Puerto Rico News Digest For February 19, 2016

MAN KILLED IN ISLA VERDE HIT & RUN

A 43-year-old Nebraska man identified by police as Justin Zakrzewski was killed
last night as he attempted to cross Román Baldorioty de Castro Expressway in Isla
Verde. Zakrzewski was struck by a car in the San Juan-bound lanes of Baldorioty
de Castro shortly after 4:00 AM. The driver did not stop. The Expressway was shut
down by police at around 7:30 AM. Anyone with information which could lead to
the driver who struck Zakrzewski is encouraged to call Puerto Rico Police at 787-
343-2020.

HOUSE HEARINGS ON PR SCHEDULED FOR FEB. 25

From Caribbean Business:

"On Feb. 25, the eighth and ninth congressional hearings on Puerto Rico
will be held. The first hearing, entitled “Puerto Rico’s Debt Crisis and
Its Impact on the Bond Markets,” will be held by the House Committee on
Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, at 10
a.m. Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi has been invited to participate
in the hearing. The witnesses for the hearing are expected to be announced
in the coming days. The second hearing, “The U.S. Department of the Trea-
sury’s Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico,” will be a full committee hea-
ring before the House Natural Resources Committee, and is currently also
scheduled for 10 a.m. Pierluisi will also be participating in the discussion."

PR DUE TO IMPORT ALL BLOOD DUE TO ZIKA

From Reuters:

"New guidelines barring the collection of blood in areas with outbreaks of the
 mosquito-borne Zika virus will be put to the test first in cash-strapped Puerto
Rico, where health officials have two weeks to start importing the island’s su-
pply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said earlier this week that areas
with active domestic transmission of Zika virus should stop collecting blood
locally. Puerto Rico has reported  a small number of cases of local transmission,
and U.S. health officials expect many thousands of residents to be infected once
the mosquito season reaches its peak this summer..."

FEDS CAPTURE 14 CUBANS ON MONA ISLAND

From Breitbart:

"The Air and Marine unit of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
service along with agents of the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 14 Cuban
refugees on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The Cubans had recently completed
a very dangers boat trip from Cuba through the treacherous Mona Passage...
Puerto Rican park rangers notified the Border Patrol station about the landing
of the boat with a group of illegal immigrants on-board. The boat was carrying
12 males and 2 females who all claimed to be Cuban nationals..."

T-MOBILE GROWS 10% IN 2015 IN PUERTO RICO

From News Is My Business:

"T-Mobile Puerto Rico executives said Thursday the wireless carrier experien-
ced a 10 percent growth on the island in 2015, while the industry as a whole
shrank by 2 percent. During the last quarter of the year, the carrier claims to
have achieved twice the sales of its nearest competitor...Washington-based pa-
rent company announced quarterly results this week, reporting a 1.1 percent in-
crease in total revenue during the fourth quarter of 2015, and an 8.4 percent jump
year-over-year for the 12-month period. The carrier reported adjusted EBITDA
of  $2.3 billion during the last quarter of 2015, and $7.4 billion for the year..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For February 1, 2016

SEVEN MURDERS OVER THE WEEKEND

Several killings over the weekend have driven the murder total in Puerto
Rico for the month of January to a total of 50. In Fajardo,  37-year-old Elis
M. Iglesia Rivera was shot to death at a pub around 10 PM on Sunday night.
A second man was injured in that shooting. Earlier that day, an anonymous
tip alerted Police to the murder of 26-year-old Ángel Núñez Hernández, who
was found dead on road PR-852 in Trujillo Alto. The other five killings regis-
tered this past weekend occured in Canóvanas, Cidra, Gurabo and Río Piedras,
where two murders were reported.

POLICE ARREST THREE IN PROSECUTOR MURDER

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Puerto Rico police arrested three suspects and are looking for a fourth in the
murder of San Juan prosecutor Francelis Ortiz Pagán, officials announced Thurs-
day. The motive of the murder was an attempted carjacking, said Police Super-
intendent José Caldero. The authorities declined to identify the suspects in cus-
tody until charges were formally filed in court, Caldero said. The fourth suspect
has been identified as Rafael Aponte Peña. Ortiz Pagán was shot once in the face
and once in the back when she arrived at her Río Grande home in a white Mini
Cooper just after midnight on Tuesday, Jan. 19..."

PR RELEASES DEBT RESTRUCTURING PLAN

From Caribbean Business:

"As previously anticipated by Caribbean Business, the Puerto Rico government
has made public its debt-restructuring plan, a voluntary exchange proposal that
would reduce the commonwealth’s tax-supported debt from $49.2 billion to $26.5
billion and provide debt-service relief during the next few years, according to a
government statement released Monday morning. The commonwealth is now pro-
posing to creditors that they exchange their existing bonds for two new types of
security: a base bond, with a fixed interest rate and an amortization schedule; and
a “growth bond,” which is payable only if government revenues exceed certain
levels. The new securities would also provide enhanced credit protections, such
as a commonwealth guarantee and statutory liens and pledges with respect  to cer-
tain revenues..."

US HOUSE HOLDS PR HEARING TOMORROW

From News Is My Business:

"The U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs
Committee will hold an oversight hearing on Feb. 2 to provide commentary on
a possible solution to the Puerto Rican debt crisis, emphasizing on improved
management policies and long-term sustainability...Witnesses will testify at this
hearing about the serious immediate challenges facing Puerto Rico and explore
possible short-term and long-term solutions, according to the memo the commi-
ttee chaired by Republican Rep. Don Young..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For January 20, 2016

NO ANGLES RULED OUT IN PROSECUTOR MURDER

From Caribbean Business:

"The Justice Department’s chief prosecutor, José Capó, is not ruling out
any angles in the investigation into the murder of Prosecutor Francelis
Ortiz Pagán, who was killed Tuesday morning when she arrived at her
home in Río Grande...Pagán Ortiz’s death occurred at around 1:30 a.m.
Capó said in a radio interview (WAPA) that the prosecutor received se-
veral bullet wounds while in her vehicle. The chief prosecutor said no
angle is being ruled out and that all the cases she had been working on
are being investigated. Capó explained that upon hearing the gunshots,
Fermín Arraiza came out of the house and fired at the attackers when he
saw his wife wounded. He then took her to the University of Puerto Rico
Hospital in Carolina. She was brought in dead..."

PUERTO RICO ON ZIKA WARNING LIST

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Puerto Rico was among the 14 countries included in a warning issued by
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta over the presence of the
mosquitoborne Zika virus. The first case of Zika in Puerto Rico was recor-
ded in December. A second case of a woman possibly infected in the Ca-
guas region has been detected. The symptoms developed after the woman
returned from a visit to New York. The CDC, which issued a level 2 or
“enhanced precaution” alert emphasized that the risk was greatest among
pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant..."

CONGRESS TO HOLD ANOTHER PR HEARING

From News Is My Business:

"The Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs of the U.S.
House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Jan. 26, to ana-
lyze Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis. It will be the seventh hearing on the Common-
wealth in recent months. Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi
said Tuesday he expects a legislative package for Puerto Rico will likely be
unveiled after the hearing entitled “The need for the establishment of a Puer-
to Rico financial stability and economic growth authority...”

EMPLOYEES HAVE MORE SICK LEAVE OPTIONS

From JDSUPRA:

"Effective December 31, 2015, all employers in Puerto Rico with at least 16
employees must allow eligible employees to use up to 5 paid sick leave days
to care for an ill spouse, parent, or child. Eligible employees are those covered
by the Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation, and Sick Leave Act (i.e., non-
exempt employees and outside salespersons). This new leave is also available
to care for the following ill individuals who are under the caregiver’s legal cus-
tody or guardianship: minors, persons who are 60 years of age or older, and dis-
abled individuals..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For December 2, 2015

GDB MEETS SCHEDULED DEBT PAYMENT

From Caribbean Business:

"The Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico (GDB) announced
Tuesday that it paid all principal and interest payments due Dec. 1 on cer-
tain outstanding GDB notes. In addition, the Gov. Alejandro García Padi-
lla signed Executive Order No. OE-2015-46, which provides that the co-
mmonwealth will begin to redirect certain revenues "in light of recently
revised revenue estimates and its deteriorating liquidity situation." Pursu-
ant to the order, certain available revenues that have been budgeted to pay
debt service on the debt of certain public corporations may be redirected,
pursuant to constitutional requirements, to pay public debt, or debt issued
or guaranteed by the commonwealth..."

US SENATE HOLDS ANOTHER PR HEARING

From The Hill:

"Puerto Rican officials struck a dire tone about the island’s fiscal state be-
fore lawmakers Tuesday as the territory flirts with a catastrophic default.
On the same day Puerto Rico was due to make a $355 million payment
on its general obligation bonds, island officials were in Washington again
urging lawmakers to provide support to the debt-burdened territory. “Let
us be clear, we have no cash left,” said Gov. Alejandro García Padilla be-
fore the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The emergency measures we have
taken to avoid default and maintain essential services are unsustainable...”

GOVERNOR MUM ON POLITICAL FUTURE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Gov. Alejandro García Padilla refused on Monday to talk about his politi-
cal future and said the government does not know yet if it will pay Christ-
mas bonuses to public workers. “The announcement will be made in due
course, when it is appropriate,”he said at a news conference. The governor
returned Saturday from a trip to Europe to promote investment in Puerto
Rico..."

COMPANIES ASK FOR XMAS BONUS WAIVER

From News Is My Business:

"About 950 Puerto Rico-based private-sector companies have asked the De-
partment of Labor and Human Resources to be exempted from paying this
year’s Christmas bonus, the agency revealed Tuesday. This year’s prelimi-
nary number exceeds last year’s applications by 86, the agency’s Labor
Standards division further said..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For November 13, 2015

33 CHARGED WITH TRAFFICKING IN CAYEY

From US Attorney's Office:

"On November 9, 2015, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico
returned a six-count indictment against 33 defendants charged with conspi-
racy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, controlled subs-
tances, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney
for the District of Puerto Rico. Immigration and Customs Enforcement- Ho-
meland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and the Puerto Rico Police De-
partment (PRPD), Guayama Strike Force, are in charge of the investigation.
The indictment alleges that beginning in 2008, the organization distributed
heroin, crack, cocaine, marihuana, Oxycodone (commonly known as Per-
cocet and Alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax) within 1,000 feet of a
real property comprising Luis Muñoz Morales and Brisas de Cayey Public
Housing Projects, San Tomás and Canteras Wards, and other areas nearby
and within the Municipality of Cayey, Puerto Rico, all for financial gain
and profit..."

GOVERNOR'S BROTHER SAYS NOT SUBJECT OF INQUIRY

From Caribbean Business:

"Luis Gerardo García Padilla, brother of Puerto Rico's governor and vice
president of marketing at healthcare plan Medicare y Mucho Más, confir-
med his appearance Thursday before a federal grand jury in the U.S. Dis-
trict Court in Hato Rey and said he is not the objective of the ongoing in-
vestigation. "I have provided all the information requested with hopes that
if there has been any violation of the law, my testimony helps bring out the
truth," he said. The jury is investigating an alleged corruption scheme rela-
ted to Anaudi Hernández Pérez, a Popular Democratic Party (PDP) fund-
raiser. The probe is said to involve Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Au-
thority (Prasa) executives as well as several other fundraisers and business
people close to the PDP..."

PREPA BILL PASSES ANOTHER COST TO CONSUMERS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The proposed Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) revitaliza-
tion bill will pass on to consumers the costs of the contribution in lieu of
taxes, or CELI, paid to the 78 municipalities as well as other subsidies,
which are estimated to be $800 million, according to the Energy Commi-
ssion. The cost will be on top of planned hike to electricity rates and the
inclusion of the costs of financing the restructuring of the utility’s $9 bi-
llion debt..."

US SENATE TO HOLD ANOTHER HEARING ON PR

From News Is My Business:

"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday
that he will convene a hearing on the Puerto Rico fiscal situation on Dec.
1., in Washington D.C. Grassley said his goal with the hearing is to “help
committee members and the public identify and gain a better understand-
ing of the root cause of Puerto Rico’s fiscal problems, discuss what’s cu-
rrently being done, and consider what options are available that could help
Puerto Rico get itself out of the present situation...”

Subcommittee Reviews Relationship Between Puerto Rico’s Economic Crisis and Political Status

US House Committee on Natural Resources 
Press Release
June 24, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C

[Watch archived video of yesterday's hearing HERE. -Admin]

Today, the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs heard  from witnesses representing all of Puerto Rico’s political parties during a  hearing to review the relationship between the current economic crisis  gripping the island and the unresolved issue of political status.  “Changes to Puerto Rico’s political status will ultimately be made by its  citizens, but this Committee has an obligation to monitor developments,  especially given the significant economic challenges facing the island.  I want to thank all of today's witnesses for taking the time to offer  their views, and Subcommittee Chairman Young for his continued  work on these important matters,” stated Full Committee Chairman  Rob Bishop (R-UT).  “Today we continue the discussion on the issue of Puerto Rico’s political  status, an important discussion given the current economic crisis the  island finds itself in," Subcommittee Chairman Don Young (R-AK)  stated during the hearing. “A discussion of political status for the  island always sparks lively debate from within Puerto Rico and among  my colleagues here in Congress and on the Committee.  I anticipate  the same here today, and I welcome it; such spirited debate is healthy.” The full witness list and testimony can be found here and below. Panel I The Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico President of New Progressive Party (PNP) Washington, D.C. The Honorable César A. Miranda Rodríguez Attorney General of Puerto Rico Testifying on behalf of Governor Alejandro García Padilla San Juan, PR The Honorable Rubén Berríos Former Senator in the Puerto Rican Senate President of the Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP) San Juan, PR Panel II The Honorable Luis G. Fortuño Former Governor of Puerto Rico, 2009-2011 (PNP) Washington, D.C. The Honorable Carlos Romero Barceló Former Governor of Puerto Rico, 1977-1985 (PNP) San Juan, PR The Honorable Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Former Governor of Puerto Rico, 2005-2009 (PPD) San Juan, PR The Honorable Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto Mayor of San Juan, 2013-Present (PPD) San Juan, PR Ms. Miriam J. Ramirez MD Former Puerto Rico State Senator, 2001-2004 (PNP) Founder, Puerto Ricans in Civic Action Orlando, FL

Contact: Committee Press Office 202-226-9019

Puerto Rico Status Hearing Held In House

From Caribbean Business:

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs,
chaired by Don Young, held an oversight hearing Wednesday entitled, “Exa-
mining procedures regarding Puerto Rico’s political status and economic out-
look.”

The hearing’s purpose was to discuss the relationship between the current eco-
nomic crisis on the island and the issue of political status.

“While the decision of a change in political status must ultimately be made by
the citizens of Puerto Rico, [the U.S.] Congress has an obligation to monitor
the development of any change in status preference and act with reasonable di-
ligence on behalf of the populace, should future action be required,” the hear-
ing’s memo read.

The invited witnesses were Pedro R. Pierluisi, resident commissioner of Puerto
Rico; César A. Miranda Rodríguez, attorney...[CONTINUE READING]

US House Committee Hearing On Puerto Rico's Status - Watch Live

Click on the link below to watch a live video stream of the U.S. House
of Representatives' Natural Resources Committee hearing on the status
of Puerto Rico. Hearing begins at 2:15 PM Eastern/Atlantic Time.

Click here to launch video player (save and run file)

Or, click HERE to watch on the committee's page.