President Leonel Fernandez attributed the increase in electricity rates, fuel prices and basic foodstuffs to “international circumstances that are not under our control”, as reported in Diario Libre. This came in reaction to demands and criticism by the Bishop of La Vega, Msgr. Antonio Camilo during the Las Mercedes celebrations last Saturday, as reported in yesterday’s DR1 news. Fernandez said that the fact that the barrel of crude oil is costing between US$60 and US$70 has caused an increase in inflation. What the country must understand – according to the President – is that this is a world energy crisis that affects the United States and Latin America and all countries that do not produce oil. The President defended the government’s fuel saving and rationalization policy. He also stated that the DR has once again become a reliable economic agent at international level. He reiterated that the country has been solving its basic problems and mentioned the reduction in the foreign exchange rate and interest rates, the restructuring of the foreign debt and the possibilities for accessing international markets. Listin Diario reports that the President stated that he does not have “a magic wand” to solve the country’s problems overnight and asked the “Almighty” to enlighten the nation so that Dominicans can find a way out of the crisis. He added that everyone must work to mitigate the challenges caused by the energy crisis and recalled that when this administration began it received a country that was devastated in economic and social terms.