2004 – Page 177

A bill to unify the congressional and presidential elections is being tossed about by legislators again. The proposal would extend the present legislators? terms for another two years. The argument against such a move is that electoral processes negatively affect society and the economy. Writing in Hoy newspaper today, Danilo Cruz Pichardo speculates on the …

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BanReservas, which in the past was tethered to its role as a government bank, has now stepped up to become one of the leading banks in Latin America. BanReservas has gone from a ranking of 118 to a ranking of 63 within the four years of government of President Mejia. According to a bank report, …

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Hoy newspaper?s economic section says that the recent run on the peso is the result of the government cashing back certificates of deposit at the Central Bank. The newspaper says that extra-official sources indicate the government has returned RD$3 billion and that is what has stimulated the depreciation. The dollar was being sold for upwards …

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President Hipolito Mejia has declared he was not aware that most of the pavilions built for the Pan American Games in the Parque Mirador del Este were not being used for their designated athletic purpose. The park became off limits to the general public after it was used to build the million-dollar pavilions. Of these, …

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Dominican Republic?s Julio Dujarric tied for fourth place with a 23/146 score in the men?s skeet competition at the ISSF World Cup held in Cairo, 10-19 April. Of the 76 competitors, Jorge Yunes came in 22nd place with a score of 118. As a team, the DR finished in third place with a total score …

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The Chamber of Deputies could pass a bill today that would reduce the environmentally protected areas of the nation by 71.5%. The majority of the PRD and PRSC deputies have chosen not to heed the advice of the environmental, tourism, business and church sectors, who are pleading to have the Ley Sectorial de Areas Protegidas …

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The president of the Catholic Church Commission on Ecology and Environment, Barahona?s Monsignor Fabio Mamerto Riva, spoke at a press conference yesterday to say that congress is taking advantage of the election campaign to push through the bill to reduce the protected areas. The bishop urged the postponement of the bill?s study, saying the fact …

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The Ministry of Public Works announced that the intersection of Maximo Gomez and 27 de Febrero avenues is closed to traffic until Monday. This will cause major bottlenecks, thus drivers should avoid the area. The road closure is being done to conclude construction of the RD$14.7-million gigantic pedestrian overpass that was ordered for the August …

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The Central Bank reports that inflation in April was 0.7%, considerably down from 2.34% in March, 11.25% in February and 9.2% in January. The Central Bank says that the Consumer Price Index reflects the effects of monetary policy measures implemented within the framework of the International Monetary Fund agreement, and aiming, as reported in the …

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Dominican mangos are preparing to conquer new export markets. The First Dominican Mango Cluster that units producers and processors for improved competitiveness was announced yesterday. Top among its objectives is to guide the DR to become a leading exporter in the Central American and Caribbean market within the next 10 years. Furthermore, the cluster seeks …

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