BAGUIO City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista debunked Tuesday stories about the city declaring persona non grata the Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) with the pullout of the ad congress recently.

"The board may have earned the ire of Baguio residents but no, city officials will not go as far as declaring the AdBoard unwanted," said Bautista, adding that the AdBoard may have decided to change venues for the 21st advertising congress but Baguio will have another chance of hosting the event.

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Besides, Bautista said only the venue will change. He said the Cordilleran theme would still be the central theme in the congress.

With Subic being "just an alternative," the mayor said Cordillera products will be congress' star. This, even as the AdBoard was invited anew to Baguio to do an ocular inspection.

The mayor reiterated his appeal to the AdBoard in behalf of Benguet province, which was hard-hit by the recent typhoon. He said the congress would have been a good time for the province to get back on its feet because it could promote its products, which, many believe are products of Baguio.

After Cordillera's isolation at the height of Typhoon Pepeng, the AdBoard decided to hold the congress elsewhere, citing safety of its participants as reason for the change.

Over 4,500 room reservations in various hotels have been cancelled as a result of the decision. The Baguio Tourism Council estimates around P20 million per day is lost due to the cancellation.