BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III will lead the raising of the Philippine flag in Iloilo to mark the 117th anniversary of the country’s independence on July 12 next year.
Aquino will raise the national flag in Santa Barbara town, disclosed Senate President Franklin Drilon who led a tree planting activity in the city yesterday.
Iloilo City may also host the traditional cocktail, Vin d’Honneur commemorating the country’s independence, he added.
“We do hope we can convince the President to have the Vin d’Honneur here with about 100 ambassadors coming to the city on June 12,” the veteran legislator said.
Drilon also said all is set for Iloilo City’s hosting of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meetings on September 21 to 25 and September 28 to October 6 next year.
“Let us unite behind this effort,” he appealed to Ilonggos. “We can truthfully say that more than any president, we have benefitted from the good economy and good governance (of the Aquino presidency) .”
The Senate leader underscored that national government support towards infrastructure development has been integral to the “latest signs of Iloilo’s economic upturn and growth.”
“The APEC meetings in Iloilo, which will be attended by approximately 700 to 900 international delegates, highlight its economic transformation, which is due to a result-oriented political leadership and an effective partnership with the local business sector,” said Drilon.
The construction of the Iloilo City Convention Center (ICC), a state-of-the-art events center, will improve Iloilo’s capacity to host and accommodate international occasions and drive local tourism development, he added.
The ICC, which is expected to be finished in early 2015, is one of the sites seen most likely to be selected for APEC events.
Drilon also pointed to several big-ticket projects that could have convinced the APEC 2015 National Organizing Council to pick Iloilo to host the APEC meetings. These include the Iloilo Airport and major roads like the 10-lane Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue, which have been updated to internationally-competitive standards, the four-lane Iloilo Circumferential Road, Iloilo Esplanade, and the rehabilitation of the Iloilo River./PN
