On 14 August 2023, the APTERR Secretariat embarked on a significant visit to the National Food Authority warehouse, namely NFA-ACA in Valenzuela City, for inspecting the quality of rice under Japan’s new initiative titled ‘the ‘School Distribution Programme (SDP)’ implementing in the Philippines.
(From L - R) Engr. Roger V. Navarro, Special Assistant to the Administrator; Mr. Akinori Ando, Japanese Expert to the APTERR Secretariat; Dr. Choomjet Karnjanakesorn, General Manager of the APTERR Secretariat; Ms. Maria Lewina A. Tolentino, Regional Director, NFA – NCR; Mr. Antonio Rosario U. Lagrimas II, Acting Branch Manager, CDBO
Engr. Roger V. Navarro, Special Assistant to the Administrator of NFA and Ms. Maria Lewina A. Tolentino, Regional Director, NFA – NCR led the NFA team to accompany the APTERR Secretariat, under the leadership of Dr. Choomjet Karnjanakesorn, the General Manager, accompanied by Mr. Akinori Ando, the Japanese Expert, and the APTERR staff, to inspect the donated rice. Both sides also exchanged information on the rice maintenance carried out by the NFA since the arrival of rice in February 2023. Contained within the clean and well-maintained warehouse, the rice remained in good condition to be ready for dispatching the students under the SDP.
Beyond the inspection, the APTERR Secretariat team engaged in a brief discussion with the NFA on the current Tier 1 and 3 implementations and acquired additional insights into the current rice situation within the Philippines.
