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Monday, April 4, 2016

Puerto Rico News Digest for April 4, 2016


BOXER DE JESUS KILLED IN HATO REY

















Boxer Alex 'El Pollo' De Jesus was murdered at approximately 5:46 AM on
Sunday on Belmonte Street, located in the San Jose neighborhood of Hato
Rey, as reported by Metro PR. Police came to the area after receiving calls
reporting gunshots in the area. When they arrived, they found De Jesus's bo-
dy, which showed several bullet wounds. The motive and perpetrators are so
far unknown. De Jesus was 33 years old and left prison in 2014 after serving
four years for a domestic violence conviction.


UNION PREZ ALLEGES GDB PRIVATIZATION


From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The president of the Independent Union of the Government Development
Bank of Puerto Rico, María Teresa Rodríguez, said Thursday that an orches-
trated agenda has existed since last year to privatize the bank with a “delivery
of accounts of the Government Development Bank to Banco Popular.” “The
Government Development Bank [GDB] is one of the most important public
corporations in the country and a motor of economic development on the is-
land,” Rodríguez said in a press release. “The GDB was always a profi table
and sustainable corporation. But the operational part of the bank has been
neglected to such a degree that it has fallen into a liquidity problem because
it has $6.5 billion in accounts receivable and lines of credit to agencies and
corporations as of December 31, 2015...”


SANDERS CAMPAIGN HAS FIRST PR MEETING


From Caribbean Business:

"The first meeting in Puerto Rico of campaign volunteers for Democratic
presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders was held Saturday night with the
presence of hundreds of supporters from all over the island. During a pre-
sentation led by Betsy Franceschini, regional director for Voto Latino Ber-
nie 2016, a video on Sanders’ campaign principles was played. “As a Bori-
cua, I am proud to return to the island for this campaign. We have been im-
migrants and have learned to fight to protect our rights. For Puerto Rico, San-
ders represents the struggle for a just economy, with the creation of jobs, rai-
sing the minimum wage, health care excellence and educational opportunities
for all,” Franceschini said. She said Sanders “has financed his campaign with
funds from ordinary people, not special interests. The average donation is $27
per donor. That shows who is Bernie...”


PR AGRICULTURE SECTOR A BRIGHT SPOT


From News Is My Business:

"Mired in recession and awaiting a fix for its huge debt crisis, Puerto Rico has
one bright spot in the local economy: Agriculture. With help from the govern-
ment, this sector is contributing new jobs, income, and agricultural products
that are boosting the island’s tenuous food security. Gross agricultural income
rose 24 percent from $739 million in Fiscal Year 2012 to $919 million in Fiscal
2014, the highest income ever reported, according to Secretary of Agriculture
Myrna Comas Pagan. In 2015, “we reached 8,000 new jobs in agriculture. That
sets a precedent,” she said..."


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