On 14 March 2013, the Phil. Bus. For Education (PBEd) held a Dinner Meeting at the Balagtas Room of the Manila Peninsula and invited Dept. of Education (DepEd) Sec. Bro. Armin Luistro (in the center in white seated between two gentlemen in coat) to listen to the results of the recently-concluded Higher Education Summit. Bus. & Ind. Assns. like PAGASA, MAP, BAP, AmCham, ECCP, PMAP, etc. were invited to validate findings and to tie-up with the academe for proposed projects.

Steve Cua/Pres. o f PAGASA gives a talk entitled “To the Supermarket we GO!” at the annual Conference of PinoyME where Micro Entrepreneurs meet. This was held on Day 1>3/7/13 and advised the attentive audience on how to present themselves and their products when they offer items to supermarkets.

1Q Board Meeting on 6 Mar. 2013 was held at Inagiku Japanese R estaurant at Makati Shangrila. (Foreground, clockwise) Liansel Sy/Liana’s, Patrick Ong/formerly Parco, William Villanueva/ Purity, Atty. Arnaldo Cariño -host/PMFTC, Bobby Ang/Topline, Steve Cua/Welcome, Fred Gravador/Simplicity Ministop, Johnny Lim/ 680, Karl Tan/Budgetlane. Absent were Roy Chua/ Daily and Edna Ontiveros/Candice Megamart.

Dept. of Trade & Industry (DTI) Sec. Gregory L. Domingo (beside lady in green) together with his four Undersecretaries (L-R) Lilia de Lima (2 seats left of the Sec.; concurrent Chair of Phil. Export Zone Authority <PEZA>), Adrian C. Cristobal, Jr., Zenaida C. Maglaya, Merly M. Cruz and Asst.Sec. Josephine Romero (left of Ms. de Lima) attend in full force the Consultation Meeting with Civil Society Organizations on 4 Mar. 2013. The Dept. of Budget & Management has required all government agencies to consult stakeholders (including PAGASA) in the computation/justification of their Annual Budget as presented to Congress and the President for approval. This move to assert transparency in governance was initiated this year and this exercise was for DTI’s Budget for 2014.