) as members. Pared Perez promised absolute transparency in the selection of the new JCE.
Yesterday President Leonel Fernandez met for two and a half hours with the heads of leading media from Santo Domingo and Santiago to discuss constitutional reforms. Fernandez brought the need for constitutional reforms home to journalists when he mentioned the case of the recent interrogation of Diario Libre reporter Adonis Santiago Diaz by members of the National Drug Control Department (DNCD). The reporter had denounced the use of the Rincon Lake as a drop-off point for drug smugglers. He had reported that low flying planes had dropped plastic containers into the lake. The journalist visited the Drug Control Department but told officers there that he would only hand in the tapes of the interviews he had carried out at the office of the newspaper. The President cited the case as part of his argument in favor of constitutional reforms that would curve the abuse of power against the press sometimes exercised by government officials.
The President held a two-hour meeting with newspaper directors to discuss his plans for proposed reform, emphasizing the need for a better-equipped and better-trained judiciary.
During the meeting, organized by Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, Fernandez also discussed important topics such as justice, nationality, the attributions of executive power, and the reorganization of the country.
Twelve students have won prizes in the National Reading, Writing and Arithmetic Contest, in a number of categories. The contest was organized by the Office of the First Lady, Margarita Cedeno, who was present at the awards ceremony. Ministry of Education's Curriculum Department officials acknowledged the efforts made by the 384 provincial winners. The competition consisted of the following categories: A - for children in the first cycle of primary education; B - for students in the second cycle of primary education; C - for the first cycle of secondary education and D - for the second cycle of secondary education. The winners came from San Pedro de Macoris, Monsignor Nouel, Hato Mayor, La Vega, San Juan de la Maguana, San Francisco de Macoris and Santiago. They received certificates and Banco de Reservas passbook accounts with RD$10,000. The provincial winners received certificates and a RD$1,000 bank account.
CDEEE administrator Radhames Segura says that 60% of the installed generation capacity of the Dominican Republic's electricity system operates on very expensive fuel oils that cost the equivalent of diesel fuel, and this is why these systems are seldom available for the national power grid. According to Diario Libre, there is 3,083 megawatts of installed generating capacity but only 1,260 megawatts is available for duty. While the CDEEE administrator says that the deficit must be filled by installing the two coal-fired generation stations (in Azua and Manzanillo), and more hydroelectric power, an interesting graphic accompanying the story shows an interesting reality. The current hydroelectric facilities, in spite of a much-ballyhooed refit a few years ago, are currently providing less than 50% of installed power (430 MW installed vs. 183 MW provided). The coal-fired units are not much better, offering just 167 MW of power versus 302 MW installed.
Residents of Santiago's Libertad neighborhood have burned their electricity bills in a protest against the high fees they are being charged. The protesters said that the local electricity distributor, EdeNorte, was changing their bills. The residents wanted the EdeNorte to remove the digital electric meters in favor of the older analog models. Because of the recent long blackouts in the area, the residents said that increase shown in the bills was impossible. Several of the people interviewed by Hoy reporter Narciso Perez said that their bills had more than doubled since the installation of the new meters. One woman said that her bill went from RD$4,000 to RD$13,000 per month after the new meters were installed. Other barrios in Santiago have been the scene of similar protests against the electricity service.
The District Attorney for the National District and the chief of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET) warned yesterday that they would tow away any vehicle in the capital that is found to be parked illegally or making too much noise. Jose Hernandez and General Jose Sigfrido Fernandez Fadul said that the vehicles will be towed to a parking area and that officers would ask magistrates to impose fines on the offenders.
The government has mobilized ten more government institutions in the fight against the spread of dengue fever, which has claimed 30 lives, primarily in larger cities, at the last count. Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas made the announcement yesterday. Rojas announced that today he will lead an activity with the Armed Forces, Public Health Department, the Pan-American Organization for Health, Secretary of Tourism, and other organizations to converse on the issues, and declared that there are RD$ 30 million pesos available to continue fighting dengue.
He also said that of the 3,000 cases reported, only 60% have been confirmed. Hoy newspaper also reports that the Ministry of Public Health is recommending that anyone with a fever should drink as much water as possible and report to a local health center. The Minister also said that the Office of the First Lady, the ministries of education and the armed forces as well as representatives of different church groups and schools will take part in the effort starting today. The idea is to inform the population on to how to prevent the disease and measures to be taken when the disease is suspect. Over 700,000 houses have been sprayed in an effort to contain the epidemic. A medical expert from the Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital, Jesus Feris Iglesias, asked medical staff to stay close to their patients, since those infected with hemorrhagic dengue fever should not be dying. The death toll in the recent outbreak is blamed on the fact that many patients arrive at health centers in extremely poor condition with critical levels of dehydration. The Dominican Republic has the highest mortality rate compared to countries with the same problem. Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico have reported 3,000 cases each, without a single death.
A combined effort by the Institute for Biotechnology and Industrial Innovation (IBII), the Special Program for Guaranteed Food, part of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Neyba Bloc of Organizations (BONE) has resulted in a program for producing and processing prickly pears, which grow in some of the Dominican Republic's driest regions, such as Neyba and the northwest. The information appears in today's Hoy. Bernarda Sastillo, the director of IBII said that the institute now has the protocols, recipes and production information for processing prickly pears. A demonstration farm is currently under way. The succulent can be used to make a flour substitute in cakes and bread, as a fruit preserve, as well as for shampoo, soap and non-alcoholic beverages.
The new president of the National Association of Hotels & Restaurants (Asonahores), Luis Lopez has outlined his vision for his two-year term at the helm of the association, emphasizing that Dominican hoteliers need to innovate to ensure the sustainable development of the industry. He highlighted the fact today's tourist destination needs to offer more than what a resort offers. Tourism today, he stressed, needs offer the traveler the people, culture, side attractions, nightlife, adequate transport, communities and public services. In his work plan for 2006-2008, he listed transcendental changes such as innovations needed in high school education in tourism areas, improving land jurisdiction to attract more foreign investment in vacation properties, institutionalizing ground use plans for tourism areas, and bringing about changes in the law that assigns funds to municipalities so that hotel rooms and transient populations are taken into account. He also called for new formulas for cooperation between the private and public sector to build the base for a sustainable tourism industry. He spoke favorably about the burgeoning tourism clusters and their positive role in integrating all participating sectors. He also called for more private sector participation in infrastructure projects in tourism sectors and in the governmental advertising budget. He highlighted that the tourism industry generates US$600 million in taxes.
Members of the Chamber of Deputies have ratified a resolution from a 15 November 2000 United Nations Convention against Transnational Crime Organizations. The resolution is aimed at promoting cooperation between nations in the fight against organized international cross-border crime. The resolution guarantees the participation of member states keeping in line with the principles of equality and sovereignty. The resolution had already been approved by the Senate, and was sent to the Chamber of Deputies on 28 April 2006.
With 19 of its 31 members present the Social Christian Reform Party (PRSC) has chosen Amble Aristy Castro as its candidate for leadership of the Dominican Municipal League (LMD). Though Aristy is the current LMD Secretary General of the LMD, and was elected senator of the province La Altagracia for the third time, he will instead accept the nomination by the PRSC, and has asked the PRD to support his nomination for the LMD elections that will be held on 26 January 2007. Aristy's nomination comes after party member Johnny Jones decided not to run for the nomination, and he could face competition from PRD member Alfredo Pacheco, unless the PRD decides to support his candidacy as during the previous election. As has occurred on two other previous occasions, Aristy will then name his proposed replacement in the Senate. Aristy has deferred swearing in as senator, awaiting the results of the LMD election.
The National Drug Control Department continues its clampdown on the trafficking of illegal narcotics by announcing the seizure of 109.9 kilos of cocaine. The drugs were seized during raids in the Naco and Cancino II areas of Santo Domingo. They also arrested four men in connection with the drugs. DNCD spokesman Roberto Lebron reported that the men were part of a drug trafficking ring that used the country as a jumping-off point en route to the U.S. and Europe, and that the leader of the group was a Chilean man. The drugs were wrapped in 99 small packets. Firearms, various cell phones and a vehicle were confiscated along with the drugs.
Lebron also announced the arrest of 14 men who are believed to be associated with drug trafficking rings in Las Matas de Farfan and Elias Pina in the southwest. During the raid in Elias Pina, DNCD agents confiscated 22 packets of marijuana, 14 packets of cocaine and 4 packets of other drugs, while in the raid in Las Matas de Farfan they confiscated 42 packets of marijuana, 45 packets of cocaine and 4 packets of crack.
The Attorney General's office in Santo Domingo has asked for a one-year jail sentence and a RD$ 25,000 fine for 37 active and retired police officials implicated in a car-theft ring.
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008. DR1. All Rights Reserved.