The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will receive and review the eighth and last revision of the Stand-by arrangement with the Dominican Republic in today's session. The review of the letter of intent is on the agenda after being delayed by "unintentional technical mistakes." The IMF says that it will examine the last revision of the accord signed 28 months ago for US$632 million, equivalent to $437 million in Special Drawing Rights. The IMF indicated that it would approve several dispensations for failure to fulfill some of the structural changes within the government, but this is considered normal, according to a report in El Caribe.
Jaime Moreno, senior advisor to The National Council of Competitiveness (CNC) announced that Blue Flag beach quality program has certified the quality of two beaches in Costa Dorada, Puerto Plata, Coson on the northern side of Samana, and Dominicus-Bayahibe in La Altagracia. Dominicus-Bayahibe was the first beach to be certified with the prestigious European program and repeats again.
In the DR, the Instituto de Derecho Ambiental de la Republica Dominicana, (Institute for Environmental Law in the DR), IDARD manages the program.
Blue Flag is an international voluntary certification scheme for beaches and marinas that operating in Europe by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE) since 1980's.
The coveted eco-label is awarded to beaches meeting strict environmental criteria. Among the criteria is that the beaches also be open to the general public. More than 3,300 beaches and marinas across Europe, South Africa, Canada and the Caribbean have been given a Blue Flag designation.
According to a government announcement, the National Center for the Development and Promotion of Non-Profit Associations will begin to function. Among the Center's medium-term objectives is the handling of funding applications. The deputy minister of Planning, Guarocuya Felix told Diario Libre reporters that the Center will be responsible for putting into practice all the systems for the supervision and assignation of funding for the NGOs. He pointed out that all that is currently done in terms of NGO supervision is a report on how the money was spent and an occasional audit. Once the Center is fully operational, the NGOs will have to account for what is being done with the resources that are being spent.
The Teo Cruz Sports Stadium is the place for motorcycle owners to go and get their licenses. The Ministry of Public Works and the Traffic Department are handling the paperwork. The theme of the program is "Motorcyclist, show your license!" Victor Diaz Rua, the Minister of Public Works, said that this is the first time that motorcyclists would get licenses, and be legal. In order to facilitate the operation the government is providing a subsidy of RD$1,450 of the new RD$2,750 license fee. Motorcyclists will only have to pay RD$700 for their papers. There are over a million motorcycles in the Dominican Republic. One motorcyclist was very happy. It seems that he would only have to come up with RD$200 for his new license, since he got a RD$500 credit for attending the PLD meeting last Sunday in which Leonel Fernandez was officially declared the party's presidential candidate. The program will be extended to other provinces in the coming months. The licensing plan also includes providing motorcyclists with a driver's education manual and tests to establish their blood type. They also will have to take tests prior to receiving their driving license.
Rafael Tobia Crespo, director general of the Traffic Department, said that there are 1.3 million motors in circulation. But the Department of Taxes (DGII) says that only 4,523 persons have been issued licenses to drive the motorcycles. Tobia Crespo said that motorcyclists are responsible for 70% of the traffic accidents, according to the statistics at the Dario Contreras (Santo Domingo) and Juan Bosch (La Vega) trauma centers.
Banana growers in the northwestern Cibao Valley between Santiago to Montecristi are waiting for the government assistance that they were promised following the floods caused by Tropical Storms Noel and Olga. The disastrous release of water from the Tavera Dam was seen as the major contributor to the loss of the area's most profitable crop. The president of the Dominican Banana Growers Association (Adobanano), Eddy Cabrera, told reporters that on 28 January he saw a notice in the papers that said that the banana growers had not completed the necessary paperwork for the approval of the new RD$400 million loan. Cabrera stated that the association had filed the paperwork with the Agricultural Bank on time. According to Cabrera, the loan was due to special circumstances, including three floods and seven tornadoes in one of the country's principal farming regions. After the flooding caused by the opening of the Tavera Dam floodgates, banana exports fell by 50%, which in economic terms means a loss of US$30 million. The association reported that 78,000 tareas of land (a little over 3,000 hectares) were affected by the floodwaters. One particularly worrying consequence of the flooding is that the Dominican Republic had become a leading supplier of organic bananas to the European market, but with the loss of the crop, buyers are seeking other suppliers.
Faced with increasing losses due to the Haitian ban on Dominican poultry products, local farmers are lowering their production guidelines for the coming month. According to Hoy newspaper, the Association of Poultry Producers of the North (Asopollon), local producers will restrict their output to supply just the local markets. The Minister of Agriculture, Salvador Jimenez, announced the purchase of a million frozen chickens and the surplus eggs. These products will be sold at government subsidized markets around the country. Jimenez added that he hoped that diplomatic conversations with the Preval government in Haiti as well as with the Venezuelan and Cuban governments would lead to favorable results. According to some estimates, Dominican poultry farmers have lost as much as US$1.5 million since the 7 January ban was announced.
Father Regino Martinez, director of the Servicio Jesuita a Refugiados y Migrantes in the border city of Dajabon, attributed the Haitian ban to commercial interests of Haitian politicians. He said that groups of Haitian merchants seek to control their domestic markets.
The Haina Industrial Association (AEIH) is proposing a new structure for the National Education Council, to include business representatives and people who are genuinely concerned about education. In their proposal the industrialists also suggest that whoever is appointed to the post of Minister of Education should not be affiliated to any political party in order to promote decisions through consensus and with the participation of all sectors. The proposal also suggests that the minister should be appointed for three years, with just one renewal, after an open and transparent review of performance on the job. The AEIH worked out the proposals with the upcoming presidential elections in mind, listing what they consider to be the major issues facing the nation. To that end, they recommended that the 2009 budget assign 4% of the GDP to education, and that this sum should be increased by 1% per year, up to 7% of the GDP. The industrialists pointed out that the ministry traditionally gets what it calls "budgetary charity", yet even some of this charity is siphoned off through transfers to other ministries.
Among other proposals made by the association are the de-politicization of the Dominican Teachers' Association, and the practice of submitting teachers to an evaluation process. Of course a major salary increase would come with such changes, and automatic promotions and overcrowded classrooms would be a thing of the past. They also proposed a full school day and more languages and sports. Even Drivers Ed would become a part of the curriculum.
The treasury office of the Social Security Department (TSS) has promised that today or tomorrow they would pay the local HMOs and health insurers the funds that correspond to January. The National District Medical Association has threatened to strike if the money is not forthcoming. According to Social Security Department treasurer Henry Sadhala, once the issues over the Resolution 147-07 were settled and the unions withdrew their objections, the way was cleared for payments to the HMOs and the insurers. With Resolution 148-08, which replaces the former resolution, medical fees remain the same, the HMOs will get their money based on the collections under the former scheme, which is RD$620 rather than the RD$483.33 under a previous resolution (146-07). According to Sadhala, as soon as the HMOs hand in their invoices, the TSS will start the check processing. Some HMOs say that they do not bill the TSS but conduct all their transactions through Unipago, a process similar to PayPal. The vice-president of the HMO association (ADARS) told El Caribe reporters that the HMOs are waiting for a RD$900 million disbursal by the end of the month.
The Santiago Citizens Commission that was put together as a private initiative to look into the handling of the Tavera Dam in the days and hours before the release of more than fifty million gallons of water all at once, which caused more than 100 deaths and billions in financial damage, has issued its findings. One of the main recommendations was that the Emergency Operation Manual for the country's dams needed to be revised and updated. The commission's final conclusion was that there had been negligence in the handling of the six floodgates that were opened in a panic move last 11 and 12 December. The commission was composed of Rafael Corominas, Orlando Franco, Osiris de Leon, Ervin Vargas, Danilo Gonzalez, Rolando Martinez, Roberto Suriel, Carlos Manuel Estrella, Jose Devarez and Emmanuel Castillo. The 150-page report reveals that the six floodgates were not opened gradually, two by two, as required in the current manual, but rather suddenly, all at once, releasing as much as 6,000 cubic meters of water each second (1.584 million gallons per second). The report says, "Upon seeing that at 10:00 o'clock at night the water level in the lake had reached the 326 MASL (meters above sea level) mark, and that it was still raining heavily, the correct move was to inform Civil Defense and the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) in order to evacuate the residents in the areas close to the Yaque River banks, and begin dumping 500 cubic meters per second from the dam". The civilian commission's report was produced before the official government commission has even held one full session, according to commentators from Diario Libre.
For the complete report, see http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=88712
State of the art security technology in place at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino led to the capture of Miguel Alexander Balbi Bonetti. Bonetti, who identified himself as tourism studies university student and son of a military. The camera enabled the hotel security to have proof of the 26-year old man's violating the hotel room. He was detained upon leaving the hotel by security personnel and then arrested by the Department of Criminal Investigations of the Police where he was searched. Bonetti would check if rooms were occupied by knocking on guest rooms supposedly to deliver roses. If there was not a response, he was known to penetrate the room walk away with items of value. Public relations manage rof the hotel, George Perez Sanchez said that the new security system is part of general remodeling of the hotel.
"Hey, have you seen a gray Toyota Corolla?" the man, knowing he was forgetful, was not sure where he had left his car in a large Santo Domingo parking lot. Of course, nobody, especially the armed guards assigned to the lot, knew anything. His car was gone, another stolen vehicle, one of an average 223 stolen each month. Parking lots at large stores like Carrefour, PriceSmart and Nacional, as well as the university are prime feeding grounds for the gangs that steal cars and trucks. To top things off, these businesses claim to have no responsibility for what happens in their lots. Cars and motorcycles are the prime targets, with a total of over 1,600 stolen each month. The stolen vehicles are equipped with fake registrations and passed on to unwitting buyers, or they are dismantled in "chop shops" and sold for parts. According to Listin Diario, Toyota Corollas, Honda Civics and Mitsubishis are the three models most popular with the thieves. The average citizen is at the mercy of the thieves since the businesses deny responsibility for what happens on their property, and the municipality says that it is only responsible for public areas.
Super Pola supermarket has 35% on fruits and vegetables.
La Cadena supermarket has Barcelo tomatoes and broccoli selling for $9.95lb, red apples for $24.95lb and papaya for $6.95lb.
Nacional supermarkets are advertising 40% off on potatoes, and 20% off other fruits and vegetables, plus $59.95 for 30 units of eggs, and $32.95lb of fresh poultry.
Ferreteria Popular is advertising a supersale on its Werner ladders.
United States citizens who wish to vote in the Democratic primaries may do so via the Internet or by fax. The president of the Overseas Democratic Party in the Dominican Republic, Leo Perez Minaya, told El Caribe reporters that although the voting process used to be complicated, things would be simpler in 2008. Perez Minaya said that voting centers would be set up in 34 countries and that the overseas vote is becoming more important each year. Any registered Democrat can go online and request a ballot at www.votefromabroad.org. Twenty-two delegates are assigned to the overseas Democratic Party organization at the convention.
Renaissance Jaragua Hotel & Casino announced the live transmission this Sunday, 3 February of the 52nd Super Bowl as of 5pm. The Jaragua is selling tickets for the football show that will be shown on a giant screen at their Teatro La Fiesta. Those interested should book early, as tickets go fast. The Super Bowl will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The Super Bowl will be televised by Fox to an estimated audience of 140 million viewers in the United States. This year the New England Patriots match the New York Giants. During half time, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, one of the American rock legends, will perform. The group has sold more than 50 million records since releasing their debut album in 1976.
Major League Baseball announces that the three newest members of the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame will be enshrined this weekend during the opening of the Caribbean Series in Santiago.
Dominican Winston Llenas, Puerto Rican Dickie Thon and Venezuelan Ubaldo Heredia were voted in by journalists, radio and television broadcasters, as well as baseball historians from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Each received at least the minimum 75 points to secure their enshrinement. There are now 52 members representing six countries in the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame.
Thon played shortstop in four Caribbean Series, hitting .318 with 29 RBIs in 91 at-bats. His third appearance in the Caribbean Series came in 1983 and his fourth 10 years later. A 15-year Major League veteran, Thon hit .264 with 193 doubles and 42 triples with the Angels, Astros, Padres, Phillies, Rangers and Brewers, starting in 1979. He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner in 1983. He received 98 points.
Llenas was a championship infielder, coach, manager, general manager and president of Aguilas Cibaenas during his career. He played in 15 games in three Caribbean Series, hitting .327 during that span. He hit .230 in 300 Major League games during six seasons with the Angels, starting in 1968, and excelled as a pinch-hitter. He received 108 points.
Heredia, a right-hander, played in four Caribbean Series. He won two games in seven appearances (22 1/3 innings) pitching for Venezuela's La Guaira. He pitched one season in the Major Leagues, going 0-1 with six strikeouts and 5.40 ERA for Montreal in 1987. He received 75 points.
Notable members of the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame include Willie Mays (U.S.), Davey Concepcion (Venezuela), Rod Carew (Panama), Hector Espino (Mexico), Victor Pellot (Puerto Rico), Rico Carty and Manny Mota (Dominican Republic), and Camilo Pascual and Oreste "Minnie" Minosa (Cuba).
The 50th annual Caribbean Series starts on Saturday and continues through 7 February at the Cibao Stadium, with one team each from Venezuela and Mexico, and two from the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico did not have Winter League play this year.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080129...
Aguilas Cibaenas manager Felix Fermin announced the roster for the team that will wear the Dominican Republic uniform in the Caribbean Series. So far, he is counting on catcher Bryan Pena, first baseman Mendy Lopez, Rafael Furcal in second base, Miguel Tejada in the shortstop, Edwin Encarnacion in third base, Luis Polonia in the left field, Freddy Guzman in the center field, Victor Diaz and Alexis Gomez will play the right field.
Fermin lead the Aguilas to win the Caribbean Series last year.
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008. DR1. All Rights Reserved.