The Office of the President, through the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) 2015 National Organizing Council, have turned over the APEC Policy Tools to state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In a ceremony held on April 26, 2016 at the PIDS office in Quezon City, PMS Undersecretary and Deputy Head Ferdinand B. Cui, Jr. noted that the turnover of the APEC Policy Tools to PIDS serves as a "foundational milestone" in the shared government objective of institutionalizing and enhancing the use of good research in crafting Philippine foreign policy. The turnover ceremony was attended by Usec. Cui, PIDS President Gilberto Llanto, Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) Project Director and PIDS Senior Research Fellow Erlinda Medalla, Mark Robert Baldo and Joan Villahermosa of PMS, and Melalyn Mantaring and Winnie Gerio of PIDS. Last year, PIDS and PASCN jointly hosted the APEC Study Centers Consortium (ASCC) Conference held in Boracay, Aklan. The conference was part of the Second Senior Officials' Meeting of the 2015 APEC Summit. The PASCN is one of the APEC Study Centers (ASCs) in APEC member-economies. ASCs undertake research, disseminate information, and facilitate discussion on APEC-related issues to support the attainment of APEC's vision and goals. Together, ASCs hold an annual conference in the APEC host economy for the year. This activity provides an opportunity for APEC academics and scholars to discuss their research and to identify areas for regional collaboration.
Main Menu

Secondary Menu