President Leonel Fernandez met with a group of Spanish investors who are interested in completing a marina project in Samana with an investment of US$150 million. Fernandez was informed of the remodeling of two government hotels now under Bahia Principe management. Bahia Principe is booking stays at four new hotels in Samana this winter season. Public Works Secretary Freddy Perez is quoted in Diario Libre as saying that Spanish investors are interested in continued investments in the country, which he believes is good news for the Dominican public.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a US$21 million loan to modernize public resources management. A press release by the IDB explains that the loan will help efficiency, transparency and accountability in the public sector. IDB project team leader Roberto Camblor said that this loan would allow the government to put existing resources into other sectors like social programs and poverty reduction.
According to IDB, the governmnet's integrated financial management system (SIGEF), which comprises the budget, public debt, treasury and accounting systems, will be linked to the public investments and public sector human resources information systems and placed on the Internet. The SIGEF's coverage will expand to include decentralized agencies and social security institutions. In coordination with the World Bank, the IDB also developed a component of the program focused on increasing the efficiency and transparency in state procurement. The Office of the Comptroller General, the agency in charge of verifying public sector resources are used efficiently and transparently, will also be strengthened by training its staff and implementing internal oversight and audit systems. The loan is for 25 years, with a five-year grace period and a variable interest rate.
Director for the National Council for Resident Medics Pedro Sing said that the decision to suspend the doctors for going on strike was taken because they had not met with their superiors to inform them of their problems. Hoy newspaper reports that the doctors at the Dario Contreras and Moscoso Puello hospitals had gone on strike because according to them they haven't been getting paid on time. Sing denied this claim, saying that he has evidence that the doctors were getting paid on time and that in fact they received a paycheck yesterday.
Vice president Rafael Alburquerque helped celebrate the Army's 162nd anniversary with the inauguration the Military Emergency Unit (UME), located on the 25th kilometer of the Duarte highway. Ironically enough the medical center was quickly put to use as an officer who had been standing guard for a long period began to feel woozy almost fainted. The UME also has a paintball field, a department for female military officers and an office for military leaders. The UME will be used during emergency situations caused by natural disasters and the paintball field will be used as a practice facility to help train in military tactics. The celebrations took place on National Military Day. Juan Antonio Campusano Lopez, head of the UME, explained that there had been no state investment in the project, and that other armed forces institutions would be able to utilize the UME facilities.
Latest reports show that things aren't likely to improve anytime soon for the energy sector. Today's Diario Libre reports that the government has yet to give the energy sector a US$45 million credit that would pay off an outstanding loan to private energy producers. This lag in receiving the credit and paying off the loan is causing the World Bank to hold back on giving the country a US$50 million loan intended for the energy sector. The World Bank has continually urged the government to pay the loan, which has remained unpaid since 2005. Radhames Segura, president of the State Run Electric Companies (CDEEE) had informed that the government recently reached a loan agreement with the Banco de Reservas, which would pay off the standing debt, and would then use the WB loan to pay off the Banco de Reservas. The overall WB loan is for US$150 million, but Diario Libre also points out that the Banco de Reservas has not even received the initial paperwork to begin the loan process.
Continuing with the energy problem, Hoy newspaper quotes Segura who continues to press the energy sector to renegotiate details of the Madrid Accord, and has asked the sector to reduce the cost of providing energy as a way out of this continual crisis. On a positive note, Ege Haina, Palamara-La Vega and the Puerto Plata Energy Company (CEPP) representatives have said that they are willing to renegotiate the Madrid Accord as long as the renegotiations respect the rights of those companies. Tito Sanjurjo, general manager of Ege Haina, speaking in Hoy, said that as a last resort Ege Haina is willing to go to international arbitration in order to reach a solution. Next week the CDEEE will go on TV and radio programs to present its case to the public and explain why there needs to be a renegotiation of the energy contracts.
Although the Presidential palace was as busy as can be yesterday, very few words were spoken in reference to any of the hot button issues that have been grabbing all the headlines. El Caribe newspaper reports that not even Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa spoke to reporters who were waiting for him and other cabinet members like Temistocles Montas after their meeting with the President.
Following a two-hour meeting at the Presidential Palace yesterday with four of the country's main business federations, it was announced that those organizations will stabilize the prices of certain food products, which according to some reports, experienced a rise in cost due to the fear brought on by the announcement of the fiscal reform. Luis Manuel Bonetti, Administrative Secretary to the Presidency, headed the meeting. Despite denying that there have been increases in the prices of certain products, the business leaders admitted that the announcement of the fiscal reform had provoked tensions. The business sector representatives present at the meeting assured that there would be price controls on eggs, chicken, sugar and flour because these products will not be subject to ITBIS (VAT).
However, this contradicts a report in Diaro Libre that points out that some businesses have raised prices of bread because of the increase in the price of flour.
The president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic, Lisandro Macarulla was chosen the new president of the National Business Council (Conep). Macarulla will hold the post for a two-year period and will be sworn in on 17 January. He replaces Elena Viyella de Paliza who has served since 2004. During the meeting in which Macarulla was chosen, Francisco Garcia, Ligia Bonetti de Valiente and Oliviero Espaillat were chosen as the Council's vice-presidents, while Maribel Gasso was chosen as secretary and Manuel Estrella was chosen as vice-secretary.
The energy distributor EdeEste has informed that the power cables on the Mella, San Isidro, San Vicente de Paul and Las Americas highways are still being stolen, and that the rate of theft is increasing. According to Hoy newspaper, last Monday 1,250 meters of cable wire were stolen on Las Americas highway, while on the same day power cables from the Duarte and Juan Bosch bridges were stolen. Last Friday 850 meters of cable were stolen from the San Isidro highway. Last week 1,700 meters of cable and six streetlights were stolen from San Vicente de Paul Avenue. Hoy reports that EdeEste completed a RD$6 million investment in lighting in September, but since then the cables have continued to disappear. There has been insistent requests for outlawing the buying and exporting of these cables, which as seen as the only measure that will put an effective stop to the unchecked thefts.
Dominican Eduardo Julian Maravi was captured and arrested at Lima airport in Peru with 100 capsules of cocaine in his stomach, with an equivalent weight of 1,200 grams. Maravi was also found with two more kilos of the drug in his suitcase. Diario Libre reports that Maravi was on his way to Madrid, Spain when he was caught and that he was getting paid US$3,000 for his troubles.
The Hogar Nueva Vida drug rehabilitation center, located on the 4.5th kilometer of the Santiago-Licey al Medio highway was inaugurated yesterday. Rafael Garcia Castellanos, with the help of the Garcia Rodriguez family provided the funds for the center, but also said that aside from the financial help they will work closely with the center in order for it to succeed. Garcia Castellanos, quoted in El Caribe newspaper says that the programs are aimed at helping patients and their families through the process of rehabilitation. The center has a capacity for 14 people, and 10 young people are currently receiving treatment there.
Police have rescued a Swiss citizen and his wife who were being held hostage in Imbert, near Puerto Plata. The couple, according to El Caribe newspaper, was found in a house in Imbert. Police have informed that they have arrested 20-year old Ricardo Brito, and are looking seven other men who are now on the run, who had held Heinz Eichemberger and his partner Leyda Antonia Bautista Diaz hostage. Brito did not tell the police how much ransom money would be demanded, and failed to give concrete information about the whereabouts of his accomplices, aside from a list of names.
Young people from 20 neighborhoods from around the city of Santo Domingo held a march calling for the prevention of AIDS. The event was organized by the health education charity Profamilia. The youngsters who took part in the walk participate in Profamilia's "Promoting Health in Dominican Republic," program where they help inform the public on topics regarding sexuality and AIDS prevention. The program looks to help inform the public about the ways in which the disease is transmitted and hope to help stop the spread of AIDS. This walk comes as the Dominican Network for People Living with AIDS (REDIVIH) says that hiding the results from AIDS tests requested by employers is illegal, and added that hiding those results only helps spread the disease because individuals can pass on the disease without knowing it.
Interior and Police Minister Franklin Almeyda Rancier, quoted in El Caribe newspaper, dismissed the idea that there is a crisis in the PLD party, with regards to Danilo Medina's soon to be announced Presidential candidacy, and said that the best candidate should be someone who would allow for the party to remain in control, and this person, according to Almeyda, is Leonel Fernandez. In terms of the crisis, Almeyda was referring to a "supposed" crisis in the PLD party due to the fact that Danilo Medina had resigned his government post, as did Roberto Marchena, leading some to speculate that Fernandez, as well as the party, were experiencing an internal crisis in which PLD members would have to choose sides. This "supposed" crisis is highlighted today in an article by Rosa Alcantara in Hoy newspaper in which she writes that there is a fight within the party, but it is a non-declared, silent fight, since neither the President nor Medina have officially announced their candidacies.
Long distance swimmer Marcos Diaz will be attempting to swim 50 kilometers this Sunday, in what he has called one of the toughest challenges of his career. Diaz, a world-class athlete who has swum the English Channel, will begin his 50km swim from the Hotel Coral Hamaca in Boca Chica and will go all the way to the Hilton Hotel on Santo Domingo's George Washington Avenue (Malecon). Diaz kicks off on 3 December at 7:30am and is expected to arrive at the Hotel at 5pm. Diaz is completing this challenge with support from the Ministry of Sports, the Marcos Diaz Foundation, the Ministry of Youth and Diario Libre newspaper.
The latest results of the recent Gallup-Hoy poll printed today show that 79.7% of the Dominican public feels that the security measures put in place by the government a few months ago have been very positive, and only 16% feel that the measures should be relaxed for the upcoming holiday season. Furthermore the poll reveals that 8 out of 10 Dominicans feel that the increased military and police presence on the streets has had a positive effect in controlling the crime rate. The poll was taken between 18 and 22 of November and 1,200 people were interviewed. The poll has a 2.8% margin of error with 95% confidence. The measures taken by the government included limiting opening times for establishments selling alcohol, and restricting the importation of guns and ammunition. The poll also highlighted the fact that Dominicans would like to see more cooperation between the National Police and the Department for Drug Control, and are in favor of continuing with the alcohol laws. The poll also found that almost 50% of the population is in favor of the constitutional reform, 73% wants the constitutional reform to be carried out by the National Congress, and close to 72% believe that the time is right for constitutional reform.
Eighties rock icons Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be performing at Santo Domingo's Hard Rock Cafe on 9 December as part of the Cafe's Concert Series. Jett has been performing since she was 15 and has graced the stage with the likes of the Talking Heads, Tom Petty and Cheap Trick. Jett has also performed at the rock and roll sanctuary known as CBBG's and toured with the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and Paul Westerberg. Joan Jett, whose biggest hit was "I Love Rock and Roll," has eight Gold and Platinum albums to her credit.
The show has been amazing, but the question now is, when will it stop? The Gigantes won their 11th straight game and continued atop the leader board for the Dominican Winter Baseball League. The Gigantes pounced on the Leones 6-0 and maintained their 1.5 game lead over the Tigres. The Tigres continued their winning streak by beating the Estrellas 3-0 yesterday, while the Aguilas beat the Toros 9-5. The Aguilas are within bird's eye view of the top spot being only behind by 2.5 games.
Standings
| Team | W-L | Avg. | Games Behind |
| Gigantes | 22 - 11 | .667 | -- |
| Licey | 21 - 13 | .618 | 1.5 |
| Aguilas | 19 - 13 | .594 | 2.5 |
| Estrellas | 16 - 18 | .471 | 6.5 |
| Escogido | 11 - 22 | .322 | 11.0 |
| Azucareros | 11 - 23 | .324 | 11.5 |
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