2005 – Page 148

Market day in Dajabon, the city on the Haitian border in the northwestern corner of the Dominican Republic is a throwback to colonial times, with merchants plying their trade on street corners and public plazas. Every Monday and Friday, hundreds of merchants, in every way, shape and form, come to Dajabon from all over Haiti …

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Apparently, the increase in the cost of propane gas in real terms has caused a return to the use of charcoal in many homes. While the price of propane was maintained for a long time at RD$25 pesos per gallon, in real terms, the gas is almost 50% more expensive than it was last year …

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The process of lowering prices, which would be expected given the 31.5% reduction in the cost of a dollar, has fallen far short of that mark. Since last August, prices have fallen by scarcely 2%. This reality has reduced the impact that the lower dollar has had on retail sales and converted the local marketplace …

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When the nation’s largest private bank, the Banco Popular, announced its “Housing Fair” with dozens of housing projects, dozens of builders and dozens of building suppliers as participants, the general attitude was sort of “Ho-Hum.” However after the first three days, the bank had to announce a week-long extension of the fair and in the …

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The dividing median along the highway between Piedra Blanca and La Cumbre is turning into a residential area inhabited by the poor. How newspaper calls the situation an “invasion of impoverished townships.” The area was reforested back in 1996, but six years ago, Haitians seeking a place to live after the closure of the Rio …

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Leopoldo Diaz, who heads the Hogar Crea drug rehabilitation centers, asks the government where is the money confiscated by the DNCD in its drug busts, and the money that is garnered through fines. It is evident that nobody knows or nobody is talking. According to Hoy, Law 50-88 provides for the disbursement of money and …

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The Christian Social Reformist Party (PRSC) announced it would hire a polling firm to select the organization’s president, based on popularity levels. The candidates for the PRSC presidency (Federico Antun Batlle, Angel Lockward and Hector Pimentel) have signed a unity pact with the aim of returning their party to power. The pact establishes that the …

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In DR popular parlance, a “Chinese Tale” is a fable or morality tale. For economist, diplomat and business leader Bernardo Vega, his Op-Ed column is more than a fable. Vega examines the contrasting situations of Taiwan and what is called ‘mainland China’. While most of the world and the United Nations recognize the People’s Republic …

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US President George W. Bush formally sent the Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) to Congress on Thursday, asking lawmakers to ratify the treaty soon. The agreement marks a historical development in our relations with Central America and the Dominican Republic and reflects the US commitment to the support of democracy, regional …

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Labor unions are opposing the application of 8% VAT (ITBIS) to basic goods currently not covered by the tax, whereas Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa said the government would study the proposal made by the National Private Business Council (CONEP), as reported in Diario Libre. Bengoa said that the government would study proposals and suggestions resulting …

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