PAGASA was requested to assist in the screening of new products by regional exhibitors vying for booths at the upcoming  National Food Fair organized by DTI’s Bureau of Domestic Trade  to be held on 25-29 March 2015 at Megatrade Halls 1-3 of SM Megamall. PAGASA was represented at this meeting by Pres. Steven Cua (checkered) and Dir. Desmond Chua (with glasses beside STC). STC also attended in behalf of the Phil. Retailers Assn. (PRA). Heading the meeting (in light blue) is Dir. Rhodora M. Lea ño of BDT.

PAGASA Pres. Steven T. Cua was invited to be a presentor for the Regional Retailer of the Year Award together with Michelle Juliano of Dell Phils. on 25 February 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Saver’s Appliance Depot won this particular Award.  But for this year’s PRA President’s Retailer of the Year Award, it goes to Mr. Andrew Tan of Megaworld Corp. for his Lifestyle Malls and Mixed-Use Dev’t. Projects. SM Megamall won for Mall of the Year and SM Hypermarket chain for Supermarket of the Year.

Barely a week after the Congressional Hearing on Plastic Bags, the Committee on Ecology immediately calls a follow-through session with the Technical Working Group on 12 Feb. 2015 to thresh out what had been discussed the previous week. The Cong. Committee on Ecology has adopted the position of PAGASA to make retailers into collectors of used plastic bags so that they may return these to recyclers to make the ecological cycle of plastic bags run full circle. Customers who do not surrender used plastic bags to retailers will be charged a minimal fee as penalty for not acting as a responsible citizen of this planet and not doing their share in protecting our environment. PAGASA reiterates that the real issues are disposable vs. reusable and the proper disposal of reusables.

The 16 th Congress at the House of Representatives held its 1 st Committee (on Ecology) Hearing on the Banning or Regulation of Plastic Bags on Feb. 4 , 2015.Chaired by Rep. Amado S. Bagatsing, it consolidates the different bills on banning/regulating plastic bags by Cong. Lani Mercado-Revilla, Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun, Susan A. Yap, Rufus B. Rodriguez, Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr., Winston Castelo, Democrito C.Mendoza, Ronald V. Singson, Leah S. Paquiz and Marlyn L. Primicias-Agabas as received by the 16 th Congress. Every Congress studies bills on the same topic from the very beginning as it usually elects a different Chairman for the same Committee every new Congress and as new bills may be filed for consolidation. STC gave PAGASA’s position as found in the link

PAGASA’s STC attended the Senate Hearing on the creation of a new office (with head as part of the presidential cabinet) called the Philippine Trade Representative Office (PTRO) to handle negotiations, research, coordination and all matters pertaining to trade in view of the impending Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) in early 2015. PAGASA submitted its Position Paper on said proposal.

On 2 Feb. 2015, PAGASA was invited and attended the Public Hearing on Regulation/Ban of Plastic Bags headed by Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Environment Chairperson Sen. Loren Legarda. Sen. Koko Pimentel passed by for a while. The hearing was rather lop-sided favoring the green advocates and in favor of a plastic bag total ban. Attached please find PAGASA’s Position Paper which was not given the chance for a proper presentation by PAGASA Pres. Steven Cua. He was supported by Dir. Mykel Teodoro.