On 21 Sept. 2017, the Phil. Retailers Assn. held its Third Quarter General Membership Meeting to discuss updates on the retail scene as well as continue with the last two sessions of the National Retail Conference which was suspended in view of the earthquake that took place during NRCE. The two sessions were entitled: “Emerging Generation: Engaging Millennials” and “The Centennial Shoppers” by Kantar Phils. The GenMeet tackled “Understanding the Data Privacy Act” by Commissioner Raymond Liboro of the National Privacy Commission. As it turns out, this 5-year law is just being implemented now to guarantee the privacy of consumers in the day-to-day negotiations online.

 

On the second eve of the exhibit of ASIAFOOD 2017, LNA Events Group EVP Josephine P. Miranda seeked the assistance of PAGASA’s STC to answer some of the questions regarding market penetration of thehead of delegation of Indian Exhibitors at the on-going Trade Show at the World Trade Center. They met on 14 Sept. 2017 at the Coffee Shop of the Jen Hotel.

 

 

At the Opening Ceremonies of Asiafood 2017, PAGASA’s STC was again invited to be a speaker together with (L-R) His Excellency the Ambassador of India to the Phils.; Treasurer of the Phil. Assn. of Food Technologists; Ms. Elizabeth de Leon-Lim/Pres.-Phil. Chamber of Food Manufacturers, Inc.; Josephine Miranda/EVP of LNA Mgt. Group (Show Organizer); Mr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis/ Pres.-Philexport; Joseph Ross Jocson/Pres.-Packaging Inst. of the Phils.; and Noel Paguia/Pres.-Food Caterers Assn. of the Phils.  STC was also invited to the Ribbon- Cutting Ceremonies for the Indian Pavilion at the Show which featured fifty exhibitors from India.

 

 

DTI called a Special Meeting on the effects of the recent Bird Flu that hit Pampanga and how it is affecting demand and prices for chicken in Metro Manila.  Meeting was held on the afternoon of 13 Sept. 2017 at the Offices of DTI Usec. Teodoro Pascua. Discussion reveals that consumers continued to partake of chicken in their meals especially at Fast Food Outlets but were a bit wary to buy unbranded dressed chicken from market vendors and supermarkets. Representatives from the Dept. of Agriculture attended to allay fears of the epidemic spreading elsewhere outside of Pampanga.

 

 

PAGASA and PRA was represented by Steven T. Cua on 7 September 2017 at the Senate with Ways & Means Committee Chairman Sen. Sonny Angara conducting the hearings with Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Nancy Binay. Asked of the retailers was what we think of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s plans to link all cash registers (whether electronic or POS) online to the data center of the BIR.  Of course without being sarcastic, STC expressed apprehension regarding the readiness of the government to do this considering the state of connectivity in our country.  He also cited fear in the confidentiality of data passing online and the cost of compliance.

 

On 7 September 2017, PAGASA’s STC was given the honor to be the first speaker at the Opening Ceremonies of the long-running food fair Food & Drinks Asia 2017.  He was also one of two ribbon-cutters (given the scissors) at the same event. Cheers were in order and that was done at the booth of Ralph’s Wines & Spirits with Ralph Lim Joseph himself (to the right of STC), Josephine P. Miranda/Show Organizer, Joseph Ross Jocson, MNSA/Pres.-Packaging Institute of the Phils. (taking a group selfie) and Noel Paguia/Pres.-Food Caterers Assn. of the Phils.

 

PAGASA was invited to the celebration in the Philippines of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 2 Sept. 2017 at the New World Hotel in Makati.  PAGASA Pres. Steven T. Cua was able to have a picture taken with H.E. Ly Quoc Tuan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Philippines together Madame Vu Thji Tam Dan and daughter.  He was able to rub elbows too with the key security officers of the said Embassy in the country. To STC’s right is Senior Col. Nguyen Van Hung/Defence Attaché of the Embassy.

 

 

On  24 Aug. 2017, PAGASA was invited once more to the august chambers of the Phil. Senate to attend the extended hearings on proposed tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB).  As usual, the room was filled and STC had to stand for two full hours before a medical practitioner vacated her seat after the doctors had attested to the varying but non-conclusive studies relating sugar intake from processed drinks to the incidence of diabetes in the different countries covered by various studies. The lawmakers were in a quandary as whether to tax SSB via the volume of these products per se or whether to do so based on the sugar-content of said products.  Adopting the latter seems more appropriate when attributing the incidence of diabetes to the amount of sugar intake of a patient from SSBs.  However, legislators are not sure whether our good people at the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) are capable of releasing information about the level of sugar content of any given product as quickly as when a product is approved by them; so these products may be taxed accordingly soon as they are out in the market. Adopting the first approach is easier to implement but less fair given the direct proportion by which a product may lead to incidence of diabetes.

 

The annual Retailers Conference at the SMX from 10-11 of August 2017 by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) was filled with retailers of all sizes, shapes and colors. The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Assn. (PAGASA) is the food retail segment of the PRA and has been an Associate Member of the PRA for the last twenty years. The Conference had among others Mr. Irwin Lee/CEO of the Rustan Supercenters, Inc. (gray coat; maroon tie) who spoke authoritatively on global retail trends, Ms. Erica Ng/ Senior Editor of WGSN Insight Asia Pacific (HK) in black, Swede Mr. Anders Barlund of Phil. Mackinsey & Co. On its 30th year, PAGASA took care of the Breakout Session for Supermarkets on Day 1 from 3:00-5:00pm.  Guest Speakers were DTI Usec. Teodoro Pascua who spoke on the partnership between the public sector and retailers, Ms. Shirley Zhu of IGD based in Singapore on Asian Retail Trends and A.C. Nielsen’s Managing Director Patrick Cua on “Winning at Point of Sale.”  Songwriter Jim Paredes spoke on the importance of music in Establishments as an officer of FILSCAP. This year’s edition of the Conference was made “memorable” as an earthquake registering 6.1 on the Richter Scale momentarily interrupted the Conference and resulted in an early end for the annual event.