JULY 2008

Change of civil servants in the airports

Changes in the security services in Samaná

The chief of the Specialized Body of Airport Security (CESA) made important changes in the structures and the commands of this organization in five of the principal international airports.

Although Major Juan Bautista Rojas Tabar, chief of the CESA defines these changes as common, the latter occurred when soldiers and police officers named in the airports, are subject to investigations on the drug and money traffic.

For the province of Samaná, Rojas Tabar introduced changes in the security services. He appointed Colonel Tulio Liriano Mata as representative in the airport of Arroyo Barril of Samaná. Liriano Mata replaces Colonel Jesús Maria Castillo Torres who was designated by Rojas Tabar as security representative in El Catey international airport, also in the zone of Samaná.

Colonel Otto Martínez was named by the chief of CESA as representative of the Intelligence Department of this military institution, to replace the Lieutenant Colonel Ramón Blandino Ven, to whom Rojas did not assign new functions.

Colonel Tulio Liriano was also named as director of the mess of the soldiers of the airport of Arroyo Barril, while the technical captain of the Air force, Jose Burgos Merejo, was designed by Rojas Tabar at the CESA Transports Operations direction in Las Américas airport in Santo Domingo.

The changes which occurred within the military commands of CESA in five of the principal airports of the country took place 48 hours after the chief of the organization, Major Juan Bautista Rojas Tabar, carried out an inspection through the air terminals.

El Viajero Digital, by Diógenes Tejada, 03.07.08

Chevron ordeal reaches aviation

Fuel transport conflict

Developments in the Chevron fuel transport conflict are cause for concern at some of the nation’s airports.

Airport Department director Andres Vanderhorst says that the fuel transporter’s boycott is beginning to affect airports.

Listin Diario reports that yesterday drivers stationed their vehicles at the entrance of the Chevron refinery in Haina impeding entrance or exit from the premises.

Vanderhorst says that Chevron, that bought Texaco’s operations in the DR, provides 20% of the aviation fuel for the airport in Santo Domingo, 15% of the fuel for Puerto Plata, 100% of the fuel for Santiago and El Catey and 50% of the fuel for Punta Cana.

Vanderhorst says the El Catey airport only has enough fuel to last until Monday.

Vanderhorst said he would meet with the president of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (REFIDOMSA) to discuss the situation. The issue is over the rescinding of five contracts that canceled 25 transporters and affected 50 contractors associated with the SACTPA fuel tankers union.

Chevron insists on the right to transport their fuel in their own units, arguing this is established in the DR-CAFTA agreement. So far, unionized truckers have monopolized the contracts.

DR1, 07.07.08

Sectur will reclassify the hotels

Beginning of the National System of Hotel Classification from July 31

The Secretariat of Tourism (Sectur) will start from next July 31, to apply the System of Hotel Classification (SNCH), which will allow homogenizing and harmonizing the hotels of the country with the international standards.

Through the resolution 163-08, the organization establishes that the categories derived from preceding processes of classification are completely invalidated until they are not reclassified according to the new parameters.

It underlined as any promotion of hotel of the country, as well as the national level as at the international, will not be included in any category until they are classified and duly certified by Sectur within the framework of the SNCH.

The resolution initialed by the secretary of Tourism Felix Jiménez, was emitted because the category granted to the tourist establishments is now obsolete according to the international quality parameters, and because Sectur is an institution in charge to program, to organize, to direct, to support, to coordinate and to evaluate the policies implemented by the laws and the Executive power regarding tourist matter.

The Consortium responsible to control the hotels (ECA-IQ Consortium) was selected in last February to work out the Conception project and Application of the SNCH, after a process of offers started in June 2007, and received the approval of the Hotels and Restaurants National Association (Asonahores) and of the National Council of Competitiveness.

The project has a partial financing of the Inter-American Bank of Development (BID) through the Funds National of Competitiveness (Fondec).

To start, there will be the residences, restaurants and hotel installations of Santo Domingo, Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, La Romana-Bayahibe, Punta Cana-Bavaro, Samaná, Puerto Plata, Río San Juan and Santiago which will be evaluated, according to the official statement of Sectur.

Diario Digital, 08.07.08

The « LIVE » Websites extend their national cover

15 new sites on the Dominican Republic from September 1rst.

After Santo Domingo, Santiago, Las Terrenas, Samaná and Dominican Republic, the « LIVE » Websites are upgrading their communication and their extension in the country with the new Websites of Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Bávaro, La Romana and Las Galeras as from September 1rst.

The transfer of the 15 existing sites on a new and more powerful server better adapted to the future prospects of the « LIVE » Websites obliged us this to stop putting online and we apologize for these inconveniences.

Fron now on, you will find our news and information services and they will be not less than 30 « LIVE » sites which will be online as of September 1rst to inform you on the Dominican Republic, area by area and city by city.

We wish you a good surf ! Thanks you for visiting us.

LIVE Websites staff, 10.07.08

The BHD opens a new branch in the tourist city of Samaná

Quality in the personalized service

SAMANÁ. A new Dominican branch of the BHD bank was inaugurated in this city, this taking part of its expansion and innovation policy in all the country.

The opening ceremony of the banking agency was directed by the executive vice-president of the bank, José Luis Alonso; the vice-president of the branch’s network, Luis Lembert; the vice-president of the Northern zone, Manuela Calderón and by the director of the branch, Fabio Mejía.

The deacon Emilio Rosario, by achieving the blessing, wished a lot of success to the personnel of the local office, located in the Malecón Avenue in Bahía Príncipe Plaza, one of the commercial main streets of the city.

Alonso, who made the central speech of the ceremony, underlined that one of the main features of the organization was its capacity of searching for new business spaces as well as the quality of its personalized service that he considered as one of the keys of his growth.

From today we have at your disposal our personalized attention, he expressed.

Hoy Digital, by Erica Guzmán, 10.07.08

Samaná, a great Dominican destination

Paradise for sea lovers

The Bay of Samaná is located in the picturesque area of the North-East of the Dominican Republic, in an environment which will allow its visitors to find the perfect balance between ecology, beach, international shops, restaurants and entertainment.

The Bay of Samaná is a paradise for nautical activities enthusiasts, with tens of virgin white sand beaches.

During many years, it was estimated that this destination deserved better developments because it has the conditions for a rational tourist running, respectful of the local communities and of the environment.

Samaná has everything to be an excellent destination: its landscape, its local culture, (without forgetting its multicultural food), the visit of the humpback whales, the people attitude, the geographical position and spaces for the installation of high level projects and real tourism.

It is an Asian hotel firm, the Angsana name, which realizes this potential with a much more high level project than the “all inclusive” hotels; more directed towards a national and international of middle-class public.

The great project is Hôtel Angsana Bay and Spa, which will consist of 200 suites and villas, with an emblematic Angsana Spa, culinary experiences composed by international chiefs and of installations of international category for conferences and meetings.

Respect of the environment

The persons in charge of the project keep in mind the respect of the environment as a dynamic company which discovers opportunities of investment and expansion on growth markets and with elements of sustainable development.

The company is committed in the conservation of the rich natural environment of Samaná, with the active contribution of the integral economic development of the area through the creation of hundreds of direct jobs in the sector.In addition to the vast work offer, the commitment includes much more and considers also the creation of the first school of hotel formation of the country to develop the professional abilities of its inhabitants affirms a document of definition of the project.

Nexus RD chose Samaná for the beauty of the area, but as well as for the important opening of the new highway of 110 km which connects Santo Domingo and the peninsula of Samaná.

Samaná is being now one of the closest and attractive beach areas for Santo Domingo.

The recent opening of El Catey Intenational Airport also gave a lift to the Samaná area.

El Nacional, 11.07.08

Tourism

Growth of the charter flights

The method of the charter flights charter is growing in the country, specifically in the non conventional airports. From the total of the passengers (2.415.349) residents and not residents, who traveled to Dominican Republic between January and June of this year, 838.031 made it through a charter flight charter, which represents 28 percent.

While a total of 1.568.468 traveled by regular flights and that 8.850 visitors arrived in the countries by other means, according to Central Bank data.

Although it is still the regular flights which dominate, the difference is of 730.437 passengers.

But if we analyzes these data by airports, at Puerto Plata 171.905 visitors arrived by the charter method while 165.242 by regular flight; in La Romana, 100.239 traveled by charter and 19.556 in regular flight and in the El Catey Samaná airport, 29.367 prefer the charter against 7.896 with regular flights.

In Punta Cana, the figures of the passengers traveling by charter flights and regular flights are almost the same, 524.702 and 526.656, respectively.

There is only in the International airport of Las Américas, of Cibao and La Isabela that the number of passengers by regular flights is higher.

The charter flights are voyages which are not subjected to commercial schedules.

They can transport a group of exclusive passengers or be used to transport a great number of foreign visitors who acquired tourist packages.

In Dominican Republic the charter functions with this last method, since the majority of tourists is buying their voyage through a tour operator who offer tourist packages which generally include the flight, the transfers to the hotel and other activities out of the complex.

The charter flights also allow covering the strong demand which takes place during the high season (winter).

Listín Diario, by Denisse Cepeda, 14.07.08

Prevention Plan for the Bajo Yuna area

The UNO coordinates the initiative through the United Nations Development Program

The United Nations (UNO) carries out a Prevention and Preparation program to face the catastrophes in the zone of Bajo Yuna, financed by the European Union at a cost of 6.6 million euros.

The plan, which seeks to prevent that the inhabitants of five provinces are again flooded by the Yuna River, is carried out and coordinated by the UNO through the Program of the United Nations for Development (UNDP).

The director of the Civil Defense, Luis Antonio Luna Paulino, explained that with the realization of this work, the Bajo Yuna ceased to be the most easily flooded and threatened zone of the country.

It was one year and half ago that the project conceived over three years started to develop, with the helps of the National Office for the European Development Funds.

In addition to Civil defense, the action involves other State institutions, among which the secretariats of Public health and Environment and the Dominican Red Cross.

The goal of the work of these organizations is to decrease the human, social and economic losses, and the damage on the environment.

The European Union and the UNDP seek to strengthen the institutions of State, in order they can inform, prepare, plan and answer the risk of catastrophe in an early and effective way.

Main goals

a) Information:

To establish information systems to plan, to anticipate and answer the catastrophes adequately.

b) Preparation:

To improve the assistance to the victims thanks to a decentralized, more effective and adequate answer to the needs of the Communities.

c) Prevention:

To reduce the vulnerability of the country in front of the catastrophes with preventive measures by using State resources with an analysis of risks and a greater control of the forest fires.

Beneficiaries

It is the fourth prevention plan in the area of Bajo Yuna.

The five beneficiary provinces are María Trinidad Sánchez, Sánchez Ramírez, Salcedo, San Francisco de Macorís and Samaná.

Luna Paulino said that they are strengthening the Community networks set up one year ago by the Dominican Red Cross.

He explained that Civil defense continues a new project to improve the life of people in these five highly vulnerable provinces of the northern area.

Hoy Digital, by Llenis Jiménez, 16.07.08

The beauty of the Peninsula of Samaná

Samaná experimented a tourist awakening since the last century

There are thousands years, the peninsula of Samaná was separated from the island of Hispaniola by an arm of sea which made communicate the two bays, but strong sedimentations of Río Yuna little by little recovered this channel, until to transform it into dry land and to give the opportunity, at the century XXI, to prepare the peninsula for a tourist explosion with a promising and profitable development.

Since the middle of second half of the last century, the peninsula of Samaná felt its tourist awakening, since in 1968, one carried out important urban transformations, the largest which had never been undertaken to date.

One built a road from Nagua which gave access to what was at the time an embryo of a tourist pole.

The construction of the road of Las Terrenas to El Limón and Samaná, then the road to Las Galeras, created the conditions making it possible to benefit from the paradisiacal beauties of the zone.

The failed construction of the Arroyo Barril Airport, by its inadequate situation and the seaport of the same name, did not discourage the authorities and the contractors and they built El Catey Airport a few years ago.

There was at the same time an urban renovation in Samaná with the beautiful Victorian village, which is the mole attraction. The hotels in Las Galeras and original hotels like that of Cayo Levantado formed the infrastructures so that the international airport is functional with the arrival of many visitors, who unfortunately undergo the disadvantage of roads in bad condition, like that connecting Sánchez to Las Terrenas.

It is indubitable that the attractions which nature sowed on this peninsula made it possible to the men to benefit from all their width and it is necessary that they do it with a harmonious development, by providing the essential infrastructure, especially with the hotel rooms offer to exceed the 2.100 rooms currently available.

The situation is very different that which it was in the Nineties with bad hotel conditions and a precarious access.

It is important that the greed does not obsess those who have the responsibility to ensure the tourism of the peninsula.

When the construction of the aqueduct will be terminated and that the Rincón de Molinillos-Las Terrenas-Samaná road will be in good conditions, then great real investments and new hotels will be assured, projects which are today in gestation will propose the necessary infrastructures to accommodate all those who saw in the beauties of Samaná, the best occasion to rest and to know the tropical Caribbean.

Hoy Digital, by Fabio. R. Herrera-Miniño, 17.07.08

Santo Domingo- Samaná Highway

Second asphalt layer

In the next days, the Autopista del Nordeste Company, agent of the Santo Domingo-Samaná road, will start to put the second asphalt layer on the road in order to complete the work.

This information was given by the secretary of Public works, Víctor Díaz Rúa, who defended the toll price to be paid by the users of this way to go to Samaná and to other localities of the area.

Díaz Rúa stressed that this road held the made promises at the beginning of its construction.

He supported that although the users must pay around 700 pesos of toll from Santo Domingo to Samaná and vice versa, they save time and distance, in addition to approximately 900 pesos per voyage.

If you made an analysis, to use this road is a real saving, without speaking about the deterioration of the vehicle and the time, you save 900 pesos per way, we speak now of about 100 kilometers against almost 300 before, Díaz Rúa supported.

He specified that starting from year 2011, the State would start to receive benefits from this road and, when the concession which is of 30 years will be terminated, the State should have perceived approximately 900 million dollars, product of its investment in the road, in addition to the fact that it will be the administrator.

Listín Diario, by Viviano de León, 21.07.08

4 earthquakes in DR

In Miches and Samaná

At least four earthquakes between 3 and 4 degrees on the Ritchter scale occurred in front of the coasts of Miches and Samaná between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the data of the United States Geological Service (USGS).

The first of 3.4 Ritchter degrees occurred at 18.8 degrees latitude north and 68.4 degrees longitude west, on the coast of Miches, at 06:44 p.m on July 22.

A second was recorded at 18.9 degrees latitude north and 68 degrees longitude west, in front of Cabo Cabrón in Samaná, on the open sea at 11:11 p.m the night of Tuesday, with 2.6 degrees on the Ritchter scale.

The third occurred at 1:35 a.m yesterday, of 3.4 degrees on the Richter scale. And the fourth with 3 degrees was recorded at 2:26 a.m yesterday too.

The day before yesterday, two earthquakes have been recorded on the coast of Cabo Engaño between 9:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m.

Listín Diario, 24.07.08

Photo Contest in Samaná

Objective: That people are more interested in one of the most beautiful areas of the country

« Depict the best of Samaná » is the name of the first contest of photography on the province of Samaná, an initiative of the Cuesta Nacional Center(CCN) and the Casa de Teatro which will be intended to underline the natural, cultural and gastronomical wealth of this beautiful and important tourist area.

The details of the competition were announced last Tuesday by Jose Miguel González, president of the CCN; Vicky Malla, vice-president of Social responsibility and Businesses Corporative and Freddy Ginebra, president of the Casa de Teatro, in the Forum Pedro Mir of the Cuesta bookshop.

Jose Miguel González indicated that this contest will be focused in each edition on a specific zone of the country.

The contest

The authors will have to deposit their work with their personal data in a closed envelope.

Will be able to participate, without distinction, all the Dominicans as from 18 year-old and the foreigners with more than three years of residence in the country.

Hoy Digital, 25.07.08

Miami authorities to help improve health in Dominican fishing zones

The study will begin in Samaná

The Public Health Ministry and the University of Miami met today to begin implementing a project to improve the health in Dominican Republic’s fishing zones.

The head of Miami Hospital’s medicine department , the Dominican Héctor Jiménez said the university has conducted research on sexualy-transmitted diseases such as HIV-AIDS, and support for the development of fishing in other countries, and seeks to design a similar project in this country.

The project includes a field study to determine the needs in these zones and possible solutions to the deficiencies found, to contribute equipment to the fishermen, to create core leaders and improve health in these zones, said the Miami University’s representatives.

They said the study will begin in Barahona (southwest), La Romana (east) and Samaná (northeast), although they’ve already visited the zones in San Pedro (east) to observe the situation there.

According to the research Dominican Republic’s HIV AIDS infection rate has fallen considerably, though a minimum percentage still remains. They said among their first plans are to attain links with the communities to identify the leaders, lower the disease levels and improve their economy. The Public Health Ministry’s representatives said they’ll provide follow-up to this project, to work altogether and determine the department that’ll coordinate with the others in that department.

Taking part in the gathering in addition to Jiménez, who heads this project for the Dominican Republic, were Public Health vice minister Héctor Otero and Miami University representatives Michael Kalber and Edward Trapido, and Health managers of that Florida city.

Dominican Today, 28.07.08

Convention to regulate whales hunting

To protect all the whales’ species

The Executive power sent to the Senate at ends of ratification the International Convention for the whale hunting regulation.

This Convention was signed on December 2, 1946.

The letter of the Executive power explains that Dominican Republic is one of the rare places in the world visited by the whales to mate and to give birth and that this fact commits the nation to provide the necessary tools for the protection of these splendid mammals.

The letter also explains that the whale hunting is undergoing an over-exploitation on a world level, while leading consequently to the disappearance of several species at a such point that it became necessary to protect all the whales species.

The Dominican Republic always had a position of protection of these marine mammals, as written in decree 233-96, of July 3, 1996 which founds the Sanctuary of Marine Mammals; express the letter of the Executive power.

Diario Libre, 31.07.08