PAGASA was invited to a Workshop on Food Loss/Wastage hosted by The Department of Agriculture via Cisco-WEBEX in the morning of 30 June 2021. Stakeholders focused on ways to gain collective effort among government agencies, NGOs, international agencies, the private sector and the academe. Hosted by DA PRS' Jomari Panaga, it was attended by former Usec. Roehlano Briones, UNIDO's Teddy Monroy, Melody Melo-Rijk of WWF-Ph, PhilRice's Marissa Romero, Jim Cano of the Youth Alliance for Zero Hunger, reps from UPLB and some other state universities as well as other concerned agencies. Data verification and research studies needed to address this concern properly. PAGASA specifically cited the willingness of some fastfood chains to donate excess food but renege upon finding out that handling inefficiencies of these donations often result in damaging negative repercussions to the reputation of donors.

PAGASA Pres. Steven T. Cua attended on the afternoon of 29 June 2021 the first physical business matching session (first face-to-face event) since March 2020 at the Dusit Thani Hotel. Organized by the Indonesian Embassy in the Philippines, they featured online via wide screen suppliers of products/serviceS w/o them having to travel/being quarantined on our shores.  The wide screens in front of and on the side of the ballroom were impressive. However, seamless connection was sorely lacking. This caused a lot of delays and did a lot of harm to the presentations as well as the Function.

STC guested on 1 June 2021 at the livestream program of Go Negosyo hosted by Betong Sumaya. It is under the initiative of Sec. Joey Concepcion. With PAGASA Pres. STC of Welcome Supermart are PRA Pres. Rose Bosch Ong of Wilcon Builders and Peachy Medina / Managing Dir. of Uratex Industries. Discussed was the dismal performance of the country's vaccination program & its langiushing effect on businesses.

On the hot afternoon of 17 May 2021, as Senate resumes its session, PAGASA joined forces with the PRA and KATAPAT, an NGO, to ran a Motorcade circling the offices of the Senate. This is to remind them that the proposed Amended Retail Liberalization Law which intends to lower the capex requirement of foreign retailers to $100,000 or P5M (from the original $2.5M or P125M) will slowly and surely kill local MSMEs in the retail trade and open up the economy to more smuggled goods. PAGASA's STC was interviewed there live over DZRJ Teleradyo. PAGASA was represented by JC Plaza, Welcome Supermart, Welcome Bac and the support of its 400+ member-stores.

In the afternoon of 10 May 2021, KME KATAPAT, an NGO invited PAGASA and the PRA to a short virtual Meet calling the attention of retailers regarding the thrust of the current Administration to push a more “progressive” retail liberalization law via legislators. The government wants to open up the retail trade Some more to foreigners by allowing them to own 100% of the business by simply investing $100,000.

Ahead of this year's May 1 celebration of Labor Day, DOLE together with the DTI, NEDA, DAP, ADB, WB and the ILO, embarked on a Pre-Summit Dialogue on 23 April 2021 with Industry Leaders & Associations in the fields of Manufacturing, IT, Wholesale/Retail, Transport & Logistics, Tourism, Banking & Finance, etc. to come up with a comprehensive solution to address the issues of growing unemployment & underemployment. PAGASA was invited to participate. Break-out sessions were held to draw up a unified presentation economy-wise come Labor Day.

On 21 April 2021, PAGASA Office welcomed a personal visit by Mr. Mohit Garg, an Indian national who chose to make the Philippines his home. His entrepreneurial spirit urged him to personally meet PAGASA President Steven T. Cua to explore the possibility of supermarkets giving out eco-bags for free to customers when they shop. Mr. Garg is optimistic but will have to push pencils, create designs, pull strings and synergize resources to fulfill his vision of a lucrative trade here resulting in a cleaner Philippines.

The Wholesale & Retail Sector Summit Consultation on Employment Recovery hosted by the DTI's CPAB & the Development Academy of the Philippines took place via Zoom in the morning of 7 April 2021. PAGASA was invited as a panelist/discussant on the local situation for wholesale/retail when it comes to employment in these industries. Also reactors were the Phil. Retailers Assn., Phil. Consumer-Centric Traders Assn., Phil. Assn. of Stores and Carinderia Operators and the Direct Selling Assn. of the Phils. Presenters came from the ILO & the WB. PAGASA Pres. STC suggested to the Dept. of Labor and Employment to allow supermarkets which are cash-strapped to pay salaries partially in the form of groceries/goods. DOLE Asec. Dominique "Nikki" Rubia-Tutay says this is not an accepted traditional form of compensation that DOLE & ILO approves of but given the situation, one may sign an agreement with their personnel to arrange this for say, up to three months only (a temporary arrangement) while economic conditions are bad. STC also suggested that LGUs encourage the elderly or those retired/WFH to go shop at supermarkets from 10:00am-2:00pm when customers are sparse in supermarkets and that Barangays/Community Leaders to continuously announce over loud speakers health safety protocols in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

PAGASA was honored to have been visited personally on the 16th of March 2021 by the Commercial Attache of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Manila in the person of Mr. Lao Nguon Eng. He came as a result of a February 17th meeting this year between Phil. Ambassador to Cambodia Ma. Amelita C. Aquino & Cambodia's Minister of Commerce H.E. Pan Sorasak to establish business ties in promoting Cambodian rice/goods to the Philippines.