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Saturday, April 08, 2006
Summit to spur Cebu’s growth
By Cherry T. Lim Of Sun.Star Cebu
Cebu's hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit will have far-reaching effects on its local industries, with the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) alone seen to spur development in the tourism and professional service industries, according to a foreign affairs official.
Citing the experience of Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian city that hosted the 11th Asean Summit in December 2005, Luis Cruz, director general, Asean-Philippines of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said Cebu can expect to draw international conventions and exhibitions when the CICC is completed.
“The City Government of Kuala Lumpur also put up a convention center for the (11th Asean) summit. Even before it was completed, the Kuala Lumpur International Convention Center was already booked for two years in advance,” said Cruz.
The DFA official was in Cebu yesterday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the CICC at the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City. He was representing Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.
The Capitol is rushing to complete the convention center in time for Cebu’s hosting of the 12th Asean Summit this December.
Catalyst
Cruz told Sun.Star that Cebu could easily attract international conventions because it has an international airport and air links to travel hubs like Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.
“For foreign conferences and exhibitions, organizers look at the feasibility of getting into the place,” he said, adding that Cebu’s resorts and malls add to its appeal.
Cruz explained that the CICC also serves as a catalyst for the development of Cebu’s tourism and professional service industries because hotels, airlines, restaurants, translators, manpower service firms, car rental firms, caterers and souvenir makers-”anything that caters to delegates”-will benefit from the staging of exhibitions and conventions in Cebu.
For this December, the foreign affairs official said the Asean Summit will give local industries like the furniture and jewelry industries the opportunity to showcase their capabilities either to the foreign delegates or their “accompanying delegates,” the delegates’ spouses and children.
Based on the experience of Kuala Lumpur last December, Cebu could receive as many as 2,500 foreign delegates, including the media, businessmen and the delegates’ families, Cruz said.
Cooperation
Caesar Atienza, former Asean Secretariat official in Jakarta, said the spouses could be taken on a separate tour, which could showcase Cebu’s programs like its gender sensitivity programs and Cebu’s experience in microfinance. This could result in future bilateral or regional cooperation initiatives among Asean members.
Cruz said many locals do not realize that there are many good things that Cebu can do better than other countries.
For instance, he said, Malaysia’s furniture industry, although well developed, still looks to the Philippines in the area of design.
Cebu is the furniture export capital of the country.
This December’s event is a very big production for Cebu because it will feature prime ministers and presidents of various countries.
Cruz explained that what will happen is actually a series of summits. Aside from the meetings among the 10 members of the Asean, there will also be meetings with Asean’s six dialogue partners, which are China, South Korea and Japan, also called Asean + 3; and India, Australia and New Zealand.
Cebu papers
Asean is composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.
The foreign delegates are expected to be in Cebu for about two weeks, with the preparatory senior officials’ meeting expected to be held in the first week, and the staging of the 12th Asean Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit to follow.
Three declarations are expected to be made, a Cebu declaration on the framework of the Asean Charter, a declaration on cooperation in combating HIV/AIDS, and a declaration on combating terrorism.
The name of the host city or province is traditionally included in the name of any declarations made during summits held in that city or province, another added benefit for Cebu, which could look at this as a promotional tool for the province.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 8, 2006 issue)
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