Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary for Policy and Regulations Atty. Paz J. Benavidez II received an international recognition award during the 2026 Asia-Pacific Food Regulatory Authority Summit (APFRAS) in Seoul, South Korea, for her role in advancing food safety and regulatory harmonization efforts in the region.

Benavidez was conferred the Honor of Excellence Award during the summit held 11 to 12 May at Hotel Naru Seoul-MGallery, where food safety and regulatory leaders from across Asia-Pacific gathered to strengthen regional cooperation and promote safer food systems.

At the DA, Benavidez leads policy and regulatory initiatives as head of the secretariat of the department’s oversight panel on the issuance of regulations, which was established in line with the Anti-Red Tape Act.

Beyond her role in the agriculture department, she also serves as chairperson of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, becoming the first Filipino elected to the position.

The APFRAS summit serves as a regional platform for discussions on food safety management, international standards, regulatory science and emerging challenges affecting global food systems under the organization’s APFRAS 2.0 vision.

Delegates from South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, China, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei participated in the summit’s high-level discussions and collaborative dialogues.

Observer countries and international organizations including the United States, Canada, Peru, Chile, Malaysia, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization also joined the event.

The summit featured discussions on next-generation risk assessment systems, global Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards, and food safety management for international events.