Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa has announced a budget of RD$200 billion for 2007, RD$38 billion less than the RD$238 billion budgeted for 2006. Revenues for this year have not met the approved budget, and only RD$179 billion are expected by year's end so the 2007 budget would be approximately RD$21 billion more than the actual budget of 2006.
The budget was announced yesterday during a meeting between the government's financial advisors and a technical group from the IMF, and will be sent to the President on Friday for executive approval, after which it will be sent to Congress. During the meeting, held at the Hermanas Mirabal Hall at the Presidential Palace, the pending fiscal reform was discussed with IMF officials, from which the government hopes to collect, according to Hoy newspaper, an extra RD$18 billion for the 2007 fiscal period. Diario Libre reports that this sum will total 1.5% of the total GDP, which is in fact the necessary amount required in order for the country to comply with the terms of the IMF's Stand-by agreement. The agreement could be extended until 2008.
Listin Diario reports that the reform includes new taxes that weren't included in the last fiscal reform. A 15% decrease in government spending was announced. Bengoa also announced that the budget should be passed before 22 December, along with a set of bills aimed at improved fiscal administration. During the meeting, where the fifth and sixth revisions of the Stand-by agreement were discussed, IMF representatives said that the Dominican economy is doing well, with reduced inflation levels, that the country is not incurring excessive debt, and is not party to excessive spending. Andy Wolfe, head of the IMF mission in the country, did however point out that the country could do better in its fiscal efficiency.
US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Hans H. Hertell has commended Dominican politicians for quickly approving, after a first reading, the remaining bills opening the way for the country's entry into DR-CAFTA, but at the same time urged the government and its officials to expeditely approve the bills, during the remaining reading. Hertell, quoted in Diario Libre, says that until the pending bills are approved in the way they were agreed upon, DR-CAFTA will not be implemented. Hertell made these comments after he was asked whether Congress could use its sovereignty to change the trade agreement after it was signed. The ambassador also commented that the bill on government purchasing policy is particularly important to the implementation of the trade agreement, calling it "sine qua non," or indispensable in Latin.
Venezuela and Guatemala have ended their 44-round political boxing match in a draw and have decided to select Panama as an alternative choice for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. This now excludes the DR, which for a few weeks had been mentioned as a possible consensus candidate for the position. Guatemala beat Venezuela in 47 rounds of voting, but was unable to reach a consensus vote, and the decision was announced by Ecuadorian ambassador to the UN Diego Cordovez. Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Minister Gert Rosenthal says that Panama was selected because of its geographical position uniting Central and South America. He is quoted by the BBC as saying that it needed to be a country that was well accepted by all the countries in the region. If the region accepts Panama's selection it will be sent to the General Assembly for approval, and will then not need a vote to be accepted. Gert Rosenthal remarked that Panama's selection comes as a surprise, since the DR had been mentioned for quite some time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6108556.stm
Dominican ambassador to the United States Dr. Flavio Dario Espinal says that the electricity crisis in the country is like the sword of Damocles, affecting quality of life and business competitiveness, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Hoy quotes Espinal as saying that the country's entrance into DR-CAFTA should open a debate on how to make the most of the free trade agreement. Espinal called for Dominicans to start looking beyond DR-CAFTA and to look to development ideas for equitable growth. The ambassador also says that 80.1% of Dominican exports are to the American market, and that bilateral trade in 2005 equaled US$10 billion. Because of this, he believes that the DR should aim for a more balanced trade with the United States. Of the DR-CAFTA signatories, the DR is one of the top five importers of US goods, receiving 30%. Espinal is quoted in El Caribe as saying that DR-CAFTA can provide many advantages, but that development won't just appear out of nowhere, and that Dominicans must prepare for the free trade agreement. He continued by saying that the country's ability to take part in DR-CAFTA and make the most of the benefits has a strong base in the country's political, macro and micro-economic stability and a developed infrastructure of roads, ports and airports.
The explanation for President Leonel Fernandez's 1:10 minute-meeting with President Bush on 25 October followed by a 45-minute meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the next day could be filtering through. Press coverage of the trip had reported that the US had decided to aid the Dominican Republic by providing radar equipment and other tools, to be placed on the border with Haiti, aimed at fighting drug, arms and human trafficking. Today, Clave Digital reports that a proposal for the creation of a US Southern Command Center for Military Operations in the DR was made on 19 October. "It will be equipped with modern technological resources, specialized units for handling natural resources, military police and other activities related to the threats that the country faces at present," states the proposal. Clave Digital points out that the Dominican authorities have not explained where the center will be installed, nor defined the threats to the country that justify this foreign military presence. The online newspaper says that the decision was communicated to DR Armed Forces Minister Major General Ramon Aquino. Although the center's planned location is not mentioned, earlier this year there were extensive reports of intense US military movements in the southwest of the country.
See commentaries on http://www.dr1.com/forums/dr-debates/48035-observation-frontier-us-troops.html
According to Hoy newspaper, on average 27.8% of children in the northwestern border town of Dajabon and the neighboring Haitian town of Ouanaminthe (Juana Mendez) become sexually active before the age of 10. The study, presented by Catholic Relief Services and UNICEF says that 4,302 AIDS cases have been administered with 363 positive results, a total of 9%. According to the report, children on the Dominican side of the border begin to engage in sexual activity at an earlier age than Haitian children. The study found that 30.8% of children have their first sexual encounter between the ages of 10 and 12. In addition, it states that 84.1% of the children's first sexual experiences were "consensual" and 21% say that they have never used a condom. However, 39.5% did say they always used a condom and 39.5% say they sometimes used a condom. Out of those interviewed, 61.9% said they knew someone with AIDS and 14.6% have a family member with the disease.
Diario Libre is reporting that the real reason that the Santo Domingo Metro is experiencing delays in the construction process isn't because an excavation machine has been damaged, as is being reported, but because there have been landslides and cave-ins on the project site. Geologist Osiris de Leon says that this is because Metro officials failed to conduct the proper geo-technical studies needed, which would have allowed them to gauge weaknesses in the excavation areas. The problems are reportedly occurring to the north of John F. Kennedy Avenue.
Public transport sector drivers have declared that they will increase the costs of riding on a bus or shared taxi ("publico") if the government decides to remove the subsidy on propane gas (GLP), as was announced yesterday. Listin Diario reports that drivers in Santiago have said they will double prices if the subsidy is removed. Antonio Marte from transport union CONATRA said that drivers would not accept a removal of a subsidy that is used to provide a public service, and FENATRANO union president Juan Hubieres said that if the government wants to proceed with this course of action, which according to him will seriously affect the middle class; many groups will be ready to march in protest. Ironically, publico and minibus operators consistently increased fares when the price of petrol went up, even at times when the price of propane gas was fixed at a heavily subsidized rate.
El Caribe newspaper reports that the Chamber of Deputies has ratified the Treaty of Budapest on the International Acknowledgement of the Deposit of Microorganisms with regards to Patent Material. The agreement considers industrial property, which is found in Chapter 15, and requires administrative and legislative action and is necessary for the implementation of DR-CAFTA. The objective of the agreement is that signatories to the agreement recognize the deposit of microorganisms carried out in an international organization regardless of whether that organization is found outside of the boundaries of that state.
According to Diario Libre, 10% of people who go to hospitals in the Dominican Republic are Haitian and speak Creole, which most Dominican doctors don't understand, making it difficult to treat those patients. In order to deal with this dilemma, the medical school at Eugenio Maria de Hostos University will start offering Creole classes to its students and medics.
The Army has announced that it has dismissed 15 military personnel in the last two months for a series of crimes, including drug consumption and trafficking, bribery, revealing sensitive information and general misconduct. Armed forces spokesman Hector Lizardo Jorge said that these dismissals send a message to the public and to the forces themselves that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. Though they have been discharged from their posts, none of the officials will be sent to trial. Lizardo became angry when journalists interviewing him kept asking why those dismissed were not being prosecuted. El Caribe reports that Lizardo's explanation was that the military did not possess the resources to send the accused to jail, so the only recourse was to send them dismissal notices.
A Spanish woman en route to Madrid has been found with 18 art figurines filled with cocaine. The woman was stopped at the Las Americas International Airport (AILA) by Department for Drug Control (DNCD) agents. There is no word on whether Soledad Martinez Maria was working alone or with accomplices when she tried to board flight UX-0088 to Spain, and the drugs were found when she was searched by airport officials. Hoy reports that the authorities will try to find out where the figurines were made in order to trace the owner of the drugs.
Forty-seven Dominicans who served time in US jails for various offenses have been repatriated to the DR, according to Listin Diario. Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) supervised the repatriation of the 47 convicts. To this date 2,745 people have been brought back to the DR. Most of the crimes were murder and drug-related.
Dominican music legend Johnny Ventura was honored by the Latin Recording Academy in New York for his "Excellence in Music" yesterday. Ventura thanked his friend Sergio Jimenez, who got him into singing, and also thanked his family for his support. Ventura is the second Dominican musician to receive the honor, the first being Johnny Pacheco. He said he was very happy about it. The event was held at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. Ventura will be in New York today celebrating the Latin Grammys, where five other Dominicans are hoping to win awards in their categories.
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008. DR1. All Rights Reserved.