1996 – Page 2

The renowned Peruvian writer and politician Mario Vargas Llosa will visit the D.R. and give a talk on Literature, History and Politics” in the Jaragua Hotel in Santo Domingo on 5 November. The author of “La Casa Verde” and “Pantaleon a Las Visitadoras”, among many other famous works, has made several visits to the D.R. …

Read more…

The issue of salary increases continued to be one of the most discussed last week. The PRD block of the Chamber of Deputies has submitted a bill that seeks to double the minimum salary received by public servants. It also establishes a 50% increase for those making from RD$2,000 to RD$5,000, 35% for those earning …

Read more…

President Leonel Fernandez, dressed in jeans and sport shirt, made a half an hour visit to La Cienaga, one of the poorest areas in the city of Santo Domingo. The President said that the government is committed to improving the living standard of all Dominicans. “This is the government of the poor for the poor,” …

Read more…

In a commentary in the newspaper Hoy, columnist Bienvenido Alvarez Vega explained why there is so much interest in the five judges of the Junta Central Electoral remaining in their posts until after the 1998 congressional elections. The five judges organized and supervised the first non-traumatic and undisputed elections since 1966. Columnist Alvarez Vega says …

Read more…

The Minister for Foreign Relations, Eduardo de la Torre, says that the Dominican Republic and 13 other states in the Caribbean have agreed to negotiate a free trade agreement. Discussions will begin in January 1997. The agreement will be in line with the stated intention to increase the D.R.’s presence in the region. The agreement …

Read more…

The Minister of Agriculture Frank Rodríguez and Minister of Industry and Commerce, concurred last week that the country will respect agreements made under the World Trade Organization. Nevertheless, Frank Rodríguez said that his department will maintain its decision to grant health permits for the import of agriculture products. He stated this is legal under the …

Read more…

Hector Rafael Peguero Mendez, the new president of the Chamber of Deputies, was critical of Dominican press last week, stating that the Chamber is at disadvantage with the Presidency because it does not have the resources that the latter has to pay for advertising or public relations benefiting the press. He considered that the directors …

Read more…

The director of the Consejo Estatel del Azucar said his department is designing a reorganization and recovery plan for the assets of the consortium, including the sugar cane plantations, lands appropriate for tourism, and urban and mining developments for millions of pesos. He estimated the assets of the CEA are worth over RD$20,000 million. He …

Read more…

The administrator of the CDE, Temistocles Montas, has warned that the national electricity system could suffer a collapse in eight months if Congress continues delaying the legal framework that would allow for the necessary transformation of the sector. He said that if the bill that has been in Congress for three years is not at …

Read more…

Rafael Camilo, the director of the Oficina Nacional de Planificacion, says the government has planned a budget for 1997 of RD$30,000 million. The priority area for government funding will be education, health, and agriculture. In the 1996 budget, the government budgeted an expenditure of RD$26,968.1 million. Education alone will receive over RD$3,700 million in 1997. …

Read more…