PAGASA joined Part Four (PAGASA's third) of the Zoom TWG Meeting in the morning of 27 January 2023 regarding amendments for the Consumer Act of the Phils. by Congress' Committee on Trade & Industry.

Long discussion regarding Selling on Cash, Credit/Debit & Installment; on Individual vs. Shelf-tagging of Prices ; on proper labelling of goods in the market; on health information on labels. There is talk on reviving the National Consumer Affairs Council (NCAC).

Participants included DTI Usec. Ruth Castelo, FDA's Atty. Vanessa G. Legasto, NACI's Jose Pepito, BCACI's Jose Sosa, PRA's Atty. Paul Angelo Santos & PAIA's John Paulo Barbosa aside from many other stakeholders.

Out of the six TWG Meetings to amend the Consumer Act of the Phils., PAGASA is invited to three which concerns retailers> first one on 16 January (last week) and the second one on 23 January 2023 (today). Four & half hours of discussion ranging from definition of a direct seller vs. an online seller, strengthening of consumer rights groups and revival of the National Consumers Affair Council (NCAC) to consumer's rights on new professional services like laundromats. Meeting was very capably handled by Mr. Jonatan Lopez (in photo) as this TWG's Chairman.

On 19 January 2023, PAGASA's STC was hounded by different media outfits for the third straight day in view of the many suppliers notifying retailers of price increases at the start of the year.

STC was invited as a resource person for TV5's One News Now in the afternoon of 18 January 2023 with Shawn Yao.

PAGASA was invited to attend a series of TWG Meetings on the proposed amendments to the Consumer Act of the Phils. under House Committee on Trade & Industry. Meeting is chaired by Mr. Jonatan Lopez (under Comm. Chairman Rep. Marvie Mariño) in photo.

This is a series of six TWG Meetings of which concerns of PAGASA are in three of these Meets. On its 1st Meet on 16 January 2023, the Group tackled Declaration of Principles, Definition of Terms (Who is considered a buyer? A retailer? An online retailer, etc. Prices? Tags?) and Consumer Rights & Responsibilities.

At this Meet were FDA Dir. Atty. Emilio L. Polig, DTI-FTEB's Marimel Dancel Porciuncula, Eric Silva of the Ofc. of Chairman Mariño, FDA's Div. Chief Heken N. Ocampo, Nat'l. Assn.of Consumers, Inc. (NACI) Pres. Jose Pepito, Laban Konsyumer's Jorge Bandola and PRA Chairman Atty. Paul Angelo Santos aside from many others.

Year-end interviews for PAGASA's STC on 28 and 30 December 2022 with veteran broadcaster Vic Lima (below) and Jon Ibañez, both of DWIZ and IZ TV.

It was pretty normal for PAGASA to be invited to four to five interviews in less than 24 hours during the Christmas Season like these on Teleradyo, Balitanghali, DZBB Live & "24 Oras" from 22-23 December 2022.

PAGASA's STC jests with TV Show hosts Peter Musngi and Rica Lazo on their early night show on 13 December 2022. Topic was how to fit a Noche Buena meal for a family of five given a budget of P500!

On the afternoon of 13 December 2022, PAGASA participated in deliberations on what to do with all these plastic in our environment. The country now ranks highly among nations which contribute the most micro plastics into the oceans affecting the fish that we eat as well as used plastic polluting our solid waste. Chaired by Atty. Dilbert Quetulio/Secretary of the House Committee on Ecology, some 93 participants aired their views regarding Extended Producers Responsibility as the most doable approach in Plastic Waste Management without totally banning plastics in its many usage in the economy. Discussions ranged from the collection of used plastics (and resistance of the public to surrendering these)  to determining non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAP) like plastic straws/stirrers, etc. to the social impact of toxins in waterways during recycling. Various stakeholders from the private/NGO & public sector gave their serious comments, suggestions & reservations. On board at this Meeting were PARMS' Crispian Lao (also a Commissioner at the National Solid Waste Management Commission), Marian Ledesma/Green Peace, Mario Estrada of AFMP, PCAP's very active Jeremiah Sebastian, PCFMI, Zero Waste Coalition, Mother Earth Foundation, et. al.