On 31 Jan. 2022, the DA crafted its National Agriculture & Fisheries Modernization & Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP) 2020-2030. This Plan is supposed to guide actions & directions towards transformative Phil. Agri aiming towards a food- & nutrition-secured resilient Phils. for prosperous farmers & fisherfolks. This Workshop broke up participants into groups. On screen you find the GM of FisherFarms (former DTI Asec.) Imelda Madarang and Resto PH Pres. Eric Teng/Mango Tree Restaurants giving their inputs for this Plan. PAGASA contended that it is the lack of continuity in implementation of roadmaps which always takes us back to Square One with any Plan. Great formulation of plans but inefficient execution/monitoring of plans & politics always get in the way of progress.

In the morning of 29 January 2022, the regular Saturday program of ABS CBN for Teleradyo> "Bida Konsyumer" guested PAGASA President Steven T. Cua with Ross del Rosario representing the market meat vendors of Star Market in Novaliches and Atty. Vic Dimagiba/President-Laban Konsumer. Over Zoom, veteran newsman Alvin Elchico hosted the program tackling for the week increase in prices of BNPCs as DTI comes out with a new List of SRPs amidst unceasing price increases in the world price for fuel. STC reiterated that SRPs not needed by the goverent as a tool to contain prices. Mr. del Rosario agrees.

Attending the First Quarter virtual General Meeting on 26 January 2022 was PAGASA Pres. Steven T. Cua, Dir. Robert Go/Prince Retail Group, Diana Prince Ang/AllDay, VP Liansel Sy/Liana's, Treasurer Myke Teodoro/Velamart, Arjie Lim/Andrew's, Dir. Kim Reyes/B-Kim Assenet, Rembrandt Tolentino/Supermarket at Azure, Alexis Gaisano/Gaisano Country Mall, Dir. Edna Ontiveros/Candice Megamart, Dir. Alfie Gatmaytan/KikoMart, Dir. Dustin Uy/San Roque Supermarket, Zoom host William Villanueva and Special Guest Karl Tan/former Super Palengke Group. Presented  were the Philippines' Top Retailers for 2020 and ASEAN Top Philippine Retailers for 2021. Also presented was Euromonitor International's Top 10 Global Consumer Trends for 2022.

Another afternoon online regarding plastic waste management on 19 January 2022 by PAGASA President Steven T. Cua. The Hearing by Congress is the result of the two marathon TWG Meetings the previous week to straighten out kinks shareholders may have in their role when the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) bill is passed into law.

Chairing the Hearing is Ecology Committee Head Rep. Glona C. Labadlabad (top, 2R) together with Deputy Speakers Camille Villar (upper rightmost) and Rufus Rodriguez who were co-authors of this Joint Bill. Congress finally passed it on third reading after years and years of hearings to effect laws on plastic waste management.

Ms. Nanette Medved-Po explained the role of PCX (Plastic Credit Exchange) which she heads in monitoring collection & recycling efforts of its members as posted on screen.

Chaired by Committee Secretary for Ecology Atty. Dilbert Quetulio, it was aided by Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez who stayed on the whole afternoon. On this day, the Bill was srutinized by 98 stakeholders word for word, line by line.

Presentations were made by WWF's Atty. Ina Guingona and PARMS' Atty. Bonar Laureto on their proposed structure for the EPR (see attachments). The public sector was represented by NSWMC Commissioner Crispian Lao and authorities from the DOST, DENR, DOF, BOC, BIR, DBM, MMDA, CHED and staff of Congress/Senate.

The private sector had Nestle, Unilever, Mondeliz, SM Prime, Jollibee, Alaska Milk Corp., Absolute Sales Corp. (for bottled water), KFC, McDonalds, PepsiCo, PCCI's Alfredo Yao (well-known manufacturer and packaging man), PPIA, Recyclers' Groups and PAGASA's Pres. Steven T. Cua.

For the academe and NGOs, there was U.P., Atty. Raul Academia of FPI/BCCP/Joint Foreign Chambers, PCX's Nanette Medved Po, CCC, Sonia Mendoza of Mother Earth Foundation, Greenpeace, Ecowaste Coalition, JSPC, PCAPI, AFPMP and other cause-oriented groups.

For a wholistic solution to plastic waste management in this country, producers would set up recycling facilities over time and a monitoring system would see to it that they minimize the plastic components of their manufactured products and collect the plastic wastes from these products for recycling.

In the morning of 4 August 2021, PAGASA was invited to participate in the digital Town Hall Meeting organized by Go Negosyo's founder and Presidential Adviser for Entre- preneurs Joey Concepcion with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Department of Interiors and Local Government. Invited were the mayors of Metro Manila and participants were encouraged to inquire and make recommendations regarding the upcoming circuit-breaker lockdown scheduled from 6 Aug.-20 Aug. 2021.

PAGASA held its third quarter virtual General Meeting on the eve of 28 July 2021. Aside from recent retail/supermarket/economic developments, discussed was the announcement of an impending strict two-week lockdown by LGUs to quell the debilitating spread of the COVID-19 Delta Variant. Our observer attendee at this General Meeting is Mr. Lou Andrew Manlangit of MLQ Extension Minimart located in Mahabang Parang, Angono, Rizal.

On 27 July 2021, Ka Tunying a.k.a. Anthony Taberna offered his breads to interested PAGASA Member-stores in Metro Manila as customers shun leaving their homes and makes access to his breads a dilemma. Representing him for exploratory talks is his wife, Rossel (center) and his sister, Heidi.

PAGASA attended a whole-day Google Meet with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) & stakeholders on the extension of discount privileges to Senior Citizens (SCs) & Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) for online purchases on 16 July 2021. This Public Consultation was to air the various concerns regarding the potential spurious practices customers may apply to avail of the 5% discount explicitly meant for SCs and PWDs during online transactions. Retailers are in for an uphill climb in dealing with erring customers who misrepresent themselves as SCs & PWDs when ordering online. The DSWD was tasked with issuing the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) covering the mechanics for the said selective privilege. Attending were Ms. Joemzky Magno/Ms. Jona Ortega/Ma. Joanna C. Foz of the DSWD, Myrla Sedenio/MCBA, Jose Pepito/Atty. Mario V. Dimagiba/Twinkle Miguel of the Consumer Groups, Mr. Girlie Amarillo representing the SCs, Carlina Josue/Shirley Vasquez of the DTI, Gretchen Mondragon/BIR, Nicka Hosaka/Grab, Glorie Ann Piñeda/ PandaFood, JJ Ocana/Lazada, PRA's Bing Miranda/Mayan Sangil and PAGASA Pres. STC.

PAGASA attended the DTI Webinar In the morning of 15 July 2021 regarding basic necessities & prime commodities (BNPCs) and the list of Suggested Retail Prices (SRPs) used by the DTI to control/tame prices of grocery items. The SRP of selected BNPCs is a good tool for the DTI during episodes of calamity and/or emergency but during relatively normal (i.e., business as usual) times, it is wreaking havoc on operations of supermarkets. Some manufacturers take advantage of this DTI practice (since the former provides their "preferred" SRPs to the latter) by providing retailers unacceptable margins (some as low as 2.9%) in order to make the prices of their products become attractive/competitive! During the Webinar, retailers (especially those regional) have been complaining that some distributors sell to them at the price on DTI's SRP List for consumers! PAGASA President STC raised his hand and aired the appeal to the DTI to send their List of SRPs to the Association some two-three days before publishing these so supermarket operators can get a chance to comment on these prices and check if they are "relatively fair" for retailers. This was already the practice of the DTI before Typhoon Yolanda (Storm Haiyan) devastated the country in 2013. Compounding the problem for retailers is the dive in demand during this pandemic. In fact, at least 20 manufacturers increased their prices in June even as government declared a price freeze. They do not want to defy government directives but simply had to stay afloat for the benefit of the livelihood of their long-term employees and service to the buying public who ask for their products. Some ten more manufacturers increased prices soon as the Freeze was lifted on 10 July.