2006 – Page 109

President Leonel Fernandez has appointed two new consuls in New York and Puerto Rico, and two new vice consuls in Port-au Prince and Miami. The President appointed Marcos Montilla to the post of consul in New York, replacing Francisco Fernandez. Franklyn Grullon becomes the Dominican consul in Puerto Rico. Ignacio Contreras replaces Miguel Mateo as …

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According to economist Andre Dauhajre, the Santo Domingo Metro has spent its 2006 budget in just seven months, and the project is now seeking a RD$3 billion loan from the state-owned Banco de Reservas. As reported in Hoy newspaper, during the period, the governmental Office for the Reorganization of Transportation, (OPRET) in charge of the …

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Yesterday’s Listin Diario devoted its editorial column to the DR’s electricity problem, which has affected the quality of life of two generations of Dominicans with no solution in sight. The editorial says that President Fernandez’s solution is to make the theft of electricity a criminal act. It says that the conclusion reached at last weekend’s …

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Several business organizations have expressed surprise that the government has not taken recommendations made by the British consulting firm Adam Smith into consideration when presenting its plan to resolve the power crisis. The Association of Industries (AIRD), the National Young Entrepreneurs Association (ANJE) and the Association of Industries of the North (AIREN) told Hoy that …

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The European Union will invest approximately 40 million euros for rural electricity projects in the DR and to help people who cannot pay their electricity bills as from 2007, according to a report in Diario Libre. The information was announced by Ambassador Dino Sinigallia, who said that the EU was getting involved in the electricity …

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Two hundred and forty prosecutors will not be receiving their paychecks on the 25th of this month for failing to comply with the Presidential decree, issued on 17 August requiring all government officials to declare their assets. The 15-day grace period for submitting this information ended last Wednesday, according to a report in Diario Libre. …

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The PLD political commission, led by President Leonel Fernandez, met in the Presidential Palace last night, and reportedly discussed the composition of the new Central Electoral Board and the General Accounting Department. They also discussed Lidio Cadet’s resignation from the political commission. The venue was considered unusual as they usually meet at the PLD Presidential …

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The new border patrol will begin its operations in January, according to the Armed Forces Minister Lieutenant General Ramon Aquino Garcia, as reported in Diario Libre. However, the recruitment of staff who will receive training for this mission has not yet begun. The border patrol will be in charge of the custody of the border …

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High and mid-level officials at the Central Electoral Board (JCE) are aspiring to seats on the board, according to a report in Diario Libre. Meanwhile, several of the judges have taken leaves of absence “to rest” as of today. At least 10 JCE employees have submitted their resumes to civil society organizations in the offices …

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The Dominican overseas community grew by 17.5% between 2000 and 2005, representing an additional 257,364 individuals, according to estimates by the Quisqueya Foundation. Economists Frank Valenzuela and Hector Frias, president and executive director of the foundation, said that the number of Dominican emigrants had increased from 1,371,441 to 1,628,195 during that period, according to a …

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