PHL to flaunt prime cities, tourist spots for 2015 APEC meet

The Philippines will flaunt its prime cities and popular tourist destinations as venues for high level meetings when it hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2015, organizers said Tuesday.

Foreign Undersecretary Laura del Rosario, head of the National Organizing Council, told a news conference that they are choosing among several sites including Metro Manila, Boracay, Cebu, Davao and Tagaytay.

“This will be an opportunity to showcase different regions and cities, culture, arts and cuisine,” Del Rosario said, adding the country’s hosting of the summit will pave the way for infrastructure improvements across the Philippines and begin the trend for “Livable Cities.”

Other venues being considered are the former military bases in Clark in Pampanga, Subic Bay in Olongapo City, Zambales, Iloilo, and Bacolod.    

VIPs

The APEC Summit, expected to be attended by US President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, among others, would be held in the country either on October or November 2015, Del Rosario said.

The APEC leaders’ meeting, said to be the biggest and most high profile annual gathering of world leaders from 21-member economies, will be hosted by President Benigno S. Aquino III before he ends his term in June 2016.

The Philippines chose to host the APEC summit in 2015 as it is an auspicious year and will not interfere with elections. Each APEC member takes turns to host meetings for the whole year and chooses which sectoral topics it will focus on.

The Philippines last hosted APEC meetings in 1996. The current host is Indonesia.
China will host the 2014 meetings and Peru will host after the Philippines.

For 2015, there are eight planned sectoral meetings on education, energy, food security, small and medium enterprises, oceans, science and technology, transportation and women and the economy.

Preparations

Del Rosario said preparations for the summit, including security and logistical requirements, are being laid out as early as this year.

Criteria for selection of venues include facilities and infrastructure, security and public safety, power and water conditions, and medical services availability.

Decision on final APEC hosting venues will be made in June, Del Rosario said.

"We will announce in June which cities we have chosen to host the sectoral meetings. The host cities for the more high level meetings however will be kept under wraps until closer to the meeting date," she said.

Preparations for the high-profile meetings went underway amid certain criticisms against the Philippines.

Last week, Philippine government agencies lashed at bestselling American novelist Dan Brown for portraying Manila as “gates of hell” in his latest book, Inferno, for its dirty streets, prostitution and widespread poverty. — KBK, GMA News