According to President Leonel Fernandez, the proposed constituent assembly is not a convenient method for reforming the nation's constitution, as it would be highly laborious. Under tight security measures, the President addressed the nation from the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)'s Aula Magna last night, in the presence of politicians, business representatives, public officials, civil society representatives and accredited diplomats, as reported by Clave Digital. In his one-and-a-half-hour speech, Fernandez stated that this reform should define the Dominican Republic as a social democratic state of law, should include the figure of Ombudsman, and establish the guardianship or protection recourse. In this way, Dominican society would be protected from abuses against its citizens and from the eventual takeover by a dictatorship, said Fernandez. The reform should also include a redefinition of the concept of nationality and the broadening of rights to incorporate second and third generation prerogatives. In what he said was an unprecedented move for a Dominican President, Fernandez favors a reduction in executive powers and asked for the "destruction" of article 55 of the current constitution, which gives the President extraordinary powers. He considers popular consultation to be the most appropriate mechanism for the reform, which should be related to the political, economic, social, technological and developmental aspects of the nation. The constitutional reform should be followed by other reforms that make up a modern state, and the public consultation should be as broad as possible, taking all the organizations in the country into account. A methodological aspect proposed by Fernandez asks for social organizations to send their reform proposals to the Technical Commission for Constitutional Reform, which is planning to conduct a plenary session.
Listin Diario reports that the presidents of the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Supreme Court of Justice, the Central Electoral Board, the Chancellor of UASD and the First Lady, Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez were all present. There was no representation from the main opposition party, in what could be considered a silent protest. Although the PRD has shown support for the principle of constitutional reform, the party is not in agreement about how it should be done. They have made it clear that they would prefer a constituent assembly to a reform by a committee of experts, which is how Fernandez is choosing to do it.
Leonel Fernandez's justification for not electing a Constituent Assembly is that this reform does not represent a break from the old order, but rather its improvement, which can well be done with a Revising Assembly as established in the standing Constitution. Fernandez considers the public consultations for this reform a true "democratic revolution" for the country.
According to El Caribe, President Fernandez complained that the standing constitution does not have a preamble, and read those of several other countries' constitutions, including the United States. The preamble of the reformed constitution should include several clauses about the Dominican nation's fundamental values and principles, according to the President.
Diario Libre adds that the President also re-stated his belief that the members of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) should not be chosen by the Senate.
Looks like the constitution isn't the only thing that's being reformed. El Caribe newspaper is reporting that the Penal Code (CPP) will also be reformed in the hope of fixing some flaws in the system. The National Commission for the Execution of Procedural Reforms (CONAEJ) has contracted the services of Chileans Hugo Rojas and Rafael Blanco to coordinate with judges, lawyers and police officials to identify the best ways to reform the Code.
Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso met with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Gheit in Cairo yesterday. The pair discussed the Dominican government's decision to strengthen ties with Egypt and expand relations with other Arab nations. The Egyptian Minister accepted an invitation to come to the Dominican Republic on an official visit. Morales said that he told his colleague that the Dominican Foreign Relations Ministry is taking measures to expand relations with Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan through concurrences with Egypt and Qatar, the only two Arab nations which currently have diplomatic relations with the DR, as reported in Diario Libre.
Secretary of Industry and Commerce Francisco Javier Garcia is traveling to Washington today to speak with American lawmakers about the final steps needed to complete the Dominican Republic 's entry into the DR-CAFTA agreement. Garcia and his delegation will meet with Tom Shannon, under-Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere at the State Department, and with Everett Eissenstat, the assistant to the US Trade Representative. Eissenstat is responsible for DR-CAFTA and all free trade agreements between the US and Latin America. Garcia will be accompanied by Guarocuya Felix, from the Office of Planning, Vilma Arbaje, Exterior Commerce Minister for the Office of Industry and Commerce, and Enrique Ramirez, Director of the National Office for Industrial Property. While in Washington the Dominican delegation will meet with members of the Chamber of Commerce and members of the private sector. Revisions to clauses about government purchasing and intellectual property are among the reasons that the implementation of DR-CAFTA has been slow.
Hoy newspaper is reporting that the Puerto Rican Metro loses US$95 million annually; this is according to figures published in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia. The annual cost of the PR Metro is US$106 million, while revenues only total US$11 million. The paper reports that the US$2 billion project, the most expensive in Puerto Rico's history, consists of a few train cars going back and forth between Santurce and Bayamon, with fewer than 50,000 total riders, far less than the original expectations. The authorities originally estimated that 80,000 people would use the train daily, but studies place this figure at around 20,000. There is no other form of public transport to support the metro, stands haven't been finished, and the metro will always have to be subsidized. The original plans called for a US$1 billion project, but the prices skyrocketed, and took close to ten years to finish. It is 17.2 kilometers in length and has 16 stations. The Santo Domingo metro by comparison will have 16 stations at an estimated cost of US$326.6 million, not including subsidies, stations, maintenance and other hidden costs.
The Commercial Banking Association reports that financial indicators demonstrate that the banks operating in the country have shown positive growth during the first semester of the year, up from last year's numbers. The value of deposits, loans and capital payments by the bank is higher than the figures from December 31st last year. Capital payments by banks in the first six months of the year experienced a growth of nearly RD$600 million, totaling RD$17,590 million.
Officials have announced new security measures at the National Palace, including the surveillance and monitoring of entrances through large screens. The electric gates that allow entrance to the National Palace will now be operated with fingerprint technology. In addition, the ID cards used by employees and media personnel will be encoded. As a final measure, all guards patrolling the interior of the Palace must wear their ceremonial uniforms while on duty.
The diesel shortage in many gas stations continued yesterday after the supply of normal gasoline returned to normal. Listin Diario reports that according to the president of the Gasoline Retailers Association, Juan Ignacio Espaillat, Shell, Esso, Texaco, Nativa, Isla and Coastal are setting priorities and are providing all the fuel required for 75% of their gas stations. However, only 20% had diesel and the trend is towards a more severe shortage. "This indicates that if we had 20% this morning (yesterday), we will end up with 5% and the issue is becoming radical. The reason is that although Shell should have increased the supply, what it did was make an advance order, and now there is a shortage because diesel is still being rationed", said Espaillat.
Thousands of people lined up at different centers issuing the motor vehicle license plate renewal stickers, after the Tax Department announced that there would be no extension of today's deadline. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET) will impound vehicles circulating without the sticker and the owner will have to pay towing expenses.
The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel), in a letter to El Caribe newspaper, is reporting that cell phone thefts have declined by 50% over the last few months, from 20,000 reports to 10,000 reports. Indotel has also informed that 25% of businesses that activate cell phones haven't registered with the proper authorities. Indotel President Jose Rafael Vargas said that those businesses would be given 15 days, until the 24th of the month, to register or face being closed down.
Police Chief Bernardo Santana Paez has revealed that many police officers are in some way involved with the theft of cell phones, and are many times found to be in possession of the stolen merchandise. Santana is quoted in Diario Libre as saying that thieves give stolen cell phones to police officers in return for impunity. Santana says that investigations are ongoing and that anyone found in possession of stolen goods would be brought to justice.
Five men accused of raping seven children were sentenced to 80 years imprisonment between them. The rulings were emitted by the First and Second Collegiate Courts of the National District. Three of the men were involved in incest. The accusations were filed by the Department of Sexual Felonies of the District Attorney Department which is coordinated by Assistant Prosecutor Raquel Mascaro. Judges Esther Agelan Casasnovas, Antonio Sanchez Mejia and Pilar Rufino Diaz sentenced Nelson Cabrera to 20 years in jail, after finding him guilty of incest with an eight-year-old child, according to a report in Diario Libre. A similar term was imposed on Silverio Reyes Andujar who was accused of raping his 14-year-old nephew. Marino Arias was sentenced to 10 years for raping three children ages 11, 12, and 13 and Rafael Leonidas Medina received a similar sentence for abusing a 10-year-old. Judge Sarah Veras Almanzar sentenced Matias Francisco de la Cruz Ramirez to 20 years for incest with a nine-year-old child.
An article in El Caribe reports that the National Dominican Brewery (CND), brewer of Presidente Beer, has announced that overseas sales of the popular Dominican beer had increased by 18% in the first eight months of the year. During this period the CND exported over 1,622,000 crates of beer to markets in Europe, the US and the Caribbean They also announced that 2006 would be a record year in sales for the beer producer. According to CND, all markets in which Presidente is sold experienced growth. The American and Caribbean markets experienced a 10.1 and 10.3% growth, while the European markets were responsible for a quarter of the total growth. Because of increased efforts, the DR is the third leading Latin American nation in beer exports to the US, and Presidente is the fourth most popular imported beer in Florida supermarkets.
However, the news is not so good for the Dominican taxman. The high demand for light beer nationally, has made collections of the selective alcohol and tobacco tax collapse, according to a report by Clave Digital. The expected increase in collections for this tax was 36%, when it really only grew by 15% in September 2006, when compared to September 2005. The Tax Department is attributing this low performance of the selective tax mainly to the reduction in the declared amount of liters of alcoholic beverages and cigarette packs sold. Another factor is the negative effect caused by the high demand for light beer, which pays less tax.
The General Direction of Customs (DGA) is saying that they have seized trucks that have been used to carry contraband from Haiti to the DR, via Elias Pina. The DGA informed that they had stopped four trucks that did not meet requirements or paid a total of RD$7,166,586.01 in taxes due. Eight customs workers have been fired in connection with the smuggling case, and investigations continue.
A Puerto Rican woman, Elizabeth Soto Laureano, 47, was arrested by the National Drug Control Department (DNCD) after she tried to leave the country with cocaine and heroin hidden in her vagina and her bra. The woman, whose final destination was San Juan, Puerto Rico was contracted as a mule by people involved in an international drug ring. Soto tried to board the Ferry, which travels between the DR and Puerto Rico when she was stopped by drug control agents.
Hoy newspaper is also reporting that the DNCD has caught three Dominicans involved in a powerful international drug smuggling ring, which spanned six countries. Ramirez Santana de Leon, Toribio Jimenez and Woady Audry Lopez were part of a ring operating in Saint Martin, Puerto Rico, the DR, the US Virgin Islands and Colombia. Thirty-five out of a total 56 traffickers were arrested in the multi-national sting, which was carried out with the cooperation of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
The National Police has created a new department responsible for controlling noise pollution. This move is in line with the recent police crackdown and excessive noise around the city of Santo Domingo. Chief of Police Bernardo Santana Paez informed that Colonel Felix Franklin Figueroa would lead the new department that will be a sub-division of the Regional Direction for the National District. Santana informed that since last Friday, 92 speakers, 2 vehicles, 61 tables, 30 crates and 666 chairs have been confiscated. There is also a hotline to call to report a complaint, (809) 682-3151 or (809) 533-1411 ext 5036.
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008. DR1. All Rights Reserved.