The Dominican Republic assumed this Monday the pro tempore presidency of the Central American Council for Consumer Protection (Concadeco).
The executive director of Pro ConsumerEddy Alcántara, received the transfer of the presidency of the organization, which belongs to the Central American Integration System (SICA), from the hand of his counterpart from El Salvador, Ricardo Arturo Salazar, on behalf of Mario Castejón, from Honduras, a country that held
About what Pro Consumer celebrates 14 years of existence, Alcántara highlighted the achievements made in the year and a half at the head of that institution in favor of citizens, highlighting the signing of the Pact for Fair Prices.
Another achievement that he highlighted has been the weekly dissemination of informative capsules derived from the Price Comparison Observatory of International Markets, where citizens can verify and verify the prices of the main products of the basic basket sold in the markets of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Likewise, he highlighted that the entity has received a total of 15,000 claims and complaints, of which 90% have been duly reconciled, yielding an economic return of nearly 1,000 million pesos in favor of consumers.
He also reported that in terms of inspection, the entity has seized 2,534,161 products not suitable for consumption, which have been incinerated and crushed.
The official stressed that the agency, in market surveillance actions, has closed a significant number of commercial establishments in different parts of the country, for operating with irregularities that violate the quality standards established in Law 358-05 on Consumer Protection.
He noted that four resolutions have been issued in defense of the economic interests of consumers, such as the one that requires industrialists, merchants and importers to comply with the labeling standard in the Dominican Republic; which provides that non-regulated finance companies and businesses of the same nature register conditional sale contracts for furniture and loans in Pro Consumer; and the one that prohibits the collection of 10% as a tip in commercial establishments where the client does not consume.
In his inauguration speech, Alcántara announced that during his administration he will work on the creation of joint mechanisms that allow strengthening the defense and protection of consumers.
It will also develop and intensify relations between government consumer protection agencies in the region through agreements, cooperation and mutual assistance, in order to achieve an effective defense of consumer rights in the countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic. .
He also affirmed that he will continue to promote, together with the member countries that make up this Council, the defense of consumer rights as stated in its guidelines, which, he said, “seeks to harmonize public policies and the efforts of the governments of the region in terms of consumer protection.
