Philippines to host Asean Summit in 2014

THE Philippines will be hosting next year the East Asia Summit for the World Economic Forum, President Benigno Aquino III said.

"We agree to host the East Asia Summit for the WEF in 2014," Aquino said during a coffee meeting with reporters in Davos, Switzerland where he attended the WEF annual meeting.

He noted the participants for the East Asia Summit for WEF next year in the country will experience a warmer weather compared to the freezing weather condition experienced by the participants attending this year's WEF annual meeting here.

According to the President, the holding of the 2014 East Asia Summit for WEF in the Philippines would certainly benefit the country as well as the Filipinos.

"It puts us at the center stage of the world map for that period, which is something like July or so. The details will have to be worked out, it was offered to us and I accepted to hosting the event," he said.

The President said the best meeting he had attended in Davos was the luncheon meeting arranged by the Ayala Corporation.

"We were able to touch base with so many other leaders of various countries like the Dutch Prime Minister," he said.

In an interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that necessary preparations will be made to ensure that everything will go well when the country hosts the event next year.

Valte said that the delegates in next year's event “will see firsthand for themselves what we have done and our gains since the President took office in 2010.” (SDR)