Mellie B. Soriano – Chairman Of the Board

Welcome Speech – Trade, Product Sourcing and Manufacturing – 01-26-2013

Mr.  Carlos Martinez Tomatis  Division – Vice President ABF Global Supply Chain Services, Inc. Consul General Helen Barber Dela Vega, Rev. Ven Amidar ,Anna Benevente ,President Eddie Ferrer, members of the Pangasinan Brotherhood USA, distinguished guests and invited guest, ladies and gentlemen –

I am very excited this morning to extend a very warm welcome to all of you to this wonderful event, here at the Long Beach Marriott. This event will give you a glimpse of the tremendous potential of doing business in the Philippines, more specifically, in the cities and Towns of Pangasinan and neighboring provinces. As chairman of the board of PBUSA and on behalf of all the board members of PBUSA, we are glad that you are all here and ready to discover the possibilities of partnering with the various cottage industries in the cities and Towns  of Pangasinan. Welcome to the Trade-Product Sourcing and Manufacturing seminar.

We hope that this event will create genuine interest in Philippine products … bring awareness to the many one of kind products that are made in Pangasinan … and help establish profitable  business relationships between entrepreneurs and the local manufacturing companies in the Cities and Towns  of Pangasinan. Imagine the possibilities. (Doesn’t that sound exciting?)

Organizing this event was not easy. Only someone who has many years of experience in the import/export industry and running his own business, someone who has a large network of professionals he has cultivated through the years, someone who is passionate about helping other business people become successful, and lastly, someone who has the vision of leading PBUSA to be an organization that enriches the lives of its members.  The individual who was responsible for bringing all of this together is none other than our very own Eddie C. Ferrer, President of EC Ferrer Custom Broker and Forwarding Company and the current president of PBUSA. Inc. We thank you, Eddie.

When I first heard of his proposal to organize this event, I knew that it was not going to be easy. Regardless, the rewards of putting up such an event would be undeniably great for all in attendance and associated with the event. The PBUSA board members gave their full support to make this event a reality. This event is timed just right. According to a major newspaper in the Philippines, an article which ran on December 12, 2012, it stated that Citibank and HSBC are forecasting a bright 2013 for the Philippines. Some of the points mentioned were increasing growth in private consumption… wise government spending and investing… and a resilient remittance industry. It was also mentioned that the investment in public infrastructure could very well be the medium-term “game changer “for the Philippines. Now is the right time to explore what could be a very profitable venture in the cities and Towns of Pangasinan.

We hope that by the end of this seminar, you too will feel the excitement. Again, on behalf of the board members of PBUSA…..WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE!