Volume 7Issue 1

March 2009

30th Floor, Tower IIRCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Avenue1200 Makati City, PhilippinesTel.: (+63-2)859-5100Fax: (+63-2) 859-5109E-mail:DELEGATION-PHILIPPINES@ec.europa.euWebsite:http//www.delphl.ec.europa.eu

ISSN 1830-0022

Delegation ofthe EuropeanCommission tothe Philippines

continued to page 6

More and more fishery business operators are now able to ex-port their products to the European Union.

After a series of delisting, the Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources (BFAR) has noted the steady increase of

fishery business operators (FBOs) getting Hazard Analy-sis Critical Control Point (HACCP) recognition to ex-

port their products to the EU market, DennisTiotangco, Head of the BFAR Fish Inspection Unit(FIU) said.

In 2008, additional 16 Philippine-registeredfishing vessels passed the rigid inspection ofHACCP conducted by the Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources–FIU (FIU) and forwhich EU recognizes pursuant to EC Regula-tions 852/2004 and 853/2004. To-date,there are 36 fishing vessels that BFAR-FIUhas accredited.

The HACCP system is a preventive sys-tem and a management tool of reducingrisks from potential physical, biological,and chemical hazards to ensure foodsafety. It is used to identify these hazards

to establish the necessary steps known ascritical control points (CCPs) to eliminate or re-duce occurrence of these hazards.

The HACCP system is the bedrock of the EU Feedand Food Law (EC Regulation 178/2002) and finds strongreiteration in its application across the food supply chain inEC Regulation 852/2004: Hygiene of Foodstuffs and EC Regula-tion 853/2004: Laying Down Specific Hygiene Rules for Food ofAnimal Origin.

In the same year, Tiotangco disclosed there were five addi-tional processing and service-provider plants that passed theHACCP recognition process and more are due for approval thisyear.

The increase in number of approved FBO establishments car-ries with it certain positive implications on major economicfronts: more workers getting employed, more industries in the en-ergy and service sectors actively being tapped, and increase in ex-port revenues.

The fishing vessels that were recently approved have tonnagecapacities from 500 to 1200, Tiotangco said.

They are actively supplying the EU-approved fish processing

More RP Fishery OperatorsEnter the EU MarketBy ERIC M. LOPEZ, Communications and Visibility Officer, TRTA

The EUIntegrated

Approach toFood Safety

The EU follows an integrated approach to foodsafety, with the objective of assuring a high level offood safety, animal health, animal welfare and planthealth within the European Union through coherentfarm-to-fork measures, through effective monitoring andoversight, and ensuring at the same time the effectivefunctioning of the internal market. It should be stressedthat the general principles on which the rules on foodimports are based are no more restrictive than thehealth rules applied to the EU Member States.

EU citizens have legitimate high expectations re-garding the safety and quality of their food, especiallyin light of the food scares experienced in the nineties(e.g., salmonella in eggs, E. coli in meat, dioxins infood and feed, BSE, ,etc.). These incidents put safetyon top of the EU food policies agenda, which led to arestructuring of EU food legislation.

To meet these expectations, the EU implementsthe principle of quality management

and process-oriented controls throughout the food chain,from farm to fork. Spot checks on the end product alonewould not provide the same level of safety, quality andtransparency to the consumer.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General forHealth and Consumers (DG SANCO) works to ensurethat Europe’s food supply is the safest in the world andthat the same standards of food safety apply to all prod-ucts regardless of origin.

In its application of food safety rules, the EU tries tobe proportionate in its response to food safety problems.A good example would be the coordinated approach bythe European Commission services that set into motionvarious technical assistance initiatives to help the Philip-pines competent authority address the deficiencies notedby an inspection mission of the Food and Veterinary Of-fice (FVO) back in 2004 (instead of adopting safeguardmeasures against Philippine fishery and aquaculture ex-ports to the EU). Technical assistance is continually on-going to help address the remaining deficiencies in thissector.

Another good example is the outbreak of high patho-genic avian flu in Thailand. The Commission, in

full conformity with the relevant internationalcode of the OIE, imposed a ban on

imports. However, EU excludedimports of certain cooked

poultry meat products

continued topage 3

EU News is available online at http://www.delphl.ec.europa.eu • You may also email DELEGATION-PHILIPPINES@ec.europa.eu if you want an electronic copy.

• • • • • RP Joins Seminar on SPS for ASEAN Countries in Brussels /p.2• • • • • The Pilot ARASFF Project /p.4• • • • • Workshop on the EU food Labelling Legislation /p.5• • • • • EU Fishery and Aquaculture Standard /p.7• • • • • BFAR Gets Boost /p.8• • • • • EC Workshops on the Prevention of Avian Influenza /p.9

what’s inside a special sanitary and phytosanitary issue• • • • • Laboratory Training in Diagnosis of Avian Influenza /p.10• • • • • Bridging the Boundaries Peace and Community Development /p.11• • • • • JPIC-IDC Inc. Unfolds its Story /p.12• • • • • GREEN CORNER /p.14• • • • • Rizal na, Europa pa! /p.15• • • • • Catchwise /p.16

2

BENEDIKT MADL joined the Delegation asprogramme manager for trade with responsi-bilities for the Trade Related Technical Assis-tance Programme as well as SPS/TBT andcustoms matters. Prior to this posting heworked in the Directorate General for Tradeon EU-China trade relations. In this function

he was responsible among others for setting up the EU-ChinaHigh Level Economic and Trade Mechanism at vice-presidentiallevel and pursuing trade in services and investment questions.Before joining the European Commission as a National expert hewas Deputy Head of the Lower Austrian EU office in Brussels.

Benedikt has an educational background in economics, po-litical science and Chinese studies. He wrote his Ph.D onChina’s brain-drain to Europe.

In his past time Benedikt enjoys skiing, mountain climbingand playing with his 3 month old daughter.

NAYIA BARMPALIOU joined the Delegationas a Junior Expert, assuming the post of Po-litical and Human Rights Officer in February2009. Before joining the EC, Nayia was anAttorney-at-Law in Greece, focusing primarilyin civil law cases, and working pro bono forimmigrants and asylum seekers. Her first ex-

perience of the European Institutions' working environment wasin 2006 when she was a trainee at EC's DG EuropeAid Coop-eration Office, and then at the European Parliament's HumanRights Unit where she worked as a fellow in 2008. Nayia stud-ied Law at the Democritus University of Thrace, Greece and atAarhus University, Denmark, and then did her Master's in Hu-man Rights and Democratisation at the European Inter-UniversityCentre, Italy as well as at the Maastricht Law School, the Neth-erlands. Her educational background further includes certificatesin International Relations and International Law from PanteionUniversity, Greece and Tulane University, USA, respectively.

New Faces

The year 2009 started on a positive light for theDelegation of the European Commission to thePhilippines as one of its project grantees calledCatchwise a consortium of NGOs, civil society or-ganizations, local government units based inVisayas region, won the first ever CommunicationAward in the European Commission in Brussels.

We hope that the award will inspire other orga-nizations involved in the fight against illegal traffick-ing of women and children.

This issue of EU News is focused on sanitaryand phytosanitary issues to inform our partnersand stakeholders of the current programmes tohasten trade and investment between EU and theregion including the Philippines.

The EU News thanks all partners who contrib-uted to this issue.

Theme for next quarter is health sector reformprogramme. Deadline for contributions for nextquarter’s issue is on 29 May 2009. Articles maybesubmitted to DELEGATION-PHILIPPINES@ec.europa.eu

THELMA A. GECOLEA

A seminar on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Issues for ASEAN Coun-tries was organized by the EC in collaboration with the EmergingMarkets Group, Development Solutions Inc. and the Central ScienceLaboratories.

The SPS seminar was held at the Albert Borschette Center in Brus-sels from 25 to 27 of November 2008.

Representatives from nine (9) ASEAN countries, namely Brunei,Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thai-land and Vietnam participated in the exercise.

The Philippines was fortunate to able to join and send five (5)participants from the regulatory agencies of the Department of Agri-culture (DA).

The Philippine delegation was headed by Atty. Jane Bacayo, Ex-ecutive Director of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). Theother members of the delegation were Dr. Florence Silvano from theQuarantine Service of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Mr.Ramon Millori from the Plant Quarantine Division of the DA-Re-gional Field Unit XI (DA RFU XI), Mr. Dennis Tiotangco, Head of theHACCP Inspection Team of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Re-sources (BFAR), and Ms. Lara G. Vivas of the Bureau of Agricultureand Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS).

The seminar was geared to provide participants with a good un-derstanding of the EU’s SPS import requirements; facilitate discus-sions leading to mutual understanding and practical insights; andprovide advice on any particular issues for ASEAN members regardingthe application of the EU SPS measures.

In achieving the objectives of the seminar, various presentationson relevant EU directives, standards and regulations were ex-pounded, focusing on risk assessment, border inspection post proto-cols, animal health control systems, EU residue monitoring plans foranimal products, aquatic products and plant products.

A similar discussion was also undertaken regarding the proce-dures for the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EU RASFF).Also, the step by step control mechanisms being implemented by EUfor its imports from ASEAN countries were outlined.

At the end of the sessions and presentations, plenary for the ques-tions were carried out. In here, country specific concerns, particu-larly actual EU-ASEAN country trade issues were clarified and givenrecommendations. Likewise, an online demonstration on thewebsite assisting traders and other agencies exporting to the EU wasconducted. Again, country specific issues were clarified and givenrecommendations by the representatives from the EU DG SANCOand DG Trade.

Overall, the exercise was very helpful in understanding the proce-dures and protocols being followed by the EU and also by thirdcountries that have trade with EU countries. In line with this, it is rec-ommended that similar exercises and seminars be conducted in or-der to provide good understanding of the EU’s SPS import require-ments and facilitate discussions leading to mutual understanding andpractical insights in exporting to the EU.

In addition, the seminar not only provided technical discussionand exchange of ideas among the EU and the ASEAN countries butalso cultural enrichment particularly for the ASEAN delegates.

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

By Lara G. Vivas, Senior Science Reasearch SpecialistBureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards

RP joins seminar onSPS for ASEANcountries in Brussels

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

3

The rapid alert system for food and feed(RASFF) is a concrete and visible result of asuccessful European integrated approach toensure food safety. The quick exchange ofinformation in cases of consignments entail-ing food safety risks among food and feedcompetent authorities ensures coherent andsimultaneous actions by all Member States.

According to Health CommissionerAndroulla Vassiliou, “Europe’s Rapid AlertSystem for Food and Feed plays an impor-tant role in our efforts to ensure a high levelof food safety for EU citizens. It allows us toprevent food safety crises, and identifyproblems at an early stage, thereby mini-mising potential health threats. Awarenessabout the RASFF is rising, it is becomingstronger and more effective as time goes by,and serves as a model to other countrieslooking for ways to improve the levels ofconsumer protection.”

The Commission is keen on promotingthe RASFF system as a model for other re-gions of the world. Concrete steps in thatdirection have been taken, such as develop-ing a web interface enabling third countriesto monitor notifications which concernthem.

Important tool

The RASFF is a tool enabling the quick andeffective exchange of information between EUMember States and the Commission when risksto human health are detected in the food andfeed chain. All Members of the RASFF (EU-27,European Commission, European Food SafetyAuthor i ty (EFSA) as wel l as Norway,Liechtenstein and Iceland) have a round-the-clock service to ensure that urgent notificationsare sent, received and responded to in theshortest time possible. Thanks to RASFF, manyfood safety risks have been averted beforethey could harm consumers.

Making food safer

A rapid alert system for food has been oper-ating within the European Commission since1979.

The RASFF was put in place to provide foodand feed control authorities with an effective toolto exchange information about measures takenresponding to serious risks detected in relation to

food or feed. This exchange of information helpsMember States to act more rapidly and in a co-ordinated manner in response to a health threatcaused by food or feed. Its effectiveness is en-sured by keeping its structure simple: it consistsessentially of clearly identified contact points inthe Commission and at national level in membercountries, exchanging information in a clear andstructured way.

1. A rapid alert system for the notification of a di-rect or indirecdt risk to human health deriving from foodor feed is hereby established as a network. I shall in-volve the Member States, the Commission and the Au-thority. The Member States, the Commission and the Au-thority shall each designate a contact point, which shallbe a member of the network. The Commission shall beresponsible for managing the network.

2. Where a member of the network has any informa-tion relating to the existence of a serious direct or indi-rect risk to human health deriving from food or feed thisinformation shall be immediately notified to the Commis-sion under the rapid alert system. The Commission shalltransmit this information immediately to the members ofthe network.

The Authority may supplement the notification withany scientific or technical information, which will facili-tate rapid, appropriate risk management action by theMember States.

3. Without prejudice to other Community legisla-tion, the Member States shall immediately notify theCommission under the rapid alert system of:

a) any measure they adopt which is aimed at re-stricting the plating on the market or forcing the with-drawal from the market or the recall of food or feed in or-der to protect human health and requiring rapid action;

b) any recommendation or agreement with profes-sional operators which is aimed, on a voluntary orobligatory basis at preventing, limiting, or imposing spe-cific conditions on the placing on the market or the even-tual use of food or feed on account of a seriuos to humanrequiring rapid action;

c) any rejection related to a direct or indirect riskto human health of a batch container or cargo of food orfeed by a competent authority at a border post within theEuropean Union.

The notification shall be accompanied by a de-tailed explanation of the reasons for the action taken bythe competent authorities of the Member State in whichthe notification was issued. It shall be followed in goodtime, by supplementary information in particular wherethe measures on which the notification is based aremodified withdrawn.

The Commission shall immediately transmit tomembers of the network the notification and supplemen-tary information received under the first and second sub-paragraphs.

Where a batch container or cargo is rejected by acompetent authority at a border post within the EuropeanUnion, the Commission shall immediately notify all theboarder posts within the European Union as well as thethird country of origin.

4. Where a food or feed which has been the sub-ject of a notification under the rapid alert system hasbeen dispatched to a third country, the Commissionshall provide the latter with the appropriate information.

5. The Member States shall immediately informthe Commission of the action implemented or measurestaken following receipt of the notifications and supple-mentary information transmitted under the rapid alertsystem. The Commission shall immediately transmitthis information to the members of the network.

6. Participation in the rapid alert system may beopened up to applicant countries third countries orinternation organizations on the basis of aggreementsbetween the Community and those countries or interna-tional organizations in accordance with the proceduresdefined in those agrfeements. The latter shall be basedon reciprocity and shall include confidentiality mea-sures equivalent to those applicable in the Community.

Legal basis for the RASFFRegulationof the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the generalprinciples and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Au-thority and laying down the procedures in matters of food safety

Article 50

The RASFF

Rapid Alert System...from page 1 consumption.The EU recognizes the fact that it is impos-

sible to check all products at the border or at theplace of destination, and it therefore relies on foodoperators and competent authorities to undertakecontrols to ensure food safety. The competentauthorities in the countries in which foodstuffs areproduced are therefore responsible for carryingout inspections and certifying that the health ruleson production and the health safety standards laiddown in Community legislation are correctly ap-plied and checked.

While the Commission recognises the com-petence of designated competent authorities in itstrading partners to ensure that EU regulations arecomplied, the Commission also acknowledgesthat EU rules are not easy to understand. Thus,the Commission implements various technicalassistance programmes to help third countriesunderstand better the EU rules and implementthe legislation properly.

from this ban because it is accepted that cookingdestroys the virus. This distinction allowed theEU market to remain open to 40% of Thai ex-ports, the most high value added component oftheir trade (in contrast with virtually all othercountries which imposed a total ban on all poul-try products).

It should be noted that the EU food safetymeasures are also soundly based on scienceand respect international obligations. All proposedmeasures with a potential trade impact are noti-fied to the WTO, to allow EUs trading partners tocomment on their compatibility with the relevantinternational norms.

The EU is the world’s biggest importer andexporter of foodstuffs – the EU, for example, isincreasingly dependent on imports of fishery andaquaculture products to meet its needs. In 2007alone, the EU imported .16 billion worth of fish-ery products, accounting for 60% of total fish

In the area of food safety, there are variousongoing and completed projects, particularly re-garding fishery and aquaculture products, thathave benefited the Philippines. Apart from the bi-lateral programme “Trade related Technical As-sistance (TRTA)”, which just started its secondphase, there are annual training programmes initi-ated by Directorates General Trade, and Healthand Consumers targeting Philippine agencies in-volved in food safety issues under the Depart-ments of Agriculture and Health (primarily theBureau of Food and Drugs).

In this newsletter, we have tried to featurethe recent technical assistance initiatives to helpstrengthen the capacity of the concerned Philip-pine organizations implement food safety mea-sures. We hope that by encouraging and helpingthe Philippines comply with EU food safety stan-dards, the Philippine Government will be in abetter position to protect its consumers and ex-pand exports to other developed countries.

continued to page 6

Background

The formation of the Pilot ASEANRapid Alert System for Feed and Food(ARASFF) Project in the ASEAN region wasspearheaded by Thailand, in cooperationwith other ASEAN countries and with astrong support from the EC Delegation toThailand beginning mid-2005. Theproject officially commenced in 2006,with an initial 1 year life on its first phase.It has been recently extended, and is nowoperating on its second phase life. In Au-gust 2008, the ARASFF project was al-ready officially recognized & endorsed bythe ASEAN at the latest Special SOM- 29thMeeting AMAF held in Chiangmai, Thai-land. Currently, the pilot project has sixnetwork members, namely: Thailand(project host/ administrator), Philippines,Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia andMyanmar. The rest of the ASEAN countriesare currently observers in the ARASFF sys-tem by their choice.

ARASFF Principle and Mechanism

The ARASFF was modeled from theEU-RASFF, with similar objective as inproviding a system that allows the rapidexchange of information between andamong the network members in theASEAN community to better manage food& feed safety controls at both border andmarket levels. By mechanism, the networkmember who discovers the problem willnotify the ARASFF Administrator (Thai-land), and in turn, will notify all networkmembers via the system. The concernedexporting country will also be directly in-formed by the notifying country for its ap-propriate action to ensure food safetyand public health.

by Amor G. Diaz, NCP-Philippines, Pilot ARASFF Project, BFAR

ASEAN Network Efforts

Since 2006, series of National ContactPoint (NCP) meetings and related trainings/workshops had been jointly organizedand funded by the Thai government andEC – Directorate General for Health andConsumers (DG SANCO through the Na-tional Bureau of Agricultural Commodity& Food Standards (ACFS) and EC Delega-tion to Thailand, respectively), in view ofthe continuous development and im-provement of the ARASFF system. Theseactivities were undertaken to ensure thatARASFF will complement and easily adaptto the national food control system of theASEAN network, as well as the non-net-work members. These technical trainings/workshops on RASFF were organized un-der the framework of the “Better Trainingfor Safer Food” programme of DG SANCO.To-date, the continuous effort on the fur-ther improvement of ARASFF’s user guidemanual (draft), application system (Ver.4.0), and laying down the working policy& procedures were some of the major out-puts from these several meetings &trainings conducted under the guidance ofboth EU and ARASFF project technicalexperts.

Benefits, Gaps & Constraints:A Personal Perspective

In terms of adopting the ARASFF systemin the country today, there are benefits,gaps and constraints that can be possiblyencountered in the process of integrationand the eventual implementation of thesystem.

At personal level, I would like to sharemy thoughts on this matter based on myexperience and knowledge on ARASFF. Interms of benefits, ARASFF or RASFF in gen-eral, can definitely improve and provide

a much faster and efficient way of ex-changing information between or amongconcerned Competent Authorities (CAs) atthe national and ASEAN-network levels,through web-based technology. It is aneffective system tool that allows active in-teraction and feedback mechanism to takeplace instantly, in order to safeguard pub-lic health & product safety. As such,RASFF can further enhance and (indi-rectly) strengthen the country’s existing of-ficial control system at the border andmarket levels by employing a precaution-ary approach in disseminating information(i.e., notification) to concerned parties.

However, the lack of specific legalbasis for enforcement and well-definedworking policy/procedures for implemen-tation at national level is a major gap/ con-straint in adopting ARASFF/RASFF, espe-cially if this system will potentially have (di-rect or indirect) economic implication onthe domestic & export trade activities ofthe implementing country.

In terms of constraints, the lack of orinadequate infrastructure facility & man-power, funding support, national pro-gram for adopting the system, trained per-sonnel, political will (commitment) of therelevant implementing CAs, overlapping/conflicting jurisdictional mandates of in-volved CAs and the lack of coordinationamong them could be the significant fac-tors to consider. It is therefore vital foreach network (including non-network)member to make an objective evaluationfirst of their exsiting infrastructure facility,manpower capacity and available re-sources; review or create legal basis for na-tional RASFF enforcement; and come upwith well-defined implementing guidelinesto ensure that it will run smoothly and willserve its purpose to uphold the interest ofthe implementing country from the stand-point of food safety & economic welfare.

The Pilot ARASFF Project:A Personal Account

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

4

Philippines delegates to the Regional Workshops on theRapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) held inJakarta, Indonesia last 3-5 June 2008.

RASFF and the Philippines: In the caseof the Philippines, the Commission notifies theconcerned authorities when a product exported tothe EU has been the subject of a notification, socorrective measures may be taken and the prob-lem does not happen again. In the same vein,when the Commission receives information that aproduct notified in the RASFF is imported into ordistributed to the Philippines (regardless whetherthis is originating in the EU or outside the EU),

the Commission also informs the relevant authori-ties so they can take appropriate actions. RASFFhas therefore helped the country make its foodsafer both through its exports and imports.

Promoting food safety worldwide

The Commission has helped interested coun-tries outside the EU develop a national system toimprove consumer protection. Training seminarswere organised in 2007 under the initiative “Bet-

ter Training for Safer Food”. The Commissionhas also financially supported a pilot ASEANRapid Alert System for Food, set up betweenThailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Philip-pines and Myanmar. The ultimate goal of theCommission’s overall efforts in this field will be tojoin all of these national and regional systems ina global network of food safety alert systems.

For more information, see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/rapidalert/index_en.htm

The RASFF...from page 3

The Training/Workshop involved participation of represen-tatives from competent authorities in thirteen (13) countries ofSouth East Asia (Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indo-nesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore,Thailand, Vietnam, Hongkong and Macau) who are directlyinvolved in the design of regional/national legislations andstandards on food labeling matters and in the enforcement oftheir application, in particular in relation with foodstuffs ex-ported to the European Union (EU) market.

It covered technical issues such as general food labelling,nutrition labelling, specific food labelling (genetically modi-fied organisms, geographic indications, halal, etc.) and relatedcertification and traceability systems.

The theme “Better Training for Safer Food” is a EuropeanCommission – Health and Consumers Directorate Generalinitiative aimed at organizing a community (EU) training strat-egy in the areas of food law, feed law, animal health and ani-mal welfare rules, as well as plant health rules.

The objectives of the programme are to:- ensure and maintain a high level of consumer protec-

tion and of animal health, animal welfare and planthealth;

- promote a harmonized approach to the operation ofcommunity and national control systems;

- create an equal level playing field for all food busi-nesses;

- enhance trade of safe food; and- ensure fair trade with third countries and in particular

developing countries.Topics discussed were Food labelling , Traceability, Geo-

graphic Indications, Organic Labelling, GMO Labelling, Nutri-tion and Health Claims, Concepts of Nutrition Profiles in Rela-tion to the EU Legislation, EU Legislation on Food Fortificationand Food Supplements, Overview of Legislation on Nutrition

Labelling in Thailand and other ASEAN Countries, and “TrafficLight” Labels.

The workshop was comprehensive, informative and valu-able. It is very much applicable to Philippine Situation andtimely since at present our organization has draft Administra-tive Orders on Food Labelling , and Nutrition and HealthClaims. Some provisions in EU legislations may be incorpo-rated in our draft. However, there were topics which wefound are not yet applicable to the present Philippine setup, such as “traffic light” systems, GMO, Geographical Indica-tions, and Organic Labelling, since we are still in the processof formulating our own basic guidelines. However, these canbe included probably after we have formulated our own basicguidelines on food labelling . Nonetheless, we found thesetopics are valuable tools especially where the harmonizationof our standards with the international communities con-cerned.

With our attendance, we became knowledgeable on vari-ous EU legislations specifically on food labelling requirementsof which our country maybe able to meet, adopting some pro-visions in EU legislation for the export of Philippine productsto the European countries. Thus, our attitude became posi-tively inclined to adopting some provisions in their legislation.However, the organizers hope to achieve a multiplier effect,wherein the information and knowledge gained from theworkshop will eventually be shared and utilized by the com-petent authorities as well as private sector operators.

Accordingly, this training is a series of ten (10) regionaltraining workshops with different topics, hopefully, when thegroup from the different countries meet again there will bepositive news to share in terms of applicability.

• By Guinevere Pastrana, Rosemarie Juano, Elane Malalay andGloria Peña, Beureau of Food and Drugs.

Workshop on theEU Food Labelling

Legislation andTraceability held inBangkok, Thailand

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

Philippine Participants to the EU Training/Workshop on Food labelling legislation and

standards. (From left to right) Guinevere Pastrana,Rosemarie Juaño, Elane Malalay and Gloria Peña

Participants to the EU Training/Workshop on Food labelling legislationand standards held in Bangkok, Thailand,11-13 March 2008.

5

More Fishery Operators...from page 1

establisments and canneries in the Philip-pines, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Ja-pan and Thailand.

On the other hand, the plants that re-cently passed the HACCP examinationare into packing fresh deboned bangus ormilkfish (Chanos chanos) or functioning asservice-providers like having their coldstorage facilities available for use for a feeor providing ice to other plants.

Tiotangco cited the FBOs have profitedimmensely from the training on HACCPand Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)that TRTA has provided them. He said thatthese establishments benefited from theTRTA training on GMP-HACCP.

There was a total of 243 FBOs trainedin HACCP for free as TRTA concluded itsoperations in October 2008.

The training took into account risksthat can potentially breach food safetyacross every step of processing food— andit extended further to include pre-process-ing and post-processing stages such asqualifying raw materials and packing offinished products, respectively.

A significant feature of the training in-cluded a one-on-one “clinical” diagnosisof an FBO’s plant operation by the TRTAexpert on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)on the actual problems affecting theviability of complying with GMP andHACCP.

The interaction between the FBO andthe expert provided an in-depth under-standing of how a food safety problemcould be addressed within the context ofreal and specific processing operation.This approach in capacity-building pro-vided immediate and useful translation ofconcept-based learning into action-ori-

ented understanding in ensuring foodsafety in the context of actual operationalsetup.

Tiotangco observed that the FBOs whohave undergone TRTA training have comeup with adequate HACCP plans andwere, thus, competent in seeing throughthe implementation of their food safetycommitments. The FBOs were also able toeffectively manage their identified CCPs orin simple terms, manage their risks frombeing realized. For example, at the earlyprocessing stage, a risk borne by histaminecould be potentially high if receiving theraw materials is done only with visual in-spection without the required post-harvestdocumentation such as origin, date, time,size, temperature and volume of harvest toform part in assessing the quality andsafety of the raw materials .

Tiotangco, however, differentiatedTRTA-trained FBOs from those that havetrained in GMP-HACCP.

He said, TRTA-trained FBOs dutifullyattended to their HACCP tasks and havebecome more thorough in the conduct ofquality and safety profiling of raw materi-als rather than engaging in visual inspec-tion right away.

In fact, Tiotangco noted that the FBOshave become more articulate regardingtheir planned management steps overtheir unique CCPs. Therefore, the co-op-eration of the BFAR inspection team andthe FBOs reinforces the commitment ofthe latter in ensuring food safety standardsare compliant to HACCP on a long-termsustainable basis.

The pivotal role of TRTA begins whenthe HACCP system works within the op-erational setup of the FBOs, but this doesnot mean that ensuring food safety is de-limited to the HACCP system nor is it anexclusive responsibility of an FBO. Thecomplementation between the FBO andregulatory agency falls under theoverarching control measures embeddedin SPS as regards food trading.

Under the second phase of TRTA,Tiotangco cited that the fishery inspectionsystem will be further strengthened by in-tegrating traceability with the SPS controlmeasures. Traceability will provide criticalinformation on production account fromthe origin of the raw materials to handlingof finished products.

He identified that a training course onrisk based sampling for sample verificationfor the BFAR inspectors is scheduled un-der the TRTA 2. This training is importantbecause it will provide BFAR with bettermanagement control to assist FBOs in en-suring that safety standards are maintainedand in fastracking traceability. Traceabilityin this measure is founded on a firmer ba-sis as it integrates a regime of scientific andstatistical methodologies to identify deviat-ing variables on food safety limits.

The BFAR has about 50 inspectorswith notable concentration in GeneralSantos City, Zamboanga City, and the Na-tional Capital Region.

BFAR

As the inspection system of BFARgrows in complexity and widens its scope,Tiotangco said that through TRTA 2, it willstart laying the groundwork for ISO17020. Although this undertaking cuts along-term scale before BFAR-FIU becomesISO17020-certified, EU’s recognition ofBFAR as competent authority for over fiveyears provides solid institutional experi-ence for the unit to competently manifestthe readiness of its capacity for the ISOcertification on a relatively shorter pro-cessing period.

BFAR, among the food-oriented regu-latory agencies of the Philippine Depart-ment of Agriculture, stands as the only EU-recognised competent authority as of to-day.

In trading terms, its health certificationand HACCP certification on Philippinefishery and aquaculture product exportsare directly recognised by the EuropeanCommission.

ISO 17020 deals on the examinationof materials, products, installation, plantprocesses, works procedures or servicesand determines their conformity withregulations, standards, and regulationsand the subsequent official reporting ofthe examination results (to concernedparties such as the FBOs and supervisoryauthorities), according to the InternationalOrganisation for Standardization.

The International Organisation forStandardization (ISO) cites that ISO 17020was drawn from EN 45005 which wascrafted by the European Committee forStandardization (CEN) and the EuropeanCommittee for Electrotechnical Standard-ization (CENE-LEC). The ISO Committeeon Conformity Assessment subsequentlyadopted the ISO 17020 to meet a per-ceived market need for an internationalconsensus-based normative document onrequirements for inspection bodies.

Having an ISO 17020 certification isBFAR-FIU’s long-term goal. Being eventu-ally certified as such will accord BFAR-FIUa market confidence that will be usefulnot only to facilitate domestic trade butalso FBOs of ASEAN member-states need-ing certification to export their fisheryproducts. In the end this certification willaid in strengthening the convergence of itsmarkets into a unified entity robustly trad-ing with EU and the rest of the world.

Tiotangco takes into account themany steps yet to be undertaken beforereaching that stage but is hopeful for theprospects for the Philippine fishery andaquaculture industries.

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

6

The Philippines, through the Bureauof Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)of the Department of Agriculture (DA),hosted the EU Fishery and AquacultureStandards last 2008 in collaboration withthe City Government of General Santos.BFAR particularly the Regional Office inGeneral Santos had worked closely withall the City officials and representativesincluding the concerned police and mili-tary personnel to ensure the success of thistraining. Apart from the local coordina-tion within the City, BFAR also had to co-ordinate the preparatory work with therepresentatives from the EC Delegationand the European contractor, AETs.

General Santos proved to be an excel-lent choice for the venue of this seminar,not only because it is the tuna capital ofthe Philippines, but also because the dif-ferent categories of operators in the fisheryfood chain are represented in this dy-namic city. A total of 7 Philippine estab-lishments offered their premises for the sitevisits covered in this training. The site visitswere intended to provide practical appli-cations of the various requirements to en-sure food safety.

The various concerns of relevant Phil-ippine stakeholders were discussed as wellas those of the other participating coun-tries, namely: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cam-bodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Salomon Is-lands, Sri-Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.Ambassador Alistair MacDonald gracedthe opening ceremony, along with repre-sentatives from the DA, BFAR, and GeneralSantos City Government. The City Gov-ernment prepared a cultural show toshowcase the culture and diversity ofMindanao particularly General Santos.Ambassador MacDonald was not only de-lighted with this warm hospitality, but alsoenjoyed the fresh seafood that GeneralSantos has to offer. AmbassadorMacDonald also led the tuna slicing cer-emony that the City incorporated in itscultural presentation.

In the course of the training in GeneralSantos City, all the relevant stakeholderstook the opportunity to clarify various is-

sues affecting their respective countries.The site visits proved interesting, as thedelegates played the role of an inspector(as if they were doing one in their owncountry). These were very well managed,with sufficient time for the conduct of theinspection itself, discussions on-site withthe experts and to clarify issues. Debriefingdiscussions were also held on the findings/issues on-site, particularly on the impor-tant elements that should be consideredgiven the situation of the establishmentand key critical decision points.

In the site visits conducted, the EU ex-perts stressed to the delegates that theyneed to analyse their findings/concerns,problems, etc. based on risk; not to forcethe management/establishment to agreeto their decision but to discuss what theissues are and how best these should beremedied; and not to advise the establish-ment as this is not their role to do so. Theimportance of gaining their trust was alsodiscussed, and in this context, an inspec-tor has to know about the subject matteron hand to be able to discuss/argue intel-ligently with the stakeholder (be it a fisher-man, the owner of the establishment or itsstaff). There are protracted discussionseach time on what exactly the require-ment are of the EU regulations (e.g., pre-cise temperature levels required in speci-fic stages of the food chain, etc.) – the EUtrainers stressed the fact that there areno rules cast in stone, as each situationvaries and would therefore depend on therisk associated with a particular problem/issue.

Finally, private meetings wereorganised between the participatingcountry representatives and the EU ex-perts/officials. The delegates were allunanimous in saying that the workshopwas very helpful and the site visits wereimportant in better understanding of theEU requirements. The discussions with theexperts after these visits and also the pri-vate meetings also helped clarify theirroles as representatives from the compe-tent authorities in their respective coun-tries.

BFAR hosts theEU Fishery andAquacultureStandardsWorkshop

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

6

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

Philippine aquaculture is one of themost widely recognized in the globe. By itsvery nature as an archipelago, thecountry’s fate and its economy have directand important ties to the water. The gov-ernment is constantly endeavouring to im-prove the quality of Philippine aquacul-ture through programs that strengthen ourties with leading institutions of researchfrom other countries.

BFAR STEPS UP

The Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources (BFAR), the government’s mainarm in the management and protectionof Philippine aquatic resources, gained awelcome boost to its capabilities with thevisit and consultation of Dr. Eric Verdon ofthe AFFSA-the French Food Safety Agencyand the Community Reference Labora-tory for veterinary drugs.

During his mission, Dr. Verdon em-barked on various ventures to strengthenthe BFAR’s competency, one of which is aTraining on Residues and ContaminantsControl, a joint project of the Departmentof Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources and the EuropeanCommission.

The training, which was held fromduring the last quarter of the year at theMutya Hall of Sulo Hotel in Diliman,Quezon City was graced by BFAR Asst. Di-rector Atty. Benjamin F. Tabios and Mr.Holger Rommen, head of the Contractsand Finance Section, Delegation of theEuropean Commission to the Philippines.It was attended by a total of 44 partici-pants coming from government and pri-vate laboratories involved in the imple-mentation of the National Food SafetyProgram in the Philippines.

Dr. Verdon spoke about EU Regula-tions, the Community Reference Labora-tory, and National Reference Laboratoryactivities, methods validation, Decision

2002/657 concerning the performance ofanalytical methods and the interpretationof results. The applications for banned an-tibiotics i.e. chloramphenicol and nitro-furans, dye, i.e. malachite green and formulti-microbials were also discussed.

Majority of the participants were FishHealth Officers (FHOs) from the 15 re-gions of the Philippines, who implementthe National Residue Monitoring andControl program in fish and fishery prod-ucts complying with the EC Directive 96/23/EC. The FHO assists in setting the na-tional sample target and conducts the ac-tual sampling in the field.

After the three-day training Dr. Verdonconducted informal visits to two BFARlaboratories, the Central Office Laboratoryand the Region IVA Laboratory, and aBFAR-recognized private laboratory, theSociete Generale Surveillance (SGS) Labo-ratory in Makati.

The technical assistance is just one ofthe responses to the recommendations ofthe EC FVO mission in 2006 when theyconducted an audit of the BFAR laborato-ries.

According to the 2006 audit: “Theperformance characteristics of the analyti-cal methods need to be fit for the purposesand able to generate reliable results, con-sidering all parameters laid down in therelevant Community legislation, in particu-lar Directive 96/23/EC, Decision 2002/657/EC, Regulation (EC) No 2073/2004.”

To comply with the aforementionedobservation, a request was forwarded byBFAR in consideration of its existing con-ditions. The request aimed to clarify im-portant issues like validation of the existingmethods, and the current control activitiesof the Fish Health Management and Qual-ity Assurance Laboratory as the NationalReference Laboratory for residues of fishand fishery product.

ENCOURAGING RESULTS

Much was learned during the three-day training. The FHOs who attendedgained a newfound appreciation of thesignificance of their sampling, monitoringand surveillance activity as part of the Na-tional Residue monitoring program. The

analysts of the National Meat InspectionService (NMIS) of the Department of Agri-culture learned about the validation forthe confirmatory methods with the LC/MS/MS, which they consider to be helpfulespecially as they are set to acquire theequipment this year.

Further, the representative from theBureau of Animal Industry (BAI) com-mented on the vast amount of knowledgegained from the training, citing more effi-cient documentation procedures as justone example learned.

For their part, a representative fromSGS said that the company gained a newunderstanding of the importance of theirrole as a BFAR-recognized laboratory, say-ing that they will be even more mindful ofthe requirements set by the CompetentAuthority.

The visit of Dr. Verdon to the centraland regional laboratory of BFAR assuredBFAR analysts on the control measuresthat need to be implemented to complywith Decision/657/EC. Dr. Verdon sharedhis own experience on the work done inAFFSA as Community Reference Labora-tory for veterinary drugs, and provided hisrecommendations on possible improve-ments that may be considered by BFAR.

KEEPING UP WITH THE COMPETITION

Proper national food control systemsare necessary to protect the health andsafety of domestic consumers. They arealso essential in ensuring the quality andsafety of the aqua-cultured products en-tering the international trade and makesure that the product conforms to interna-tional requirements.

International fish and fishery trade re-quires transparency on how products areproduced, processed and marketed rely-ing on the governments to take bigger re-sponsibility for food quality and safety as-surance. They require supplementary ef-forts and proactive behavior from the au-thorities and private sector in an increas-ingly competitive environment by estab-lishing food safety control structures or itsequivalent.

The Philippines has to keep up withthe dynamic trade requirements and no-tably with the technical requirements andsanitary and phytosanitary measures togain better access to foreign markets.Trading partners have become more seri-ous and the corresponding technical re-quirements tend to become more com-plex and stringent.

Assurance of the quality of the resultsof the National Reference Laboratory onfish and fishery products, the Fish HealthManagement and Quality AssuranceLaboratory, is one of our positive re-sponses to the aforementioned stringentrequirements to strengthen the country’slaboratory capability and turn the Philip-pines into a major player in the worldmarket.

BFAR gets boostand link with EU expertBy SIMEONA E. REGIDOR, Chief, Fish Health Section, BFAR

8

The European Commission (EC)organised training workshops on the pre-vention of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influ-enza (HPAI) in the Philippines during thethird quarter of the year. This technical as-sistance is made possible through the Bet-ter Training for Safer Food initiated by theDirectorate General for Health and Con-sumers (DG SANCO). The workshopswere organised in cooperation with theDepartment of Agriculture particularly theBureau of Animal Industry (BAI). Develop-ment Solutions was engaged to undertakeall the arrangements required for the train-ing in the country, and the trainingcourses were conducted by two interna-tional experts, namely Dr. David JohnHadrill and Mr. Andrew Almond.

Three workshops were designed forthe Philippines covering one week eachin Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Theseworkshops were aimed toward assistingthe veterinary services in the Philippines toeffectively prepare against possible out-breaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influ-enza (HPAI), and provide training on effec-tive methods of biosecurity, outbreak con-trol, disease surveillance, stamping outand further training techniques. RegionalAvian Influenza Coordinators, ProvincialVeterinarians and City Veterinarians at-tended the workshops which were heldin:

• Angeles City on September 8-12for 19 participants from Regions I,II, III, IV and V;

• Cebu City on September 15-19 for18 participants from Regions VI, VII,VIII and IX; and

• Cagayan de Oro City on Septem-ber 22-26 for 19 participants fromRegions X, XI, XII, XIII and CARAGA.

Mr. Gabriel Munuera-Viñals, Head ofthe Political, Economic, Trade and Public

Affairs Section of the Delegation of the ECto the Philippines, and relevant officials inthe Department of Agriculture led by BAIDirector Davinio P. Catbagan welcomedthe participants during the first day ofthese workshops. Mr. Munuera notedthat the country remains Avian Influenzafree, but there is still the risk due to thepresence of the disease in the neighboringcountries. He stressed not only the factthat these comprise the first series of tech-nical assistance funded by the EC onAvian Influenza but also the importanceattached by the EC in its commitment tocontinue to provide technical and finan-cial assistance to countries to help bolstertheir efforts to contain, control and elimi-nate the virus in affected poultry and pre-pare for a possible pandemic. DirectorCatbagan encouraged the participants toengage actively the experts during theworkshops. An overview of Avian Influ-enza (AI) in the country emphasizingmore on the current disease preventionand control measures under the AI Pro-tection Program (AIPP) was also presentedby the BAI during these workshops.

Overall, the participants found thetraining excellent and fully appreciatedmostly the topics on disinfection, field visitrisk assessment and simulation exercises.

The topics covered during the work-shops were, among others: Socio-Eco-nomic Aspects of AI, General AI Epidemi-ology, Participatory Epidemiology, FarmBiosecurity, Disinfection and ChemicalUse, Disinfection, Personal Protection andHygiene and Risk Assessment.

On the second day of the workshops,field visits were organised to undertake arisk assessment exercise in a poultry farm.The participants were required to wearPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE) tohave the real experience of how it is like

to be working and wearing the requiredPPE. Interviews were conducted with thefarm manager so the participants couldmake a good risk assessment on the AI in-cursion in the farm. A demonstration ondisinfectant spraying was also done tomake the participants realize that disinfec-tant concentration and contact time onapplication were very important in effec-tive decontamination of an infected area.The participants also had to make actualmeasurements on the floor area to be cov-ered in order to determine the rightamounts of disinfectants to prepare. Over-all, the participants considered that it wasan educational experience doing all theseactivities.

Learnings, Comments and Insights onthe Course

1. Disinfection and Chemical Use– This was a very useful topic which madethe participants realize the importance ofappropriately selecting disinfectants for ef-fective decontamination of pathogenicagents. What is more important is the cor-rect application and contact time ofdinfectants which is sometimes taken forgranted.

2. Disinfection, Personal Protec-tion and Hygiene - The participantsfound it very important to have the propermaterials issued as Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE) and that these should besuitable to the working conditions and

EC Workshops on thePrevention of Avian Influenza

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

By EMELINDA L. LOPEZ, DVM, Dip.VPH, MsC, Senior AgriculturistAnimal Health Division, Bureau of Animal Industry

9

continued to page 10

weather in the country. All had diffi-culty working while wearing the PPEduring the brief visit to the farm, raisingconcerns on how effective the veteri-narian and the farm personnel couldwork in case of an AI outbreak. Train-ing for the private sector on the use ofPPEs and proper farm disinfection wasalso found to be an important area forfuture training.

3. Training of Trainors – Thiswas a good practical exercise since theparticipants were told to join in activi-ties like speaking about oneself anddoing physical games to make their au-diences more attentive and alert for thetraining. This was considered to be aneffective way of making participants ef-fective trainors through learning by do-ing. For some, this was a most interest-ing part of the workshop.

4. Culling Methods – Cervicaldislocation is one method of culling(killing) birds for disposal in HPAI af-fected farms or areas. It was a surpriseto realise that most participants havetheir own idea of doing cervical dislo-cation to kill poultry and that most donot know how to do this properly. Assuch, it was considered important toemphasize the correct and standardprocedure of doing this.

5. Simulation Exercises - Thiswas a useful exercise for participants toactually experience planning, organiz-ing, and making immediate responsemeasures for an impending outbreak.The method used was a systematic ex-ercise for the participants to realize onwhat should be done. Though theywere in panic initially, the guides, ref-erences and pro-forma reports werevery good tools for them to keep tabon the situation and rightfully addressthe different angles of the disease out-break and coping up with other com-plicating factors. The lessons weremany as they went through the exer-cise.

Though the participants wentthrough the different aspects of contin-gency planning, it is important thatthey realize also the importance ofgood teamwork. SOPs should beclearly written beforehand specificallythe job description for each memberof the Rapid Action Team. The partici-pants also became conscious of theimportance of handling the media wellduring these situations.

10

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

EC Workshops on...from page 9

The European Commission funded a“Laboratory Training in the Diagnosis ofAvian Influenza” in cooperation withInstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentaledelle Venezie (a European ReferenceLaboratory for Avian Influenza andNewcastle disease based in Legnaro, Italy)at the Veterinary faculty of the Universityof Padova from 26 to 28 January 2009.The purpose of the training is to helpstrengthen the country’s laboratory capac-ity on Avian Influenza.

A total of twenty participants (fourfrom each country) from Bangladesh,Egypt, India, Morocco and Philippinesparticipated in this three-day training. Theparticipants from the Philippines were:

• Dr. Cristina F. Legaspi, Senior Agri-culturist, Head of Virology Section,Philippine Animal Health Center,Bureau of Animal Industry, Depart-ment of Agriculture

• Dr. Milagros R. Mananggit, Re-gional Animal Disease DiagnosticLaboratory (RADDL) III, SanFernando, Pampanga, Departmentof Agriculture

• Dr. Rachel R. Azul, Veterinarian II,Philippine Animal Health Center,Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI),Department of Agriculture

• Dr. Marie France Ramirez Que,Veterinarian II, Regional Animal

Disease Diagnostic Laboratory(RADDL) IX, Tumaga , ZamboangaCity , Department of Agriculture

First day of the training was devoted toa series of lectures; A talk on the generalintroduction to AI was delivered by Dr.Ilaria Capua, followed by the general di-agnostics of AI by Ms. Rafaella Nisi. Drs.William Dundon and Filippo Ciloni lec-tured on the molecular diagnostics. Identi-fication of HPAI by sequencing was lec-tured by Ms. Adelaide Milani and the lastlecture given was on the vaccination of AIand the DIVA (Differentiate Infected fromVaccinated Animal) strategy by Dr. WilliamDundon.

Second day was devoted to lecture-demonstration of RNA extraction, conven-tional and real time H5 and H7 RT- PCRand sequencing of H5 and H7 cleavagesites. This was held at the Veterinary Fac-ulty of the University.

On the third day, the participants vis-ited the different laboratories and animalhouse in the Instituto ZooprofilaticcoSperimentale delle Venezie. At the end ofthe tour, they had their final discussion,course evaluation and closing ceremony.

Overall, the group’s assessment of thetraining was rather fairly satisfactory. Thelectures were very informative and helpfulto our laboratory work. All the lecturerswere very accommodating and experts intheir respective fields. The 3 day- sched-ule of the workshop was not enough be-cause one day was only devoted to a lec-ture demonstration of the laboratory pro-cedures. The group was expecting to havemore hands-on training on the real time -pcr and sequencing to be able to masterthe technique. It would have been veryhelpful if the training period was ex-tended. At least two weeks hands-on train-ing would ideally have been preferred.

Laboratory Trainingin Diagnosis ofAvian Influenza

The Mindanao Trust Fund Reconstruc-tion and Development Program (MTF-RDP) is a multi-donor trust fund beingmanaged by the World Bank, on behalf ofa number of donors, including the Euro-pean Commission. It was established in2005 following a request from the Philip-pine Government to strengthen assistanceto conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.Specifically, it aims to assist in the eco-nomic and social recovery in the conflict-affected and vulnerable areas ofMindanao through the implementation ofcommunity-driven development (CDD)sub-projects. To-date, the EC is the largestdonor to the MTF-RDP (• 2 M) with fur-ther support in the pipeline.

Since the official start of the programin 2006 until the end of 31 December2008, some 53 sub-projects (e.g, potablewater systems, tire path, community liveli-hood centers, solar dryer, etc.) have beenapproved under MTF-RDP, of which 47have been completed in 41 municipalitiesin Mindanao. The key governmentcounterparts are the: 1.) Office of thePresidential Adviser for the Peace Process(OPAPP); 2.) Bangsamoro DevelopmentAgency (BDA); and 3.) local governmentunits (LGUs). Other important stakehold-ers are the civil society organizations;peoples’ organizations and the indigenouspeoples.

The following report describes in de-tail the experience of the municipality ofPolomolok in the implementation ofMTF-RDP, specifically, in the constructionof a Community and Livelihood Center atPurok 3-A, Barangay Koronadal Proper,Polomolok, South Cotabato. The propo-nent of the sub-project was the StronglyUnited Koronadal Proper Organization(SUKOR). The total sub-project cost wasPhp 819,825.22, of which 85% (Php696,851.44), was funded by the MTF-RDP, 13% (Php 106,577.28) was fundedjointly by the municipal LGU andbarangay LGU and 2% (Php 16, 396.50)funded by SUKOR.

Koronadal

The history of conflict in Koronadalcan be traced back to the ILAGA-BlackShirt clashes in the 1970s. The ILAGA wasa group of Ilonggo and Ilocano who wasat war with the Black Shirts that was orga-nized by the Moros to defend themselvesagainst the ILAGA. In 1972, when MartialLaw was declared, harassment against theMuslim community continued as theywere suspected to be rebels. The MoroNational Liberation Front (MNLF) was or-ganized by the Muslim communities inthe area to continue the struggle of thebangsamoro people. An armed clash inthe area occurred in 1986 between theMNLF and the AFP. In 2000, then Presi-dent Estrada declared an all-out waragainst the Moro Islamic Liberation Front(MILF), a splinter group of the MNLF.Koronadal used to be the passage area ofthe MILF in going to their camp atBarangay Bentong.

The sub-project aimed to provide anincome generating structure by providinga venue for trainings, seminars and otherspecial occasions from within the commu-nity or outside who are interested to useits services for a fee which is to be pre-scribed by the SUKOR. The fees that willbe collected directly go to the coffer andin the special account of SUKOR with theintent of using these for its future pro-grams, projects and activities.

The Community and Livelihood Cen-ter was the result of a very strong collabo-ration among the interested and con-cerned stakeholders. Historically, somegovernment programs in the past miser-ably failed to attain its purpose and objec-tives primarily because of the absence of agood working relationship between themajor players, in this case, the LGU andthe community, represented by thepeoples’ organization. Programs of similarnature sometimes incur economic losseson the part of the funding institutions sim-ply because there are skepticisms on theirpart to allow the local government units tohave access to information and the nature

of projects to be implemented. Ironically,when projects fail, the LGUs areoftentimes blamed for lack of propermonitoring. In the first place, how can theLGUs monitor a project that is not privy toits records? Incidentally, those projectsthat have failed involved millions of pesosand the Municipality of Polomolok has allof these experiences.

The genesis of the MTF-RDP inPolomolok is practically a paradigm shiftfrom the perceived “normal”, top-downprocess of project implementation. Itstarted from a stakeholders’ forum held atthe Waterfont Hotel attended by con-cerned officials of MTF-RDP, BDA person-nel, representative from OPAPP and theconcerned LGUs. Few months thereafter,the MTF-RDP and BDA officials made acourtesy call on the Mayor of Polomolokto discuss further the objectives of MTF-RDP and how these are linked to thepeace and development efforts. Not onlythat, MTF-RDP officials through the BDAalso made a courtesy call on the membersof the Barangay Council, explaining tothem the program’s goals and objectives.The idea here is to make known in ad-vance the funding scheme so that in thebudgetary allocations of the MLGU andBLGU the same could now be integratedin their respective Annual InvestmentPlans. Further, the BLGU was given the op-portunity to ask clarificatory questions tofurther strengthen the networking efforts. Itwas observed that, compared to 100%dole-out projects, counterparting was amore effective scheme in as much as therecipient barangay becomes more in-volved in monitoring the expected outputof the sub-project.

Bridging theBoundariesPeace and

CommunityDevelopment

(First of two parts)by : Emily M. Mercado, EC and Eronio P. Muno

Municipal Planning and Development Coordintor of Polomolok, South Cotabato

continued to page 13

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

11

Cinemobile Logo

JPIC-IDC, Inc.Unfolds its Story

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur –The province of Agusan del Sur inMindanao, Philippines, the largest terri-tory and with the biggest population of thefive provinces of Caraga Region, sits atopone of the country’s rich deposits of gold,silver, copper, iron, nickel, chromite, andmanganese. Then there is its vastrainforests and fertile valleys and plain.

Life is full of ironies.

Notwithstanding these bounties, it issecond to the province of Western Samarin the Eastern Visayas Region in the list ofthe poorest provinces in the Philippineswith a 64-percent poverty incidence,based on a 2007 report of the PhilippineNational Statistical Coordination Board(NSCB).

This, in itself is not surprising sinceCaraga Region has the fourth highest pov-erty incidence level of families among allthe regions in the country for years 1997to 2000 and the third highest poverty inci-dence in terms of incidence of families inthe island of Mindanao.

The worsening widening gap betweenrich and poor in the Caraga Region fur-ther aggravated poverty woes, spawningan unabated trafficking of women andchildren majority of whom are from hin-terland villages and whose parents mostlyfarmers have no choice but to participatein the unending cycle of exploitation.

This is more than true in Agusan delSur, which, from 2004 to 2007 toppedthe list with recorded 24 human traffick-ing victims among the provinces of Caraga,Butuan City, 13 victims, Bislig City, 9,Surigao del Sur, 9 and Surigao City, 4 andtheir numbers are growing, figures pre-sented by the Filipino Initiative AgainstTrafficking (FIAT) road show campaign fo-rum in Butuan City showed.

The Caraga Regional Inter-AgencyCommittee against Trafficking in Persons-Violence against Women and Children(IACAT-VAWC) organized the event onApril 1, 2008 in Butuan City through theRule of Law Effectiveness (ROLE), a projectof the United States Agency for Interna-tional Development (USAID) and The AsiaFoundation (TAF).

Why this state of human trafficking?Figures presented in that forum by the

national government claimed 47% of thevictims were minor mostly female aging 13to 17 and less than half aging between 29and 33. And they are getting younger andyounger. More and more is falling prey tothe false promises of people offering betterlife.

JPIC-IDC, Inc.

About a month after the anti-sex traf-ficking road show campaign in ButuanCity, the Cebu-based Justice, Peace & In-tegrity of Creation-Integrated Develop-ment Centre (JPIC-IDC) set up a camp inAgusan del Sur.

The centre is a faith-based non-gov-ernment organization started through theefforts of priests of the Society of the Di-vine Word (SVD) in partnership with KarlKüebel Stiftung (KKS) of Germany.

JPIC-IDC workers work withmarginalized partners like dump settlers,informal settlers, streetchildren, prostitutedwomen, fisherfolks, and farmers.

Geared on an approach to prevent, ifnot eliminate, the trafficking of womenand children from Agusan del Sur,Cinemobile immediately established ad-vocacy partnership with the Caraga re-gional offices of the Department of SocialWelfare and Development, the Depart-ment of the Interior and Local Govern-ment, the Philippine National Police in alllevels, the Provincial and Municipal So-cial Welfare and Development Offices, theBarangay Council, various radio stations(Kuyaw FM, San Franz Radio, Real Radio,Radio Natin and DXDA), parishes and In-ter-churches organization of the targetedMunicipalities, and the academe.

The centre organized its information-dissemination drives in the four pilot mu-nicipalities of Prosperidad, San Francisco,Bayugan, and Trento, selected because oftheir heavy population concentration. Asentry and exit points to and from theprovince, the four towns are very vulner-able to human smuggling.

To institutionalize the partnership,JPIC-IDC and the four municipalities havesigned a Cooperation Agreement to pur-sue the drive against sex trafficking.

Bayugan lies along the main highwayto the port of Nasipit and the port and air-port of Butuan City. Prosperidad, the capi-tal of the province, lies on the same high-way to Butuan City. San Francisco is thecrossroads to and from Nasipit, ButuanCity, Surigao del Sur, and Davao City.Trento is the province’s southern exitalong the national highway to Davao City.

The campaign

In less than three months, the centreworked feverishly to strengthen its partner-ships and linkages. It organized orienta-tions, sessions, forums, in schools, com-munities, and appeared with Cinemobilein government offices and legislative coun-cils to promote the preventive approachagainst sex trafficking.

The staff saturated the 17 villages ofthe four pilot towns with 29 movie ses-sions, documentary presentations, andother videos. A total of 4,299 parents, lo-cal government officials, students, farmers,teachers, employees, and church menand women or 2,430 women and 1,869men attended the sessions.

In Agusan del Sur, the JPIC-IDC staff fo-cuses on raising awareness on sex traffick-ing through the Cinemobile, a campaignfrom one place to another that employsholding movie sessions with target audi-ences, documentary presentations, andother videos that talk about trafficking ofminors for commercial sex exploitation.

Cinemobile started in April 2008 andstaffed by a project director, Fr. Marcelo E.Cattaneo, SVD, a project coordinator,Analeh C. Patindol, a training officer, JoanCris H. Gonzales, a bookkeeper,Geraldine Husain, and a technician/driverArnelito Tecson.

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

Quo vadis, ye Children ofAgusan del Sur?

Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation-Integrated Development Centre(JPIC-IDC) initiated a Cinemobile presentation to the youth of San Lorenzo

Church in Bayugan, Agusan del Sur headed by Fr. Cielito Urias.

12

ernment sector: Ustadz Mohamad Taha A.Abdulgapor, MILF Representative; Mr.Manto Catocan, MNLF Representative;Ustadz Arafa Macabangin, RespectedMuslim Elder; Ustadz Jed Sadalao, MuslimReligious Leader; Mr. Stemson Pino, Chris-tian Religious Leader; Mrs. CoraisaPadasan, Muslim Women Representative;Ms. Rose Ardiente, Christian Women Rep-resentative and; Fulong Fred Malompong,IP Representative.

The feasibility study of the sub-projectwas prepared by SUKOR through the as-sistance of the consultants and BDA Facili-tators and the engineering design wasmade jointly by the program- hired Engi-neer and the Engineers of the MunicipalEngineering Office. The design was subjectto the validation, suggestion and confirma-tion of SUKOR. In fact originally, it wassupposed to be an open structure, but themembers of SUKOR suggested that itshould be a covered structure to have thatprivacy among the users. After the designwas made, SUKOR, together with BDAsubmitted the proposal including the engi-neering design to the MSC for its review,evaluation and recommendation to theMTF-RDP.

(Contiunation will be published on the next is-sue)

Bridging the Boundaries...from page 11

On the basis of the first hand informa-tion, the BDA catalyst and the BDA Mu-nicipal Facilitator invited representativesfrom the 10 puroks (sitios) of KoronadalProper to attend and participate in thescheduled orientation briefing. Take notethat the BDA representatives did not speakof Muslims, Ilonggos and Cebuanos alone.It was made clear that the invitation wasaddressed to concerned purok-based in-dividuals and not on the basis culturalidentity.

The orientation-briefing was done bythe BDA Field Facilitators and consultants.Clarifications on the purpose and objec-tives of the MTF-RDP as a program wasmade for the guidance of concernedstakeholders. After all the salient featuresof the program were presented, the purokrepresentatives proceeded to an organiza-tional meeting from which the Officialsand Chairmen of the different Committeesbased on their line of expertise includingthe official name of the proposed PeoplesOrganization were selected.

During the organizational meeting, thepurok representatives decided to name thepeoples organization as the STRONGLYUNITED KORONADAL PROPER ORGA-NIZATION (SUKOR).

After its organization, a series of capa-bility building seminars were conducted

by the BDA Consultant and BDA Field Fa-cilitators. The identification of the MTF-RDP sub-project was not a creation ofone person alone nor by the officialsthemselves, but a collegial decision com-ing from the SUKOR. As agreed, all mem-bers went to the different puroks, otherthan their own to conduct interviews onpriority projects. SUKOR consolidated allthe suggested sub-projects and consider-ing the limited funds, a priority projectwas made. Finally, SUKOR decided to rec-ommend to MTF-RDP the construction ofthe COMMUNITY and LIVELIHOODCENTER.

It is worthy to note that while the iden-tification of the priority sub-project is on-going, the Office of the Municipal Mayorthrough the representation made by theBDA Municipal Facilitator issued Execu-tive Order No. 7, series of 2008. The Ex-ecutive Order identified the compositionand functions of the Multi-Sectoral Com-mittee (MSC), which was, primarily toevaluate and recommend the compo-nents of the MTF-RDP sub-project.

The MSC consisted of the following:(1) government sector: Mr. Eronio P.Muno, MPDC; Ms. Lailyn A. Ortiz, Mu-nicipal Local Government Officer; Hon.Eleazar G. Jovero, Sangguniang BayanMember; and Hon. Rodolfo E. Doctolero,Sangguniang Bayan Member; (2) non-gov-

13

The communities unreached by thecampaign were accessed through the ra-dio airwaves beamed to and outside thepilot areas. The regular Saturday one-hour radio program hosted by the staff ofJPIC-IDC gives out information on the re-alities of trafficking, the modus operandiof traffickers, local situationer reports andupdates on the different initiatives to ad-dress the problem. The broadcast blitz in-cludes radio interviews and guestings inpublic affairs programs of the different AMand FM stations in Agusan del Sur.

The centre likewise participated onNovember 13, 2008 in Butuan City, AValidation Workshop (Comprehensive Pi-lot Intervention Project on Gender-BasedViolence in CARAGA Region), organizedby Miriam College – Women and GenderInstitute.

Networking with the Provincial Gov-ernment of Agusan del Sur, JPIC-IDC hasbeen gladly accepted by Governor MariaValentina G. Plaza. Because of strong pro-motion and campaign, Governor Plaza al-located PhP50,000.00 for anti-sex traf-ficking initiatives in the annual budget for2009. The Provincial Council of Agusandel Sur has adopted a ProvincialChildren’s Code authored by Vice Gover-nor Santiago Cane Jr. And to cement theprovince’s commitment to stamp out thetrafficking of women and children, theprovince has created a Provincial Inter-

Agency Committee Against Trafficking(PIACAT).

Signs of the Times

Last December, a woman was sur-prised to see three minors, her neighbor’sdaughters, crying inside the chartered vanshe was riding on the way to Butuan Cityfrom Bayugan. Asked where they were go-ing and why they were crying, the minorssaid they missed but were leaving theirparents and were to meet with someonein Butuan City who would transport themto Manila.

The children had no escort, but theyassured that their recruiter was in touchthrough text messages. No, they had notinformed their poor parents.

Until today, the fate of the three mi-nors is unknown.

Fr. Cielito Urias, parish priest of SanLorenzo Ruiz Church in Bayugan con-firmed the story about the three minors.Their parents, farmers, had sought hishelp. But it was too late, the children weregone.

Fr. Urias admits the problem on hu-man sex trafficking is difficult to solve. Allthe church could do was to warn the par-ish about the danger and help prevent asocial nightmare from happening. Thepriest had greatly welcomed that day, lastFebruary 7, 2009, Cinemobile’s presenta-

tions before the regular meeting of the SanLorenzo church parish leaders. Some 50participants were present.

During the presentation, JPIC-IDCalerted the participants to the fact thatBayugan is one of the centres of humantrafficking in Caraga Region. Giving hisshare of the campaign, Fr. Urias encour-aged the participants to create a group tomonitor their area and to be vigilant aboutpossible recruitment activities in theircommunities and to immediately reportsuspicious activities.

Bayugan is only one of the majorpopulation centres of Agusan del Sur.There are other towns and cities in thewhole Caraga region with more. At a timewhen the young population is overlap-ping the older groups and with povertyand the resultant deterioration of moralvalues, more victims are waiting inno-cently in the wings and more preventivework has to be done.

Expanding Cinemobile outside of thefour pilot towns may yet contribute to in-forming communities on the sex-traffick-ing threat.

The dent on the armor of sex traffick-ing may not be as big as expected in theshort term initially, but still it is a small vic-tory in the fight against the unscrupulouspreying on those who have less in life.

The ball has started rolling. Let it notbe stopped.

a sp

ecia

l san

itary

and

phy

tosa

nita

ry is

sue

by Juan Echanove

Old and new problems:The environmental situationof the Philippines

The Philippines has rich and diversenatural resources. However, overall, theenvironment outlook is bleak. In the lastyears, the environmental conditions of thecountry have continued to worsen, andthe implementation of environmentalpolicies offers a mix result.

Certain positive trends can be ob-served in fields such as illegal logging con-trol; watersheds’ management; promotionof renewable energy sources (the muchexpected Renewable Energy Bill was fi-nally approved in 2008); environmentalcrimes’ persecution (‘green’ courts estab-lished in 2007); or inter-agency co-ordi-nation (the ‘convergence’ process amongDENR, DA and DAR is now pushingthrough), but the underlying causes of thecurrent depletion of the natural resourcesremain in place, such as the high popula-tion pressure; rapid and uncontrolledurbanisation; conflicts of interest betweenlong term environmental concerns andshort term profit considerations; absenceof political will and poor environmentalgovernance.

Together with these ‘old’ issues, new

factors have arisen in recent times, con-tributing to accelerate the degradation ofthe Philippine ecosystems, particularly itsforests, such as (1) the reboot of the min-ing industry, (2) the inadequate imple-mentation of the Community-Based ForestManagement (CBFM) policies, (3) thediminution of the financial resources forconservation and (4) the need to confrontthe new challenge of global warming.

(1) In recent times the mining industryin the Philippines has been experiencinga dramatic rebound. Although the Philip-pine Mining Act includes provisions forthe protection of the environment, theseprovisions are generally not enforced.Many mining concessions cover areas ofhigh environmental importance claimedby and/or already titled to indigenouscommunities, whose endorsement to themining investment is reputedly obtainedthrough unfair consultation processes.The NCIP and the DENR lack means tofollow-up the environmental and socialstandards of ongoing mining activities.

(2) CBFM is the leading strategy formanaging the country’s forests. In theory,

CBFM gives extensive rights and responsi-bilities to local people in managing forests.Over the last years unstable policy, overlybureaucratic procedures and weak insti-tutional support system, have been deter-ring CBFM effective implementation.Progress on the ground remains elusive.

(3) Public resources for conservationare still very low. The reduction of theODA to the environmental sector (DENR’sforeign assisted projects has declined by35% from 2001 to 2007) and aggravatesthe situation. To worsen this scenario, cer-tain environmental responsibilities havebeen devolved to the LGUs, but withouttransferring financial sources to implementthem.

(4) In the Philippines, as elsewhere,the issue of climate change is gaining mo-mentum in the political arena. This impe-tus is driven by two main factors: thecountry ’s high exposure to natural ca-lamities and the lofty cost of petrol (themain power source in the country) in re-cent times and the subsequent need toenhance energy efficiency and renewablesources. Despite the high exposure of thePhilippines to global warming, the coun-try still lacks a proper integration of cli-mate change adaptation into develop-ment policies. Certain initiatives havebeen conducted at the local level, butthere is an urgent need to scale-up thoseinitiatives and to provide capacity buildingin order to streamline adaptation.

14

The European Commission (EC) Delegationto the Philippines has recently hosted the last ofthe 5-ASEAN city lecture tour of Ms. MartaSzigeti Bonifert on “Transition to Sustainabilitythrough Cooperation” in its office in Makati. Thislecture tour series is a mechanism by which theAsia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) is strengtheninglinkages and cooperation between Asia and Eu-rope. It involves Asian experts lecturing in Eu-rope and vice-versa on alternating basis. Ms.Bonifert’s lecture, the second under the environ-ment field, was organized in the Philippines byEarth Council Asia-Pacific in cooperation withthe EC Delegation, Earth Institute Asia, Inc., andBrain Trust Inc. through its Environmental Fo-rum part of a series in partnership with Asia-Eu-rope, (BTI), and The speaker during the saidevent was Ms. Bonifert, the Executive Directorof the Regional Environment Center (REC) ofCentral and Eastern Europe based in Hungary,talked about the impacts and imperatives of cli-mate change, and provided information on keyinitiatives of REC that

REC examples of these are the GreenPack, a multi-media environmental educationcurriculum kit that focuses on particular aspectsof environmental protection and sustainable de-

velopment ; Courses for Sustainable Devel-opment, an educational programme for key gov-ernment officials that provides different ap-proaches to sustainable development; NGOSupport in terms of financial resources, accessto information and capacity-building assistance;Climate Change initiatives, which supports ef-forts to comply with the commitments and re-spond to the opportunit ies created by theUNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol; and ZeroEmission Conference Center, REC’s officebuilding, which is the biggest solar power plantin Hungary that could produce 30 kW electricity.

The lively discussion focused on key envi-ronmental issues led by mining, climate change,illegal logging and deforestation and waste man-agement.

Ms. Camilla Hagstrom, Deputy Head for theOperation Section, welcomed the participantswho were composed of representatives ofNGOs, media, academe, business, diplomaticcommunity and international institutions (e.g.,ASEAN Biodiversity Center) and a representa-tive from Czech Embassy and she emphasizedthe importance and commitment the EC Delega-tion puts on poverty alleviation and environmen-tal protection and integrity as demonstrated in the

level of support it has been providing to the Phil-ippines in these area. Ms. Elisea Gozon, theChairperson of the Earth Council, gave the key-note address. Accompanying Ms. Bonifert wasMs. Susanne Wallenoefer, Project Executive forIntellectual Exchange of the Asia-Europe Foun-dation, who introduced ASEF and the LectureTour series. Dr. Corazon Claudio, President ofthe EARTH Asia Inc., invited the participants toEARTH’s various activities especially the radioprogram and the launching of the climate changevulnerability map.

Ms. Ella Antonio, President of Earth CouncilAsia Pacific, Inc and Brain Trust Inc., served asthe lead organizer and facilitator of the lecture.

Asia-Europe Cooperation StrengthenedTowards Sustainable Development

15

28 April to 20 June“Portraits de Chaussures, histoires de pieds”“Portraits of shoes, stories of feet”by French Curator Yves SabourinYuchengco Museum, Makati City

This exhibit offers the best possible look at Frenchhistorical knowledge about shoes, shoemakers and bootmakers as well as a glance at the vision of contemporaryartists and creators on the same subject. The “historical”shoes on exhibit are accompanied by drawings, photo-graphs, videos. The exhibition associates works of Fili-pino and German artists, through the cooperation of theGoethe-Institut in Manila.

2,9,16, 23 and 30 MayAll Saturdays at 6pmCine in Instituto CervantesFree Admission

Vampires and Demons is a mini-retrospective ofSpanish horror films from 1929 to 2005 which examinesthis peculiar genre, beginning with the silent film El sextosentido.

4 MayTraining Workshop on Paper Restoration andConservation TechniquesThe National Library, T. M. Kalaw, Manila

In continuation of Goethe-Institut Manila’s co-opera-tion with The National Library, it organises a training work-shop on paper restoration techniques for archivists of pub-lic Philippine libraries.

5 MayRomanian Wine FestSpicy Fingers Bar and RestaurantGreenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City(By Invitation only)

The Embassy of Romania offers an exclusive oppor-tunity to taste and experience the exquisite flavours ofthe noble Romanian wines.

6, 13, 20, 27 MayAll Wednesday at 8.30pmFree AdmissionCiné-club at Alliance Française

Screenings of the best French films are being heldall Wednesdays in Alliance Francaise.

On 6 May, Filipino film “Baler” by director Mark Meily

OTHER ACTIVITIES: will be shown in Alliance Francaise to be followed by a Qand A with the Director.

8 and 9 MayEl Columpio Asesino at Boracay EcovillageConvention Center

The most exceptional, personal and unclassifiedbands of the Spanish independent pop-rock, “El ColumpioAsesino” performs in Boracay Ecovillage Convention Cen-ter at 8pm. These performances are presented by theInstituto Cervantes in Manila.

11 MayECCP Annual Golf ChallengeSta. Elena Golf Club

The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philip-pines will hold its Annual Golf Challenge with a shotgunstart at 8:00A.M and a System 36 format. Exciting prizesfrom event sponsors await all participants. Further infor-mation: Anna Medina or Dawn Cabigon at 845-1324/759-6680 or email golf@eccp.com.”

12 MayAkragas Folk Dance GroupTraders Hotel - Manila

The Embassy of Italy brings you into the charmingworld of Sicilian traditional music, dance and food. The“Akragas Folk Dance Group” was founded to research,spread and stage the folkloristic, historic and cultural tra-ditions of the Sicilian people. The costumes, musical in-struments, the songs, the dances and the staging insteadembrace a greater historical period which includes: theGreek, Roman, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish and Normandominations of the Island, all of which have moulded Sic-ily throughout the centuries.

14-26 MayLa tentazione dei coloriExhibit of Italian artist Luigi GiacobbeArtistSpace, 2nd Floor, Glass Wing, Ayala Museum

Italian artist Luigi Giacobbe, now based in Manila,after living in France, Russia, Japan and South Korea, pre-sents 22 mixed media paintings to better express the di-versity of his long artistic journey whose common threadis the power of color enhanced by structures and materi-als.

16-17 MayEuropean Food & Wine Festival at Rockwell TentMakati City

Enjoy Brit ish pies, German sausages, Spanishtapas, French pastries, fine wine selection and a lot morewithout actually flying to Europe. Visit the European Foodand Wine Festival at the Rockwell Tent for an interna-tional gastronomic experience that will surely give you ataste of Europe’s best offerings. Minimal entrance free ap-plies. This event is organized by the European Chamberof Commerce of the Philippines together with the BritishChamber of Commerce of the Philippines, German-Philip-pine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Camara OficialEspanola de Comercio and Le Club French Chamber ofCommerce & Industry, in cooperation with Rockwell Land,The Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, HighLife and The Ra-dio Partners Inc. For more information: Zai Tan-Perez ofEuropean Chamber at 8451324 or 7596680.

30 MayGerman Films in Fully BookedU-View, Basement, Fully-Booked, Bonifacio HighStreet, Taguig CityFree Admissionhttp://www.goethe.de/ins/ph/map/de4138360v.htmEvery last Saturday of the month, 5pmStatus Yo! (2004), 123 minutesDirected by Till HastreiterCast: Sera Finale, Yan Eq, Jamie, Pepi, Saession, Yesim,DJ Quest, Codeak, Vern, Storm, 5 Amoks

A fast-paced film that gives viewers a look at the

Berlin hip-hop scene. This part-documentary, part-film fol-lows a number of people over the course of a day in Ber-lin. Yaneq is trying to organize one of Berlin’s biggest par-ties in just 24 hours. Tarek dreams of turning Berlin into anenormous graffiti sculpture, while Session is trying to fleefrom debt-collectors and protect his girlfriend. The fantas-tic break dancers the 5 Amoks also make an appearance,as well as many others. In one night and the followingday, the various strands of this story blend into a pulsatingfilm that celebrates all things associated with the youth:young love, youth problems, their dreams, and, of course,their music.

April to June 2009 Embroidered Multiples at the Ayala Museum

Exhibits of rare garments that show the evolution ofPhilippine dress and the convergence of cultures evidentin Philippine colonial society. A unique cultural partner-ship celebrating the extremely rare Brejard Collection ofPhilippine costumes at the Museum Volkenkunde (Na-tional Museum of Ethnology), The Netherlands.

This year’s Europe Month celebrations inMay have a focus particularly close to the Fili-pino heart – Jose Rizal and his connections withEurope. The topic is especially relevant as thisis the European Year for Creativity and Innova-t ion. And why not? Dr. Jose Rizal , thePhilippine’s national hero has strong links withthe EU and is also regarded as one of theworld’s greatest humanists and artists, a classicicon for creativity and innovation.

On 3 May 1882, he travelled to Spain for hisLicentiaturat in Medicine from Universidad Cen-tral de Madrid. He also studied at the Universityof Paris and at the University of Heidelberg. InBerlin, he was inducted as a member of the Ber-lin Ethnological Society and the Berlin Anthropo-logical Society.

In 1890, Rizal went to Brussels from Paristo prepare for the publication of his annotations ofAntonio de Morga’s “Sucesos de la Is lasFilipinas”.

Overall, Rizal is documented to have trav-elled extensively in other European countriessuch as Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzer-land and United Kingdom.

Because of Jose Rizal’s strong affiliationswith Europe, the Europe Month celebrations willfeature two Rizal-related and youth-oriented high-lights, the EU Whiz and the essay contest, bothwith “Jose Rizal and Europa” as their theme.

Prizes of these two major contests (EUWhiz and Essay Contest) for the grand winnersare trips to selected European Union countriescourtesy of KLM Royal Dutch Airl ines, AirFrance and the Knights of Rizal. The EuropeanCommunity led by the EU Presidency, the Em-bassy of the Czech Republic and the Delegationof the European Commission to the Philippines are organising the quizzes in coordination withthe SM Mall of Asia and with support of ManilaBulletin. The awarding ceremony and the grandfinals will be held on 18 June in the SM Mall ofAsia.

The Europe Month festivities opened withthe “Bersong EuroPinoy” – “European PoetryRecital” on 25 April in Instituto Cervantes deManila. Known Filipino writers including EdgarMaranan, Gémino H. Abad, Joel Toledo,Marjorie Evasco, Mookie Katigbak and RickyUngria have been invited to read literary piecestogether with European diplomats led by no lessthan Czech Ambassador who is a poet himself,His Excellency Jaroslav Ludva.

A European Children’s festival dubbed“Lakbayin Natin ang EU” (Journey to EU) en-abled Filipino children to experience a weeklongprogramme of chi ldren’s f i lms, l i terature,storytelling, arts and crafts and lots of merrymak-ing and fun from 6 to 9 in May in MuseoPambata, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

On 7 May, the awarding ceremony for Eu-rope Ko To’s assemblage contest was held in Ayala Museum in Makati City. The Ayala Mu-seum is a partner of the Delegation of the Euro-pean Commission to the Philippines, the Philip-pine High School for the Arts and the Los BanosNational High School with the EU cultural groupin Europe Ko To’s awarding ceremony and in the

continued to page 16

Photo credit : Knights of Rizal in the Philippines

16

exhibition of the award-winning works of stu-dents from Los Banos, Laguna. The theme ofthis contest is the EU’s motto “Unity in Di-versity”. The exhibition runs until 14 May2009.

Far Eastern University in Manila joinedEurope Month 2009’s celebrations for the firsttime by spearheading a choral contest in col-laboration with the EU cultural group. Thechoral performances and competition washeld on 14 May in FEU, Manila.

A display of UNESCO Czech Monu-ments in the Czech Republic opened on 14May with a seminar on heritage conservationby Architect Augusto Villalon.

The Europe Month festivities are pre-sented by the European Union’s representa-tives in Manila, including the Embassies ofthe EU Member States (the Embassies ofAustria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland,France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Nether-lands, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom) theEuropean cul tural inst i tutes (Al l ianceFrancaise, British Council, Goethe Institut,and Instituto Cervantes) and the Delegationof the European Commission to the Philip-pines. Partners for joint EU activities include:KLM Royal Dutch Air l ines, Air France,Knights of Rizal, SM Mall of Asia, the Ma-nila Bulletin, Ayala Museum and MuseoPambata.

Rizal na, Europa...from page 15

The modern world puts emphasis on better use ofknowledge and rapid innovation. There is a need for skillsand competences that enable people to embrace changeas an opportunity and to be open to new ideas in aculturally diverse, knowledge-based society. Europe needsto boost its capacity for creativity and innovation torespond effectively to the challenges and opportunities ofglobalisation.

With the slogan “Imagine. Create. Innovate”, theEuropean Year of Creativity and Innovation aims to raiseawareness of the importance of creativity and innovationas key competences for personal, social and economicdevelopment. The EU will offer a framework for raisingawareness of the issues concerned and promoting apolicy debate on how to increase Europe’s creative andinnovative potential.

European Yearof Creativity andInnovation 2009

Visayas-based Consortium ofNGOs Against Trafficking wins thefirst Communications Award forAsia in the EuropeanCommission’s special ceremonyin Brussels

A Visayas-based consortium of civil societyand non-government organisations, barangay-level local government units in seven provincesin Visayas and Mindanao has won a “Communi-cations Award” for its work against trafficking ofwomen and children.

The consortium is called CATCHWISE andimplemented the five-year project entitled, Ca-paci ty Bui ld ing Program for Civi l SocietyOrganisations and Local Government Units toPrevent Child and Woman Trafficking for Com-mercial Sexual Exploitation in the Visayasand Mindanao Regions of thePhilippines .

CATCHWISE is composed of Karl KubelStiftung, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Cre-at ion, Belen sa Cebu, Belen Extension,Children’s Legal Bureau, End Child Prostitution,Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Chil-dren for Sexual Purposes, Philippines, Inc., andHoly Spirit School Center for Women Integratingin New Growth and Services. The EuropeanCommission provided • 523,508.25 or Php35.07 million for the consortium project.

The first EuropeAid CommunicationAward was presented in a simple ceremonyheld in the European Commission head-quarters in Brussels to Ms. Maria LuisaAndrade, Asia desk officer of EuropeAid.The Award given was to encourage bettercommunication of the results of EC-sup-ported actions as well as highlight the suc-cesses of the projects based among otherson originality, high replication potentialand impact.

Mr. Nicholas Taylor, Head of Operations ofthe Delegation of the European Commission tothe Philippines, commends the efforts and suc-

cesses

CATCHWISE of CATCHWISE in addressing trafficking of hu-man beings in the Visayas and Mindanao re-gions. He hoped that partnerships between civilsociety organisations and local governmentagencies are further inspired to continue actionspromoting and protecting the human rights of chil-dren, women and men, most especially the poorand vulnerable sectors.

The CATCHWISE campaign was initiatedby civil society organisations and local govern-ment units in the Visayas and Mindanao regionsto effectively plan, implement, monitor and evalu-ate strategic interventions to significantly reducechild and woman trafficking for sexual exploita-t ion. This campaign contr ibuted to thelocalisation of the Anti-Trafficking Law (RA 9208)in 31 of 48 communities. Through this project,resources from the local gender and development(GAD) budget were able to supplement local ini-tiatives at the barangay or city or provincial lev-els even after the EC funding has ended.

In addition, local anti-trafficking committeeshave been created, 20 legal/prosecution casesusing RA 9208/anti-trafficking law and relatedcases have been filed. More than 500 women

and children victims of trafficking were res-cued and provided legal, medical,

psychological and supportservices.