PAGASA Director Myke Teodoro (seated rightmost on the last row by the wall) listens intently at the proceedings of the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) Meeting held on 23 April 2015 at thePenthouse of the Board of Investments Building. Meeting was chaired by DTI Sec. Domingo and steered by DTI Usec. Mario Dimagiba. Pertinent discussions focused on the rising prices of sugar and dressed chicken just when the two commodities are in ample supply. Analysis and policies were handed out to handle the situation.

Madrid Fusion Manila is a trade show held in cooperation with the Spanish Embassy and the hog producers/processors association>INTERPORC in Spain. A day before the 3-day Trade Show at the World Trade Center, the Embassy invited key people they want to network with to a luncheon prepared by Michelin Star Chef Kisko Garcia and Master Ham Carver Ricardo Rojas (both flown in for the Show). With the red tie is Señor José Ramón Godoy>Export Manager of INTERPORC which has as its members 5,000 companies. Preparing for his speech is Spanish Ambassador H.E. Luis Calvo and beside him Commercial Counsellor Señor Enrique Feás. Lady in black is Embassy Commercial Division Officer María Angeles Romo Nuñez and lady in stripes is the official interpreter of the Embassy. Beside her, Señor Rojas is carving the Jamón Serrano for the guests who thoroughly enjoyed the delectable dishes prepared for them. 

On 22 April 2015, Dir. Desmond Chua joined STC at the Committee on Ecology’s Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting to discuss the details of the Joint Bills on the Regulation of Single-Use Plastic Bags. The Committee has adopted PAGASA’s position of penalizing consumers who do not act responsibly for the environment by not returning used plastic bags to retail outlets (for surrender to recycling companies). These customers will be charged a peso for the use of new plastic bags unless they surrender their used plastic bags or bring with them reusable bags to bag their merchandise. This is to minimize either the improper disposal of these waterway-clogging material and/or to cause to cease the reuse of these as trash bags which are shredded or dirtied at dumpsites rendering them unfit for recycling. Desmond (in blue beside STC) is seated beside the four representatives from SM Hypermarket, Super Value and Savemore.