Villegas heads international pest management body

MANILA, Philippines –  Entomologist Leo Villagas has been elected as new president of international pest management federation during the just concluded 22nd Federation of Asian and Oceania Pest Managers Associations (FAOPMA) Exhibit and Convention at the SMX Exhibit & Convention Center in Pasay City.

Villegas, a graduate of the University of the Philippines major in Entomology, is the first Filipino to be named chief of International pest management federation. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Macodyn Inc., one of the pioneers in the pest control industry in the country.

Villegas is also a founding member of the Pest Exterminators Association of the Philippines (PEAP), host of the three-day exhibit and conference. He has been likewise instrumental in making this year’s exhibit and convention to be held in the Philippines. FAOPMA is one the biggest international federation of associations of pest managers.  

Joined by pest managers and health organizations in Asia-Pacific region, this year, the Philippines have been chosen as the host country for the conference which ended last Friday.

Delegates and exhibitors who joined the three-day exhibits included Australia, Chile, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and the United Kingdom.

“In this year’s convention, we were be able to showcase our wonderful country and very hospitable people to the foreign delegates and likewise adds knowledge to local pest manager the new international pest management and techniques,” the new president said.

The FAOPMA 2010 is presented by Bayer and co-presented by Leads Environmental Health and Syngenta. Next year’s FAOMA convention will be held in Goa, India.