PAGASA held its 1Q GenMeet on 29 January 2025 at Taste & Tell Sushi Fusion inside the new wing of Greenhills Mall in San Juan. Discussed was the relatively sluggish sales during the past Yuletide Season with the rise of the number of outlets of DALI and O-Save Discount Shops and the seeming reluctance of consumers to let go of their limited disposal income given their fear of reeling effects of inflation. New government regulations, retail trends and invites by trade show organizers/ embassies/exhibitors both local and international were also in the topics for discussion.

On 28 January 2025, Congressional Ways & Means Committee Chairman Rep. Joey Salceda called another hearing to try to get to the bottom of high prices for rice, poultry, pork and other fresh produce. Just a few days earlier, the DA had met with select food retail operators like SM, Puregold, Robinsons, Waltermart, Landmark, Unimart and 7-11 to ask them to sell NFA Rice at P29/kg. and well-milled rice (100% broken) at P36/kg. and (25% broken) at P38/kg. If amenable, these retailers must sell the P29 variety at no profit while the other two varieties will be provided with some minimal margins. Not all the retailers seemed amenable to the proposal which is to take effect on 1 February 2025. These rice will also be carried by KADIWA outlets and the military's Commisaries. The Hearing took all of the day's regular office hours.

On 24 January 2025, Executive Director Steven. T. Cua was interviewed live via Zoom by the wacky Alvin Elchico & Doris Bigornia. They were wearing clothes mimicking trash cans to stress the importance of sorting garbage into biodegradable and non-biodegradable trash cans in promoting sustainable development. They were asking regarding a plan by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to offer cheap rice in Metro Manila through select national food retail chains and a convenience store chain by 1 February 2025.

The House of Representatives called for the fourth of a series of hearings at the new People's Center Building inside the Congressional Complex on 15 January 2025. This Quinta-Committee is also called the "Murang Pagkain Supercommittee" and is composed of the House Committee on Ways & Means (Lead Committee chaired by Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda), Trade & Industry (Rep. Ferjenel G. Biron), Agriculture & Food (Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga), Social Services (Rep. Rosanna "Ria" V. Vergara) and the Special Comm. on Food Security (Rep. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma). They want to get to the root of the problem as to why the price of imported rice has not gone down inspite of the lowering of rice tariffs for the last six months? They asked PAGASA's Mr. Cua to explain how rice is priced in supermarkets. STC mentioned that there are just too many varieties of rice and too many types of rice retailers to contain prices at one uniform maximum price. PAGASA feels that the Maximum SRP that the DA is planning to set for imported premium rice at P58.00 per kilo for Metro Manila supermarkets is realistic and doable as prices for the rest of the varieties will follow suit from this price ceiling. These prices will continue to move down as rice at these prices becomes available in the market.

PAGASA's STC attended the first quarter National Price Coordinating Council Meeting on the morning of 14 January 2025 at the new Head Ofc of the Department of Trade & Industry inside the 14-storey Filinvest Building along Gil Puyat Ave. DTI Sec. Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque chaired that Meeting together with Department of Agriculture (DA) Sec. Francisco Tiu-Laurel who had to attend to work on the justification for declaring a state of emergency on the supply of "affordable" rice. Issue was the high price of rice in the market despite the decrease in tariff on imported rice. DA could only instruct the National Food Authority (NFA) to release rice in its regional warehouses if the NPCC deems the situation as urgent in nature and the market needs government intervention. PAGASA's inclusion in the NPCC requires an appointment by the Philippine President himself.

https://www.youtube.com/live/8NKog9jcjA4

In the morning of 13 January 2025, former ANC Newscaster Maiki Oreta acts as anchor for BNC's program "Industry Beacon." She asks tough questions regarding the industry featured for her Program. PAGASA's Executive Director Steven T. Cua laid out the evolving food retail landscape in the country through the decades after WWII.

MEDIA BLITZ DURING YULETIDE IN COUNTRY WITH LONGEST CHRISTMAS SEASON

Just before Christmas Day of 2024, media feasted on the retail on-goings leading to this happiest season of the year. Inquiries on supply and demand as well potential price hikes filled the air as well as on air.

On 5 December 2024, PAGASA Director Raymond Obcena attended the Public Hearing on the negative impact of fake PWD Cards on the income of establishments as well as the collection of taxes by the government. This Hearing was hosted by the Committee on Ways and Means chaired by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian in joint effort with the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development. Mr. Obcena presented PAGASA's Position Paper and proceedings were livestreamed. See video and start at the 2 hour 9 min. mark.

In the early morning of 5 December 2024, PAGASA's Executive Director Steven T. Cua attended a breakfast briefing with (L-R) Diedrah Kelly, Exec. Dir., Canada's Indo-Pacific Agriculture & Agri Food Ofc (IPAAO) which is headquartered in Manila with the aim of penetrating Asian markets with Canadian goods; STC; Christopher Matthew Ilagan, Corp. Affairs Lead of PEPSICO (for Phils./Malaysia/Singapore/North Asia) as Chair for Advocacy Committee of the Phil. Chamber of Food Manufacturers, Inc. (PCFMI); UPLB Prof. Geny Lapiña, Dept. Chair of the College of Economics & Management; and Martin Sullivan> Trade Counsellor for IPAAO. Another panelist who was late for this Briefing was Chef Roby Goco, Executive Chef of Degustation Corp. which operates the Cyma Group of Greek Restaurants who was representing the Restaurant Division of HRAP (Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Phils.). Some 300 Canadian CEOs joined this Trade Mission. The room PAGASA briefed contained over 100 delegates in the Agri and Agri Food business. All the delegates together with some 400 Filipino counterparts jampacked the main ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, BGC for the plenary session attended by DTI Sec. Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque and Special Presidential Assistant for Investments and Economic Affairs Sec. Frederick Go. Team Canada was headed by their Minister for Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, the Hon. Mary Ng MP. She was assisted by Canadian Ambassador to the Phils. Hon. David Hartman. The Group first visited Indonesia before checking on the Philippines.

Mr. Cua also got to meet Mr. Goldy Hyder, Pres./CEO of The Business Council of Canada.

On the afternoon of 22 November 2024, STC was introduced via Zoom to Tristan "Taj" Angeles who represents the Alcoholic Bev. Alliance of the Phils. (ABAPI) and Jiayi Lu (based in Shanghai) & Siau Xi Goh (based in Singapore; in gray), the last two representing the Asia Pacific Int'l. Spirits & Wines Assn. (APISWA). The objective was to look for synergies the three associations can work with.