2001 – Page 142

The DR1 Daily News will not be published on Monday, 30 April. Monday is a holiday in the Dominican Republic as it commemorates Labor Day which actually falls on Tuesday, 1 May. Our Tuesday news report will compile briefs from the preceding Saturday, Sunday and Monday as well as for Tuesday, 1 May.

President Hipolito Mejia announced yesterday that major construction works will be assigned to private contractors who will recover their investment through tolls or fees paid by consumers who use them. The government recently announced the construction of a railway system, where the state would be providing the property on which it would be built. President …

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Mayor Johnny Ventura abandoned the Santo Domingo municipal headquarters last Thursday and moved his offices to the Palacio Consistorial in front of Columbus Park. Hoy newspaper says he did so because of a conflict with Waldys Taveras, who is the coordinator of PRD aldermen at the municipality. According to the newspaper, Ventura’s row with Taveras …

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Hoy newspaper reports that the Ministry of Sports has begun firing people. Reportedly, the ministry staff increased from 2,500 at the start of this administration to 4,500 at present. Earlier, the Ministry had ordered an across-the-board wage reduction. But apparently this was not enough and staff are being let go to meet the budget constraints. …

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El Siglo newspaper reports on another conflict between a government department and the very active Minister of Industry and Commerce. Santiago Tejada, who is in charge of trade negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign relations, reportedly criticized Angel Lockward’s handling of DR negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. The Mejia government gave …

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El Caribe newspaper reports that a recent International Monetary Fund report estimates inflation in the DR will be 11% this year. The Central Bank, on the other hand, has forecast single-digit inflation for this year. The IMF concurs with the Central Bank that the economy will post a 6.5% growth rate by the end of …

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Regular gasoline is now RD$37.38 (down from RD$38.16) Premium gasoline RD$43.08 (down from RD$43.82) Regular diesel RD$22.42 (down from RD$22.75) Premium diesel RD$24.68 (down from RD$25) Propane gas RD$17.25 (down from RD$17.52)

The Chamber of Commerce of Taiwan in the DR has donated 10,000 bicycles worth about RD$1 million. The Ministry of Education will give the bicycles to children living in rural communities so they can ride to school. The bicycles had been announced as part of the Mejia administration’s social program that seeks to compensate citizens …

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Economist Andres Dauhajre says that it is unfair for the government to authorize an increase in power bills since Dominican consumers are already paying the highest rates in Latin America. He said the government should instead focus on renegotiating the contracts signed with power generators that he says are charging abusive rates. He urged that …

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The director of the Economy Department of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Father Jose Luis Aleman, said the social security bill will bring major problems for the government. He said the government will have to make a contribution to the pension plan of 7.5% of each employee’s salary. He said the next …

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