June 1, 2023, Taguig City – the Cold Chain Innovation Hub successfully conducted the 2nd Future of the Industry Conference at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Women’s Center which discussed latest trends, technologies and opportunities such as financing and demonstration projects for the industry.
The conference started with key messages from United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Country Representative Teddy G. Monroy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Assistant Director Esperanza A. Sajul and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) – National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development (NITESD) Assistant Executive Director Enrico C. Banario followed by a panel session on financing for sustainable cold chain technologies participated by Mr. Edgardo C. De Guzman from the Landbank of the Philippines, Mr. Rustico Noli Cruz from the Development Bank of the Philippines, Mr. Mark Emmanuel Canlas from the Bank of Philippine Islands and Mr. Gabriel Lim from BDO Capital. The panelists discussed financing programs offered by their respective institutions which may be availed by the industry. The session was moderated by Ms. Laurie Navarro from the Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN). CCI-Hub Head of Global Partnerships Mr. Jan Dusek presented updates on the Demo Projects, a co-financing opportunity for natural refrigerant cold chain technologies for end-users.
The afternoon session presented the prospective demo case studies featuring cold chain needs of different sectors. The panel was composed Mr. Aaron John Medina of Glacier Panay Refrigeration Services Corporation, Mr. Pierre Carlo Curay of InsightSCS, Mr. Julieto Manggasang of the Municipality of Carles, Ilo-ilo, Mr. Russel Terbio of Camp Backpackers Palawan and Mr. Gilbert Cumila of Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal. In the last session, Mr. Han Piao Ngo of Güntner GmbH & Co. and Mr. Emilio Gonzales Lao or Cold Front Technologies Asia. The day capped off with a technology showcase tour of the CCI-Hub.
“There is growing interest among potential end-users to consider more efficient cold chain technologies in their businesses but most of them, especially those in the MSME sector, need technical assistance in putting together their proposals to investors. This scenario is where PFAN comes in, where it will provide pro-bono technical assistance to help end-users prepare bankable proposals for submission to investors. The conference served as the initial interaction among end-users, the financing institutions and PFAN. PFAN shall organize follow-up activities to reconnect with the end-users and financing institutions to address the gap of access to financing for more efficient cold chain technologies using natural refrigerants.”, noted Ms. Navarro.
The event was attended by 120 end-users, project partners, industry leaders, and other industry stakeholders.
National Policy and Regulations Coordinator
Global Partnership for Food Cold Chain in the Philippines Project