Every 2 years, at its 4 th Quarter General Meeting, PAGASA holds its Elections for a new set of Board of Directors for a two-year mandate. On the eve of 29 October 2015 at the Potts Point Australian Restaurant at the Mall of Asia, PAGASA held its Elections at said General Meeting.  On this eve, A.C. Nielsen’s Patrick Cua, PMFTC’s Atty. Arnaldo Cariño and TradeChannel & Pitaca, Inc.’s Nelson Co and Martin Nery offered their services and insights to enthralled PAGASA Members.

PAGASA’s Pres. and VP Steve Cua and Liansel Sy, respectively, were invited to the prestigious Retail Asia Pacific Top 500 Awards Night held at the Grand Ballroom of the Solaire Casino & Resort Hotel on 29 October 2015.  They hobnobbed with the bosses of Robinsons, Rustan’s, WalterMart, Automatic Centre and Mr. Manny O. himself (man behind the famous wines; in grey suit). Mercury Drug was given the Special Award for the Phils. on this evening.

After 22 years, the country hosts once more the 17 th Asia-Pacific Retailers Conference and Exhibition from 28-30 October 2015 at the SMX by the bay.  At its Welcome Dinner for Delegates at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, the Board of the Phil. Retailers Assn. stepped on stage in style and greeted the guests in their native tongue. The theme was Filipiniana and PAGASA delegates were garbed for the occasion as they had a shot taken with the Chairman of the Federation  of Asia-Pacific Retailers Assns. (FAPRA)> Mr. Mehmet Nane (of Turkey; in coat).  The President of the Phils. gave the Official Welcome Remarks at the Conference as majority of PAGASA delegates took a shot at one of the many photo op areas within the Exhibition Area. PAGASA Pres. Steven Cua was invited to chair one of the Sessions on Country Retail Reports where the Heads of Delegations gave their country’s retail development reports to the whole body.

PAGASA was invited on 24 Sept. 2015 to a Meeting at the Toyota Convention Center inside the U.P. Campus to discuss ways to decongest EDSA. It was a Meeting chaired by the Secretary of the Cabinet, Sec. Rene Almendras who was assigned to take care of the growing traffic problem in view of simultaneous constructions like the Metro Manila Skyway to eventually decongest vehicular traffic in the Metropolis. All stakeholders from business to industry to transport and traffic operators, to government and media, to commuters and the consumer groups were invited to listen to the plans already in place and to give their two-cents’ worth in trying to come up with a solution to ease everyone’s plight every travelling day. Sec. Singson of the DPWH, the MMDA, Sec. Abaya of the DOTC and others presented their thoughts on how to solve this perennial problem. Opinion given that day were all noted to help come up with the best win-win situation given current circumstances.

PAGASA’s STC was asked for an interview by an Ateneo Graduate Student of Journalism on 23 Oct. 2015 who turned out to be GMA-7’s Athena Imperial (who was incidentally crowned Ms. Earth Philippines in 2011). She interviewed Mr. Cua for a paper in school regarding PAGASA’s role in the regulation of the use of plastic bags and what is PAGASA’s stand regarding the role of supermarkets in trying to curtail the improper disposal of plastic  bags which is hurting the environment.

With barely a week to go before the biennial Asia-Pacific Retailers Conference to be hosted by the Philippines at the SMX (after last hosting some 20 years ago), PAGASA’s STC attends the briefing for Chairmen of various Break-out Sessions to be held at said Conference on 29-30 Oct. 2015. The Phil. Retailers Association (PRA) comes all out in organizing this huge event participated by the biggest retailers of some 18 Asia-Pacific economies including Japan, China, Korea, etc. STC will be handling the Session featuring the Country Reports on Retailing by the Heads of Delegation of the members of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA). 10-23-2015

On the early morning of 19 Oct. 2015,PAGASA’s STC was invited as guest at the studios of Radio Veritas to discuss issues on consumerism with program host Angelique Lazo and Fr. Soy Hernando. Tackled were issues on consumers being short-changed by manufacturers and retailers wherein listeners phoned-in, texted or emailed most of their concerns.

PAGASA was elected as the Chairman Organization for Agrilink, Foodlink, Aqualink in 2007. PAGASA is a Co-operator of this biggest Agri-Business Tradeshow in the country since 1999.  Exhibited are live breeder animals to feeds to giant aerator equipment.  The supermarket is at the far end of the supply chain for agri-produce coming from farms all over the country.  In half-body picture is PAGASA’s president Steven Cua with Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala. To their left is this year’s Show Chairman Isidro Acosta/Regional Fisheries and Agriculture Council (RFAC) Chairman for Region II and VP of Phil. Maize Federation (PhilMaize) and DA Asec. for Agribusiness Leandro “Dax” Gazmin. Other pic shows (L-R) FRLD’s Lino Perez, Col. Alejandro Teves Escaño of Meralco Foundation, STC, Arsenio “Toto” Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness Corp., Organizer FRLD Chairman Antonio Roces (back), Sec. Alcala, Asec. Gazmin, Atty. Asis G. Perez/Dir.-Bureau of Fisheries & Aquat

The Board of PAGASA held a Special Board Meeting on 1 Oct. 2015 at the Legend Seafood Restaurant to discuss the upcoming bi-annual elections of PAGASA Directors on 29 Oct. 2015 as well as other issues affecting the industry like intense competition, corporate cannibalism and the tightening of inspections by the different government regulatory agencies.

Every October, the country observes the Consumer Welfare Month. On its very first day, the DTI which is the lead agency for this engagement, invites all concerned agencies/entities to join in the observance of this Event. PAGASA came out in full force with most of its Board Members in attendance and with Treasurer William Villanueva acting as Staff Bearer for the Association. PAGASA Officers marched on stage as did all other agencies invited to the affair to show solidarity between the public and private sector in seeing to it that the consumer is king in this country. DTI’s National Consumer Affairs Council (NCAC) spearheaded this year’s event.