1998 – Page 27

The Central Bank’s Communications Director, Ricardo Rojas León, announced yesterday that the Bank was putting at commercial banks’ disposal another US$20.6 million in dollars to ensure that this week’s commercial bank demand for dollars is met and the dollar-peso exchange rate remains stable. He also stressed that the Bank has a US$620 million in reserves, …

Read more…

In a meeting held yesterday, the ruling body of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), "the Presidium," decided against returning to the political dialogue with the Fernández Government sponsored by the Catholic Church. The Presidium declared that the PRD will join no type of conversation whatsoever with the Government until "current conditions" change. Presidium member Tony …

Read more…

The President of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), Celso Marranzini Pérez, together with directors of the Federation of Industrial Associations (FAI), called on Congress to approve the tariff reform proposal sent to the legislative body last week by President Leonel Fernández. The tariff reforms, necessary if the Dominican Republic is to meet its …

Read more…

Results of a poll of a 1,000 Dominicans conducted November 7-12 finds many uncertain whether the economy is improving their lot or not. The poll, conducted by the news daily Hoy and the firm Hamilton & Staff, found that when asked "Would you say that your economic situation in the last 2-3 years is better, …

Read more…

The Central Bank announced yesterday that the Venezuelan Investment Fund (FIV) has agreed to a delay in Dominican repayment of loans due the Fund. The DR originally was scheduled to repay US$20.6 million to the Fund in October. The Fund has agreed to give the DR another five years to repay the debt, with the …

Read more…

Reacting to a report on the Bonao free zone carried last week by the daily El Siglo, Minister of Labor Dr. Rafael Alburquerque announced yesterday that his department will initiate an investigation into alleged worker abuses in the zones. The paper’s reporters claim to have personally witnessed blows against pregnant workers. Women workers told the …

Read more…

Numerous top Dominican officials, quizzed by the press, insisted that they had not been informed about U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) plans to open an office in Santo Domingo. FBI Director Louis Freeh announced the new office along with those in seven other countries. Major-General José Anibal Sanz Jiminián, head of the National Police, …

Read more…

A well-known jurist and former president of the Lawyers’ Association of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Domingo Porfirio Rojas Nina, has drafted a bill for Senate President Ramón Alburquerque (PRD-Monte Plata) that would rename San Cristóbal Province as José Francisco Peña Gómez Province. Dr. Peña Gómez, who died May 10, 1998 in San Cristóbal, was the …

Read more…

The country’s four main trade union groups – the Central General de Trabajadores (CGT), Confederación Nacional de Trabajadores Dominicanos (CNTD), Autónoma Sindical Clasista (CASC) and the Trabajadores Unitaria (CTU) – have formed a new umbrella body, the Consejo Nacional de Unidad Sindical (CNUS, National Council of Union Unity). The presidency of the new organization will …

Read more…

The World Food Programme (WFP), part of the United Nations (UN) system, signed an agreement yesterday with the Dominican government to distribute food to victims of Hurricane Georges. Under the US$5 million emergency aid plan, the WFP will provide the DR with 8,550 tons of cereals, vegetables and cooking oil to Dominicans left homeless by …

Read more…