2009 – Page 150

Manny Ramirez added another notch to his likely Hall of Fame career, by passing Mickey Mantle on the all-time home runs list. Ramirez is now in sole possession of the 15th spot on the list after banging out his 537th career long ball. However, regardless of the media scrutiny surrounding Ramirez, he maintains his ignorance, …

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A tropical wave is moving across the island of Hispaniola, bringing strong showers and thunderstorms from 17N to 22N between 69W and 74W. The weather department in the DR has issued a red alert for most of the national territory and forecasts around 80mm of rain between Tuesday and Thursday. The Emergency Operations Center (COE) …

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Leonel Fernandez announced measures to reduce blackouts after meeting with key electricity sector executives at the Presidential Palace yesterday. He said the government this month would make US$30 million in payment to AES group to considerably reduce blackouts, and recognized arrears of US$700 million with power generator companies estimated for 2009. The announcements came on …

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President Leonel Fernandez says political aspirations are behind what he describes as a media campaign against Radhames Segura, who is in charge of electricity service in the DR. Leading business, religious and civic organizations have corroborated findings of TV investigative journalist Nuria Piera that the government-run electricity payrolls are bloated with family and relatives and …

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The National Department of Persecution of Administrative Corruption (DPCA, formerly “Depreco”) filed a case against the former director of the Program to Reduce Blackouts (PRA), Marcos Lara Lorenzo and other collaborators, who it accuses of taking RD$12 million through different fraudulent maneuvers. According to the Diario Libre, the DPCA director, Hotoniel Bonilla, filed his case …

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The executive directors of Citizen Participation (PC), Javier Cabreja, and of the Latin American Social Studies Faculty (Flacso), Francisco Cueto, said that the results of the recent Gallup-Hoy poll reveal the reality of life in the Dominican Republic. They are referring to the perception of generalized public corruption by a high percentage of the population. …

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A professor at the master in public administration at Funglode, Manuel Villoria told Hoy that if the country reduced corruption in office, it could have savings of RD$65.7 billion. Funglode is the think tank of President Leonel Fernandez. Villoria spoke of 4% of the Gross Domestic Product, or twice the budget of the Ministry of …

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Mabel Feliz Baez, director of the National Drug Council, criticized what she described as a lack of will and cooperation among government agencies that combat drug trafficking. As reported in El Caribe, she said that without a predefined direction, institutions such as the Navy and the Drug Control Department (DNCD) will not be able to …

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Flavia Garcia, the director of the Passport Department (DGP), announced the start of a new push for Dominicans to get a biometric passport. She spoke at a press conference in Boston, Massachusetts, and told reporters that the push follows International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements. Biometric passports first began to be issued in May 2004 …

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The ministries of Culture (SEC) and Environment (SEMARENA) have signed a cooperation agreement to safeguard, protect and promote an awareness of cultural and natural heritage in the Dominican Republic. Culture Minister Jose Rafael Lantigua and Environment Minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal agreed to strengthen the mechanisms to safeguard and defend cultural and natural heritage. They …

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