The first International Energy Week began yesterday in Santo Domingo with lectures and exhibits at the Renaissance Jaragua Hotel and President Leonel Fernandez in attendance. The conference presents a range of possible solutions to the current energy situation, with a focus on alternative fuels and renewable energy resources as a way of meeting the challenges of rising petroleum costs and climate change. Exhibits and presentations of solar, hydro and sun-based alternative energies are featured, as well as natural gas alternatives, solar panels, and fuels extracted from sugarcane and biofuels. Energy Week will run through this Friday. The conference is sponsored by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the United Nations, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the National Energy Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Thirty-eight guest speakers have come from abroad, 50 countries are represented, and there are 70 company exhibits in the International Energy Week.
President Leonel Fernandez announced at the International Energy Week opening that the country would have its first 40 natural gas Linea Clave distribution and conversion stations within the next 60 days. These centers will be opened in Santo Domingo and Santiago first, and later in the year in Bonao, La Vega, Puerto Plata, Sanchez, Samana, Bani, Azua, Barahona and San Juan de la Maguana as part of a gradual nationwide program. The shops have the capacity to convert four cars per day at a cost of US$450-US$750 per vehicle. The Linea Clave gas stations will be able to install the chip for the conversion to natural gas, but will also sell natural gas.
The President explained that the use of natural gas would help lower transportation costs, as natural gas is expected to cost 60% less than regular gasoline.
Fernandez said that the DR is planning to sign an agreement with Qatar for the importation of natural gas, in order to have a second source market in addition to Trinidad.
Education Minister Alejandrina German says that illiteracy in the DR has declined to 10.8%, down from 13%, in the last 10 years making her confident that the DR would reach the Millennium Development Goals in time. The Goals seek to eliminate illiteracy by 2015, but the Minister is confident that this could be achieved by 2012. The Minister made her comments during a ceremony honoring 17 institutions that taught 200,000 adults to read. She also announced that by the end of January 28,972 people would be certified as literate.
Thousands of Dominicans made their way to civil registries and Central Electoral Board (JCE) offices yesterday in order to get their cedula identity cards or change their voting precinct. The increased activity was due to fact that yesterday was the last day citizens could change the details on their cedulas before the 2008 elections. Listin Diario reported long lines and slow service as the offices were swamped with the high volume of requests. Voters living abroad have until Wednesday to change their details. JCE judge Roberto Rosario said that the JCE will not extend the period anymore and said yesterday was the last time voters could make such changes. Over the weekend 21,117 people were served by the JCE, in 89 centers in the DR and 12 abroad. Rosario explains that in all, 5.7 million people are registered to vote in the DR and 140,000 are registered to vote aboard, triple the number in the 2004 elections. The election is scheduled for 16 May 2008.
Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez has admitted that he might have been too hard on Chamber of Deputies president Julio Cesar Valentin after Valentin and other deputies accused senators of sponsoring lucrative and illegal non-governmental organizations. Pared said he apologized not because President Leonel Fernandez had told him to, but because it was sensible to do so. Although the Senate president's sudden change to a less combative mode comes after Diario Libre investigative reporters found that at least two senators, two deputies and several other government officials have close ties with NGOs. For example, Monte Plata Senator Charlie Mariotti is registered as the representative of Alimenta 2000 and Juventud 2000 that were assigned RD$480,000 according to the National Planning and Personnel Office (ONAPLAN). Senator Diego Aquino is the principal officer of the Centro de Desarrollo Integral, with a stipend of RD$300,000. Pared defended the NGOs and said that the funds that were allocated to those phantom NGOs would be transferred to a special fund to benefit several reputable organizations.
Listin Diario is reporting that 408 different NGOs were included in the 2008 budget for which RD$294 million were allocated. This contradicts Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez's assertion that such NGOs didn't exist. Last Friday Pared went as far as saying that he'd be willing to leave the Senate if the Chamber proved there had been impropriety in the handling of NGOs. In response to the controversy over the NGOs, a special bill is on the table that seeks to transfer the funds from those NGOs to a special fund for the legal authorities, the UASD University, Corazones Unidos, the Dominican Rehabilitation Society, the Dominican Cardiology Institute, the Doctor Heriberto Pieter Oncolology Institute and the Diabetes Board. Deputy Radhames Castro, who has spearheaded the conversation over phantom NGOs, said the confrontation with Senate president Pared Perez is over since he doesn't want to polarize the Santo Domingo province over the issue. Listin breaks down the NGOs in the budget: 148 NGOs belong to the Presidency, 40 to the Education Ministry, 101 to the Public Health Ministry, 32 to the Ministry of Women, 21 to the Environmental Ministry, 13 to the Youth Ministry, 9 to the Sports Ministry, 8 to the Agricultural Ministry, 6 to the Cultural Ministry, 5 to the Industry and Commerce Ministry, 4 to Higher Education and one to Public Works and the Labor Ministry. The bill to transfer the funds will be read on 27 February unless President Leonel Fernandez calls for an extraordinary session of the legislature.
The vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lucia Medina, sister of PLD dissident Danilo Medina, defended the inclusion of NGOs in the 2008 budget and admitted that she runs one and receives public funds for one. Medina, who represents the province of San Juan, says that NGOs do a lot of positive work. She explained that she runs an NGO called Desarollo San Juan and asked the government for RD$7 million for her organization, although she only received RD$600,000. She said that since 2002 her organization has fulfilled all the legal requirements and has been transparent in its dealings. She said that the biggest mistake is to tar every NGO with the same brush because many of them do honorable work. She said that her NGO provides health services in San Juan and that 500 people receive medical treatment each month.
Opponents of the NGOs say that the work that their patrons claim that they do (such as in health, sports, education) is not the responsibility of a legislator.
BanReservas general administrator Daniel Toribio announced yesterday that the government-owned bank's profits reached RD$3.5 billion in 2007, 9.9% more than in 2006 and that assets increased by RD$15 million. Toribio explained that assets and profits are the highest recorded in bank history. The executive explained that the growth could be attributed to BanReservas' increased presence in the private sector, adding that in 2007 the bank lent the private sector RD$16.2 billion, while loans to the public sector totaled RD$4.9 billion. Private sector deposits increased to RD$13.3 billion while public sector deposits grew to RD$620 million. Toribio said that in order to provide better service 14 new customer service points have been designated, while 54 ATMs have been installed, bringing the total number to 319.
Vice President Rafael Alburquerque has announced that Guatemala plans to introduce the Solidarity program, which is currently being implemented in the DR. Hoy writes that Alburquerque gave Guatemalan Vice President Rafael Espada the Solidarity Program documents during a meeting held at the Westin Camino Real Hotel in the Guatemalan capital. Alburquerque said that he had promised Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom the documents while at the XVII Ibero-American Conference held in Chile last November. Alburquerque, quoted in Hoy, said that the program is considered among the most transparent by international organizations and added that the program has stimulated school attendance. Programs for helping pregnant women and immunizing citizens have also been effective, said the VP.
Presidential Legal Advisor Cesar Pina Toribio revealed yesterday that the PLD political committee had unanimously offered to back Central Electoral Board (JCE) judge Aura Celeste Fernandez if she chose to remain on the board. Controversy was raised last week when her husband Guillermo Moreno accepted the presidential nomination for the Movimiento Unidad y Cambio (MIUCA) and comments began to circulate that the judge should resign from the JCE because of conflict of interest. Some judges supported Fernandez, saying that the JCE shouldn't lose a judge of her caliber, and Pina Toribio explained that her connection to Moreno doesn't break the law because they are married and not blood relatives. Toribio explained that only a parent-child relationship would have required Fernandez to leave the JCE.
Chicken and egg producers from Dajabon and Moca, as well as the Dajabon Defense Committee have agreed to either boycott or impede the holding of the bi-national market next Friday. Freddy Morillo from the Dajabon committee said that powerful sectors in Haiti are opposing the lifting of the ban on importing Dominican chickens so they can import chicken from other countries. The controversy started when cases of Avian flu were reported in Santiago and in Higuey. Vendors quoted in Listin Diario echoed Morillo's assertions and explained that even if alternatives like turkey are imported from countries like Panama, Haitians will seek out Dominican chicken and eggs. Listin Diario reports that a van with a large speaker system drove around Dajabon announcing the boycott and writes that Haitians who regularly do business at the market seem to support the boycott.
The executive secretary for the Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean, Jose Luis Machinea, said yesterday that the Dominican economy could progress without using the IMF as a crutch. The minister acknowledged the work that the IMF has done in accelerating economic recovery and helping re-establish the country's economic credibility, but he was quick to point out that you can't remain tied to the IMF forever and that the DR needs to "learn to walk without crutches." The economist suggested increasing high value exports and interest rates as part of monetary policies to attract investments. Machinea spoke on the outlook for the Dominican economy in 2008, saying that if the country isn't prepared, the reduced growth of the US economy could have negative effects on the Dominican economy. Machinea also considered it important for the government to increase investment in infrastructure, electricity, education, innovation and other areas. Machinea made his comments during a conference of Outlook on the World and Latin American Economies for 2008. The conference was organized by the Economy, Planning and Development Ministry. During his speech the ECLAC secretary highlighted the DR's ongoing commitment to democracy, saying that in 2006 the DR was 93rd in human rights and that last year the country jumped to 69th on the list. Machinea also highlighted how the quality of life in the DR has improved, led by the increase in the life expectancy rate to 71.5 years, up from 67.4 years.
Plaza Lama is advertising vegetable sales, with tomatos selling for RD$22.95 the pound, onions for RD$23.95, Eggplants for RD$6.95, potatos for RD$13.95lb.
Rossella Boutique women's clothing shop advertises 40% off from 15-19 January at its Plaza Dorada (Av. Roberto Pastoriza 463) shop.
The Tigres del Licey pushed their way into the finals with an incredible performance from their pitching staff. Pitcher Ervin Santana pitched six hitless innings and the rest of the pitching staff followed through, preserving the bid for no-hitter. The offense came through and scored three runs giving Licey a 3-0 win over the falling Estrellas. The no-no was the sixth in Dominican baseball history and was the first since 1990-91 when US pitcher Dennis Springer threw one for Licey against these very same Estrellas. Although they have been mathematically eliminated from the finals, the Gigantes are relishing their roles as possible playoff spoilers. Last night Agustin Septimo had a ninth inning hit that drove in the game-winning hit, giving the Gigantes a 3-2 victory against the Aguilas. The win prevented the Aguilas from making it to the finals and forced them to win against the Estrellas if they wish to do so.
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