Fernandez lauds scrappy official in salami, propane and credit card rows

SANTO DOMINGO.- President Leonel Fernandez on Wednesday threw his support behind Consumer Protection Agency director Altagracia Paulino, who within 24 hours has confronted meat processors on tainted salamis and propane gas station dealers on alleged fraud in measure the fuel.

Fernandez hailed Paulino’s work as playing an important to benefit consumers during her tenure "Specific cases should be seen. I think consumer advocacy is an achievement of a democratic society which thinks exactly how the vulnerable sectors, who’ve lacked a voice have found one through the government."

The head of the Consumer protection Agency, to name a few cases, has defended the users of credit cards by demanding the disclosure of the adhesion contracts; has seized thousands of expired products from store shelves; revealed that 97% of the salamis didn’t meet quality standards and has demanded that the propane gas stations sell the fuel on weight and not by volume which jeopardizes buyers.

“Neither Barack Obama nor the Pope will make me change my mind,” the official said Wednesday after noting that she’ll disclose the names of the tainted salami brands only after a subsequent study, “because as you all know we also found that some salamis had fake labels.”