The Philippines is already fully prepared for the ASEAN Economic Community integration 2015 although there are areas that need to be improved on, a Department of Trade and Industry senior trade specialist said yesterday.

Raymond Astillas, who is in charge of the DTI ASEAN Desk, was in Bacolod City for a dialog spearheaded by DTI on the challenges and opportunities of the ASEAN integration economic community 2015 at the Sugarland Hotel.

Astillas said there is a need to improve the country's connectivity, infrastructures, logistics, transportation and to build additional farm-to-market roads to be at par with other Southeast Asian countries.

Batapa-Sigue named IT
‘contributor of the year'

Bacolod City Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue was named Information Technology-Business Process Management Individual Contributor of the Year at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City Thursday night, a press release said.

Batapa-Sigue bested Fred Ayala, chief executive officer of LiveIt Solutions Inc., Miguel Garcia of DTSI Group, and Danilo Sebastian Reyes, Genpact Philippines, the press release said.

It added that, Batapa-Sigue, who is the first winner outside Metro Manila since it started in 2007, is sharing the award to all the ICT councils, the press release said.

Paravets fielded
to assist farmers

The Negros Occidental provincial veterinarian's office has fielded paravets in the towns and cities of Negros Occidental to assist farmers in caring for their farm animals during the summer months.

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena yesterday said again that the provincial government has allocated P7.5 million for mitigation efforts this summer, P4.2 million of which will go to the paravet monitoring activities.

Decena advised farmers to be technically equipped for climate change, noting the extreme hot and cold weather now being experienced.