IDEALS’ publication – The Trade Advocate’s Manual: A Practival Guide to Navigating Philippine Trade Policy will also be publicized simultaneous to the trainings to be conducted in Cebu, Bacolod, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro. Principally authored by Atty. Tanya Karina Lat, the book will formally be launched on March 16, 2010 at the E-library of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City. The keynote speech will be delivered by Justice Florentino Feliciano.

Mirko Herberg, resident representative of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) will be in attendance as it was through their organization’s sponsorship that the publication was actualized. The opening and closing remarks for the programme will be delivered by Atty. Ma. Lourdes Sereno (AIM Policy Center, executive director) and Mr. Rey Rasing (Labor Education and Research Network / LEARN), respectively.

The Trade Manual is the outcome of a growing recognition of the need for a more deliberative and participatory approach in governance and policy-making. It is directed at empowering ordinary Filipinos to meaningfully participate in discussions of trade-policy. By engaging the Philippine government through consultation processes and mechanisms, it becomes directly accountable for its actions and decisions. Through multi-stakeholder consultations, trade and economic policies that affirm the right of every Filipino to full human development may be institutionalized.