By SAMMY JULIAN, Manila News Bureau Chief and JUN ARIOLO AGUIRRE
ILOILO City — It’s final. This city and Boracay Island were chosen as among the venues of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit meetings next year.
They will host two meetings each, according to official communications from the government and the organizers.
The two Western Visayan venues were among the eight areas approved to host the international event. Others were Metro Manila, Bagac in Bataan, Clark in Pampanga, Tagaytay City in Cavite, Metropolitan Cebu, and Legazpi City in Albay.
Iloilo City will host the Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting from Sept. 21 to 25, 2015, according to a July 22 memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.
Around 700 delegates from the 21 APEC economies are expected to attend this gathering.
The city will also host the Food Security Week (High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and the Blue Economy and Related Meetings) on Sept. 28 to Oct. 6 next year, with an estimated 900 delegates attending.
Boracay, on the other hand, will host the Senior Officials Meeting and Related Meetings from May 10 to 21, 2015, APEC 2015 director-general Marciano A. Paynor Jr. said in a letter to Gov. Florencio Miraflores of Aklan.
About 1,900 delegates are expected to attend this meeting.
The world-famous island will also be the venue of the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting from May 23 to 24, with 600 delegates attending, Paynor said.
Paynor said he will lead the first formal advance ocular of Iloilo City and Boracay soon to call on various officials and to visit vital hosting sites.
“It will also be an opportune time to lay down our plans for the meeting and how we can move forward for a successful hosting,” Paynor told Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. of Iloilo in a letter dated July 23, 2014.
Meanwhile, Legazpi City will welcome the first set of delegates for next year’s APEC Summit after the Albay capital was chosen as the site of the Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting (ISOM) tentatively set from Dec. 4 to 5 this year.
ISOM may be considered one of the most important meetings for the Philippines for it will “set the trend” for the country’s hosting of the event, Paynor said.
It is wherein the Tasking Statement will be turned over from the previous host, China, to the present host, the Philippines, he said.
A number of issues will also be discussed at the ISOM, including regional economic integration, innovation of economic development modes, and strengthening economic cooperation.
Around 300 foreign delegates are expected to attend the ISOM, said Paynor, who is scheduled to visit Legazpi City on August 3 to 5 to inspect vital hosting sites.
Established in 1989, APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies seeking to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
The venue of the annual APEC Summit rotates annually among the member economies.
The Philippines will host the 2015 APEC meetings, which include the Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings, the Ministerial and Sectoral Ministerial Meetings, and the Economic Leaders’ Meeting, from December 2014 to November 2015.
A separate memorandum will be issued for the final list of meetings for each site./PN
