DAVAO City will host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) 50th anniversary celebration set on January 5 next year, as the country will also host the Asean Summit 2017.
At present, the city is preparing for the big event as delegates from 10-member countries will grace the international event.
Ernie Tomas, Jr., Chief of the Investment Promotion Division of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) in a press conference Monday, September 26, during the Kapehan Sa Dabaw at SM City-Annex, said with the "Asean at 50 years launching" hosting the city must seize trade and economic opportunities which will be made available during the event.
"On encouraging investment here and the rest of Mindanao we have identified three strategies where we should focus on, and one of it is optimizing the global opportunities," he said.
Other strategies identified were enhancing business environment for employment and capacitating the local government's support in enhancing and facilitating ease of business.
The country’s hosting of the summit, with the theme "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World," will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the regional bloc.
Other Asean-related events which will be hosted in Davao City are Economic Ministry and Finance Ministry Business Conference eyed on March and July 2017.
Cebu and Clark will also host a summit on April and November, respectively.
The country's Asean hosting will be spearheaded by the National Organizing Committee under the Office of the President.
President Rodrigo Duterte, during the recently-concluded 28th and 29th Asean meeting in Laos last month formally accepted the task and he has urged his counterparts from the Asean to be the Philippines’ "dynamic and vibrant partners."
"With great honor and humility, I accept the chairmanship of the Asean from our excellent host, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. I look forward to seeing you all in the Philippines in 2017," the President said.
"During the Philippines’ chairmanship, we will highlight Asean as a model of regionalism and a global player, with the interest of the people at its core," he added.