SEPTEMBER 2008

Dominican drivers, homemakers again face propane gas shortage

On Sunday several GLP stations in the Capital were out of service

SANTO DOMINGO.- As of today Monday the country will face a new round of shortages of propane gas (GLP), which began Saturday in the stations in the National District, and there’s concern that hundreds of public passenger vehicles that use it as fuel won’t be able to provide service.

On Sunday several GLP stations in the Capital were out of service and didn’t know when they would get resupplied with the fuel.

Newspaper El Nuevo Diario reports that there were no vehicles looking to fill up in many stations.

The president of the drivers union grouped in CNTU, Ramon Perez Figueroa, lamented that despite its great importance for transport and homes, the Industry and Commerce Ministry has yet disclose the reason for the propane gas shortage.

Propane gas also became scarce early last week, although the authorities blamed on delays in supplies caused by rough seas.

Dominican Today, 01.09.08

SPECIAL BULLETIN : The Dominican Republic in Red Alert

More than 8000 people were evacuated this night by the authorities

Downpours will continue today over the totality of the national territory and the tropical storm warning is maintained from Puerto Plata to Bahia de Manzanillo.

The tropical storm Hanna is currently over the Dominican Republic and Haiti, at 150 km in the south-east of the Bahamas.

More than 8000 people were evacuated this night by the authorities.

The ONAMET emitted its last bulletin at 5:00 a.m specifying that the tropical storm Hanna strengthened and that the provinces of Dajabón, Montecristi and Puerto Plata, Espaillat, Sánchez Ramírez, Santiago, Monte Plata, Santo Domingo and the Capital, Duarte, Samaná, La Vega et Monseñor Nouel were in Red Alert.

Strong rains made rivers overflowing and strong wind gusts blew off trees.

This night, the ONAMET also confirmed that the tropical storms Ike and Josephine strengthened over the Atlantic and had the potential to become hurricanes.

There are 3 cyclones, Hanna, Ike and Josephine which again threaten the Caribbean and the United States, during the high peak of the hurricane season 2008.

Hanna, with a reduced forward speed and tropical winds of 100 to 120 km/h, already killed 15 people in Haiti.

The computer models are still very uncertain regarding the future track of Hanna which could hit Florida according to some or North Carolina according to others.

Santo Domingo Live, 03.09.08

Propane gas shortage still persists in Dominican Republic

Supplies had dwindled due to Hurricane Gustav’s

Santo Domingo.- After small sings of stabilization, the supply of propane gas again caused long lines and inconveniences to vehicle owners and housekeepers yesterday in the afternoon.

Several GLP stations in Santo Domingo were out of service on Sunday and didn’t know when they would get resupplied with the fuel. Over the weekend and on Monday there were less multi-fare taxis -conchos- offering their services.

According to Victor Raposo, spokesman of the National Association of Propane Gas Distributors, supplies had dwindled due to Hurricane Gustav’s passing along the southern coasts.

Dominican Today, 02.09.08

US $460 million to be invested in Dominican electricity sector

Trying to ease the blackouts

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican government and the electricity sector signed an agreement on Tuesday which forsees the investment of US $460 million in financing the electricity companies (Edes) from 2009 to 2012.

The decision was taken during a meeting headed by President Leonel Fernandez at the State power companies (CDEEE) headquarters.

CDEEE vice president Radhames Segura said the government will address the situation of the country’s energy service and promised it’s trying to ease the blackouts. He noted the government has pledged to invest US $100 million in 2009, US $100 million in 2010, US $130 million in 2011 and US $130 million in 2012.

For this investment the government has the backing of US $130 million from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Dominican Today, 03.09.08

Air access to Puerto Rico and Caribbean still going strong

The Caribbean, a region with tremendous potential for revenue

On a day that was to mark the significant reduction of air access from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico, and other destinations in the Caribbean, the region is celebrating the addition of new flights and the preservation of routes that were slated for cancellation.

Through a series of negotiations and the implementation of an airline incentive program by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), the airline industry is once again looking to the Caribbean as a region with tremendous potential for revenue.

For local businesses, especially those connected with the tourism industry, this is a much-needed vote of confidence.

The cancellation of these flights was not just an issue for Puerto Rico, but for the entire the Caribbean Terestella Gonzalez-Denton, Executive Director of PRTC said.

As the gateway to the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is a conduit for travelers visiting other islands. Air access to the region is especially important to our hotel and cruise industries and the consequences of limited air access would have had devastating results she added.

Dominican Today, 05.09.08

Mayor recognizes there is a lot of refuse in the Capital streets

He promises that everything will be cleaned in 24 hours

SANTO DOMINGO. - The mayor of the Distrito Nacional, Roberto Salcedo, guaranteed that, at the latest in 24 hours, all solid waste of the Capital which include the refuse as well as the vegetation wastes will be collected, by informing that he will meet during the next hours with executives of the Banco de Reservas in order to find a solution to the difficult economic situation of the municipal council and to be able to pay the employees who to date still did not receive their wages of August.

Salcedo recognized the quantity of refuse which strews the streets of the Capital, allotted to the damage on the trees caused by the atmospheric phenomena, and indicated that they will increase the quantity of trucks by doubling their schedules to solve this problem as fast as possible.

As for the late wages of the employees of the municipality, which obeys the economic situation, the mayor said he already met with the Secretary of the Presidency, Céser Pina Toribio and that today, they have an appointment with the executive of the Banco de Reservas.

Listín Diario, by Deyanira Polanco, 08.09.08

The torrential downpours generate chaos in Santo Domingo

Rains and storms will continue

SANTO DOMINGO. - The Capital awoke this morning in total chaos because of the great quantity of rain fallen since yesterday and during the night in all the sector of the « Large Santo Domingo ».

In the central zone and the periphery, enormous puddle were formed, thus slowing down the traffic and preventing the users of public transport to use the usual services. Standards of the principal taxis offices were not sufficient to answer the request, and in some cases the message was « all the lines are busy » in the automatic answer of the phone service.

This, added to the deterioration of the streets, of which much does not have sidewalks or pedestrian ways made that the majority of the public and private employees do not arrive on time at their work places.

For today, the National Office of Meteorology (ONAMET) forecasts the continuation of downpours and storms because of the passage of a tropical wave located over the water of the Caribbean sea this is why the alert against possible flash floods and landslides is maintained.

Precipitations should continue over Santo Domingo, Santiago, Barahona, Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, to mention significant cities of the various areas of the country.

Diario Libre, 09.09.08

Council decides to revise Drug Law

Re-launching of the Barrio Seguro program

SANTO DOMINGO.- Chaired by President Fernández, the Council for Democratic Security decided to revise Law 50-88 on Drugs and Controlled Substances, and create an overwatch group that would permit combating drug trafficking with greater efficiency.

During their first meeting, the organization took, as a starting point, the massacre of the seven Colombians, and the disappearance of 1,200 kilograms of cocaine in the area of Paya, Peravia province.

They used this case to talk about « some experiences » that should be taken into account in the reformulation of the policies that affect the fight against drugs and crime.

Moreover, the Council created a small commission composed of the Attorney General, Radhamés Jiménez, the Minister of the Interior and of the Police, Franklin Almeyda, the President’s Drug Advisor, Marino Vinicio Castillo, and the director of the National Drug Council, Mabel Féliz. The commission’s job will be to review drug legislation, the crimes connected to drugs, and integrate their respective institutions into the application of the Plan for a National Drug Strategy.

At the end of the meeting of the Council for Democratic Security, which lasted for more than three hours, the Presidential Minister, César Pina Toribio, said that the revision of Law 50-88 is due to the need to update the law written in 1988.

The Council, which will now meet each month, also agreed to re-launch the Barrio Seguro program with the aim of integrating it into the Presidential Commission for Barrio Development.

Pina pointed out that the application of the program of Barrio Segura would be looked at in those barrios where it was active, and the possibilities of expanding the program into other areas was going to be investigated.

The meeting of the Council was also attended by the chief of the Armed Forces, Lt. General Rafael Peña Antonio and the Chief of the Police, Rafael Guillermo Guzmán Fermín.

Diario Libre, 10.09.08

Magna Motors wins the takeover bid for urban buses

To cover the road to Mamá Tingó station

SANTO DOMINGO. - The Funds for the Development of Transport (Fondet) designated the Magna Motors Company for the acquisition of one hundred urban bus units to serve the roads going to the Subway of Santo Domingo.

The Commercial Antillana, Avelino Abreu and Autozama companies also took part to the takeover bid.

The price of each bus is of 95,700 dollars.

Cristóbal Cardoza, executive director of Fondet, explained that the proposal of Magna Motors obtained 98.5%, the highest qualification among all those which were evaluated during the bid process.

They are Hyundai buses and the cost per unit is of 75,700 dollars, plus 20,000 others for maintenance during four years.

The units will function with a diesel engine and a manual or automatic transmission. Buses that the State will buy to Magna Motors will be intended to cover the road which serves the Mamá Tingó station.

El Día Digital, 12.09.08

Dominican Republic is showing positive signs as for investments

Doing Business 2008 of the World Bank

The Association of the Industrial Companies of Herrera (AEIH) defined as a highly positive sign for the foreign investment the fact that the Dominican Republic is placed among the 10 most reforming countries according to the report of Doing Business 2008 of the World Bank, and congratulated the institutions on the Government which made possible this realization.

The employers’ association, chaired by Manuel Cabrera, declared that when the political will, the unit of the private and public sectors as well as the continuous work are essential, the State becomes effective and plays a part of facilitator to allow the investments, the businesses and the employment creation.

According to the sixth edition of the report of the multilateral credit organization, which classifies 181 economies according to the general facility to make deals, the Dominican Republic for the first time joins the group of the 10 most important countries with regard to the tax reforms of the market activities and records projections in four of the 10 points of the document, including tax reforms.

The employers’ leader speaks in praise of the work of the official organizations which made possible the aforementioned realization, like the directions of the Internal Taxes (DGII), of the Customs, the National council of Competitiveness (CNC), the Center of Exports and of Investments of Dominican Republic (CEI-RD), the National Office of Industrial Property (Onapi) and the secretariat of the Economy, Planning and Development.

The president of AEIH encouraged all the official institutions and the public civil servant in an individual way to imitate the example of the authorities quoted above to obtain a really competitive State, which is an aspiration expressed by president Leonel Fernández.

Diario Digital, 15.09.08

An investment of 9000 millions dollars

In touristic projects

Privates entrepreneurs will invest in Dominican Republic more than 9000 millions dollars for the construction of tourism development projects, according to what said the Tourism Secretary.

The works’ construction will begin in the next weeks.
A part of these one will be made in Bávaro, Punta Cana, Miches, Sabana de la Mar and Juan Dolio, in the East; Puerto Plata, at the North and Río San Juan and Samaná, at North-East.

The millionaire investment will strengthen the Dominican destination in the main world markers, as in Europe, said the organism in a press release emitted at the occasion of the travel in France of the Tourism Secretary, Francisco Javier García.

García declared that the Domincan Tourism is drawing as a high quality marked, and that, nowadays, the country lives a boom in the touristic sector. The national and foreign investment is at its best time, better even that during the last 20 years.

It requires to develop a plan of vital infrastructures for the destination that is the Dominican Republic he added.

García, who took his role on August 16^th, informed that his country purpose was to welcome at least nine millions tourists every year, what would place the nation as the leader of the Latin America and Caribbean markets.

Al momento, 16.09.08

Picture Guillaume Roig - All rights reserved

President to send reform bill to Congress tomorrow

New citizen’s rights

SANTO DOMINGO.- President Leonel Fernández will send his Constitutional reform bill to the Congress tomorrow. The legislation has been two years in the making.

A source involved with the writing of the legislation told DL that the President has already written the letter that will accompany the legislative package. Monsignor Agripino Núñez Collado, the coordinator of the team of consultants that worked on the project confirmed that the legislation will be sent tomorrow. He said, It will be sent this week, he (the President) has said so. I talked to him recently.

Spokespersons from the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and earlier details that were revealed seem to indicate that the main changes will involve the way to go about Presidential re-election, the attributions of the Supreme Court and the structure of the National Council of Judges and the Central Electoral Board, as well as new citizen’s rights.

Most of the discussions will be about Article 49 which limits a person to one re-election attempt, never to become a candidate again for the same post.

The secretary general of the PRD, Orlando Jorge Mera, says that his party does not have enough legislators in Congress to stop any modification of Article 49, and he warned that the potential for a continual process of re-election would fall upon the PLD.

The leaders of the PRD will be meeting tomorrow with their legislators to talk about alternative wording for the Constitution.

According to Article 117 of the Constitution, the need for a (Constitutional) reformation is to be stated in a law…and will call for the convening of the National Assembly to determine the objectives of the reformation and indicate the articles that will be modified. 

Article 118 of the Constitution stipulates that all modifications will be carried with a two-thirds vote of the legislators.

Diario Libre, 17.09.08

Dominican capital’s rivebanks

Environmental tragedy that can’t wait

Santo Domingo .- The Dominican capital’s rivebanks are an environmental tragedy whose intervention can’t wait, as piles of garbage and untreated water enter the tributaries putting at risk the hundreds of families living there.

National District mayor Roberto Salcedo made the statement during a boat tour along the Ozama and Isabela rivers, together with his colleagues of Santo Domingo East, Juan de los Santos and Santo Domingo North, Jesus Féliz, Navy chief Julio Cesar Ventura Bayonet and other officials and experts.

They also found that despite that hundreds of families living beneath the surrounding cliffs are vulnerable to mudslides, the land-squatting continues, with several houses under construction on both sides.

Technicians will now prepare a plan of possible solutions for the mayors, who’ll in turn submit it to president Leonel Fernandez, who could authorize a portion of the funds to clean up the rivers.

Dominican Today, 18.09.08

Reform will affect 254 articles

The much-discussed Article 55 of the Constitution will be broadly modified

SANTO DOMINGO.-The long awaited legislation concerning the Constitutional reform that was deposited in Congress by President Fernández is wide-ranging and touches the 122 articles of the Constitution.

With relation to the issue of re-election, the project establishes that the President of the Republic will be elected every four years by direct vote. He may opt for a second, consecutive constitutional period as well as after an interval of one presidential term.

Regarding the topic of nationality, the proposal conserves the principles of jus solis and jus sanguinis that are currently a part of the Constitution. The project seeks to amplify the exceptional circumstances in which the first is not applicable. The project will consider direct descendants of overseas Dominican to be Dominican.

The initiative proposes in Section b) of what will be Article 16 that those born in the national territory will be Dominican, with the exception of those that are children of foreigners who are members of diplomatic and consular missions or those that are in transit or who are illegal resident in Dominican territory. Persons who are born in the country of unknown parents or persons without countries will be Dominicans according to Section c) of the proposal. Those born of foreign parents will also be Dominicans if legislation in their country of origin does not give them any other nationality.

The new Constitution, if accepted as submitted by the President will establish that the right to life is inviolable from conception until death. No death sentence can be established, decreed or applied in any case. Equally, all persons have the right, in all public and private circumstances, to their personal physical, psychological and moral safety and to live without violence. . Persons will have the protection of the state in cases of threats, risks or violation of these rights.

The proposal also recognizes the right to privacy and guarantees the respect and no interference in private lives, family life, the home and a person’s correspondence. A person’s right to honor, a good name and image are also recognized.

The much-discussed Article 55 of the Constitution will be broadly modified, reducing the number of attributes given to the President from 27 to just 8.

Of the current prerogatives that will be eliminated are the oversight of the collection and distribution of the nation’s income; the final part of Number 7 in the current version allows the President to declare a state of emergency in case of danger to the national sovereignty, and allows him to declare disaster zones when faced with calamities such as storms, earthquakes, flooding or any other similar situation or in the case of an epidemic.

The prerogative to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court, the Appeals Court, the Land Court, the Courts of First Instances, justices of the peace and members of the Central Electoral Board and other dependencies is eliminated in the new version of Article 55.

Diario Libre, 19.09.08

Dominican, U.S. presidents to talk security, drug trafficking

Regional security

SANTO DOMINGO.- Regional security, drug trafficking and the millennium’s development objectives are among the important topics president Leonel Fernandez will deal with his U.S counterpart George W. Bush, and Latin American leaders, during a five day visit that begins today in New York.

Although the chief executive’s multilateral and bilateral meetings with the presidents of countries such as Colombia and Venezuela stand out, the main objective of Fernandez’s first trip since assuming his second consecutive term August 16, is to participate in the 63rd session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, where he’ll speak next Wednesday.

We have an appointment with presidents Chávez (Venezuela) and Uribe (Colombia), with president Colom (Guatemala), and with the leaders of Caricom, that is to say the prime ministers of Jamaica and Barbados, to deal with the subject in the economic association agreement to conclude them and to sign it on the first or second week of October, said Foreign minister Carlos Morales.

During his stay in U.S. territory, Fernandez will also talk about the topic of regional security, including a discussion with leaders of the Caribbean’s English-speaking countries.

As to the main problem, drug trafficking, the Head of State is going to meet with president Bush and Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

Fernandez left the country at 11:47 a.m. from San Isidro Airbase accompanied by his wife Margarita and cabinet officials.

Dominican Today, 22.09.08

Second Subway line in Santo Domingo

Another line from Haina to Santiago

NEW YORK. - President Leonel Fernández announced that at the end of this year, the bidding process for the construction of the second subway of Santo Domingo will start, as for the new train which will connect Haina to Santiago.

The agent said that French, Spanish contractors and other European nations were interested in the bidding and that the construction of the second underground line of Santo Domingo should begin at the beginning of January or February.

At the time of a meeting with the editors of The Economist review, he explained that the Dominican Republic was changing its economic models in the search of an alternative which will make possible to promote the development and the growth of the economy, like the systematization of the invitations to tender for the construction of new infrastructures.

He announced that several work under this model will start soon for an amount of three billion dollars, which includes the construction of roads, bridges and infrastructure of the electric system, and that Brazilian contractors were interested by one of these projects.

Democratic reform

Fernández ensured that the Dominican Republic moves towards a democratic institutional reform which will be a true democratic revolution in the country. One seeks to strengthen all the institutions and to create the conditions for a more modern Constitution, in agreement with the new times, he said.

Repercussions of the crisis in the United States

The Dominican President was clear on the fact that he does not fear that the banking crisis of the United States can affect the national economy. He ensured that although the Dominican Republic is dealing with big challenges like the increase in fuel prices, the food crisis and the reduction of its inflation, one can say that the worst already happened.

However, he said that the country was attentive to the constant changes that experiments the humanity and that one of the factors which helped to undergo the crisis was that the majority of the agricultural food products were produced on the Dominican ground and were sufficient for the population.

Al Momento, 23.09.08

One of the Benítez nabbed

Elvis Benítez was transferred to the Attorney General’s offices

SANTO DOMINGO.- The Cuban, Elvis Benítez, a son of fugitive José Manuel Benítez, who is wanted for his participation in the US $110 million Medicare swindle, was picked up as he arrived at the Las Americas International Airport yesterday.

The foreigner arrived aboard Flight 200 of Cubana de Aviación, and was immediately held by immigration authorities headed by chief investigator of the swindle in the Dominican Republic, Alejandro Dipré Sierra.

Elvis Benítez was transferred to the Attorney General’s offices yesterday afternoon where he was interrogated.

Benítez is one of the shareholders in several of the companies created by the Benítez brothers in the country and that the United States authorities assert were used to launder the swindled money.

His father, José Manuel Benítez, is shown as the direct buyer of several pieces of real estate, among which are 3000 square meters of land in the tourist area of Higüey.

More than 50 different properties alleged to belong to José, Luis and Carlos Benítez have been seized. Among these properties are hotels, lots, yachts, motorboats, apartments, a helicopter and vehicles.

A Federal Grand Jury for the Southern District of Florida has formally accused the Benítez brothers of fraud related to false Medicare claims, fake Medicare programs and of paying illegal commissions for medical care as well as conspiracy to commit fraudulent medical care.

Diario Libre, 26.09.08

Fernández attends the opening session of the UN

Problem of the economic crisis

SANTO DOMINGO.- President Leonel Fernández attended yesterday’s opening session of the United Nations’ LXIII General Assembly in New York City.

The Dominican leader, together with the retinue that is accompanying him on this trip, listened to speeches by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, George W. Bush, and Nicolás Sarkozy of France.

The world leaders, each in their own speech, addressed the problem of the economic crisis currently affecting international financial markets.

The Dominican President will address the General Assembly today, sometime between 10:45 and 11:30 this morning.

Diario Libre, 24.09.08

Drowning U.S. economy may buoy Dominican industries, Fernandez says

The financial crisis provides possibilities for Dominican industrialists and retailers

NEW YORK. – The U.S economy’s current financial difficulties may become an important space for increased trade between Dominican industrialists and retailers here, president Leonel Fernandez said Thursday.

He said it’s a higher probability to do business with the city’s Dominican colony, especially those linked to supermarkets and warehouses.

In that regard Fernandez said many supermarket owners in this city could boost sales with Dominican agricultural products to supply New York’s market, particularly among the Hispanic population.

He said the financial crisis provides possibilities for Dominican industrialists and retailers to market their products at more reasonable prices for American consumers.

Dominican Today, 25.09.08

Fernández is back to the country after his travel to New York

One week of meetings

President Leonel Fernández came back yesterday evening from New York, where he stayed one week.

During his stay, the leader had a full work planning which included his participation in the opening of the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations (UNO), the signature of some agreements and important meetings with various contractors and personalities.

In his speech in front of the UNO, president Fernández proposed creation by the International community of a financial rescue plan having for goal that the poor countries can reach the Millennium Objectives of Development. In front of this forum, he said that the main obstacle that the poor nations are facing to fulfill the Millennium Objectives is the not regulated speculation of the purchase and of the sale of the future contracts of oil and food.

During his stay in the United States, president Fernández met the leader-writers of the The Economist review, with whom he exchanged ideas on the economic processes of the Dominican Republic and in the world.

He also met students and authorities of the University of New York (NYU), with whom he spoke on how to benefit from the experience of this university in the improvement of the program of academic studies of the Dominican students. For this purpose, the Dominican government established collaboration with the NYU for academic exchanges with the various universities of the Dominican Republic.

He also discussed with students of the Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering. In this school 95% of the students are of Latin origin.

He met executives of the Morgan Stanley Company, interested to be established in the Dominican territory to produce films.

He also made important announcements as the signature of an agreement with a dependence of the University of Harvard to train professors with a new system which promises to revolutionize the Dominican educational model. Another announcement was that of the bid process for the construction of the second line of the Subway of Santo Domingo and of another train which will connect Haina with Santiago.

He also visited The Schomburg Center, an institution which works for the safeguard of the Afro American culture in order to create work relationships with this important center which depends on the public library of the town of New York, to reinforce the links with the intellectuals and the personalities who are promoting the values of this culture.

During another visit, he went to Boston in the residence of the baseball player David Ortiz.

During his tour in the United States the leader received the « Leadership to an International Figure » prize granted by the Brown University, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania.

El Día Digital, 29.09.08

Identification plaque for 19 thousand vehicles of the public transport

Program of AMET

SANTO DOMINGO. – The Metropolitan Authority of Transport (AMET) announced today the beginning of a program of plaque installation through which more than 19 thousand units of the public transport will be identified in the next days.

Work of plaque installation will be carried out in coordination with the various federations and the trade unions of transport which work on the 211 roads existing in the Distrito Nacional and the Province of Santo Domingo.

This information was announced by José Núñez, sub-manager of the Transport Regulation of the organization, who said that in approximately two months, all the public vehicles of passengers will have to carry a plaque of identification.

He added that at the end of this period, the AMET agents will not allow any more the circulation of vehicle without plaque.

Núñez explained that this plan is part of the strategic program carried out by the director of the AMET, Rafael Bencosme Candelier, with the purpose to optimize the service and the transport of passengers as well in the Distrito Nacional as in the Province of Santo Domingo and in the interior of the country.

He recalled that the roads of public transport are under the supervision of AMET, which carries out periodic evaluations in order to optimize the services.

Listín Diario, 30.09.08