Every October has been designated as Consumer Welfare Month by the Office of the President. Agencies involved in the National Consumer Affairs Council (NCAC) take turns acting as Lead Agency in preparing for activities for this Month.  This year, it is Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) which is the Lead Agency.  As such, Ceremonial Opening for Consumer Welfare Month was done on 30 Sept. 2016 at the Assembly Hall of the BSP; starting with the Parade of Flags and ending with ribbon-cutting ushering in the start of activities for this month-long Affair.  PAGASA was represented by its Pres. Steven Cua/Welcome Supermart and its Directors Fred Gravador/Simplicity Ministop (in black shirt) and Edna Ontiveros/Candice Megamart in Tuguegaro.  They took the opportunity to have a photo-op with BSP Governor Armando Tetangco, Jr. (voted 7x as One of the World’s Top Central Bankers by NY-based Global Finance Magazine) and Keynote Speaker Sen. Grace L. Poe-Llamanza...

The forum is a project of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH <German Cooperation>.  Represented are the regulators (DA), NGO’s (Consumer Group for Organic Foods), Organic Farmers/Suppliers and Foreign Consultants/Technicians.  PAGASA’s STC shared marketing ideas/consumer mindsets/paradigm shifts they have to establish/tackle to get organic goods into mainstream distribution channels like supermarkets.  The Dialogue was held at The Sequioa Hotel on 27 September 2016.

PAGASA's Treasurer Myke Teodoro (clean cut in black suit and white shirt) represented the Phil. Amalgamated Supermarkets Assn at the PRA's 3Q General Membership Meeting held at Ballrooms .2 & 4 of Solaire Hotel in Pasay City at noon of 21 September 2016. The program was a recap of the things that happened during the last National Retail Conference & Exhibition presentation of Aylwin Low, Accounts Director of Oracle Retail Global Business Unit with the topic Strategic Retail Management for Growth and Innovation; presentation of Marnie Tolosa, Digital Advisor (Enterprise Architect) Internet-Of-Things of Microsoft Philippines with the topic of Customer Journey is at the Heart of Digital Transformation; Keynote Guest Speaker was Mr. Allenierey Exclamador, Tax Partner for SGV. His talk was entitled When Bigger is Not Always Better: Regularizing Business Combinations" - Objectives and Guidelines of the National Competition Act; and Guest of Honor Hon. DOL...

The Phil. Retailers Assn. (PRA) held a lunch meeting to review the guidelines and criteria in choosing Outstanding Filipino Retailers.  The Meeting was held at the Seven Corners Restaurant of Crowne Plaza on 14 Sept.’16. The PRA Board brought in the active members of the PRA and PAGASA’s STC was honored to have been invited for inputs to this upcoming event which is the most prestigious for the retail industry. Since 1996, this event has been a joint undertaking together with the DTI.  In view of the changing retail landscape and with the active engagement of e-tailing  and m-commerce, the Committee ends this Meeting with more queries than answers.  As such, some cleaning and streamlining of the various categories of retailing have to be considered before the Committee is once more called to order.

On 12 Sept. 2016, PAGASA Office was honored to receive as visitor former DTI Senior Undersecretary and BOI Supervising Governor Thomas G. Aquino (GMA Admin.) with the intention of helping his Spanish friends look for an importer/country distributor for Cuetara 1951, S.L.U. line of biscuits from Barcelona.  It was the first time PAGASA President Steven T. Cua had the honor of being introduced to this fine gentleman who negotiated the major deals like the U.S. Free Trade Agreement in behalf of the country. He is now Chairman of NOW Corp.>a telecommunications, media and technology company and was a long-time VP and Program Director of the Univ. of Asia & the Pacific. He took up his MBA and Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.

PAGASA’s STC was a guest at the celebration of Malaysian National Day on 8 September at the Grand Ballroom of the Makati Shangrila.  STC met Amcham’s Executive Director Ebb Hinchcliffe (in cream suit) whom he had had the honor of working with for PBED project and was introduced to Mr. Michael S. Klecheski-Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States of America in the Philippines.  Of course, STC enjoyed the great curry/sate dishes and Malaysian hospitality for the evening.

At the Ceremonial Opening of AsiaFood Expo on 7 September 2016 at the World Trade Center, STC again, took the opportunity to get the audience engaged by checking on the coins in their households and to bring these out into circulation for the benefit of the consuming public.  He made the rounds with His Excellency Ambassador of India to the Philippines Aruni Ranaraja especially at the Indian Pavillion (he was aided by his First Secretary N. Ramakrishnan> rightmost guy at the ribbon-cutting ceremony). STC also got to discuss with Mr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr./Pres. & Chairman of Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. and Past Pres./Chairman of PCCII regarding the current state of the economy and its prospects.

As the –ber months step into our calendars, media pushes fast forward to Christmas and interviews retailers as to what to expect this coming Yuletide Season. On the 2 nd day of September, PAGASA’s STC is invited as guest in the popular morning program of Kapamilya Network to discuss supplies and prices for the upcoming heavy consumer season. STC took this opportunity on national television to get the citizenry engaged in bringing out the coins hidden in our homes so retailers can give the proper/exact change when shoppers buy in their establishments. With STC on the Show are (L-R) Anthony Taverna, Atom Araullo, Amy Perez and Jorge Cariño.

Once more, PAGASA has been invited to grace the Ceremonial Opening of Food & Drinks Asia on 1 Sept. 2016 at the World Trade Center.  This year’s Keynote Speaker is Presidential Candidate/Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares. Other Guests (seated R-L) include Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Phils. (HRAP) Pres. Eugene Yap, Minister Plenipotentiary (Amb.) S. Hossein MirEskandari of the Embassy of the Islamic Rep. of Iran, Chef Noel M. Paguia/Pres.-Food Caterers Assn. of the Phils., Dept. of Agri. Usec. Evelyn G. Laviña (for Agribusiness and High Value Crops), LNA’s Josephine Miranda (Show Organizer), Bien Enrico Ah/Pres.-Fil-Chi. Bakery Assn., Inc., PAGASA’s STC and Her Excellency Ambassador of Sri Lanka.