2001 – Page 91

The Ministry of Public Health Rafael Soldevilla Rodriguez announced the government of Taiwan has donated US$15 million that will be used to build a public hospital in Azua. The donation was initially to be used to purchase hospital supplies, but the government accepted the switch in the use of the donation.

News reports today point to the difficult first days of the implementation of the GATT valorization system by the Department of Customs. News reports say that customs clearings that normally take 24 hours have suffered 72 hour delays. The GATT valorization system went into effect on 1 July. It establishes that taxes will be levied …

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Kevin Manning, general manager of Ege Itabo, one of the country’s largest power suppliers forecast that Dominicans will feel considerable relief in the medium and short term when new power plants capable of producing almost as much power as available today but at much lower costs enter into the system. He said that within only …

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The world trend for a decline in petroleum prices is about the best news the Dominican Republic could receive these days. Amaurys Justo Duarte, president of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery, told the Listin Diario that the drop could mean a relief of US$500 million in the payments the country had planned to make on fuel …

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The Executive Branch sent to the Senate a new Migration Bill that seeks to regulate the status of migrant populations in the DR. Minister of Foreign Relations Hugo Tolentino Dipp delivered the new bill to the Senate.

President Hipolito Mejia issued Decree 709-01 that establishes that distributor companies cannot shut down power service to low income neighborhoods regardless of whether large percentages of consumers in the area are paying for the service or not. The decree outlaws the so-called financial blackouts, but penalties are not established if the companies continue the practice …

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The Dominican Electricity Corporation signed a US$10 million loan agreement with a French government cooperation agency to bring electricity service to 300 rural communities in the South, East and North within the next two or three years. EDTE, a division of Groupe Bouygues, will be responsible for the installation of 8,900 light poles, 310 kilometers …

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The World Bank’s Board announced the DR has been granted a US$25 million loan to support national efforts to control AIDS. This is part of a US$155 million multi-country HIV/AIDS prevention and control lending program for the Caribbean. "Without strong political will at the highest levels today, and without the support of the international community, …

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Baxter appealed the administrative resolution issued by the Ministry of Environment penalizing them with RD$131 thousand for inadequate waste management. A Baxter spokesman ensured that the industry meets environmental norms according to its ISO 14001 certification. The company explained that the resolution focused on the operations of Sodoplast in Estancia Nueva, Moca. The company clarifies …

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