NewsWhore
11-01-2007, 06:20 PM
In mid-September this year, the government approved a supplement to the National Budget, authorizing RD$2 billion for a fund for national disasters. The funds were set aside from a surplus in tax revenues generated by the tax reform implemented as of January 2007 that gave the government a windfall of resources.
In addition to that amount, yesterday President Leonel Fernandez gave the green light to centralized and decentralized government departments to make purchases over US$200 million without fulfilling tender requirements. A clause within the procurement law in effect enables the government to shed tender requirements in the case of national disasters. The facility will remain in effect for 30 days, according to Decree 627-07, issued yesterday.
For more details on Procurement Law 49-06, go to http://64.233.169.104/... (http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:B6GE0M153KUJ:www.suprema.gov.do/pdf/leyes/2006/Ley_449-06.pdf+Ley+449-06&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us)
The Presidency website says that the government is seeking emergency loans from the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative in the DR has said that they would donate US$200,000 to relief efforts and that there is a US$500 million fund that can be drawn upon in order to help rebuild affected areas. Moises Pineda said that the IDB has a procedure in these situations and that the first stage includes working with local authorities and civil society officials.
Pineda said that since loans take time to be disbursed, the focus now is speed up the process of giving out loan money that has already been approved. Also, EUR10 million from the European Union that was originally budgeted for other purposes will be used towards rebuilding roads, with an additional EUR6.5million that had been designated for a disaster prevention program in the lower Yuna river basin. These announcements were made by Economy & Planning Minister Temistocles Montas, after a meeting with high-ranking government officials at the Presidential Palace, the diplomatic corps, international financing organizations and international cooperation agencies.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)
In addition to that amount, yesterday President Leonel Fernandez gave the green light to centralized and decentralized government departments to make purchases over US$200 million without fulfilling tender requirements. A clause within the procurement law in effect enables the government to shed tender requirements in the case of national disasters. The facility will remain in effect for 30 days, according to Decree 627-07, issued yesterday.
For more details on Procurement Law 49-06, go to http://64.233.169.104/... (http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:B6GE0M153KUJ:www.suprema.gov.do/pdf/leyes/2006/Ley_449-06.pdf+Ley+449-06&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us)
The Presidency website says that the government is seeking emergency loans from the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative in the DR has said that they would donate US$200,000 to relief efforts and that there is a US$500 million fund that can be drawn upon in order to help rebuild affected areas. Moises Pineda said that the IDB has a procedure in these situations and that the first stage includes working with local authorities and civil society officials.
Pineda said that since loans take time to be disbursed, the focus now is speed up the process of giving out loan money that has already been approved. Also, EUR10 million from the European Union that was originally budgeted for other purposes will be used towards rebuilding roads, with an additional EUR6.5million that had been designated for a disaster prevention program in the lower Yuna river basin. These announcements were made by Economy & Planning Minister Temistocles Montas, after a meeting with high-ranking government officials at the Presidential Palace, the diplomatic corps, international financing organizations and international cooperation agencies.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)