The Challenge of Fair Trade in the Context of Globalization and Liberalization: Symposium and Book Launch of "THIS IS MY VOICE: I Speak for Fair Trade" by Elena Sen Lim

The Challenge of Fair Trade in the Context of Globalization and Liberalization:

Symposium and Book Launch of "THIS IS MY VOICE: I Speak for Fair Trade" 
by Atty. Elena Sen Lim

Wednesday 11 September 2013 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Pulungang Claro M. Recto (Faculty Center Conference Hall),

Rizal Hall, College of Arts and Letters,

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

Please click here for the audiovisual recordings of the event.

PROGRAM

2:00 – 2:30
REGISTRATION

2:30 – 2:35
OPENING REMARKS

Dr. Ricardo T. Jose
Director, Third World Studies Center and
Professor, Department of History
University of the Philippines-Diliman

2:35 – 2:40 

INTRODUCTION OF THE AUTHOR
Dr. Hilarion M. Henares Jr.
Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer and
Former Chairman, National Economic Council

2:40 - 3:10 

SPEAKER

Atty. Elena Sen Lim

Author, This is my voice: I Speak for Fair Trade (2013)

3:10 – 3:25
DISCUSSANTS
Dr. Ceferino S. Rodolfo
Assistant Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry

3:25 – 3:40
Ms. Mars F. Mendoza
Executive Director
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement

3:40 – 3:55
Dr. Amado M. Mendoza Jr.
Professor, Department of Political Science
University of the Philippines-Diliman

3:55 – 4:30
OPEN FORUM

MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Dr. Perlita Frago-Marasigan
Deputy Director, Third World Studies Center and
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
University of the Philippines-Diliman

About the Symposium and Book Launch

In Atty. Elena Sen Lim’s latest book, “THIS IS MY VOICE: I Speak for Fair Trade (Selected Speeches),” she  gives insights based on first-hand experiences, which she hopes to share and put forth in a meaningful discussion with the participants of the symposium and book launch. Below are excerpts from the book’s introduction:

I have my own definition of “fair trade.” It is based not on academic research and classroom discussions but on more than 50 years of directly experiencing UNFAIR TRADE—including the indescribable pain of  helplessly watching factories….shut down one by one as cheap imports…. flooded the market, destroying…. virtually the nation’s entire, fledgling manufacturing sector, as well as the agricultural sector, equally bludgeoned by cheap food imports….to add insult to injury, likewise helplessly watching as my erstwhile foreign principals/partners took over ownership of marketing and servicing companies….Again, they were able to legally mount the takeover because of our government’s support for globalization and liberalization. This was a classic example of the folk saying “Iba ang nagtanim, iba ang kumain” (Others planted, others ate).

It is a definition based on more than 50 years of slugging it out as an entrepreneur in local and foreign market arenas, against gigantic competitors with financial, technological, and logistical resources far superior to mine, with awesome political connections versus my complete absence of such.

It is a definition based on the many tragic cases I have witnessed of small Filipino entrepreneurs doing everything they could to make their businesses survive and prosper, only to be vanquished by global forces too large for them to handle.

This symposium and the book launch aim to serve as platform to prompt and revitalize debates with government, civil society, and the academe on the challenges of fair trade in the context of globalization and liberalization. 

About the Author

Sony. Samsung. Aiwa. Kia. Petromax. AA Shrimps, Asahi Glass, Starworld  Industrial Estate Development, Destiny Cable TV / Internet . . . These are but some of the brands and businesses Atty. Elena Sen Lim, Founder and Chair Emeritus of Solid Group Inc., transformed (against tremendous odds) from then unknown names into household words  for Filipino families. The fact that she started out poor—no inheritance, no capital, no connections—makes the accomplishments more formidable.


Some photos from the event: