The Town of Santo Domingo will be renovated

Rejuvenating experience

The town of Santo Domingo, favorite from America, will profit from a rejuvenating experience and its streets will be re-illuminated for a sum of RD $600 million, investment announced by the Town hall of Distrito Nacional.

This includes the construction and the reorganization of various works, among them the restoration of the Eugenio María Hostos, Omar Torrijos, Enriquillo, Guibia and Javilla parks, of several technological centers, of two funérariums and a fire station.

The syndic Roberto Salcedo said that the Town council will also illuminate the avenues of the capital, will develop a Plan of Territorial Reorganization and will more rigorously apply the Programme of Defense and Use of Public Spaces.

He informed that the markets of the capital will be renovated and that a « Hygiene Master Plan » will be applied to give a note of excellence to the town of Santo Domingo in this category.

He said that during the first months of this year all the vehicle fleet of the companies of collectors of refuse of Distrito Nacional will be changed against new vehicles.

Salcedo made these anoucement during a press conference in which he welcomed the president of the Chapter house of West Kendall, Domingo Castillo, first Dominican being elected to a political seat in the South of Florida.

Al Momento, 03.01.08

The subway begins to upset

From today

Everything indicates that the subway of Santo Domingo will start functioning the next month as announced by President Leonel Fernández, by presenting the file at the National Congress on last February 27.

The first train with three cars already arrived at the quay of Haina Oriental, coming from Barcelona, its installation will start from today.

Diario Libre, by Martín Castro, 04.01.08

Thousands of children attended the procession of the Three Kings

This tradition goes up from more than 73 years

Thousands of people met yesterday to attend the Procession of the Magi, a tradition awaited as well by the children as by the adults.

The procession crossed several sectors of the Capital.

A great joy and a lot of emotion were seen on the face of the thousands of children who came with their parents and we could not say who was the most happy, the children or the parents, a lot of adults remembering their childhood and feeling nostalgic to the evocation of these moments.

From the top of their horses, the Three Kings threw sweeties and toys to the children.

This tradition goes up from more than 73 years, as confirmed by General Guillermo García, Chef of the Fire brigade of Santo Domingo.

He explained that the procession is carried out under the auspices of the City council of Distrito Nacional, which is sensitive to the fact that the traditions are going on.

The day of the children is the Day of the Magi, date on which they receive their toys and their gifts.

The organizers of the event said that this year they break all the records of participation in the procession, which takes place in an uninterrupted way since now more than 73 years.

« The Three Kings » were awaited by the parents with their children on the shoulders or holding them by the hand, in the hope that Melchior, Gaspar or Balthazar greet them since their horses.

El Nuevo Diario, by Jacqueline Morrobel, 06.01.08

The Circus of Moscow in Dominican Republic

The Circus of Moscow will be in Santo Domingo as from January 24

The famous circus arrives from a long tour in Puerto Rico, to begin its show on the avenue George Washington esquina Socorro Sánchez.

The show will be performed on a platform of 18 meters and 30 artists will take part in the performances, which during one hour and 30 minutes will bring dream and entertainment to the Dominican families.

According to the official press release, the show is composed of acrobatics, jugglers, trapezists and contorsionists, acts which will be carried out by a group of experienced artists. As principal attraction the circus will present trained tigers, bear and giraffes which will enjoy everybody with their presence.

On a platform of 18 meters, the 30 artists of circus will offeran admirable and surprising show.

The circus has modern installations for the comfort of the public, stand, antiseismic metal structure, plastic chairs, numerical and computerized lights.

The performances will take place from Monday to Friday at 08:00 pm; on Saturday at 05:00 pm and 08:00 pm and on Sunday at 03:00 pm, 05:00 pm and 08:00 pm.

The circus is established on the avenue George Washington with Socorro Sanchez from Thursday February 7, and for 7 weeks.

The invitation is for the whole family with prices of RD $ 225 for children and RD $ 360 for adults in the stands; RD $ 405 and RD $ 540 for privileged places and RD $ 585 and RD $ 720 in boxes.

Al Momento, 09.01.08

Acceleration of work for the first convoy of the Subway

Countdown started

The countdown for the first convoy of the Subway of Santo Domingo started, so that it can be put in function on next February 27, as planned by the agenda of the Office for the Reorganization of Transport (OPRET), with the president of the Republic as first passenger.

We are working as quickly as possible in order to respect the program and to carry out the first test in February. We make redoubled efforts so that the first convoy is functional the day of Independence. We have to say that we undergo the pressure of the countdown and that we must hurry, while taking care of not botching work, said the spokesman of the OPRET, Leonel Carrasco.

The engineer met yesterday with the director of the Subway of Madrid, Idelfonso de Matías, at the time of a meeting to organize the first test of the Subway.

We are finishing the test line. They are seven lines which enter by seven large doors by which the trains will penetrate in the sector of maintenance, he added.

Leonel Carrasco explained that they are working 24 hours a day, this allowing carrying out work of quality.

Carrasco stressed that 100% of a railways are already in place from Villa Mella to Centro de los Héroes, while the second line is by 30% terminated because it was necessary to leave some intermittent spaces for the passage of the concrete-mixers trucks which are crossing through the tunnel.

It in the same way he informed that the Centro de los Héroes station is in stop phase, while stressing that it is completely covered and that they are working on the installation of the ceramics tiling.

He informed that the control center is completely finished and inhabited by the foreign companies which won the corresponding service offers.

As for the bridge which is built by the OPRET in the intersection of the avenues Máximo Gómez and Ovando, Carrasco informed that works are in final phase.

El Listín Diario, by Adriana Peguero and Ramón Urbáez, 14.01.08

Government buys new gas buses for twelve million dollars

75 new vehicles

A first fleet of bus running on natural gas will arrive in the country in the middle of the year, for a cost of 12 million dollars, informed the director of the OMSA, Ignacio Ditrén.

The civil servant of the Metropolitan Office of the Service of Bus (OMSA), said that they are 75 vehicles which will be immediately put in circulation in order to obtain a saving in fuel of 40%.

He indicated that it is the first stage of a project which intent that all the vehicle fleet of the OMSA, which has 300 buses, operates with vehicles of this type, each one costing 160 thousand dollars.

The decision to change for consumption of natural gas was also made to avoid the pollution of the environment.

Ditrén did not specify if for the purchase of these vehicles the Government had made an invitation to tender. He did not specify either with which national or international company this purchase was made.

Al Momento, 15.01.08

Offers of alternative energy show last technologies

First International Week of Energy in Santo Domingo

The First International Week of Energy, which takes place in Santo Domingo, exhibits the last proposals for a solution to the energy problems which the exhaustion of oil and the global warming pose.

The use of alternatives to fossil fuels and the energy industry are approached by local companies, foreign companies and governmental institutions in charge of the promotion of alternative energy.

All installed stands to exhibit their work which tends towards the goal to create a greater conscience towards friendly fuels for the environment and for the individual and national economy.

They show there energy solutions based on the air, the sun, water and natural gas.

Power invertors, wind parks, solar panels, hydro-electric, combustible coming from the sugar cane and oils, research and technology.

The First International Week of Energy is located in the hotel Jaragua and it will last until next Friday.

It is organized by the Latin-American Organization of Energy (OLADE), the United Nations (UNO), the Secretariat of Industry and Commerce, the National Commission of Energy and the Secretariat of the Foreign Relations.

With a very original stand including packages of sugar cane, the Tecno-DEAH Consortium, takes part with a proposal for an alcohol distilling for fuel starting from the sugar caner, one of the solutions posed to the increasing prices in hydrocarbons.

Among the other proposals of the national companies, that of the company Línea Clave Internacional, chaired by engineer Ricardo Canalda, promotes in the country the use of natural gas, cheaper, abundant, effective and convivial.

The majority of the gas stations which will propose in addition to natural gas, gasoline and gas oil, will be concentrated in Saint-Domingue and Santiago.

Then others will be installed in Bonao, La Vega, Puerto Plata, Sánchez Samaná, Baní, Azua, Barahona and San Juan de la Maguana, said Canalda.

Perspectiva Ciudadana, 15.01.08

The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo organizes an international workshop

40 representatives of Latin America and of the Caribbean

The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo will be the seat from February 4, to 7, of a Formation and Qualification in Human Resources in the Processes of Professional Certification Workshop, with the participation of more than 40 representatives of institutions of higher education of Latin America and of the Caribbean.

The event corresponds to the fourth module of the Latin American University Evaluation diploma and it is coordinated by the UASD and the Union of the Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean (UDUAL), chaired by the vice-chancellor Roberto Reyna.

Among the objectives of the workshop, it is planned to bind the auto-evaluation, external evaluation, accreditation and certification processes. As well as to train human resources within the organization of the certification process of professionals, directed towards the improvement of the quality of higher education.

To prepare the institutions to deal with nationals or international processes of certification, is another of the characteristics of the conclave to which will be able to attend the academic institutions, affiliated or not to the UDUAL.

The teaching centers interested to participate can contact the department of Evaluation and Accreditation of the UASD, on the second floor of the University Stewardship.

El Nuevo Diario, 18.01.08

Even a virgin’s holliday can’t stop work on Dominican capital’s subway

Works are concentrated in the tactically important points

The days to the President’s « test run » on the Santo Domingo Metro advance to the beat of the works remaining, but the official explanation that there’s no date set to conclude the system, is still in effect.

Transit Reform Office (Opret) development director Leonel Carrasco said the works are concentrated in the tactically important points and which are far behind, though the underground as well as surface and related structures are well advanced.

Yesterday, work crews mounted the beams for the elevated section near the congested avenue Nicolas de Ovando and below this structure, the rails have been already placed.

Although January 21 is day of devotion to the virgin La Altagracia, Opret took advantage of the holiday to speed up the work, or at least to conclude the works which will allow Leonel Fernandez to keep his promise to ride on the Metro next February 27.

Dominican Today, 22.01.08

In May, the Subway of Santo Domingo will be in function free

First test on February 27

SANTO DOMINGO. - The Subway of Santo Domingo will start in May to transport passengers in a free way, informed this Sunday the director of the Metropolitan Office of Services of Buses (OMSA), Ignacio Ditrén.

The Subway will carry out its first test on February 27 so that the population knows that this project is a reality , he said.

He explained that in May, it will function free, like that was made in other countries.

But it will be as from August that it will function commercially , explained Ditrén.

In the same way, the civil servant said that in the stations of entrance and exit of the Subway, there will be OMSA bus stops.

He explained that about the middle of the week, the director of the Transport Reform Office (Opret), Diandino Peña, and him, will be received by Leonel Fernández.

Al Momento, by Ramón Gonzalez, 28.01.08

The President delivers study grants to two thousand 600 students

National Youth Day

SANTO DOMINGO. - For the commemoration of the National Day of Youth, President Leonel Fernández led a ceremony during which he delivered 21 grants to students, on a total of two thousand 600 which will be distributed in an equal number of beneficiaries as from the next week, study grants allowing studies in the national universities.

Fernández delivered 21 grants to students who will make studies at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) and the rest will be distributed as from February seven in the various universities of the country.

The first Lady, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández was by President’s side as well as the Secretary of State of Education Alejandrina Germán and Secretary of High Science and Technology Education, Ligia Amada Melo, the vice-chancellors of the UASD and the PCMMA, Roberto Reyna and Monsignor Agripino Núñez Collado, among other personalities.

The beneficiaries of the grants will make studies in the sectors of Architecture, of Companies Management, Agronomy, Industrial arts, Engineering, Biology, Design, Economy, Medicine, and Odontology among other sectors.

Of the two thousand study grants, some thousand 340 correspond to the UASD and the rest to various universities of the country.

Listín Diario, 31.01.08