Free Trade 48, WTO DG Azevedo in Manila

Yesterday, I attended a Roundtable Discussion with the Director General  of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Roberto Azevedo. Main organizer was the Department  of Foreign Affairs (DFA), but the  one that did Secretariat work was the T/A Trade Advisory and Trade Lawyers Group. Venue was the ADB so key ADB officials like  ADB President Nakao and VPs were there.

Below I will repost tweets and RTs made by Trade Lawyers @TradeLawyersPH. I am also posting some photos during the cocktails after the forum. Thanks to Gene Gregorio, Trade Lawyers for the photos. Not one of  them  from my camera phone.
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Opening Remarks by Amb. Conejos: DG is a charmer.

@WTODGAZEVEDO speaks on future prospects of trade and how @wto supports growth and development

Standing still on trade agreements can actually mean losing ground.

The Philippines now ranks with India on technology services.

The Philippines has been a champion of trade.

The panel: World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya, ADB Pres Takehiko Nakao, Chamber of Commerce of the PH President Jose Yulo, and Fed.  of Free Farmers (FFF) Pres. Raul Montemayor.

WCO Kunio Mikuriya: WTO is serious negotiation; WCO is pragmatic implementation.

on ASEAN Integration: We support connectivity. Customs is about connectivity.

Raul Montemayor: Trade is not the sole answer to food security. The strategic approach is to help farmers become more productive.

Jose Yulo: WTO should come to the aid of the losers of free trade.

on free trade: With free information exchange, "every one will get the piece of the pie

Open Forum

Dr. Roehlano Briones comments on disciplined food security.

Prof. Frederico Macaranas asks, what's the best case scenario for environmental sustainability in trade & services?

(1) @WTODGAZEVEDO on food security & environmental sustainability: No one bullet that will shoot all issues.

(2) The aim is to make gradual, progressive nd marginal steps to the right direction.

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Mr. Azevedo's speech yesterday is posted by the WTO here.

Some cocktails photos.
Below, from  right: Dr. George Manzano of the Univ.  of Asia and the Pacific (UAP), Gene Gregorio, Dr. Roehlano Briones of the PH Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), me.

Another photo with Gene. To my right are Tony Abad of Trade Lawyers and his buddy, sorry, forgot his name.

Another photo with Kristine Alcantara, one of three founding partners of AAA Law office (Abad, Alcantara, Aquino). Not in the photos is Gretchen Aquino.

Thanks again Tony, Kristine, Gretchen, for the invite. My longer article will be published in BusinessWorld, next week. Cheers.
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See also:

Free Trade 44: The Gravity Model, March 06, 2015 

Free Trade 45: Protectionism in Services, Peering at the ASEAN, March 12, 2015 

Free Trade 46: Debate on TPPA and Liberalization in Malaysia, March 31, 2015 

Free Trade 47: TPP, RCEP and IPR, May 11, 2015