On the eve of 6 Dec. 2017,  six gallant gentlemen and an iron lady walked into a reserved room at the Coffee Shop of Shangri-la at the Fort.  Inside this conclave they exchanged classified retail information and general pleasantries. (L-R) Steven Cua/Welcome Supermart, Edna Ontiveros/ Candice Megamart (Tuguegarao), Fred Gravador/ Simplicity Minimart (Muzon, Bulacan), Alfie Gatmaytan/Kiko Mart, Myke Teodoro/Velamart, Liansel Sy/Liana’s and Arjie Lim/Andrew’s (Puerto Princesa).  Sorely missing that evening were Robert Go/Prince Group of Supermarkets (Vis-Min) and Desmond Chua/Daily Supermarket.

 

The elected Officers for the term 2017-2019 were:

 

Steven Cua – President
Liansel Sy    -  Vice President
Myke Teodoro   -   Treasurer
Desmond Chua  -   Corp. Secretary
Edna Ontiveros    -  P.R.O.

In the morning of 28 Nov. 2017, PAGASA was invited by the Singapore Office of the HK Trade Development Council (HKTDC) to a seminar to choose HK in making it a partner in doing business at the Bonifacio Hall of Shangri-la at the Fort.  This was to be followed by the invite of the Vietnamese Embassy for STC to give a talk on the state of the food retail industry at the Le Salon of the New World Manila Bay Hotel in Ermita, Manila.  Ms. Vu Viet Nga/Commercial Attache of the Viet Embassy had invited 15 companies from her country who were interested in looking for good business matches in Manila. Up front at the affair was the former Mayor of Marikina Ms. Marides Fernando and Mr. William Bello/most recent awardee for the Retailer of the Year Awards for Wilcon Builders, Inc.

 

DTI Usecs. Teodoro Pascua (Consumer Protection Grp.) and Zenaida Maglaya (Regional Opn’s Grp.) called an urgent meeting to discuss the ill-effects of an earthquake the magnitude of which Metro Manila may find itself in a dilemma for months-to-come if not properly prepared and handled.  Meeting was held on 23 November 2017 at the Office of Usec. Pascua at 2/F UPRC Bldg. along Gil Puyat Ave.  Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) together with the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) convened the Inter-Agency Resiliency Team. DTI is a member of the TWG on Food.   PAGASA suggested that learning from past lessons:

1.) The military (not the PNP) must secure all food retail establishments to maintain order when the Big One strikes (and avoid looting);

2.) Road Plans have to be revealed, same with the 4 quadrants of MMDA and evacuation areas of these 4 areas to avoid over-congestion in one area and for the public to be traveling in the areas which are decongested;

3.) to continuously decongest MM as food will only last for a few days if everyone stays within this metropolis (since the number of people in the day time is very much different from that in the night timeas workers travel back to residences in the adjacent provinces in Calabarzon and Central Luzon areas; and
4.) to inform the public before-hand which radio stations  to listen to (with battery-operated radios) since commu- nication systems may be down when cell towers,phone and electric lines are down.

DTI Sec. Ramon Lopez chaired the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) Meeting held on 21 Nov. 2017 at 1:30pm at the AVR Conference Room Penthouse of the BOI Building.  As the year ends, the DTI Sec. and NPCC Chairman reviews the movement of prices leading to Noche Buena for the buying public. He looks into the price of meat, poultry and agricultural products, on fueland LPG, on essential and non-essential drugs, even on plywood and primarily on Basic Necessities and Prime Commodities.The BSP reports that FDI during the first 9 months of 2017 was down only 5.2% vs. 14% the previous year.

PAGASA was represented by its Pres. Steven T. Cua and its Corp. Sec. Desmond Chua to NEDA’s National Consultation at the Astoria Hotel on 9 Nov. 2017 to contribute to the “Governance Framework for the Agribusiness Subsector towards Rapid, Inclusive & Sustainable Growth for the Phils.”  The consultation was carried out in a workshop format and participants were asked to take part in speaking their piece on how to improve efficiencies in the agribusiness subsector. NEXUS Agribusiness Solutions, a Los Baños-based consulting firm handled the sessions for NEDA.

 

The GenMeet for the final quarter of the year 2017 was held at the Mactan Function Room of the EDSA Shangrila Hotel on the eve of 25 Oct. 2017.  Generous host for the evening was Retail Associates headed by Mr. Bo Lundqvist. Much discussion focused on the government’s intent of opening the retail trade to foreigners some more and the T.R.A.I.N. proposal of the Administration. PAGASA Treasurer Myke Teodoro reported on compliance for the Data Privacy Act which he gathered at a Seminar held by the Data Privacy Commission (DPC) on 20 Oct. 2017. As an added opportunity for PAGASA Attendees, Agnes Noma of NFAF presented the line of popular chocolates they import from various suppliers abroad. The set of new Directors to the Board of PAGASA were also elected on the same evening and outgoing Director William Villanueva served as the COMELEC Chair for the evening.  All nine candidates for Directorship got inthe Board as other candidates declined their nomination.

 

On 24 October 2017, the DA’s Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards(BAFS) held a public consultative meeting for the revision of the Philippine National Standard (PNS) Code of Hygienic Practices for the sale of fresh agriculture and fishery products in markets and authorized outlets at theUniversity Hotel of the U.P. Diliman Campus. PAGASA was invited as a Resource Person when it came to requirements of  supermarkets in the hygienic delivery of fresh produce and fishery products to make them more marketable.

On the side of the public hearing on the sale of fresh produce and fishery products at the U.P.’s University Hotel on 10/24/17,PAGASA’s STC was interviewed by GMA-7 regarding the potential increase in prices of basic necessities and prime commodities in view of the Administration’s serious intent topush the Tax Reform for Acceleration & Inclusion (T.R.A.I .N.)Program and have it enacted into law as soon as possible.

PAGASA was invited on 11 October 2017 by (L-R) Cris Galit and Mina Satorre (both of Filipino Mirror Media Group Corp.) and Marvin Nisperos Estigoy/ VP of Business Mirror to become a contributor to the Pilipino Mirror/the 1st Business Tabloid in the country.  STC will bring up the kind offer to PAGASA Members at its next Gen. Meeting on 25 Oct. 2017 for approval.

PAGASA was invited to a hearing on the Congressional Committee on Food Security on 10 October 2017 to act as a Resource Speaker on food wastage in supermarkets. PAGASA Pres. Steven T. Cua attested to the fact that supermarkets have practically zero wastage as bad orders are returned to suppliers.  Having explained to the members of this Committee of the industry practice regarding bad orders, STC requested that supermarkets be excluded from being mentioned in the proposed bill.  However, the Members of the Committee argued that even if that is the case, they see no harm in adding supermarkets to their list of establishments with food wastage (even if there is none) since it will be very difficult to add these establishments (i.e., supermarkets) again in the future should the occasion arise that supermarkets may, sometime in the future, experience food wastage. This being the argument, STC posed no objection to their adding “supermarkets” in their list of establishments to be monitored (for food wastage) in this proposed bill.