Yesterday the Dominican Electricity Corporation demonstrated that it was serious when it recently announced that it would start treating state institutions like any other account behind in its payments: it cut off the electricity. In the Santo Domingo area CDE cut off electricity for the Directorate-General of Internal Revenue (DGII) and the Airport Commission, but soon re-established power for these two entities once they made down payments on their debt. In Santiago CDE cut off electricity to several state institutions because of their payment arrears, plunging the Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation (CORAASAN), the Palace of Justice and the national government offices, "El Huacalito," into darkness. CDE Public Relations Manager Domingo P?ez said that power will remain cut off state institutions in arrears until they make payment arrangements and at least a down payment on their considerable debt to CDE, just like any private sector client. This will apply to military offices as well. The sole exceptions will be hospitals and public schools. In Santiago, Engineer F?lix Tav?rez, CDE Administrator for the Northern Region, told reporters that government institutions located in CDE’s Northern Region consume RD$50 million worth of power every month, yet most "do not pay a cent" of their electric bill. CORAASAN alone owes RD$433 million. Tav?rez said that the only state institutions in his Region that pay their bills regularly are the Agriculture Bank, the Tobacco Institute and the state-owned firms Compa??a An?nima Tabacalera and Molinos del Norte.
