Madame Cielito Avancena officially opened last October 5 in Cologne the 180-square meter Philippine pavilion in the ongoing ANUGA trade fair, which is housing 19 exhibiting companies and 18 One Town-One Product (OTOP) participants – the country’s biggest delegation to the biennial fair. A champion of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) and a businesswoman herself, Madame Avancena underscored the crucial role of SMEs in society’s development and extolled the participating companies from the Philippines for their drive to seek new markets for their products. Also in attendance were Ambassador Theresa de Vega of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Deputy Consul General Emil Fernandez of the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and senior officials of DTI, including Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman, Assistant Secretary Demphna Du-Naga and Commercial Counsellor Althea Antonio. ANUGA is the world’s leading trade fair for the global food and beverage industry, with over 7,400 exhibitors and 165,000 visitors taking part in 2017.