The Costa Rican Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed two projects that emerged from the protests this year of gastronomic workers and drivers.

[blockquote]Compulsory Insurance for motorcycles reduced
Tips not to be part of waiter’s salary[/blockquote]

With 36 votes in favour and six against, Legislators established a reduction to the “compulsory” insurance for motorcyclists, which will be a fixed rate of ¢7,000 colones (about $ 13 USD) as of January. The shortfall is going to be made up by increasing the insurance cost on all other vehicles.

Motorcyclists took to the streets in protest soon after the cost of the 2013 Marchamo was announced by the state insurer, the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS).

The other endorsed provision excludes the amount of tips as part of the basic salary of waiters and other workers in the restaurant industry, explained the deputy of the Libertarian Movement, Mariela Alfaro, who presented the bill.

Abolished was a previous decision to include tips in the salary, which caused many employers fired employees to force them to sign contracts establishing work on a commission basis.

The new regulation, supported by 43 legislators and only two against, prohibited from withholding tip for more than a week for cash and a month in the case of credit cards.

These initiatives still need the signature of the Presidenta for publication in the official gazette.

To allow the blind to know the exact amount of the fare, the Constitutional Court has ruled that 10% of the country’s taxi fleet should have audible meters.

The magistrates of the Sala Constitucional ordered the Consejo de Transporte Público (CTP) – public transport department – to incorporate the mandate in “the shortest time” possible.

The change would mean at some 1.300 of the 13.000 taxi fleet should have the special “maria” (taxi meter in Spanish).

Ruben Vargas, head of the Unión de Taxis (taxi union) supported the Court decision, saying it defends the rights of users and added that ideally all taxis should have the audible meters.

No word from the CTP.

In a couple of days the country shuts down, sort of, as the public sector begins its holidays Monday, December 24 and back on the job on Friday, January 4, 2013.

The holiday period, however, actually begins at the close of business Friday, December 21 and extends to the morning of Monday, January 7, 2013, when you include weekends.

In effect, if you also take into account the legal holidays of December 25 and January 1, public sector employees are only off for a total of 8 days.

The government announced earlier this month the vacation period for all Central Government employees, dates also used by public institutions and municipalities, for the most part.

The private sector also shuts down for the holidays come Friday, though the closing depends on the type of business and industry. For example professional offices -lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc – follow the public sector holiday schedule.

Banks and financial institutions, that typically closed for extended periods, now for the most part stay open save for the legal holidays. Large retail stores typically stay open, but call ahead or check ahead the closing schedule. Hospitals, both private and public, stay open during the holidays, however, clinics do not.

A rule of thumb for the holidays is this, do your business before or after the public sector holiday break.

Income tax in Costa Rica is not new, though for many filing and paying for income tax is. And the deadline before late charges and interest starts to accumulate was yesterday.

However, due to an overburdened system and last minute filings, the Dirección General de Tributación decided to extend the deadline to today, one day extra to pay the “declaración de renta”, income tax in Spanish.

The director of Tributación, Carlos Vargas, made the announcement Tuesday given that some 25.000 taxpayers had yet to file and the taxation offices were completely saturered.

Under the Costa Rica tax system, residents and corporations are taxed only income earned in Costa Rica. The tax year begins in October 1 and ends September 30, both for individuals and corporations. Companies may request filing returns on a different tax year, subject to the approval of the Ministry of Finance.

Unless proof to the contrary exists, for certain professionals as well as corporations, presumptive net income is established by the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance), and constitutes a minimum taxable base.

Income Tax is applied to individuals as well as legal entities, i.e., corporations for income originated from a Costa Rican source. Costa Rican Laws do not tax income derived from a foreign source.

According to the Law all of the following are subject to income taxation:

•     Legal entities, the facto corporation, professional companies, and state enterprises which operate in the country;
•     Branch offices, subsidiaries, or agencies of any non-resident which operates in the country;
•     Trusts;
•     Inheritances (as long as remaining indivisible);
•     Individuals residing in Costa Rica regardless of nationality;
•     Individuals hired in a professional occupation;
•     Physical and legal entities not specifically mentioned and engaged in profit making activities in Costa Rica.

The following are tax exempt:

•     Government, local governments and autonomous and semi-autonomous organizations excluded by specific laws;
•     Religious institutions regardless of creed;
•     Associations, foundations, chambers, unions, political parties and other non-profit organizations;
•     Employer -Sponsored Workers Associations (Asociaciones Solidaristas);
•     Worker’s Cooperatives;
•     Companies under Free Zone status.

Taxable income is based upon net income, thus becoming necessary to establish the corresponding gross income of the tax paying entity.

Costa Rican Laws defines gross income as the total income and profits earned in the country during the taxable year. This includes earnings from real property, investment of capital and other business activities. It also contemplates any increase in net worth during the taxable year, which cannot be justified by declared or registered income.

Excluded from the gross income are the following:

•    Donations in cash or kind;
•     Revaluation of fixed assets (except depreciable fixed assets, though, depreciation allowances may be considered if approved by the tax administration);
•     Profits, dividends, participation and any other form of distribution of benefits credited to the taxpayer;
•     Income derived as a result of contracts or agreements made on goods or capital located abroad, even for contracts negotiated in C.R.;
•     Capital gains obtained form the transfer of real or personal property so long as this income does not constitute a habitual transaction;
•     Inheritances, legacies, community properties;
•     Prizes from national lotteries;
•     Approved charitable donations.

The following rates are applied:

•    No income tax is paid on Net Income (or  Profits) up to ¢1,434,000 (US$3.000)
•    10% income tax  for Net Income in excess of ¢1,434,000 up to ¢2,142,000
•     15% income tax  for Net Income in excess of ¢2,142,000 up to ¢3,573,000
•     20% income tax  for Net Income in excess of ¢3,573,000 up to ¢7,160,000
•     25% income tax  for Net Income in excess of ¢7,160,000

The information contained in this article is only for information purposes and not to be constituted as tax advice.
For specific conditions you should consult a tax expert.

Costa Rica has a new entertainment option today with the launch of OnePlay by RACSA, a new internet video system in partnership with Mexico’s TotalMovie and in direct competition with NetFlix and Crackle.

• Free Movies For A Month

Different from the competition, explained Orlando Cascante, manager of RACSA, is that OnePlay also offers musicals and up to 25% of the movie library is renewed monthly.

For a cost of $7.99 or about ¢4.000 colones monthly subscribers can access content from their computer and mobile devices, such as a tablet or smartphone with both Android and iOS (Apple) versions.

Anyone with an internet connection can access the service and not just those connected to RACSA.

To sign up subscribers are asked for a credit or debit card for billing. The first month is free but has to be cancelled to avoid being charged for the following month.

Cascante said that RACSA expects to sign up 50.000 customers in the first year. Also, it will be coming out with One TV next year, that includes One TV Premium with international channels.

One of the worst gifts for the holiday season is a dog. In the greater metropolitan area of San José (GAM) it is estimated there ares some 583.000 dogs with owners, almost half coming to their homes as a gift. This according to a study by the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

The problem is that after the holidays a great number of the gifted animals end up on the streets, swelling the stray and abandoned dog population, not only in San José but across the entire counry.

Costa Ricans love to give a pet dog as a gift for a child. Problem is that many are not able to properly care for the animal as it begins to grow – dogs grow fast, give it the proper veterinary care, food, shelter and social time.

Many dogs become abandoned by their new owners. In many cases it is a matter of carelessness, getting rid of them when they realize they require too much of a financial investment or space. Especially when it comes to large breeds. They are so cute as a puppy, but in a few short months, the little pup is now a big pup. And pups love to destroy things around the house.

Another problem is dog owners allowing their pet out on the street without supervision, many do not return to their homes, exposing them to abuse and become a social problem.

Please, before considering giving a puppy as a gift, make sure the person wants and is able to care for the animal. Don’t let a child’s plea be the persuasive factor.

And, if you come across an abandoned animal, contact any one of the number of animal foundations near you. If you are not aware of any, send us an email editor@qcostarica-082020.mystagingwebsite.com and we will pass along the message.

According to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), hospitals, area health centres, comprehensive health care, CAIS and Equipos Básicos de Atención Integral en Salud (EBAIS), throughout the country, will remain open to the end of the year.

Also, employers who are required to submit their planillas (returns) during this period may do so, as the areas Servicios al Trabajador y de Facturación Patronal y Registro de Información, will be working normally to meet the December billing.

The planilla is importante for workers to prove to their employers they are covered by the Caja. Some employers will not permit an employee on the job unless they have a current planilla.

For December 25th and January 1st, the CCSS says it will only provide emergency and hospitalization services.

Costa Rica has a new tool to combat child sexual abuse, a software that detects websites containing “child
sexual abuse” content, thanks to an agreement between the Federación Interamericana de Abogados (FIA) and the Swedish company, NetClean.

Luis Paulino Mora, president of the Corte Suprema de Costa Rica (Supreme Court), was handed the free software that detects attempts to access websites containing child pornography and block them, at the same time prevents uploads of images.

Additionally, the software creates a database that serves as proof for authorities to start a criminal action against people whose online activity arouses suspicion.

The software also identifies the activities that a person engages in countries where located, allowing international collaboration between several states. This software will be in the possessionof the Fiscalía General (Attorney General), specifically the office of the Fiscalía de Delitos Sexuales (Sex Crimes).

Both the Chief Justice and the Attorney General, were very pleased with the delivery, as this is another tool to combat Internet sex crimes to the detriment of minors.

On its website, NetClean explains that Child sexual abuse material is documented sexual abuse of children. It has nothing to do with pornography. Child sexual abuse material consists of images and films and do not show adults who wear children’s clothing or call themselves “teens”. It is much worse.

According to the “2009 Annual and Charity Report” of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) 72% of the child victims appear to be between the ages of 0 and 10; 23% six years old or under; and 3% two years or under. 44% of the images depict the rape or torture of the child. (1) There are images of penetrations of infants. According to the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 83 % of those arrested for possession of child pornography had images of children between 6-12 years old, 39 % had images of children between 3-5 years and 19 % had images of children under 3 years old (2) .

A person surfing child sexual abuse material might look and act like anyone you know. There is often a false impression that there is an “ugly old man”, a recluse or a “strange” person who many believe could be interested in child sexual abuse material. Yet in fact, it could be anyone at all. Moreover, there is no link to social groups or occupations. Mr. Michael Moran, officer in INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Human Beings Sub-Directorate says:

“The reality we have to face in our societies is that there are people (men and women) who want to have sex with prepubescent children, and we need to face up to it. These people can be anyone. Police officers, system administrators, politicians and priests have all been arrested in investigations I have worked on, and each one will have offended to differing degrees and for different reasons.

Efforts of the Banco Central (Central Bank) have maintained inflation low during 2012 but, the Bacoreports, a slowing of the economy during the past eight months has meant high unemployment.

After a promising start in the early months this year, it was as if the economy ran into a wall of mush as export markets progressively slowed.

The inflation picture here is the best in the past 35 years. For much of the time some three decades ago, the nation faced double digit inflation, especially during the first two years of 1980s during a financial crisis.

The goal of the Central Bank this year was inflation between 4% and 6%, although some doubt this is attainable. Central Bank official Gabriel Alpizar estimates that the year will end no higher than 6.32% inflation.

Alpizar observes that regulated rates on goods and services in the first half of the year rose as did the price of imported petroleum.

But for the third year in a row, stubborn unemployment remained stagnant with about 169,000 persons out of work. The rate of unemployment is expected to be 10.2% at year’s end.

But, despite the grim figure, exports still grew in the face of the slowing trend, although this was seen during the first quarter. Moreover, foreign investment set records, especially in technology, at $574.5 million.

From this, 40 projects developed, according the the economic agency CINDE, resulting in 8,236 new jobs. Production, while disappointing, still remains above that of the Latin American average.

Finance Minister Edgar Ayales estimates that the government deficit will end up around 4.5% of Gross Domestic Product, at a trifle lower than expected despite the lack of success in coming up with a tax reform package.

Four prominant economists consulted by La Nacion preducted that if the Central Bank maintains its system of an acceptible rate of exchange bands, that the situation in 2013 will be much like this year as far as inflation, production, exchange and interest rates are concerned.

From Fijatevos.com

(CNA/QCR News)- The Bishops’ Conference of Costa Rica called on the nation’s lawmakers to promote the good of the family by preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

In a Dec. 12 statement, the bishops emphasized that marriage is the foundation of the family and is therefore “a very important value that should be defended from every threat that jeopardizes its stability, its particular nature, essential properties and undeniable ends.”

For this reason, the bishops explained that they have repeatedly opposed various bills that would “make same-sex unions equivalent to heterosexual marriage,” noting that such legislation “undermines the institution of marriage” and distorts the “understanding of fundamental moral values.”

They cautioned that gay advocates and some lawmakers – aided by sympathetic media reports – are trying to change the definition of marriage in Costa Rica.

Such efforts must be rejected, they said, for the sake of families and the good of society.

The bishops emphasized that the Catholic Church respects every human being and rejects “all real discrimination” against persons with homosexual tendencies.

“However, the Church distinguishes between respect for all persons regardless of their sexual orientation, and rejection of homosexual practices as acts that are objectively contrary to God’s plan for the human being,” they said.

Furthermore, they asserted, it is not necessary to legalize gay unions in order to secure “the common rights” that gay individuals deserve “as persons and citizens.”

They explained that it is “a grave injustice” to sacrifice “the common good and the rights of the family” in order to attain goods that “can and should be guaranteed through means that do not harm society.”

The bishops urged officials in all three branches of government to assess the constitutionality of “same-sex marriage” proposals.

“We especially encourage those who profess faith in Christ to consecrate themselves with sincerity, uprightness, charity and strength to the mission entrusted to them by the people,” they said, “namely, to legislate based on ethical principles and for the benefit of the common good.”

Arriving and departing passengers at the Juan Santamaria (SJO) airport in San José will no longer bump into each other in the corridors of the terminal.

The changes, that were never incorporated into the airport’s original design, were made to meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

Now arriving passengers are ushered into the arrivals area on the lower floor of the terminal. This also means no stopping at the duty free shop (at last for now) before checking with immigration. Connecting passengers will be guided to the departures area.

As we said he would, he did. This morning, former minister of  the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), Francisco Jiménez, arrived at the San José airport saying he is back to clarify everything in the case of the trail border road known as La Trocha.

Jiménez, in a statement to the press, said he left the country on a planned vacation with his family. He had left for Mexico last Tuesday, one day ahead of the arrest of six, including CONAVI officials (a division of the MOPT), on corruption charges.

Jiménez is not considered as suspect in the corruption case. Howver, Attorney General, Jorge Chavarria, was adamant to know the whereabouts of the former minister and had asked INTERPOL (see story) to locate him and ordered his officials not to take action until today, awaiting the return of Jiménez.

The trail road was built along the border with Nicaragua in response to the alleged invasion by Nicaragua of the Isla Calero, a piece of land Costa Rica considers hers.

The road construction sparked controversy when it became public that millions of dollars of tax money went to line the pockets of government offcials and private contractors. Last week were the first arrests in the case after months of investigations.

The illusion of thousands of winning the “Gordo” vanished in a second, when it was confirmed by the Junta de Protección Social (JPS) – the state lottery operator – that the winning number and series never went out.

The JPS assures that the jackpot first prize will be shared by hospitals, nursing homes, child care centres and other charities.

However, many lottery players feel cheated.

This is the second time in the history of the lottery that there has not been a winner. What irks people is the manner they lost out, since the number never went out, the feeling expressed to the media is that the JPS should hold a consolation draw.

In some countries, if there is no winner, the jackpot rolls over into the next. Costa Rica’s lottery officials say that will not be the case. “The lottery (Gordo Navideño) is done”, said Franciso Ibarra, general manager of the JPS, this morning.

Some lottery vendors expressed concern for the public may see this is a fraud and stop buying the lottery.

An advocacy group said that since the JPS knew the numbers were not out – officials confirmed that vendors had been purchasing the lower numbers (under 50) and that the higher numbers were still in – they should have drawn again.

Milton Vargas, sales manager for the Junta explained that the rules of the lottery sets out how to calculate the net profits that will go to the aforementioned institutions, and that the prize money is not being kept by the lottery even though it is not paid out to the consumer.

Vargas guarantees that the draw was transparent and it was a due to a marketing issue for the numbers from 51 and up not selling.

Lottery players in Costa Rica use a variety of ways to pick numbers, birthdays, anniversaries, numbers coming to them in dreams, as a few. Another factor is buying low (00 to 50) or high (51 to 99). This year the trend was on low.

About 20 species of birds that left the La Sabana have come back, says the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio) after monitoring birds in the city park.

INBio’s Armand Soto exxplained “We divided La Sabana into six monitoring sectors, investigated one by one by a pair of researchers, one noting data while ther other making observations”.

From January to December INBio researches said they counted 8.500 birds. Soto explained that it is a very positive result, “in the beginnin we recorded 13 species of birs, while today there are 56”.

Even endangered species, like the the case of the “loca nuca amarilla”, are now visiting the park researchers found.

Centre Daily Times/ QCRNews

In Costa Rica, coffee is always fresh, passers-by smile and wave to visitors, and the colorful views of the mountains seem to come straight from a storybook. But what was most refreshing was the time that I spent learning about Costa Rican hospitals and care facilities — most of which are built without full exterior walls, allowing fresh air and a calm breeze to reach those inside.

Nine students and two professors toured the country for a week to experience and evaluate its health care system first-hand. It was the first of its kind. The trip was sponsored by Penn State’s health policy and administration undergraduate department as an extension of the current comparative health systems course. The course helps students compare and analyze differences in health systems across varying levels of developed countries.

Penn State instructor and trip coordinator Celeste Newcomb said she was excited to offer the opportunity to her students.

“Shadowing community health workers in rural Costa Rica, seeing public health in action and talking with health administrators and providers in a variety of health care settings allows students the chance to broaden their horizons as well as their understanding of Global Health issues,” she said.

It was easy to see how different it is from our service here in the United States when experiencing the Costa Rican health care system up close. At the public hospitals and clinics that we visited, we saw the stark needs of the facilities — flaking paint on the walls, outdated furniture, lack of strict

privacy regulations, and limited use of electronic medical records.

But, despite the outward differences, this developing country has impressive health outcomes that are comparable to those in the United States.

The CIA World Factbook reports the 2012 life expectancy at birth in Costa Rica to be 77.89 years, which isn’t far behind the 2012 rate in the United States of 78.49 years. Furthermore, Costa Rica sustains a very low infant mortality rate for a developing country: 9.2 deaths for every 1,000 babies born. This number is only slightly higher than the current infant mortality rate in the United States of 6 out of 1,000.

Additionally, Costa Rica also spends a much smaller percent of GDP and has fewer physicians per population than the United States.

Looking beyond outward appearances and statistics, the roots of the Costa Rican health care system are much different than our own. The country operates under a universal system where health care funds are handled via a third-party (non-government and non-health delivery) organization called “La Caja,” which translates to “The Cashier.”

All funds are paid through direct taxes on payroll, and taxes are paid out by both the employee and the employer. Under this universal system, no person can be refused health care or forced to pay out of pocket. Citizens may purchase private insurance and use private hospitals if they are able, which is a growing trend within the past five years.

We spoke with patients, providers and administrators who all felt it was essential that everyone in Costa Rica have access to health care.

Although there are many differences between the Costa Rican health care system and ours, one of the most influential differences can be found in Costa Rica’s empowering emphasis on preventative care and promotion. This ideal is embodied in the unique health care workers known as ATAPs, who are trained with basic nursing and social work skills.

Part of our time in Costa Rica was spent accompanying the ATAPs on their “rounds” — people in rural communities are visited at their homes at least once per year by an ATAP. While there, the ATAP provides any routine vaccinations, dietary tips or basic medicationsmembers of the family might need.

In addition to checking on basic health, the ATAPs also check each home for running water, electricity, and good treatment of any pets. If there are any social counseling needs, the ATAP will visit up to six times per year to accommodate these families.

Visiting the ATAPs, hospitals and clinics, and learning about the Costa Rican healthcare system was an amazing experience for myself and all of the students involved. The trip gave us the opportunity to see community care on a whole new level, and opened our eyes to the vast array of approaches to improving overall health.

The Gordo Navideño is the lottery with the biggest prize of the year offered by the Junta de Protección Social (JPS) every December. This year the winner numbers of 70 with series 726 did not have a buyer, so the ¢1.2 billion prize money stays with the lottery.

JPS director, Francisco Ibarra said that vendors only purchased tickets in the low numbers (under 50), thus the number 70 went unpurchased, that the entire number and series is the hands of the JPS.

The is the secong time it has happened, the first time was back in 1988, when the number 59 with series 525 did not make anyone a “millionario”.

The question by many is, what happens to the prize money? Ibarra explained that the money does not get pooled and added to future draws, rather it will be used for social programs.

The Second prize of ¢100 million colones number 01 with series 678 was sold in El Guarco, Goicoechea, Moravia, Naranjo de Alajuela and San José centre, while the third prize of ¢50 million colones will be shared holders of ticket number 44 with series 242 in Pococí, Nicoya, Curridabat, Goicoechea, Alajuela, Tibás and Liberia.

Nicaragua proposed again to Costa Rica to talk about the area disputed by the two countries in the Caribbean, confirmed visiting Costa Rican Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo. “Costa Rica has not proposed any dialogue; in fact, it is Nicaragua the one which has suggested negotiations several times,” he admitted prior to the 40th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Central American Integration System (SICA).

Castillo is the one appointed by President Laura Chinchilla to receive today the pro tempore presidency of the regional mechanism from Nicaragua.

Reports by Television Channel 63 in Nicaragua recalled that the two governments maintain a dispute for a 2.5 km swamp near the Harbour Head Lake in the Caribbean.

The dispute gained impetus when Costa Rica filed a suit against its neighbor before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in Nov. 2010 for dredging the mouth of its San Juan River into the Atlantic.

San Jose argued that the maneuver was covering an alleged military invasion and would cause environmental damages to biodiversity in the common area, which Nicaragua denied.

The court in The Hague ruled in March 2011 that none of the two parties can maintain armed forces, public security or other agents in the disputed area.

Costa Rica then started to construct a road parallel to San Juan River, generating damages to the river and encouraged Nicaraguan environmental activists to complain before the Central American Court of Justice.

Then in Dec. 2011, Nicaragua filed another complaint to the ICJ, which has yet to rule on the issue.

The power transfer within SICA will make both parties to step up exchanges to respond to the demands of the pro-integration process, according to officials from SICA member countries.

SICA groups Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama as full members.

The Dominican Republic participates as associate and Haiti as regional observer along with Mexico, Brazil and Chile.

The Russian Federation, the United States, Spain, Germany, Japan and Taiwan are extrarregional observers in the meeting today, attended by Presidents Otto Perez Molina (Guatemala), Mauricio Funes (El Salvador), Porfirio Lobo (Honduras) and Ricardo Martinelli (Panama).

Oh, what a terrible burden modern technology and the social media places on the backs of modern politicians!

A Channel 9 TV video caught President Laura Chinchilla summarily breaking off a conversation with a constituent and leaving him talking to empty air. For shame! In record time, the brief incident was uploaded and splattered on YouTube because, in Costa Rica, that just isn’t done, you know?

It appears that Marcelo Ramirez, an Alajuelita resident, stopped Chinchilla to complain that “things just aren’t getting done” in his town while the President was on her way to hand out presents to poor children at the National Children’s Museum.

After a brief exchange, Chinchilla marched onward, leaving Ramirez sputtering. It was not long before the incident was all over Facebook and Twitter.

Usually, the President is gracious, even when pressed — at least in public — and in Costa Rica leaving someone abruptly in the middle of a conversation brands one as a “grosero,” i.e., rude, crude and unrefined.

As usual, the national paper La Nacion checked with Francisco Chacon, Minister of Information or what would be in the White House, the press secretary. He allowed that he hadn’t been there, but assumed that it went down that way because Ramirez showed “disrespect.”

(This shows how things are in this friendly, informal republic. Bodyguards would have not allowed an irate citizen within artillery range of a president of the United States or of a European country, let alone close enough to be disrespectful.)

Chacon (who has had to answer some pretty uncomfortable questions in this Administration) said he was told that Ramirez “used some bad terms with a degree of disrepect. And because it was not an opportune time nor the right form, she decided to stick to her agenda.”

He added that he had heard that the Alajuela resident had not only shown disrespect for doña Laura the person but for the office of the presidency. “It’s time people learned that there are manners and forms to address Madam President,” he said.

Commentary: It reminds this reporter of the shock expressed by a BBC cameraman after he had seen President Oscar Arias at lunch with a TV reporter during his first term — sitting, without bodyguards in a snack bar near the Casa Presidencial with his back to a window!

Yet, this country has never had a sitting chief executive assassinated. However, it is the only country on earth that has had a chief executive hit by a boy on a delivery bike!

It happened during the presidency of Otilio Ulate in the late 1940s. El Sr. Presidente as crossing the street in front of the old presidential offices near the Legislative Assembly. At that time, it was quite common for stores to employ bicycles with a small front wheel and an over-sized iron basket for deliveries.

These bikes were often ignored by the owner and brakes were not considered worth maintaining. President Ulate was crossing the street, engrossed in the cares of state, and failed to see the oncoming vehicle.

He was taken to nearby Calderon Guardia Hospital but was found to be only bruised. (When this reporter came to Costa Rica in 1970, these bikes were still in use — he remembers because he, too, was hit by one, the only thing he has ever had in common with a high personage here.)

In fact, it could have been the same bike, brakes still defective!

From Fijatevos.com

President Laura Chinchilla’s cabinet pardoned farmer/veterinarian Bernal Arias, now 47, last week. It has raised a firestorm within two political parties as well a harsh criticism among citizens.

Arias was condemned in court in 2011 for the wounding of a 13-year-old boy who entered his San Carlos farm on March 30, 2009, apparently to steal lemons. A court sentenced Arias to 20 years in prison.

According to court testimony, Arias shot at the boy several times and hit him in the back. The court found Arias guilty of attempted murder. His sentence would have run until 2027.

But the veterinarian’s friend, Citizen Action Party (PAC) lawmaker Manrique Oviedo, came forward with a letter and a petition with 800 local residents’ signatures on behalf of Arias, presented to the cabinet a plea for  pardon.

Oviedo’s successful plea got himself in hot water with his own party and a PAC inquiry attended by seven of the 11 PAC lawmakers was called. PAC founder Otton Solis, party founder, stood behind Oviedo, saying that if he had been president he would have pardoned Arias.

But Chinchilla herself termed the Oviedo move “irrelevant” in the cabinet deliberations. In all, nine prisoners received a pardon but public opinion focused on Arias. Costa Rica has no “stand your ground” law such as the one that has raised such a furor in Florida in the Trevin Martin case.

Self defense is of course recognized but is usually applied to clear cut cases of home invasions or equal force against armed assailants. Rather, the principle of “excessive force” is applied to cases of guns turned on an unarmed person.

But Minister of Justice Fernando Ferraro broke with the President in one aspect. The Oviedo letter was delivered directly to him and he said the letter had a large impact on the pardon consideration.

“What’s exceptional,” he said, “that I’ve only seen in this case is a note from the community with pages of of neighbors’ signatures.”

Chinchilla admitted that the history of Arias had a great deal to do with the pardon. “He lost his wife, his mother and is raising his children. And he was the sole support of the family,” she said.

Both Chinchilla and Communications Minister Francisco Chacon emphasized Aria’s state of mind. He was at work in the farm, they said, when he received a phone call that someone was attempting to break into his home at a time when his daughter was due home from school.

That the call was mistaken and the boy was merely stealing lemons was noted by both government officials. Chacon said he felt that, under the circumstances, “it was logical that he would try to defend his family and property.”

The fact is that defense of property is not a part of Costa Rican law when it comes to the doctrine of “excessive force” and that taking a life in defense of property is not legally justifiable.

But it is also a legal privilege of the Cabinet, meeting as the “Consejo del Gobierno” to grant a pardon where it considers that extenuating circumstances are present. Curiously, absent from the public debate has been the point of view of the boy’s family.

It is obvious that the lamentable incident will be a matter of public debate for a long time to come, with charges of political interference with justice on one side against sympathy with a father on the other.

One factor may have weighed against Arias during his trial: he attempted to leave the country before trial. Although there was no legal impediment, prosecutors scrambled to block his departure.

La Nacion interviewed the boy, Berney Araya, now 17, at work and found that surgeons did not remove the bullet from his body due to the risk of the operation.

Young Araya expressed disappointment with the President. “The resolution disrespects me,” he said, “offends me and ignores all the suffering I’ve experienced these years.” He said at times he feels that he is suffocating and finds it difficult to breathe.

The boy testified in court that he pleaded with Arias not to shoot him. Arias, the boy said, replied coldly, “Today you die,” and shot again. He said the Arias family knows of his physical plight but has never attempted to aid him in any way.

From Fijatevos.com

“In Costa Rica we can do things right, live with home and optimism”, were the words of San José mayor, Johnny Araya, at the start of the 17th edition of the Festival de la Luz in the nation’s capital.

The mayor, looking very ‘presidential’ told Josefinos (residents of San José) gathered in front of the main stage and the rest of the nation watching on television, that this is San José’s gift to them before handing over the microphone to Olympic triathlete, Leonardo Chacón, the festival’s Marshal who gave the go ahead for the floats and bands to start.

But before all eyes were up, as for more than ten minutes fireworks in La Sabana and rooftops of buildings like the Purdy Motors, the Banco Nacional and Museo de los Niños, among others, illuminated the early evening sky and the eyes of children and adults alike.

Headlining the parade this year was the bold and furiristic design of the Municipalidad de San José float, with its Greek/Roman design featuring the hosting of the 2013 games in San José.

The other floats were by the deparment store Universal, who has yet to miss one year since the first festival 17 years ago, Movistar, Banco Nacional and Samsung among others.

In total 11 floats and 14 marching bands made their way from La Sabana park to the Paseo de los Estudiantes, as several hundred thousand people line the parade route along Paseo Colon and Avenida 2. Many more saw the parade from their television set, with Repretel’c chanel 6 having the best coverage in terms of sound, lighting and ferver. At Teletica’s channel 7 the mood was somber, more of a wake than a festival, despite the attempts by humourists and television personalities.

The winning float this year went to FEMSA, the local bottled and distributor of Coca Cola products, taking a 7.9 score overall.

While the United States stares into the abyss of the fiscal cliff Jan. 1, the Social Security universal health care system (Caja) faces another chasm — a medical one.

The University of Costa Rica (UCR) has given the Caja notice this month that, due to a ¢5.3 billion colon deficit in the past several years, it will terminate its contract to run 45 routine medical treatment centers in three of the most populous cantons the the Central Valley.

The closures will not only strain the resources of the Caja, just recovering through strenuous administrative reorganization and careful austerity measures to bring its house in order.

The EBAIS are contracted out and serve as special clinics. They serve such illnesses as diabetes that need routine treatment. The more complicated ills are taken on in Caja clinics.

The idea is surprisingly creative for a large bureaucracy — EBAIS serve to keep clinics from being overwhelmed with routine patients, leaving those clinics free to treat more challenging conditions.

Also, the EBAIS tend to be placed closer to their patients, cutting down travel time and serious hardship in transportation. In some rural areas, clinics for most patients are a long, hard trek on foot or, if they are lucky enough to have livestock, on horseback.

This does not mean that EBAIS are either primitive or that their medical help is in any way less competent. It is a different structure for a specific need.

The EBAIS that UCR rector Hennings Jensen would close are located in Montes de Oca, Curridabat and La Union. Jensen calls them “unsustainable.”

The Caja is pleading with UCR to give the health care system a chance to plan for a smooth transition — they are asking eight months, not just a matter of days. They have three choices: take the EBAIS over themselves, contract them to a cooperative or to private enterprise.

The crisis is more than just for patients. Although no one openly acknowledges it, Costa Rica has an overabundance of doctors, especially general practitioners. The EBAIS employ a great number of them and closing them would mean an even greater glut in the field,

Right now a mixed committee of various disciplines is trying to wrap a collective head around the problem. But Miguel Guzman, UCR coordinator, says that if the university extends its supervision “we must know the actual costs with zero deficit of running them.”

Meanwhile, EBAIS medical staffs are caught in a web of uncertainty. “Nobody knows anything, there are fellow staff members who cry every day,” nurse Nidia Sanabria told the national newspaper La Nacion, “Most of us haven’t even bought Christmas presents with our holiday bonuses for fear of being jobless.”

(There is no ready safety net of unemployment insurance in Costa Rica. Only savings, severance pay and the alguinaldo (Christmas bonus) stands between them and ruin. Closure would mean throwing 400 medical staff into the street.)

At that, Sanabria may be in better position than the more highly trained doctors. A trained nurse with experience is in higher demand often than a less experienced physician unless he or she is a specialist.

Some staff members mounted a protest against the closures last Monday, but “We can’t stop giving patents basic service when they’ve waited up to a year for an appointment,” nurse Olga Quiros told La Nacion.

Besides providing thousands a patients with care, the EBAIS serve a valuable service not often seen in Western medicine — prevention of illness. They handle obesity, alcoholism, mental health and treat more minor illnesses that might well turn vicious with neglect.

The country has 991 Ebais and each one treats an average of 4,000 patients. In the three cantons mentioned above, more than 166,000 persons know that medical aid is close — until Dec. 31.

From Fijatevos.com

Infosurhoy/QCostarica News – Though Costa Rica has 14,000 police officers, 35% have not completed the basic police training course, which serves as an introduction to police work and teaches officers the basic skills to do their jobs.

The Police School wasn’t created until 1995, meaning officers who have been on the force for longer than 17 years never had to pass a single test to earn their badges, said Ricardo González, a press officer for the Ministry of Public Safety.

• The institution will meet the police department’s demands for the next 30 to 40 years.

The lack of education and training among those veteran officers has hindered the Central American nation from having a highly efficient police force.

“It’s important for people to know many of the police officers who are currently on the street are poorly trained in handling weapons, preparing police reports and using personal defense techniques. They also are in poor physical shape,” former Minister of Public Safety José María Tijerino said in May 2010. “This leaves us defenseless, but it must be discussed in order to raise awareness about the current needs.”

Tijerino’s words spurred change throughout the country’s National Police Force, as veteran officers started attending courses to match the training that younger officers received at the National Police School.

The school, however, has become outdated and too small, which is why the Ministry of Public Safety will break ground on a new National Police Academy in March 2013. The facility will be able to house 800 prospective officers, who will take college-level courses and receive a bachelor’s degree in police science upon graduation, González said. The current academy has a maximum enrollment of 240.

“We’re going to sign an agreement with the National University of Distance Education (UNED) to provide police officers with an opportunity to earn their college degree and take continuing education courses in the field of police work,” Deputy Minister of Interior and the Police Marcela Chacón said. “[This is not] just a question of building new facilities and equipping them with cutting-edge technology. It’s also about updating the curriculum of the core courses regarding the basics of police work and new laws.”

The academy, which will feature 250 acres of facilities, will be built in the city of Guápiles in Costa Rica’s Atlantic region, about 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) from the capital city of San José.

“I don’t think the school we have now is big enough – it was time for us to consider something bigger,” said Public Force Officer Luis Martínez, who graduated in 2011. “As police officers, we have to know a lot of things and we spend very little time in the classroom. I think it’s great that they’re building the academy because it will give us more space to train.”

Commander Erick Lacayo, the director of the National Police Academy, said the curriculum would focus on teaching officers techniques to combat narco-trafficking and engage in civic initiatives and community policing.

“The idea is to professionalize the police so we are on the same level as other countries in the region when it comes to security,” Lacayo said. “The curriculum will be tailored to address organized crime and be extended to other police forces in Central America and the Caribbean as needed.”

The academy will have dormitories, 30 classrooms, pools, gymnasiums, tracks, shooting ranges, auditoriums and a technical training area for police officers that will feature a lifelike city so trainees can participate in drills in a realistic environment.

The academy will cost between US$40 million and US$50 million, which the government is funding through cooperation agreements with the European Union and China.

“The aim of these agreements is to ensure the promotion of security and social peace under a framework of respect for human rights and the fundamental freedoms of individuals,” Security Minister Mario Zamora said. “We’ll also strengthen the institutional capacity for prevention, police training and response to crimes.”

The EU contributed approximately US$17 million toward purchasing the equipment needed to train police officers.

“We share the view that insecurity has now become one of the most severe threats to the coexistence and welfare of citizens, and that it suppresses the growth and development of the country,” José Luis Martínez, the European Union’s Chargé d’Affaires to Costa Rica and Panama said in June.

González said he expects construction to be completed by December 2013, with the facility operational by early 2014.

Authorities estimate that Costa Rica’s population of 4.7 million requires 18,000 police officers; about 383 for every 100,000 inhabitants. Currently, Costa Rica’s Public Force has 14,000 officers, approximately 298 for every 100,000 inhabitants.

Officials said the academy should satisfy all of the country’s law enforcement personnel issues for the next three or four decades.