TRTA - Trade Related Technical Assistance

TRTA: Establishing free, fair, and safe trade to reduce poverty

The European Union (EU) has recast its development efforts on trade as a vehicle to help developing countries reduce their poverty incidence and provide sustainable opportunities for growth. Since the establishment of the Doha Development Agenda, the EU has strongly advocated open rules-based trade negotiation to ensure free, fair, a

BFAR Fish Health Management and Quality Assurance Laboratory

15/10/2012

04/09/2012

The last meeting of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) of the Trade Related Technical Assistance Project 2 (TRTA2) brought together officials from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and TRTA-implementing agencies and their bureaus: Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with its Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR), Bureau of Export Trade Promotions (BETP), Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) and its attached agencie, the Philippine Accreditation Office; Department of Agriculture (DA) with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS); and Bureau of Customs to account what has been achieved at the conclusion of the project.The PSC meeting was held 22 August 2012 with the PSC Chair and NEDA Deputy Director General Margarita Songco presiding. Reporting to the PSC the project achievements was TRTA Imprest Administrator and NEDA Director of Trade, Utilities, and Industry Staff Brenda Mendoza.

26th National Coconut Week and 11th National Coconut Festival

31/08/2012

EU-TRTA attends PCA’s 11th National Coconut Festival Celebration

Guidebook on food safety launched

The EU-TRTA attends the 11th National Coconut Festival Celebration hosted by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) which formally opened 30 August 2012. Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala, Senator Loren Legarda, and PCA administrator Euclides Forbes led the opening ceremonies with throngs of coconut farmers and food processors in attendance. The year’s theme for this celebration, Masaganang Kinabukasan mula sa Niyugang Inalagaan brings into focus PCA’s determined effort to step up trading of coconut products worldwide by conforming to the market standards on food safety. A trade fair marked out the celebration with the best regional and stakeholders’ products from coconut being showcased. As a sustainable undertaking of promoting safety practices in processing food, PCA launched the Guidebook on Good Manufacturing Practices for Coconut Sugar , which the EU-TRTA supported its development.

TRTA2 Conducts Validation Workshop and and Presentation Writeshop

28/08/2012

TRTA Imprest Administrator Brenda Mendoza and Information, Communication, and Events (ICE) Officer Eric Lopez led the conduct of the validation workshop and presentation writeshop, respectively. The workshop/writeshop was held on 13-14 August 2012. Mendoza presented for the validation of the TRTA implementing agencies the conducted technical assistance activities these relate with the achievement of the objectively verifiable indicators (OVI). The validated implementation report becomes the basis in developing the slides presentation for the TRTA culmination event. A writeshop on designing slide presentation was conducted by the ICE Officer to guide the focal persons of the implementing agencies develop their materials. The focal persons who participated in the workshop/writeshop were Fe Avila and Adelaida Inton (DTI), Carlos Reyes (BPS), Perla Baje, Nanita Fidelino (PAO); Maribel Marges (DA), Marilou de Mata (BPI), Dennis Tiotangco (BFAR), Estrella Panganiban (BAI); Jaime Taborda, Erlinda Lazaro, Wilnora Capili (BOC). On the other hand, the TRTA personnel in attendance were the Contracts and Finance (CF) Officer Dori Gungab, CF Assistant Emy Araja, ICE Associate Nanie Gonzales, Project Administrative Assistant Ariane Coronel, and Project Staff Rolly Montecalvo.