Meanwhile, during a Christmas luncheon offered to the media at the Presidential Palace, amidst the enthusiasm of those who advocate his reelection, President Leonel Fernandez acknowledged expressions of support but would not announce he would run again in 2008, and said that the announcement would come when the time was right. As reported in Diario Libre, President Fernandez used the occasion to explain his conception of modern government. "There is the belief that to govern is to be in the Presidential Palace and that the President of the Republic is who governs. That is a mistake, I believe in the democratic system," he commented. He then expanded: "Who governs are you [referring to the journalists]. In a pluralist democratic system one governs through the public opinion. Public opinion is the base of a democracy and thus a President only can govern while the public opinion reflects well on the actions of that government, and thus who govern are you," President Fernandez told the journalists.
"The lion has been calm, but the lion has lifted his ears in the face of new challenges and is aware of the national situation and within our PLD party. When the right time comes once again the roar of the lion will be heard." These were the words of President Leonel Fernandez as he spoke at the Spanish Recreational Center on the Mella Highway in San Pedro de Macoris. During the event, provincial party representatives presented their findings about the possibility of the President's re-election bid. According to PLD representatives from La Romana, La Altagracia, El Seybo, Hato Mayor and San Pedro de Macoris, 70% of the PLD party and 52% of the general PLD support President Leonel Fernandez's bid to run for the Presidency in 2008.
A Hamilton-Listin poll, printed in today's Listin Diario shows that 55% of Dominicans are opposed to presidential re-election, while 33% feel that the process should remain the same, where as there is a term and the re-election for a candidate. Ten percent of the public feels that the President should be re-elected without limit and 2% had no opinion on the matter. The poll was conducted between 2 and 6 December with 1,200 people being polled and a +/- 3% margin of error. The poll of political parties shows that 78% of PRSC members are against re-election (ironically, PRSC leader the late Joaquin Balaguer sought reelection six times, winning on five occasions), while 72% of the PRD and only 36% of the PLD are against it.
Interestingly enough, 44% of Dominicans believe that a female President is a possibility, while 35% feel it's somewhat possible, 13% feel it's not so possible and 9% feel it's completely impossible.
President Leonel Fernandez has presented his list of candidates for the substitutes for the nine members of the Chamber of Accounts. Presidential legal adviser Cesar Pina Torribio delivered the list to Senate leader Reinaldo Pared Perez on behalf of the President. Pared Perez said he would do all he can in order to speed up the process, considering that the tenure of the acting nine members of the Chamber ended on 16 August.
Rosario Graciano de los Santos, Foreign Relations Ministry deputy minister for Consular and Migratory Affairs has announced a US$30 reduction in the cost of issue and renewal of Dominican passports. Through a release to all Dominican embassies and consular offices abroad, Graciano de los Santos requested the immediate application of this measure, without exceptions. The measure also requires all consular services to adhere to the rules handed down by Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso. If a diplomatic representative of the DR fails to do so they will be immediately suspended from their position, said Graciano. This is the second reduction in costs for services announced by the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Dominican consular services reduced the charge for issuing passports by 30% in September.
The Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago (HOMS) will begin the first stages of operations in February 2007 and will be officially inaugurated in March. During a holiday gathering held yesterday with doctors and investors, Dr Sanchez Espanol thanked President Fernandez and the Santiago business community for their support for the project. El Caribe writes that in February the hospital will provide outpatient services, dialysis, diagnostic images, laboratory and endoscopies. Sanchez specified that all the hospital equipment is on its way, including digital equipment that will make HOMS the first digitized hospital in the country. The hospital will be private.
The Dominican economy grew by 10% in 2006, achieving the second highest growth rate in the region, and will finish this year with five consecutive trimesters with a double-digit growth rate. Venezuela also enjoyed a 10% increase in its growth rate. These figures were published in a study by Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). ECLAC, which is known as CEPAL in Spanish, points out that the driving force in the figures is the increase in investment and not in consumption. ECLAC, a United Nations organization, expects a continued growth estimated at around 7%. Although there was in increase in the international price of oil, there is an expected inflation rate of only 4.5% in 2006 compared to 7.4% in 2005 and 28.7% in 2004. The study says that unemployment went down from 18.4% last year to 16.4% in 2006, although the real minimum salary decreased by 7%. The report by ECLAC also informed that the region's growth increased by 5.3% in 2006, which indicates a 3.8% increase per inhabitant in the region.
In 2006 the government subsidized 311.5 million gallons of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) from a total of 350 million gallons sold. This led to government spending of RD$5,440 million on the product. Information provided by the Industry and Commerce Ministry revealed that 52% is disbursed for domestic use, mainly cooking, while the remaining amount is used by vehicles. El Caribe newspaper writes that the government subsidizes RD$17.35 per gallon of LPG that is consumed by homes and vehicles, but the proposed fiscal reform does not propose to eliminate the LPG subsidy. Presidency Technical Minister Temistocles Montas recently announced that in 2007 the subsidy would be more focused so that it is used appropriately. Industry and Commerce also informed that during 2006 through the Apache program the government will have saved RD$300 million through controls applied to LPG sales. The Apache program was implemented in order to avoid LPG being used for uses other than cooking.
The Sports Ministry, leading Dominican company E. Leon Jimenes, the Presidente beer brewery and 26 other entities have now joined the outcry against the proposed fiscal reform, according to Hoy newspaper. Ever since its announcement, the fiscal reform has been the subject of criticism from both the public and private sectors, uniting most sectors against the plan. Each group spoke about how the reform would affect them individually. Sports Ministry (SEDEFIR) representative Francisco Antonio Medina said that article 36 of the reform should be changed so that SEDEFIR can continue to collect on 50% of taxes that gambling houses pay. That is RD$220,000 on an operating permit and RD$12,000 monthly fees for gambling houses in the country's main provinces. Mario Pujols, speaking on behalf of the National Dominican Brewery called for the current taxation on alcoholic beverages to be maintained, while Manuel Brugal, speaking on behalf of the Brugal Rum Company disagreed, arguing that the current system places the rum distributor at a disadvantage. As from 2008, beverages will be taxed depending on the size and not the grade of alcohol that the beverage contains. Abel Wachsmann, executive vice president of E. Leon Jimenes said that the fiscal reform, and its ad valorem policy goes against the objectives of the IMF which aims to prevent the situation where the tax structure influences the consumers choice to purchase. Hortensia Perez, speaking on behalf of the Association of Representatives of Importers of Wines and Liquors, said that the country would be subject to lawsuits by the World Trade Organization, because of these types of taxes.
President of the American Chamber of Commerce Kevin Manning says that instead of increasing taxes the government should remove all unnecessary government posts. Speaking in Hoy, Manning continued by saying that the government should focus on reducing the government payroll and government costs, and cited the efforts of Customs head Miguel Coco who removed two people from their posts at customs in order to reduce the payroll. Manning also cited the JCE and the State Run Electricity Companies (CDEEE) as entities that employ too many staff. The business leader commented that the proposed reform will mostly affect the country's poorer sectors, and says that it could possibly affect the DR's entry into DR-CAFTA. Manning also urged the Congress to consider the inflationary effect of the reform when reviewing the proposal.
The National Confederation of Transport Organizations (CONATRA) has announced that Dominicans will be without transport if the fiscal reform is approved, according to Diario Libre. CONATRA leader Antonio Marte says that the sector would not be able to cope with tax increases on products that are essential to the transportation of citizens and commented that the transport sector already contributes 30% to the payment of the external debt, without any benefits. The president of the National Federation of Dominican Transport (Fenatrado) union leader Blas Peralta warned that if the reform goes through, freight transport prices would increase by 35%.
Diario Libre reports that the Central Electoral Board has a contingency plan that will allow the entity to save RD$22 million a month, and that allows them to avoid a deficit. In order for the JCE to reduce its costs from RD$96 million to RD$74 million per month, 1,000 employees will be fired in the first months of next year. These will be mostly personnel that the new JCE feels are unnecessary and those known as "botellas" (non-productive political appointees). In addition, 18 inspectors who as well as their monthly RD$45,000 salaries received RD$1,500 for daily expenses will have that luxury rescinded. Finally, the gasoline program (currently RD$30,000) will be redesigned along with procedures for magistrates' vehicle rental, cell phone use and other items. The JCE recently asked the government for RD$245 million in emergency funds in order to deal with the deficit, but there was no guarantee that they would receive this.
The energy superintendence credited users with more than RD$10 million for the month of November. Hoy newspaper reports that the Office for the Protection of the Consumer (PROTECOM) has the task of awarding credit to electricity consumers who present their monthly bill but complain about exorbitant energy consumption, changes in prices, blackouts and inappropriate business actions. EdeNorte was most liable, totaling credit of more than RD$4 million, followed by EdeSur with RD$3.6 million and EdeEste with RD$2.4 million. Since 2004, PROTECOM has credited users with more than RD$409 million because of service irregularities. The chance to receive credit for bad service is done through law 125-01 which obliges energy providers to credit users for poor service.
Mark F. Ellis, second secretary and consul from the Department for Services for US Citizens, has reminded US citizens leaving the Dominican Republic or any other nation with the United States as their final destination must present a valid passport upon entry into the country as from 23 January 2007. This is one of many travel and security restrictions passed in the United States since 9/11. US citizens can still enter and leave the DR with an original birth certificate and a valid photo ID. Children must also travel with their individual passport.
John Francis Dye, who is wanted in the state of North Carolina on charges of incest and rape of a minor, was caught by Dominican Department of Drug Control (DNCD) officials in the city of San Francisco de Macoris. El Caribe explains that Dye, a fugitive from justice, was apprehended with a New York driver's license, a US passport, a social security card in the name of Aisha Rachelle Dye, a few credit cards, a book bag and a laptop computer. There was an international warrant for his capture and DNCD spokesman Robert Lebron said that DNCD regional officials had made the arrest.
Last night Department of Drug Control (DNCD) officials seized 340 packets of what they believe to be cocaine. El Caribe newspaper writes that the drug bust took place at a cock fighting club on the 32nd kilometer of the Duarte highway, close to the city of Villa Altagracia. Francisco Hidalgo, captain of the forces that seized the drugs, explained that the haul was found deep in the back of the club, in an area that was disguised as a birds' nest. One person is under arrest and another person is under investigation for being in possession of the drugs. Officials say that they carried out the raid after receiving a tip that drugs transactions were taking place at the club. During the raid a Yamaha motorcycle was found, as well as a wallet belonging to a Colombian national.
Four of the 15 people injured in an explosion yesterday are recovering satisfactorily, according to Hoy newspaper. They were injured when a gas tank at the establishment they were eating at exploded. The explosion, which occurred at 11:30am, shattered the glass at the "Expreso Chino" Chinese restaurant, and a small colmado nearby caught fire as a result. The blast occurred at Plaza Bolivar, located on the corner of Romulo Betancourt and Caonabo, in Santo Domingo. Some of the injured were taken to the Plaza de la Salud where doctors are informing that the victims are recovering. One victim has already been discharged from the hospital.
The Spanish Cultural Center is holding a course called "Musical Training" for children in Santo Domingo's Simon Bolivar neighborhood. The workshop is being led by drummer Felle Vega and is part of a program that the Centro Cultural Espanol has been running for the last year, and which will continue into next year. The program shows children from disadvantaged backgrounds how to use recycled materials, like cans, utensils and buckets, to make instruments. Course organizer Javier Aiguabella said that the program would continue in the neighborhoods in which they began, which include Capotillo and La Zurza. Vega, speaking in Diario Libre, says that the program's objective is to show children that anything can be used as an instrument and it is a method of keeping children away from violence. Vega continued by saying that as a Dominican musician it is an honor to work with the cultural center because it is the only one that has really focused on helping the poorer children of the nation. Vega performed as Sting's support act at Altos de Chavon when the legendary rock musician came to play in the DR earlier this year.
In last night's only game the Aguilas lost to the Estrellas 3-2. But not all was bitter for the Aguilas. Aguilas outfielder Luis Polonia became part of a special group yesterday as he got his 800th hit in the Dominican Winter League. Polonia, who has been in the league since the 1984-85 season, joined Miguel Dilone, Jesus Rojas Alou, Rafael Batista and Manny Mota as the only other Dominicans to have more than 800 hits since the league's inception in 1951.
Standings
| Team | W-L | Avg. | Games Behind |
| Gigantes | 29 - 14 | .674 | -- |
| Aguilas | 27 - 16 | .628 | 2.0 |
| Licey | 25 - 18 | .581 | 4.0 |
| Estrellas | 19 - 24 | .442 | 10.0 |
| Azucareros | 15 - 28 | .349 | -- |
| Escogido | 14 - 29 | .326 | -- |
* Estadio Quisqueya 7:30
Azucareros vs. Escogido
* Estadio Julian Javier 7:30
Licey vs. Gigantes
* Estadio Tetelo Vargas 7:30
Aguilas vs. Estrellas
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