In a ceremony led by President Luis Abinader, his counterpart from the Dominican Federation of Merchants (FDC), Iván García, reaffirmed the support of the commerce sector to the current government administration to continue with transparency as a north and zero tolerance to corruption.
During the ceremony, the merchants recognized the President with the Juan Pablo Duarte Medal of Merit, for being a dedicated public servant who works for the Dominican people.
Garcia acknowledged the President’s vision of an independent Public Prosecutor’s Office to work without strings attached. “President, you have the full support of the commerce sector and I understand of the whole society so that transparency continues as the north of your government and zero tolerance to corruption”.
The representative of the merchants in the country valued the loans granted to MSMEs through Promipyme, which to date total more than 21,800 million pesos, benefiting 178,000 companies with 121,447 jobs created and strengthening another 752,792.
Regarding the issue of the border closure, he indicated that the FDC has supported the President’s initiatives putting the national interest above particular interests.
“We are aware of the President’s attitude so that the merchants do not lose our inventories, aware of the extraordinary effort for the opening of the binational markets with exclusive trade zones, aware that the Haitian people cannot bear to continue buying eggs at 20 pesos as they are paying today, aware that the need and hunger are going to make the people of Haiti go over the heads of 4 or 5 characters who are preventing the reopening of the markets,” he said.
He added: “We are aware of supporting the President of the Republic in this whole process, we are aware that we need both of us, us to sell and them to buy, aware that the lack of institutionality in Haiti prevents having valid interlocutors officially.”
Garcia recalled that in 2016 the Haitian government closed the land border with the country while arranging the ban on 27 items and that they have never lifted that resolution but said that any customs official in Haiti puts it in place and that when it is the Dominican Republic “it is seen to be bad and that is not so.”
Sensible and reasonable public policies
Speaking briefly, President Abinader said that the key to success lies in being able to continue promoting sensible and reasonable public policies and that when situations like the current ones with neighboring Haiti occur, which require necessary national security actions, to identify measures to mitigate the damage they produce.
“What I can tell you is that the Dominican Republic has a present and a bright future,” he said.
In that order, the president referred that the social and economic situation of the Dominican Republic in comparison with other countries is much better. “I can tell you that we have already achieved what was the main objective of economic policy, which was to control inflation and now we are going to see how we will recover an important growth until the end of the year”.
He added that for next year it is estimated that growth will be over 5%, for the good of the Dominican economy and with inflation under control.
He urged the merchants to organize themselves in cooperatives so that they can have the benefits of buying on a large scale and have greater competitiveness and, in this sense, he assured them that they will have the full support of the government.
The head of state said that in terms of fiscal control, the government is committed to equality for all sectors, especially in the taxation part.
“The important thing is to continue with this communication; you have a government in which we are pro-business, pro-commerce and pro-jobs, Because it is the only way to achieve economic development, creating jobs and properly managing government resources that reach the most needy,” said President Abinader.
For this reason, he emphasized, at the same time that we are pro-commerce, pro-business and pro-jobs, we have doubled social aid to maintain social peace in the country and this is the formula for success, to reduce poverty levels, but at the same time to promote commerce.
He insisted on the importance of maintaining and increasing communication with the different sectors, in order to solve any problem that may arise.
Beacon of leadership and unifier of efforts
For his part, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes Víctor -Ito- Bisonó, emphasized that, in these 49 years, the Federation has been a beacon of leadership, unifier of efforts and defender of the interests of commerce in the nation.
“And what better way to celebrate than this important date, as the National Day of Commerce, which recognizes the fundamental role played by the sector in the Dominican economy and society, being a fundamental pillar in its structure and representing a social fabric capable of connecting with communities and promoting their development,” said Bisonó.
The FDC also presented awards in different categories to outstanding merchants of the country, Misael Castillo Arache, Teodoro Adón Guzmán and Roberto Almonte.
The Award for Excellence in Public Service was also presented to three public servants: from Promipyme, Porfirio Peralta; from Banco de Reservas, Samuel Pereyra, and from Adess, Catalino Correa Hiciano.
President of the CNCP, highlights the excellent management of the economy by the government of President Abinader.
Later, the president attended the XXll Anniversary of the National Council of Commerce in Provisions (CNCP), at the Catalonia Hotel, where the incoming president of this organization, Alberto Leroux Estrada, highlighted the excellent management of the economy that the government headed by President Abinader has had in times of crisis and having successfully overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Not only have we overcome situations of sanitary aspects, but, coming out of it, comes the Russia-Ukraine conflict which has negatively impacted the supply of raw material of the main consumer commodities,” Leroux exposed.
The CNCP president indicated that the crisis has been managed in such a way that the country’s economy has maintained its economic growth, in spite of all the aforementioned imported factors.
He also welcomed the government’s decision and effort to create strong institutions, where compliance with laws, norms and rules is a commitment for all, which has had an impact so that today the country is taking steps to place itself on the road to development, as affirmed by the main international organizations.
An important partner for economic and social development
Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes, Víctor -Ito- Bisonó, said that this government administration headed by President Abinader appreciates the supply trade sector as an important partner for the economic and social development of the Dominican Republic and recognizes it as a pillar of the Dominican economy that generates thousands of jobs and contributes to the country’s food security.
“It is worth noting that this is a very dynamic and resilient sector. It has demonstrated its great capacity to adapt to changes, which was very clear to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, and immediately afterwards with the difficulties generated by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But even closer, in our own territory, in view of the situation our country is facing on the border with Haiti, the support they have given to the current administration of President Luis Abinader, in defense of national sovereignty, is plausible”, highlighted Bisonó.
963,441 people are employed in the commerce sector
Also, the Minister of Labor, Luis Miguel De Camps, reported that in the second quarter of this year 2023 there were 963,441 people employed in the commerce sector which represents 20% of the total number of occupied positions in the country.
“This means that one out of every five formal employees in the private sector works in commerce, making it the economic activity with the highest number of formal jobs in the Dominican Republic,” highlighted the minister.
The welcoming remarks were made by the founder and past president of the CNCP and vice-minister for the Promotion of MSMEs, Jorge Morales Paulino, who thanked the government for its support and highlighted the good management of the head of state in facing the different crises.
During the ceremony, the outgoing president of the CNCP, Julio César Pérez Mata, gave an account of his term in office and thanked all the members of the sector for their support.
President Abinader was accompanied by the director of Inespre, Iván Hernández, and the director of the National Police, Major General Eduardo Alberto Then; the deputy administrator of the Banco de Reservas, Francisco Elías; the president of Empresas Comerciales, Mario César Pérez Mata; the president of the CNCP, Julio César Pérez Mata; the president of the CNCP, Julio César Pérez Mata; and the president of the CNCP, Julio César Pérez Mata; the president of Empresas Comerciales, Mario Lama; the vice-president of the Federación Dominicana de Comerciantes sección Supermercados, Raquel Minier; of the Federación Dominicana de Comerciantes Mipymes, Félix Rodríguez; the ambassador of Chile in the country, Axel Cabrera, and the Mipymes advisor of the Executive Power, Carmelo Rodríguez.
Le président de la Chambre des députés, Alfredo Pacheco, le directeur de l’INFOTEP, Rafael Santos Badía, et la directrice des passeports, Digna Reynoso, le vice-président de la CNCP, Marino Calderón, le deuxième vice-président de la CNCP, Tomas Rodríguez Marcano, et le trésorier de la CNCP, Julio César Pérez, ont assisté au XXIIe anniversaire du Conseil national du commerce des provisions.
Source: presidencia.gov.do
