DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research officials and staff, led by assistant director Joell H. Lales, participates in the opening and Plenary Scientific Sessions of the ISSAAS (International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences) International Scientific Congress and General Meeting 2023 on 8 November 2023 at the Acacia Hotel Manila, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines.

 Themed "Integrated Management of Southeast Asian Agricultural Landscapes", the scientific congress features lectures and scientific discourse covering vast field of agricultural research.

 Composed of professionals, researchers, and academics from Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, the ISSAAS was established to strengthen the cooperation of agricultural scientists in the Asian and Southeast Asian regions and to bring together groups of professionals with common interest in agricultural development in the region.