DFA-OUIER ORGANIZES SEMINAR ON APEC COOPERATION  

30 March 2007 — The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (DFA-OUIER) and the Philippine National Secretariat of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organized an afternoon Seminar on Philippine Participation in APEC on 28 March 2007 at the Bulwagang Blas F. Ople of the DFA with Minister Eduardo M. R. Meñez, Program Director at the APEC Secretariat in Singapore, as Guest Speaker.  

Over 50 Philippine government officials from various departments and agencies took part in the seminar, including Deputy Customs Commissioner Reynaldo S. Nicolas, who represents the country in the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP).  

Minister Meñez introduced the APEC Secretariat to the participants and provided a comprehensive presentation of the APEC project life-cycle starting from development, proposal, approval, implementation, and ending with completion and evaluation.  

He informed the group about the latest developments in proposing projects at APEC, such as the need for Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) evaluation regardless of funding source, electronic submission of proposals, the various funding sources at APEC and their specific requirements, as well as other key aspects in developing good quality project proposals. Towards the end of the seminar, he distributed printed and electronic information materials on APEC for the eager participants.  

Also during the seminar, DFA-OUIER Executive Director Marilyn J. Alarilla presented the structure and characteristics of the APEC process, and encouraged the group to actively participate in the meetings and activities of the 59 APEC committees, working groups, task forces, sub-groups and networks.  

DFA-OUIER Special Assistant Mardomel Celo D. Melicor gave a brief overview of the APEC Project Database (PDB), a component of the APEC Information Management Portal (AIMP), which the public can readily access through http://aimp.apec.org.  

The seminar ended with a lively open forum and exchange of views.  Executive Director Alarilla thanked Minister Meñez for taking time out of his busy schedule in Manila to speak at the seminar.  END

/jay

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