MAY 2009

Officials plant native varieties to kick off Tree Month

In the National Botanical Garden

BREAKING NEWS: Santo Domingo.- The Environment Ministry (Semarena) hosted Thursday afternoon tree-planting effort in the surroundings of the National Botanical Garden, to kick off the activities across the country after a resolution declaring May Tree Month.

Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal headed the activity supported by the editors-in-chief of the newspapers El Nuevo Diario, Persio Maldonado, Diario Libre, Adriano Miguel Tejada, and El Caribe, Manuel Quiroz.

As part of the activity, Semarena and Botanical Garden’s officials and workers, and students planted several varieties of native trees such as mahogany, almácigo, mountain grape, cupey, among others, while Gardens director Ricardo Garcia explained their importance in environmental conservation.

Dominican Today, 01.05.09

More than five millions persons used the subway during the past 90 days

The Office for the Reorganization of Transport is satisfied

BREAKING NEWS: Santo Domingo.- More that five millions persons used the subway of Santo Domingo during the past three months and more that 500 000 persons purchased the card of multiple use, which are necessary to the entry and the exit of the Metro.

These informations were given by Rafael Serrano and Leonel Carrasco, deputy directors of the Office for the Reorganization of Transport (OPRET).

During its first trimester of activity, the subway of Santo Domingo became a school of civicism thanks to the exemplary behaviour of the user who give up the seats to old persons, kids and pregnant women, they said.

From Monday to Friday, the first line of the Subway transports between 63,000 and 65,000 persons per day, and Satuday and Sunday, more or less 50,000 persons use it.

The most frequented stations

The most frequented stations are the ones of Mamá Tingó, Amín Abel, in the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), Hermanas Mirabal,  ; Los Taínos, and the one of the Heros Center.

Everyday the amount of passengers grows, because the people are adapting themselves to the system, said Serrano, who ensures that the capacity of the Subway is between 100,000 and 130,000 persons per day.

Parking lots will be constructed

The construction of parking lots to park the bus that will serve the stations and the vehicles of the users is planned.
Serrano ensures that the benefits of the Subway construction for the Santo Domingo city are innumerable.

Santo Domingo Live, 05.05.09

Constitutional Revisory Assembly approves more articles

Including an article that grants journalists protection for their confidential sources

BREAKING NEWS: Santo Domingo.- The Constitutional Revisory Assembly that is studying the expanded Constitution proposal sent by President Leonel Fernandez to Congress has approved six more articles, including articles that protect the privacy of bank information.

Committee members also approved an article that grants journalists protection for their confidential sources.
The National Revisory Assembly gave Constitutional status to the right to an appeal and Habeas Corpus among the guarantees of fundamental rights; the Assembly also added an new article and numeral that gives Constitutional status to Habeas Data, without prejudice to the media, and added the right to physical education, sports and recreation. Five articles were approved in their first reading during the tenth session of the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the article 56 that would bless the environmental rights in the Constitution was sent to a commission, because there was no consensus for numeral two, in whose last part says that the protected areas cannot be reduced in their area, although they can be extended if legislation considers this necessary, saving the priceless resources that are preserved there.

A numerous number of assembly members from the South and East were obviously against the Constitution prohibiting the reduction of the protected areas, and the motion showed divisions among the three major parties.

The article 57 establishes that the Constitution will guarantee the effectiveness of the fundamental right by means of using tutors and the protection that is provided to a person the possibility of obtaining satisfaction of his or her rights in the face of creditors or obligatory liabilities. The fundamental rights tie all of the public powers that will guarantee their effectiveness in the terms established by the Constitution and the Law.

Habeas Corpus and appeals

Article 59 expresses that All persons that are deprived of their liberty or threatened with such loss arbitrarily or irrationally, has the right to go before an judge or tribunal by a writ of habeas corpus in conformity with the law so that this can be heard and decided upon in a simple, effective, rapid and written manner, as to the legality of such prison or threat.

In Article 60 it is set forth that « all persons shall have the right to file appeals to claim before the judges, at all times and places, by means of a preferential and brief proceeding, by his or herself or by a person representing the individual, the immediate protection of the fundamental rights not protected by the habeas corpus, when these are violated or threatened by the action or the omission of any pubic or private authority, in order to oblige compliance to a law or administrative act or to guarantee the rights and collective interests.

The law will regulate the exercise of this guarantee. The procedure of the appeals process will be oral, public, simple. Brief, free and not subject to formalities.
A proposal by Charlie Mariotti was also approved. This proposal said that all persons can also go to the use of an appeal in order to learn personal data that refer to that person and for what purpose, that are in public or private banks or registries, and in case of falsification or discrimination, demand the suspension, rectification, actualization, and confidentiality of them.

This cannot affect the secrets of journalistic sources. Also approved was the phrase all persons have the right to be heard within a reasonable period by the competent, independent and impartial jurisdiction previously established by the law.

Moreover, all persons involved in a crime have the right to be presumed innocent and should be treated as such while they have not been declared guilty by the courts.

The youth

A new article was added to the Constitution by which the rights of young people are recognized. The proposal was presented by assembly members Nidio Encarnacion (PRD), Victor Bisono (PRSC) and Charlie Mariotti (PLD).

The article establishes that the state will guarantee the right of young people and promote their effective exercise through policies and programs that assure and maintain in a permanent manner, their participation and inclusion in all the areas of national life. Their value as strategic actors in the development of the nation is also recognized.

Diario Libre, DR1, 06.05.09

The Dominican Republic Office of Tourism Promotion in Puerto Rico develops an exhibition

About the Santo Domingo attractions

BREAKING NEWS: The Dominican Republic Office of Tourism Promotion in Puerto Rico (OPT) and the commercial center Plaza del Caribe, started the Expo República Dominicana 2009, in the largest center of the Puerto Rico south region.

Three years ago, we were in Dominican Republic as a guest country trough the Puerto Rico Office of Touristic Promotion, and it was such a success we decided to invite them again. This year, the exhibitions are about the tourist and cultural attractions that offers the city of Santo Domingo, said Susana Santiago, Manager of Plaza Caribe Marketing.

For the tourism ministry of Dominican Republic, it’s a real honor to be invited to share with the Puerto Rico people the treasures of Santo Domingo. Trough this exhibition, we want to wake up an interest, to make the persons wish to know the historical richness of our monuments, our music, our art, in a personal way (…) explained Cosette García, director of the OPT .

The Expo República Dominicana 09 at Plaza Caribe will take place from April 28^th until May 09^th.

Besides watching replicas of important historical monuments of the Dominican capital, the visitors will enjoy of an artisan fair, and artistic seminaries, as well as musical and tourist presentations, gastronomical tastings and many more surprises.

We invite all the persons to visit us with their entire family, in order to discover why we say Dominican Republic has it all, said the OPT director.

Santo Domingo Live, 07.05.09

Referendums approved by the National Revisory Assembly

And other rights

SANTO DOMINGO.- The National Revisory Assembly sent the much debated proposal for defining Dominican nationality to a special commission in order to find some sort of consensus on the topic.

The decision was backed by 169 assembly members against 10 that voted against. The president of the Assembly, Reinaldo Pared Perez was in favor of a more profound discussion of this article since an important sector of the society wants jus sanguinis to be the criteria because of worries that are caused by the reality of immigration and the deficient policies of all of the political parties that have run the country.

The PRSC and the FNP have maintained their fight for jus sanguinis and the PLD and the PRD have submitted intermediate proposals that have combined jus sanguinis with jus soli.
Previous to the beginning of debates on the issue of nationality in the constitutional reform, several children, brought in by PRSC delegates, handed out Dominican flags with the message: for the Fatherland and for our future.

Meanwhile, the Assembly approved the right of citizens to decide some issues that are brought before them by means of a referendum or other form of popular consultation. Also approved was the right of popular citizen’s initiatives on legislative and municipal issues.

These proposals were favored with 133 votes in favor and only eight against, with a small modification to Numeral 4 of Article 20.
The two new principles in the nation’s Constitution confer more power to citizens that an present, through a representative, a legislative proposal for a law or resolution to the Congress or to any municipal government.

The new article establishes the right to elect and be elected, and moreover, that the citizen can produce petitions to public authorities in order to request measures in the public interest and obtain from these authorities an answer within a reasonable time established by the law established for this purpose.

Also incorporated, at the request of Jose Ricardo Taveras and Pelegrin Castillo, was a numeral that says: The state will promote policies for progressive formation of minors in the practice and values of citizenship.

One proposal that was declined was the idea of recall (a type of referendum that would recall an elected official), because it did not obtain the two-thirds vote needed to be approved.

More articles

The assembly members approved at the first reading the Articles 17, 18, and 19. Article 17 was approved just as it was sent by the Executive Branch and will say: Foreigners can be naturalized according to the conditions and formalities contained in the law. Naturalized persons cannot become candidates for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency and will not be obliged to take up arms against their country of origin.

Article 18 was approved with a modification that combined several of the numerals, accepting a suggestion presented by PRD assembly member Rafael Vasquez.
The article will now state: The right of Dominicans to acquire a foreign nationality is recognized. The acquisition of another nationality does not imply the loss of the Dominican nationality.

In addition, Dominicans that acquire another nationality by a voluntary act or by place of birth, can aspire to the Presidency or Vice Presidency is they renounce the acquired nationality ten years before the election and if they have resided in the country during the 10 years previous to the office, nevertheless, they can occupy other elective offices or diplomatic representations of the country overseas and in international organizations without renouncing the acquired nationality.

Article 19 of the President’s proposals was rejected and so were the different proposals from the assembly members, and therefore the version in the current Constitution will remain as it stands: All Dominicans of either sex that have reached 18 years of age and those that are or have been married even though they have yet to reach that age are citizens.

Another article that was approved by the Assembly was Article 21, with slight modifications, and it says: the rights of citizenship are lost by irrevocable conviction for treason, or for taking up arms, assisting or participating in any attempt or deliberate harm against the interests of the Republic.

The Assembly entered into recess until Tuesday of nest week, when it will deliberate the suspension of citizen rights.

Diario Libre English, 08.05.09

More than thousand experts in budget will meet in Santo Domingo

International seminar

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO. - With the participation of approximately thousand people, this Monday in the Dominican capital the XXXVI International Seminar on the Public Budget will start and will work on subjects in relation with the challenges posed by the world financial crisis.

This official event which will be concluded from May 11 to May 15, is organized by the Government of Dominican Republic and the International Association of the Public Budget (ASIP).

Civil servants and representatives of the governmental sector, of international agencies, of private organizations, universities, researchers and academicians coming from the United States, Canada and the area of the Caribbean, as well as from Europe, mainly from Germany, Spain and France will take part in this international activity.

Among the participants they are representatives of international agencies as the Inter-American Bank of Development (BID), the Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL), the Organization for the Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD), the Ministry of the Co-operation of the Federal republic of Germany (INWENT) and the Eurosocial Program of the European Union.

In addition to the matters relating to the challenges to face the world-wide crisis, its effects in Latin America, the role of the State and its prospects, one will also plan at the time of this meeting, the strategies to obtain results following the policies which are determined in the current circumstances.

Santo Domingo Live, 11.05.09

Overpass starts of US $163M in Dominican capital road works

Corridor Duarte

BREAKING NEWS: Santo Domingo. - Public Works minister Victor Diaz announced the start of the project Corridor Duarte, with the construction of an overpass at the 27 de Febrero and Ortega y Gasset avenues intersection, and another at San Isidro highway with Charles de Gaulle Avenue.

He said the Corridor project, to cost US $163 million, includes the construction of overpasses at the busy intersections of the entrance to the Manoguayabo subdivision with the Duarte highway, and the Kennedy and Núñez de Cáceres avenues. With this overpass and others on the San Isidro highway with Charles de Gaulle, Public Works marks the start of construction of the Duarte Corridor, which will span Los Alcarrizos (subdivision) to Charles de Gaulle.

The project would take 30 months to complete, with a private investment by the Brazilian group Odebrech and the local Ingeniería Estrella.

Diaz Rúa said the overpasses are designed for speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, although the top speed for Charles de Gaulle with San Isidro intersection will be 60 kilometers per hour, and the tunnel at Ortega and Gasset with 27 de Febrero will be 50 kilometers per hour.

The Public Works chief said the project has great importance for the city’s road development, because it will save motorists time and money.

He added that studies found that more than 800,000 vehicles use the John F. Kennedy avenue daily.

Dominican Today, 12.05.09

National Assembly moves forward

Regulations for foreigners and make up of territory

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO.- The National Constitutional Revisory Assembly approved yesterday the issues relating to the suspension of citizen’s rights, the regulations for foreigners, the international relations and international law, the official language and the patriotic symbols and the political divisions of the country.

Article 22 establishes that the rights of citizens are suspended in cases of definitive sentencing in a criminal case, until the end of the prison sentence; in cases of judicial intervention legally pronounced, as long as this shall last; accepting, while in the national territory functions or employment of a foreign government without previous authorization from the Executive Branch and the violations of the conditions that naturalization imposed.

Article 23 prohibits the participation of foreigners in political activity in the national territory, except for the exercise of the right to vote in their homeland’s elections.
It also says that the state will promote the planned immigration of highly qualified technical and scientific human resources towards those areas that are needed due to insufficient national human resources, accepting a motion from assembly members Jose Ricardo Taveras and Pelegrin Castillo.
Likewise, the article says that it is the obligation of all foreigners to register in the book of foreigners, according to the law, a proposal presented by PRD assembly member Rafael Librado Castillo.

The Assembly approved Article 24 that establishes: The Dominican Republic is a member state of the international community open to international cooperation and law.
Article 25 was approved without further debate, converting its numerals into articles. These make Spanish the official language of the Dominican Republic, and Article 26 says that the patriotic symbols are the National Flag, the National Coat of Arms and the National Anthem.

Numeral three, which will become an Article, was modified and now says: the National Anthem is the musical composition of Jose Reyes, with words written by Emilio Prud’homme, as consecrated by Law 700 of 30 May 1934, and is unique and unalterable.
The National Assembly accepted the entire proposal of the Executive Branch regarding the make up of the national territory, as described in Chapter III, Section 1. Article eight says that the territory of the Dominican Republic is inalienable.

Article 12 also says, for the government and administration of the State, the territory of the Republic is divided politically into a National District, in which is found the capital, and in the provinces and municipalities that the Organic Law shall determine.

The provinces, for their part, are divided into municipalities and article 13, that remains as it is in the current Constitution regarding the name of the capital, the city of Santo Domingo de Guzman is the capital of the Dominican Republic and the seat of the national government.

Diario Libre, 14.05.09

Lawmakers establish who’s a Dominican

Agreement signed by president Leonel Fernandez and Miguel Vargas

BREAKING NEWS: The Assembly to Revise the Constitution approved 166 votes to 27 the article of the bill on nationality, as the bicameral commission suggested, combining the concept of jus soli (by birthplace) and jus sanguinis (by bloodline).

The commission’s recommendation adheres to the agreement signed by president Leonel Fernandez and Miguel Vargas, the ex PRD party presidential candidate and virtual opposition leader.

It also rejected the conservative parties’ (PRSC, FNP) stance, which insisted on jus sanguinis.

Assembly president, Reinaldo Pared said that if the country doesn’t have a defined and energetic migratory policy, the most beautiful text of the Constitution will be worthless.

The sons and daughters of Dominican parents are Dominicans, Article 16 states, and also those who already had the nationality before the present constitution took effect  and those who were been born in the national territory, except it if they would be children of members of foreigners of diplomatic and consular delegations or foreigners who would be in transit or reside illegally in Dominican territory.

A person is considered in transit all foreigners defined in Dominican laws as such, and those born abroad from a Dominican father or mother, despite having acquired, by birthplace, a nationality different from those of their parents.

Once reaching the age of 18, they will be able to state their will, before the competent authority to assume the double nationality or to resign to one of them, it adds.

Also who will contract marriage with a Dominican, whenever they decide on the nationality of the spouse and are in conditions to meet the requirements imposed by law and the direct descendants of Dominican residents abroad and those who are naturalized. The law will determine the conditions and formalities required for naturalization.

Dominican Today, 27.05.09

Minstry of Public Health organizes a meeting in the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo

In order to discuss the national response against AH1N1

BREAKING NEWS: SANTO DOMINGO.- The various university rectors, health professionals and technicians related to the health sector analyzed and discussed today the national response to the attention given the A(H1N1) virus that has caused 60 deaths in Mexico and several other in other nations.

The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (SESPAS) in cooperation with the Pan American Health Organization (OPS), and called Meeting About a Global Vision against the Influenza AH1N1: Situation and National Response.

These persons were convened by the head of Public Health, who said that the idea of the meeting was to go over the global aspects of the virus A(H1N1), with an emphasis on the national situation and the response, in coordination with the Pan American Health Organization (OPS).

Bautista Rojas Gomez reported distributed the Protocol for Clinical Attention for A(H1N1) that is used around the world. The meeting took place today at the Pedro Mir Library of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).

Among the invitees to the discussion the university rectors, the Dominican Medical College (CMD), specialists, deans of medical faculties and directors of Medical Schools were present.

Also invited are the coordinators of the Masters programs in Public Health, hospital directors and the heads of private clinics.

DL & Santo Domingo Live, 15.05.09

4 Chileans affected by AH1N1 were in the country

Minister of Public Health launches a national epidemiological alert

BREAKING NEWS: The Minister of Public Health announced yesterday that Dominican authorities are following events related to two Chilean women who traveled from Punta Cana to her homeland, by way of Panama, and who were found to have the virus by the Minister of Public Health of Chile and decided to launch a national epidemiological alert.

The 32 year old woman, whose name is Ana Maria Zabala, became the first official case in Chile detected with the virus, and was isolated in the Thorax Hospital of Santiago de Chile.
The 25 year old woman was not identified yet.

The first reports from the Chilean health authorities indicated that the woman came from Mexico, but it was later confirmed that she came from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. She apparently stayed at the Ocean Blue Hotel in Punta Cana, and left the country accompanied by the Dominican Marisol Diaz.

The Chilean Minister of Health, Alvaro Erazo, confirmed that the women arrived at dawn on Saturday on Copa’s flight 437, which originated in the Dominican Republic by way of Panama.

Rojas Gomez said that local health authorities are hard at work locating possible contacts made by Zabala. The official said, From the moment we received the information, the National Epidemiological Department extended to the national level the activation, placing special emphasis on possible contact in the country.

The woman was checked by the temperature scanner that is located at the Arturo Merino Benitez Airport in Santiago, which detected the fever and she was transferred immediately to the Thorax Hospital. Erazo pointed out that the diagnosis was confirmed 24 hours after the symptoms were seen in the woman.

There were 100 passengers on the flight and the Ministry of Health will get in contact with them to request that they take special care, stay in their homes and be alert to any symptom of the flu.

A report from the World Heath Organization (WHO) released yesterday indicates that over the last few hours there were 931 new cases reported around the world, which raised the total number of sick to 8451 in 26 countries. One day before, the organization had reported 7520 cases in 34 countries.

Update : Number of affected Chileans rises to 4

A 6 year-old boy and a woman who had stayed in the Dominican resort Punta Cana (east) together with the first two infected are the new cases of the AH1N1 virus, said Monday Chile’s Health Ministry.

DL English, 18.05.09

See our special page about Influenza A

Opening of commercial centers and increasing of production

The prices of food decrease

BREAKING NEWS: Consumers are the big winners of the mega-investments in the Jumbo, La Sirena and Plaza Lama malls. The new branches of these leading chains are waging sales and price wars as they try to capture customers with offers that include free transportation and new cheap store brands.

Consumers have benefited with lower prices for basic foodstuffs and lots of goods on clearance in time for Mother’s Day shopping.
Jumbo opened on Santo Domingo’s Luperon Avenue on 30 April, followed shortly after by the La Sirena on 15 May. Jumbo, with 900 employees, is pushing its 30-item Basic Food Staples product line.

On the same avenue, La Sirena opened with 482 employees and announced a novel plan of free transport in coordination with the Metropolitan Transport Office (OMSA) running buses directly to the store from Los Alcarrizos and Los Rios-Feria.
Meanwhile, Plaza Lama opened a new store on Nicolas de Ovando, employing 900 people. The three groups that opened stores have created more than 16,000 new jobs.

After Easter, several products like rice, beans, poultry, powdered milk, spaghetti, sardines and most farm products increased in price, but over the last week prices have gone down again in supermarkets and corner stores (colmados).

Diario Libre reporters found that rice can be purchased for RD $17 a pound, when before the cheapest price was RD $23. Red beans and pinto beans were available for RD $25 and before they were RD $30. Small sardines were sold at RD $20 and RD $21 and now are RD $19.

Jumbo brand powdered milk in bags now costs RD $730 to RD $750, and before, it cost RD $800. Spaghetti that was sold at RD $20 a pound, is now available for RD $17. You can also get a pound of tomato paste for RD $40.

In the markets, farm produce such as plantains, yuca (cassava), bananas and yautia (taro) were all lower. Plantains were selling at between RD $3 and RD $7 each, yuca was at RD $10 and yautia was at RD $25.

Offers on special items increase further this month with the approach of Mother’s Day and lower prices on dining tables, rugs and curtains, appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, blenders, air conditioners, and items such as sports equipment, clothing, T-shirts, pants, women and men’s shoes, perfumes, wines, gin, and rum.

DR1, 19.05.09

The National Assembly approves to unify elections in 2016

The deputies and senators will be elected in 2010 for six years

BREAKING NEWS: The National Assembly constituted in Revisory Assembly for Constitutional Reform, approved in first reading to unify Presidential elections and the congressional and municipal elections in 2010, as agreed President Leonel Fernandez and the former PRD candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado last week.

The members of the Assembly approved the article 237 sent by the Executive Power with small modifications, because the presidential, congressional and legislative elections have to take place independently.

The date of the elections was changed to the third Sunday of of may, every four years, whereas Fernández proposal scheduled them for the second Sunday of may.

Election for six years

The vice-president of the National Assembly, Julio César Valentín, explained that during the second reading, a transitional article will be added , in order to establish that during the elections of 2010, the persons will be elected for 6 years, until 2016.

Approved articles

The member of the assembly approved the article 236 too, that sets the exercise of the right to vote to elect the authorities of the vcivil government and to participate in referendums and in the decisions of a plebiscite as a right and a duty for all Dominican citizens.

Nationality

Isabel Bonilla, president of the special commission that studies the article 16 (about nationality), of the reform to constitution, presented a consensus report that says the nationality is not attributed of sons of illegal strangers or diplomats.

Santo Domingo Live, 20.05.09

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization creates Juan Bosch Prize

For the Promotion of Social Science Research

BREAKING NEWS : The Executive Board of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the institution of a UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for the Promotion of Social Science Research in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The award was proposed by the Dominican delegation with the support of the Latin America and the Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and in coordination with the delegations of Cuba, Venezuela and Costa Rica - countries where Professor Juan Bosch lived during his time in exile.

It will present an award to the best social science thesis written by young people in Latin America and the Caribbean every two years.

A former President of the Dominican Republic, Professor Juan Bosch was also an author, politician, social analyst and advocate of democratic values and a culture of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The prize is sponsored by the Government of the Dominican Republic and the Juan Bosch Foundation. The Dominican government will cover the initial financial cost of three awards, depositing a sum of US $125,000 in a special account with UNESCO.

DR1, 21.05.09

World Bank conditions financing for the Dominican energy sector

Higher level agreement with the International Monetary Fund

BREAKING NEWS :The World Bank is conditioning the energy sector’s US $300 million financing on the country signing a higher level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Economy minister Témistocles Montas yesterday.

He said that if the government decides to vary the monitoring agreement currently in effect with the IMF, to a Stand-By type it wouldn’t imply embarking on a new tax reform.

The official said the World Bank financing would be essentially to improve the power system. This doesn’t raise any type of tax reform, on the contrary, what it would seek is to raise concrete solutions to the Dominican electrical sector.

They (World Bank) insist that we go to a higher level relation with the International Monetary Fund, the Economy Minister said, and that president Leonel Fernandez will have to decide on the topic when he returns from Spain.

Montas, interviewed on Telemicro Channel 5, said that a new agreement with the IMF implies that the country will need to make decisions on the national electrical system.

The big Dominican problem is the electrical sector, and stressed that just last year it absorbed US $1.3 billion which could go to education or infrastructure.

The Economy Minister said a new agreement with the IMF would be translated in channeling resources for the Central Bank, as well to bolster the international reserves, which would lead to a stable exchange rate.

Dominican Today, 22.05.09

The Ministry of Public Works repairs roads

In San Cristóbal and Villa Altagracia

BREAKING NEWS : The Minsitry of Public works is repairing the road and restored the traffic towards the isolated communities of San Cristóbal and finished the works of Pedro Brand, Villa Altagracia, and other municipalities.

At San Cristóbal, the works consist in demolishing the damaged part in La Suiza, a rural community of the north zone of the province. These one are directed by topographers and engineers of the Ministry of Public Works, who are also repairing the main road that communicates Hato Damas with Villeas, El Pomier and Los Cacaitos.

On the kilometer 22 of the Duarte Highway, on the road that communicates the municipalities of Pedro Brand and La Cuaba, the traffic moved again on the bridge of the community of La Isabela.

Dominican Republic Live, 29.05.09