2007 – Page 142

A massive accident involving twelve cars on the Duarte Highway just past Piedra Blanca resulted in four injured and tied up traffic for hours. The accident occurred at the “Arroyo Vuelta Curve”, about two kilometers south of the Piedra Blanca crossroads. According to witnesses, the whole thing happened because a large group of curious onlookers …

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The government’s health plan, the SFS, will be the only topic on the Chamber of Deputies agenda today. Congress will be discussing the changes to Social Security Law 87-01. Congress leader Julio Cesar Valentin has warned that if Congress doesn’t approve the changes made to the Law, the SFS won’t come into effect on 1 …

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A proposal submitted by Central Electoral Board (JCE) judge Aura Celeste Fernandez is causing a stir internally. Judge Fernandez’s proposal seeks to remove any power or functions from the JCE’s Administrative Chamber and to convert the Political Parties Department into an all-encompassing department. The proposed changes, according to Diario Libre, have added to the already …

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The Superintendence of Electricity has announced that consumers with illegal connections will have three months to go legit, once President Leonel Fernandez signs the changes to Law 125-01. After this, the government will be applying penalties for fraudulent connections. During this period, power distributors and the government will carry out a consumer awareness campaign. Nevertheless, …

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Mexican Diplomat Francisco Hernandez said that the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between the DR and Mexico is imminent. He says there has been progress made in talks between business groups from both countries. He said that in order to facilitate the process, the Mexican Embassy is simplifying the procedure for Dominican business representatives …

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Santo Domingo Mayor Roberto Salcedo wants Congress to allot some of the revenue generated by the significant increases in license plate renewals to city works, including paving of streets, city electrification and maintenance of city trees and parks. He estimated that the license plate renewals could bring RD$500 million worth of revenue to Santo Domingo …

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Presidential Administrative Secretary Luis Manuel Bonetti says that the government shouldn’t sign another agreement with the International Monetary Fund. In his opinion, the DR does not need a “straightjacket” any longer. Bonetti says the DR met all the requirements of the current Stand-by arrangement that ends on 31 January 2008. Quoted in Diario Libre, Bonetti …

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Four representatives from the industrial sector say they find it paradoxical that the government can be so good at collecting money from the public while at the same time it is so bad at managing its own public spending. Monetary Board members Ernesto Vilalta, Ignacio Mendez, who is also the government’s advisor on industrial matters, …

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Hoy reports that the Chamber of Accounts wants 3,406 NGOs eliminated because they failed to report their operations to the state in 2006. A report delivered to Congress reveals that of the 3,649 NGOs recognized by the government, only 273 reported their operations to the state. RD$1.08 billion in taxpayer money was allocated to the …

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The Alternative Social Forum says that while the Central Bank is patting itself on the back because it fulfilled all the requirements set by the IMF, poverty levels are increasing. Forum spokesperson Maria Teresa Cabrera said that the government has fulfilled its goals but has sacrificed the public as a result. Cabrera, quoted in Hoy, …

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