2001 – Page 223

The nominees for Dominican show business’s night of stars, the Casandra Awards were announced today. Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, the Presidente beer brewery, sponsors the awards. Members of the Dominican Association of Show Business Chroniclers (Acroarte) choose the winners of the annual awards. For a list of the nominated performers, see http://www.dr1.com/daily/casandra.shtml

Minister of Industry and Commerce Angel Lockward explained why despite fuel prices dropping on world markets, local prices have gone up. The Hydrocarbon Law pegs the price of gasoline and diesel to world market prices. But Lockward said the DR imports refined fuel, not crude. He also said that the country does not buy in …

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Inflation was 9.02% in the 2000, due primarily to increases in petroleum prices, according to the Central Bank. This is the highest inflation recorded in the past five years. Hoy newspaper reports that inflation in past years has been: 1999, 5.10%; 1998, 8.20%; 1997, 8.37%; 1996, 3.95%; 1995, 9.22%.

The Senate passed the bill that reduces from 12 to 6% the ITBIS on advertising. The reduction had been requested by former President Joaquín Balaguer who ordered PRSC deputies to vote in favor of the tax package proposed by the PRD administration.

The Senate passed the law that creates the figure of Public Defender. The Public Defender is entrusted with preserving the individual and collective rights of citizens when government officers affect these. The new figure will have functional, administrative and budgetary autonomy, as per the law. The Senate also passed a bill that reforms Electoral Law …

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The Senate also passed a bill that prohibits government officers from using funds from the budget or international loans to purchase imported goods or services. Excluded are public funds that are counterpart of international loans.

President Hipolito Mejia sent to the Chamber of Deputies a law that obliges government officers to prepare a detailed inventory of their assets and debts at the time of taking office. The new law that would replace Law 82 of December 1979 would place upon the government officer the responsibility of proving where an increase …

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The Listin Diario publishes today part two of the exposé by journalist Ana Mitila Lora on the scandalous US$13 million Civil Aviation Board-International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation project. The project supposedly would have readied the aviation sector of the country so that the US Federal Aviation Agency would lift the ban on Dominican registration …

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As per a report published in El Siglo, the Commission for the Reform and Modernizing of the National Police presented a project to restructure the institution to the Executive Branch. Among the recommendations is the dismantling of the top brass of the institution. Mechanisms to control corruption among agents and the use of excess force …

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A major supplier that demands payment of RD$70 million has embargoed property of the Consorcio Azucarero del Caribe (Conazucar) for lack of payment. Employees of the Consuelo sugar mill of the Mexican company also have embargoed the company, claiming unpaid wages for RD$3 million. El Siglo reports that Conazucar is in the midst of negotiations …

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