GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/27 November)–The Mindanao Trade Policy Center (MTPC) of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) will hold a forum on the island’s agricultural prospects in the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community.
Ricardo Juliano, PCCI vice president for Mindanao, said that under the 2015 ASEAN Economic Integration, “there will be a free flow of goods, capital and services for a single economic market for the 10 member nations.”
“Mindanao as an agriculture area has its competitive advantage in the ASEAN market,” he said in a statement.
Slated on Dec. 5, the forum is dubbed “Maximizing Benefits on Agribility: For ASEAN and International Market Access.” It will be held at the East Asia Royale Hotel here in partnership with the Philippine Federation of Exporters in Region 12.
Former Socio-Economic Planning secretary Cielito Habito will discuss the topic “ASEAN Overview and Prospects for the Philippines under ASEAN Economic Community.”
Segfredo Serrano, Department of Agriculture undersecretary for policy, planning, research and development, and regulations, will speak on the topic “Challenges for Hog, Poultry, Feed and Corn Industry.”
The ASEAN Community will be based on three pillars namely “a security community, an economic community and a socio-cultural community,” according to an MTPC briefer.
The formation of the ASEAN Community is expected to lead to the creation of a single market and production-based region with a free flow of goods, services and capital, it added.
The 2015 ASEAN Integration seeks to make the bloc a key player in international economy and politics like the European Union. (MindaNews)