The J-TED Meeting (Welcome Program)

If a meeting of delegates from at least twelve countries and International Organizations can be called an International Conference, then Calbayog City had hosted one - the first at that - a few days before the 58th Charter Day Anniversary. It was the Global National Coordinators' Review Meeting.

The delegates came to Calbayog to review the experiment on the Juvenile Trashfish Excluder Device (J-TED), a program under the auspices of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Mayor Mel Sarmiento made it to the opening conference held at the Dussit Hotel in Makati. He had to leave for a speaking engagement in Australia, a trip shouldered by the League of Cities of the Philippines of which he is the Secretary-General. Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino took charge during the reception and conference activities. The Mayor made it back in time for the send-off dinner.

on hand to meet the guests at the airport: Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino, City Agriculturist Adela Ocenar and Lelith Realino

The Vice Mayor welcoming Thomas Moth-Poulsen of the FAO and Jonathan Dickson of the BFAR

The Sarkiki-Hadang Performers doing their dance of welcome at the tarmac

The Welcome Program at the City Hall Stage