2005 – Page 167

The Demos 2004 survey findings in Santo Domingo gave low ratings to institutions in the DR. The poll is based on a survey of Dominican citizens between January and March 2004, during the final months of the previous administration. The Presidency received a confidence rating of just 23%. The Congress received a 28.3% credibility rating …

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The former Engineering Supervisor of Public Works of the Presidency, Hernani Salazar did not allow his office to be audited during the Mejia administration, as reported in the Listin Diario today. Salazar was a close aide to former President Mejia and promoter of his re-election bid. Simon Lizardo, Controller General, provided the information at a …

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The prosecutor’s office in Santo Domingo has struck a deal with three owners of massage parlors, and the Justice Department expects to extend the deal to the other 15 premises recently shut down for ‘promoting prostitution’. The deal, backed by Article 40 of the new Penal Code, sets out the conditional suspension of the closures …

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The US Department of State released a report that re-classifies the Dominican Republic as a 2-Level nation, but still on a watch list for human trafficking. The new classification represents an improvement over the previous classification of a 3-Level nation, the lowest assessment by the State Department. The US government acknowledges DR government efforts. “Trafficking-related …

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The government wants to attract companies interested in offering specialized medical services, says Eddy Martinez Manzueta, director of CEI-RD, the Dominican export and investment promotion center. He said the decision comes after research on competitiveness revealed that the country has much potential in this area. The 2005 United Nations Development Report reports the DR has …

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Carlos Amarante Baret, general director of the Migration Department, said yesterday in Santiago that the Dominican authorities plan to regulate the use of illegal Haitian labor in farming, construction work and other sectors. He said the government would begin to impose fines on businesses that employ undocumented workers. He was speaking at a press conference …

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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said yesterday that vehicular transportation is subsidized to the tune of RD$2 billion a year, but this is not reflected in the fares. Administrative Deputy Minister Frank Lopez explained that the public transport fares have always been based on the price of gasoline. He said that transporters have never …

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Diario Libre newspaper has words of praise for AES EdeEste power distribution company for replacing damaged light posts in the Colonial City, coinciding with the start of the 2005 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season. The newspaper says that this is a first for a power distribution company. Light posts in poor condition are common across the …

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The Ministry of Public Health will now have access to new low cost treatment for tuberculosis victims at US$17 per day, down from US$155. Dr. Socorro Gross, representative of the Pan-American Health Organization said that there are 8,363 registered tuberculosis cases in the DR. TB is a lethal but curable disease. From now on, the …

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The Ministry of Public Health has fired more than 40 officials and middle level employees as part of restructuring at the department. Minister Sabino Baez told the Listin Diario that “weaknesses” were found amongst the personnel. The newspaper says that at the Padre Billini Hospital, 16 persons, more than half the staff, were removed from …

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