Puerto Rico News Digest For May 3, 2017

BANKRUPTCY!

GOVERNOR SAYS PR TO SEEK TITLE III PROTECTION

Governor Ricardo Rosselló announced at a press conference this morning that he has notified the Fiscal  Control Board of the intention of the Puerto Rican government to trigger Title III of the PROMESA federal law, a move similar to bankruptcy, in order to safeguard essential government services and payroll. The announcement comes in the wake of the expiration on May 1 of the island government's immunity to lawsuits related to its staggering debt load. Bondholder groups have already sued the government since the deadline passed. Governor Rosselló expressed his willingness to continue a dialogue with bondholders, and stated that the Title III decision was made because it would be "the way to defend the main interests of the people of Puerto Rico." He also declared that the Board had received the government's petition and would act on it "immediately".

PROTESTER ARRESTED FOR POPULAR CENTER VANDALISM

From US Attorney's Office:

"Today, United States Magistrate Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll authorized a criminal complaint against Nina Droz Franco, charging her for damaging or attempting to damage by means of fire a building engaged in  activity affecting interstate commerce[...]During the course of the protest [on Monday] on Ponce de Leon  Street, numerous individuals vandalized the Popular Center building...after several individuals broke windows of the building, two individuals approached one of the broken windows and attempted to light a  fire. Specifically, a female and a male approached one of the broken windows and lit a flame. All of these  events were captured on video[...]Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Alum is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the penalties Droz Franco is facing are a minimum term of imprisonment of five years, and a maximum term of 20 years, a supervised release term of not more than 3 years, and a fine not to exceed $250,000..."

GUAYNABO MAYOR CASE TO SPECIAL PROSECUTOR

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The island Justice Department recommended on Monday the assignment of a special prosecutor to investigate  possible corruption related to a sexual harassment complaint involving Guaynabo Mayor Héctor O’Neill. After completing a preliminary investigation, Justice concluded that the longtime mayor could have committed  a total of 20 violations of the law..."

GOV'T PUBLISHES NEW OFFER FOR GO CREDITORS

From Caribbean Business:

"The government of Puerto Rico presented Monday a new debt restructuring offer, individually, to general obligations (GOs) creditors. The counteroffer reduces to 30% the suggested cut to principal, known as  haircut, to the debt guaranteed by the commonwealth’s constitution. The government offered about 50 cents on the dollar in its first proposal. However, the government has yet to reach an agreement with its creditors..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For March 6, 2017

NINE PEOPLE MURDERED OVER WEEKEND

As reported by El Nuevo Dia, nine people were murdered across Puerto Rico this
past weekend, starting shortly after midnight on Friday in Maunabo, where Pedro
Alexis León Amaro, age 25, was killed by three individuals who attempted to steal
his car as he arrived at his home. Then, at 4:10 AM on Friday, police found the body
of  23-year old Javier E. Torres Torres in front of a building in the April Garden hou-
sing project of Las Piedras. The body had been riddled with bullets. Also on Friday,
shortly past noon, a 911 call alerted authorities to a burnt out vehicle on Road 155
in Vega Baja, which had two charred bodies in the trunk. The bodies have yet to be
identified.

Early on Saturday morning, a shootout in Isla Verde, Carolina, preceded the finding
of the bodies of two dead men, Rafael Albandoz Colón and José R. Sanjurjo Rivera.
Both were inside a 2008 Toyota Tundra. Several other people were injured in the
shootout. Early on Sunday morning, a citizen in the town of Florida reported to po-
lice a dead  body lying on the pavement of Road 140 in the Perol disctrict of town.
The unidentified victim was partially burnt and had his or her hands tied behind the
back. Later that morning, the body of an unidentified man who had apparently been
shot to death was found on Road PR-198 in Humacao. The victim may have been 20
to 25 years old. The weekend's carnage brings Puerto Rico's murder total for the year
so far to 119, one less than the 120 reported at this time in 2016.

GOVERNOR RAISES PUBLIC SECTOR MINIMUM WAGE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares signed an executive order Thursday to increase
the minimum wage in the public sector and in government construction contracts.
The mandate dictates that by July 1, the minimum wage of employees of central
government agencies will increase from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour. The order also es-
tablishes that any government contractor in the construction industry will have to
issue a certification that the minimum wage of its employees is equal with that of
employees of the Puerto Rico government. The minimum wage will also rise from
$7.25 to $8.25 in the government contractor sector..."

PR COMPANY BIDS TO BUILD TRUMP'S BORDER WALL

From Telesur:

"On Friday, Puerto Rico-based company, San Diego Project Management PCS, ap-
plied to build the wall in response to government calls for proposals. The company
– headquartered in Luquillo, east of San Juan, Puerto Rico – is competing with do-
zens of other construction and engineering firms to win the contract for the wall,
according to Puerto Rican media outlet Primera Hora. Patrick Balcazar, head and
founder of San Diego Project Management PCS, confirmed that his company did
indeed submit a proposal to compete for the contract for the wall, which has been
estimated to cost between  US$10 and $22 billion..."

PLANNING BOARD: PR GDP IS DOWN 1.1%

From News Is My Business:

"The Puerto Rico Planning Board revised the island’s macroeconomic data for the
end of fiscal 2016, reflecting a decrease in the Gross Domestic Product of 1.1 per-
cent. In addition, agency President María del C. Gordillo said the review of the GDP
at constant prices for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 fell 1.8 percent and 0.7 percent res-
pectively. “These data represent the behavior of the economy of Puerto Rico and give
 us a clear picture of where our economy is, which helps the government and private
sector in making its determinations,” she said..."

Maps For All Water Rationing Zones

Carraízo


These zones are under 48-hour rationing (running water is on for one day, off for
two days). Zone A is shaded in green. Zone  B is shaded in blue. PF Canóvanas
is in purple.



Rationing calendar



La Plata


These zones are under 24-hour rationing (water off every other day). North Zone is
in orange, South Zone is in yellow.



Rationing calendar



Guaynabo


These zones are under 24-hour rationing. North Zone is in purple, South Zone
is in pink.





Corozal / Naranjito


These zones are under 24-hour rationing. North Zone is in purple, South Zone is
in pink.





Eastern Puerto Rico

These zones are under 24-hour rationing. Caguas North Zone 1 is in blue, Zone
2 is green. Caguas South Zone 1 is yellow, Zone 2 is pink. Juncos Zone 1 is in
orange and Zone 2 in burgundy.




Río Grande, Loíza and Luquillo; high areas are in yellow.






Coamo, Salinas and Santa Isabel

These zones are under 12-hour rationing. Zone A is in green and Zone B is
in blue.




All information is from Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados.

List of Water Oases For Guaynabo Rationing Zones

Oases are locations where the island's water provider, AAA, will distribute
potable water from tanker trucks from 9:00AM  to 8:00PM daily. Bring
containers for water. The listing can be found in Spanish here. Listings
for both zones served by the La Plata reservoir are below (find your zone
in the map):



Guaynabo North


Guaynabo

Centro de Servicios Múltiples Juan Domingo
Centro de Servicios Múltiples Muñoz Rivera
Apolo Park

San Juan

Ave. De Diego Corner of PR-21
Las Lomas Park

Bayamón

Juan Martínez Street (in front of Málaga Park)


Guaynabo South

Guaynabo

Centro de Servicios Múltiples Guaraguao
Centro de Servicios Múltiples Hato Nuevo
Centro de Servicios Múltiples Santa Rosa II
Mario Quijote Morales Colisseum
La Ceiba (Parque Forestal Parking Lot)
Sears (David Urbina St.)

San Juan

Los Romero (in front of Jardines de Montehiedra Condominium)
PR-842 (in front of Sierra Alta Condominium)

Bayamón

PR-174, Entrance to Urb. Villa San Agustín 
PR-174, in front of la Morenita Municipal HQ   
PR-830, besides the Gallera 
PR-829, entrance to Sector Collores 

Water Rationing Zone Maps For Guaynabo

24-hour  water rationing (1 day on, 1 day off) begins today for Guaynabo, parts of 

Bayamon and Caimito in Rio Piedras. The North Zone was the first one subject to

rationing, starting at 9:00 AM today. Tomorrow, July 7th, the South Zone will then

have water rationed starting at 9:00 AM, while water comes back on for the North 

Zone. The zones will then alternate.  Below is a map of the two Guaynabo rationing 

zones, courtesy of AAA. Check the map to see which zone you fall under if you live 

in this area.

Puerto Rico News Digest for December 15, 2014

GUAYNABO KILLER FIT FOR TRIAL

José Luis Bosch Mulero (right) and Christopher Sánchez Asencio (left)

El Nuevo Dia has reported today that José Luis Bosch
Mulero, one of the two men charged in the grisly Guaynabo
family massacre, has been declared competent to stand
trial by state psychiatrist Yamilka Rolón García. Mulero
has been diagnosed in the past with attention hyperactivity
disorder, mild retardation and borderline intelligence.
However, the government has found him to be coherent and
logical. Both Mulero and Christopher Sánchez Asencio face
counts of murder, weapons violations, attempted murder,
kidnapping, aggravated assault, destruction of evidence,
theft and conspiracy, all related to the November 18
multiple murder.

PR 13% MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MOST OF US

From News Is My Business:

The cost of living in Puerto Rico for a professional family
is about 13 percent more expensive than it is in more than
300 urban and rural areas in the U.S. mainland, according to
the findings of the Cost of Living Index.

Puerto Rico recently began participating in the methodology
introduced in 1968 by Virginia-based Council for Community
and Economic Research, known as the C2ER, and adopted by
the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute as a way to provide data
about the island’s economy and society for the first time.

In terms of living expenses, Puerto Rico’s statistical area
placed 41 out of 325 urban and rural areas with the highest
cost standards, behind large cities such as New York, San
Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Diego, Los
Angeles, Seattle, Hartford,  Portland, Philadelphia, and
Chicago.

NPP REP OUSTED FOR VOTING FOR OIL TAX

From The San Juan Daily Star:

Arguing that he betrayed party trust and policy, the New
Progressive Party (NPP) House delegation ousted Rep. Pedro
Julio “Pellé” Santiago permanently from the caucus and asked
House Speaker Jaime Perelló to remove his fl oor bench, for
voting in favor of the crude oil tax hike.After repeatedly
telling the minority party he was going to vote according
to the caucus decision, Santiago at the last minute Monday
voted in favor of the crude oil tax, which did not at that
time have the needed votes for passage.

“Our colleague ‘Pellé’ Santiago is not part of the NPP
delegation in the House of Representatives,” House Minority
Leader Jenniffer González said at a news conference. The NPP
met for two hours Thursday to determine what disciplinary
actions to take against Santiago.

BUSINESS PLAN FOR PREPA TO BE PRESENTED

From Reuters:

A business plan for PREPA, the troubled Puerto Rican electric
authority, is to be presented to creditors on Monday, board
president Harry Rodriguez said in a statement.

The business plan of Chief Restructuring Officer Lisa Donahue
is a working document that will present different scenarios for
PREPA, but does not propose firing employees, the statement said.

Puerto Rico News Digest for Nov. 20, 2014

PUBLIC TRANSPORT COULD HALT BY DEC. 1

As reported by El Nuevo Dia, the President of the Integrated Transport 

Authority of Puerto Rico, Alberto Figueroa,  has warned that the dire 

financial situation faced by the Metropolitan Bus Authority, the Urban 

Train and the Maritime Transport Authority could mean that mass 

transit could cease operating as soon as December 1st. The fusion of 

different transport agencies, as well as rate hikes for commuters, have 

done little to improve the situation. Figueroa also indicated that if the 

controversial oil tax hike that is currently stuck in the legislature does 

not pass, other funding alternatives will have to be found.

MASSACRE SUSPECTS FACE DEATH THREATS

The two men accused of killing a retired soldier and his family in 

Guaynabo several days ago are currently under heavy guard at the 

Bayamon regional jail, after numerous inmates have threatened to 

kill the pair. The two accused killers, Christopher Sánchez Asencio 

and José Bosch, are being constantly monitored by tactical operations 

officers, according to El Vocero. A judge has set bail for each of the
men at  $8 million. Bosch is reportedly cooperating with Police, while
Sanchez Asencio has received the most threats. Both men are expected
to be transferred to other penal facilities soon. The massacre of the
family has shaken the crime-wracked island, and may have had a
dispute over rent as its motive. Only the family's 13-year-old son
survived the killings, after being left for dead.

NO MORE FREE RUM AT BACARDI DISTILLERY

From Yahoo News:

"The drinks are no longer on the house at Casa Bacardi in Puerto 

Rico. Foreigners will now have to pay $12 and residents $6 to visit 

one of the most popular tourist attractions in the metropolitan San 

Juan region, officials said Tuesday. The seaside rum distillery was..." 

COAST GUARD UPDATING PR FLEET

From Caribbean Business:

"The U.S. Coast Guard is moving to modernize its fleet of vessels in San 

Juan over the next two years. Specifically, the Coast Guard  will replace

Sector San Juan’s six 110-foot Island Class Patrol  Boats with six new 

154-foot Sentinel Class Patrol Boats, which  are far more advanced 

and should substantially improve interdiction  capabilities. The first of 

these new cutters will arrive in Puerto Rico in the spring of 2015..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For November 18, 2014

GUAYNABO FAMILY MASSACRE

According to El Nuevo Dia, 66-year-old retired soldier Miguel Ortiz
Díaz, his wife, and another woman were found shot  to death early
this morning in a home in the Los Frailes  neighborhood of Guaynabo.
Meanwhile, Police found the body of the family's 15-year-old son
in a field in the Guaraguao area of Bayamon. The family's 13-year-
old son, who was wounded but survived, is under Police protection.
He was reportedly thrown off a bridge near where the 15-year-old
was found, but was able to get up and alert police. One person has
been detained and is being  held for questioning.  The killings may
have resulted from a dispute involving a property Ortiz Díaz was
renting to a man who he was trying to evict for non-payment of rent.

GOVERNOR TRIES TO SELL OIL TAX HIKE

From The San Juan Daily Star:


Gov. Alejandro García Padilla anticipated late last week  that he
will be convoking a special session following the  end of the regular
legislative session this week after both the lower and upper chambers
failed to pass crude oil tax hike legislation and in its place approved
alternate bills that were unable to exit the Capitol before Thursday’s
midnight deadline.

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST DON OMAR

From Latin Post:


Don Omar is a free man now that domestic violence charges against
him have been dropped. The singer was arrested in mid-September
after his ex-girlfriend reported him for domestic abuse. He was
charged with two counts of threatening a person and two counts
of weapons violation.

SAKS FIFTH AVENUE LOOKS FOR PR WORKERS

From Caribbean Business:


Saks Fifth Avenue is holding a job fair to fill positions at its store at the
Mall of San Juan, a high-end shopping center in Puerto Rico’s capital
city that is scheduled to open in March 2015. The employee search will
be part of a San Juan-sponsored job fair at  the Plaza Convalecencia in Río
Piedras on Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Job seekers can all file resumes
through the Internet at sanjuancareers@s5a.com.