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Program Encourages North-Central
Hotels in Region To Conserve Energy
By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
Hotels in north-central Costa Rica will have a chance to help the environment and reduce spending through an energy-saving program carried out by the nonprofit Energy Network Foundation (BUN-CA), according to a statement from the foundation.
The program's goal is for hotels to learn and implement energy-saving techniques such as turning off air conditioners in empty rooms, coordinating food preparation schedules to avoid constantly opening freezers and turning off unnecessary lights, BUN-CA engineer Kattia Quirós explained.
“It's an intelligent investment,” Quirós said of the 12-month program, through which participating hotels can receive energy consultation from BUN-CA experts or outside consultants.
All businesses should save energy to reduce the country's energy demand and avoid a shortage, Quirós said. Hotels, in particular, have the ability to control consumption and can take small steps that will soon produce economic and environmental benefits, she said.
The program has already been carried out successfully with 15 hotels in the Central Pacific region, Quirós explained, and the foundation has received an equally enthusiastic response from hotels in the north-central areas of La Fortuna and San Carlos. So far, 14, hotels have expressed interest in taking part in the program, and BUN-CA is visiting each hotel to select seven to participate.
The Central Pacific hotels that participated in the program reduced their energy bills by almost 24%, and they may use these positive results to work toward obtaining a Certificate of Sustainable Tourism from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the statement said.
Study Finds Increase in Violence
Among Central American Youth
Conditions of poverty, family disintegration and a culture of aggression have led to increasing levels of violence among Central American youth, according to the results of a study by the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress presented yesterday.
According to the study, conducted from 2000-2005, men from 13-29 years old who lack economic resources and opportunities are the main victims and perpetrators of violence in the region.
The availability of weapons has been one of the main factors causing youth violence to proliferate in Central America. An estimated 3 million unregistered arms and 700,000 registered weapons circulate around the region, according to the organization, founded by President Oscar Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 during his first presidency for his role in the region's peace process.
The types of violent acts committed vary throughout the region, explained the study's coordinator, Ana Yancy Espinoza. Some young people act violently in school, while others belong to neighborhood gangs that carry out violence in the streets.
Gangs have gained an increasing presence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where they are more heavily armed and territorial, the study found.
Costa Rican youth gangs tend to specialize in crimes like robbery, mugging, kidnapping and drug trafficking and often carry high-caliber weapons.
Espinoza said most youth who commit violent acts “suffered abuse or family violence in their homes, were abandoned or have not had access to education.” These circumstances can make it difficult for them to enter the job market, she said.
-ACAN-EFE
Labor Ministry Orders 3.5% Salary Increase for Public Sector
The Labor Ministry has ordered a 3.5% salary increase for workers in the public sector, according to the ministry.
The decree, signed by Labor Minister Francisco Morales, was submitted last week for publication in the official government daily La Gaceta, and will take effect as soon as it is published.
The increase will be retroactive to July 1 and will apply to more than 160,000 workers and retirees in the public sector, according to the Labor Ministry.
During meetings with the Labor Ministry two weeks ago, union workers complained about increasing living costs and asked for a 10% increase in their salaries.
The government normally adjusts public salaries twice a year.
-ACAN-EFE
U.S. Opens Door for Tomato Imports From Central America
The United States yesterday received a green light to begin importing tomatoes from Central America, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in San José.
The U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved tomatoes imported from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama as long as they comply with requirements, the statement said.
They must be grown and packaged in areas free of insects listed in the decree, and each shipment must contain a certificate of approval from the producing country's agriculture ministry.
-Tico Times
Liability Insurance in Costa Rica
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Webster's defines liability as “the quality or state of being liable.” What does liable mean? According to Webster's, it means “legally obligated; responsible.”
The purpose of a general liability policy is to protect against lawsuits arising from accidents occurring on insured premises or during an insured activity, producing injury, death, property damage or loss to third parties. Anyone can buy a general liability policy: homeowners, tour operators, hotels, restaurants, shops, manufacturers, etc. In addition to general liability, there are also specific liability insurance policies: automobile, product, professional, etc., but those will not be dealt with in this article.
In North America, liability has gone wild, with people suing each other for all sorts of trivial mishaps, judges handing out huge awards and legal eagles obtaining fat fees. In order to limit legal costs, insurance companies are paying liability claims even before they enter the legal system.
Things in Costa Rica are quite different. The National Insurance Institute (INS) never – or almost never – pays a liability claim before there is a court ruling on the matter. The legal system has a backlog – I have heard up to two years – and this tends to discourage trivial claims.
Most judges seem to believe that everyone should exercise reasonable care and look out for him or herself. I remember reading an article in one of the local papers about a man who sued the owner of a building because he had tripped and fallen on the sidewalk. The judge admonished the plaintiff to mind where he was walking, and dismissed the complaint.
In cases where there is clear negligence on the part of the defendant, the award given to the plaintiff is usually based on redress. In other words, the defendant pays for the amount the plaintiff is out of pocket as a result of the mishap. Awards for pain and suffering and punitive damage, if any, are usually insignificant.
In my opinion, in this country liability insurance is not a great priority for a normal homeowner, and businesses engaging in activities where there is liability risk can buy considerably less coverage than a similar business in North America would need.
Within the liability policy, two types of mishap are covered: injury, disability and loss of life or limb; and damage or loss of property. The general liability policy offers a combined limit of the two, whereby INS will pay up to the chosen limit, regardless of the “mix.”
When determining the amount of coverage you want to buy, INS offers two types of limits for you to choose: limit per event, that is, the maximum INS will pay per accident or lawsuit; or aggregate annual limit, the maximum amount INS will pay out, per year, for claims against the policy.
To determine how much insurance to get, visualize a worst-case scenario of what could happen in an accident, and estimate how much it would cost to put things right – that would be the recommended limit.
The liability policy should be in the name of the person or people who could be sued if there were a mishap: the owner of the house, and/or the tenants if the house is rented; or the person or corporation running the business.
The process of getting the insurance is easy, but slow. INS requires an application form with all relevant information, signed by the applicant with a copy of his or her identification attached – you should meet with your agent to do this. Once the application is received, INS will take several days to nominate the inspector, who, usually after a week or two of drinking coffee (and with no advance warning or phone call), will go to inspect the risk, interview the applicant and corroborate the information on the application. After he submits his report (more coffee!), the rate and premium are determined, and the agent will be authorized to collect the premium. The hard copy of the policy will follow about a week later.
The premium for general liability is a percentage of the insured amount, for homeowners usually a bit less than 1% per year. INS fixes the exact rate on a case-by-case basis, according to the perceived risk. When the INS inspector is due to come to your house, don't wax the floors, put away the pit bull, and make sure the yellow paint on the edge of the stairs is bright and shiny.
For more info, contact the author at 233-2455 or david@InsuranceCostaRica.com. The purpose of this column is to give the reader a better understanding of insurance. The opinions and viewpoints expressed are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent the official position of INS.
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