CEBU CITY, April 11 (PNA) — Cebu is now ready to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) ministerial meetings four months from now, except for some ongoing road works, an official said.
Cebu Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino said the road and infrastructure preparations remained a problem for hosting the ministerial meetings.
“For tourism side, no more problem. Our hotels are ready, transportation is ready, there’s an ongoing renovation and expansion of our airport. It’s really the road and infrastructure that we are focusing on now, but the rest are ready,” she said.
Cebu will host the third Apec Senior Officials’ Meeting on Aug. 24 to Sept. 6 this year.
Paulino said the road and infrastructure projects should be completed before the meetings, quoting Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, who heads the Apec local organizing committee.
She said the timeline of the Department of Public Works and Highways 7 showed the ongoing road and infrastructure projects would be finished in time for the Apec.
She said that as part of efforts to better prepare for the Apec meetings, members of the Cebu organizing committee are going to Boracay during the first week of May to observe the proceedings of another Apec Senior Officials’ meeting there.
Apart from the Boracay meeting, four ministerial meetings will be held in Cebu on Sept. 7 to 8 on structural reform; Sept. 10 to 11 on finance; Oct. 8 to 10 on transportation; and Oct. 12 to 14 on energy.
“For the first Senior Officials’ Meeting hosted by Cebu, it’s about 3,000 to 3,500 delegates,” Paulino said.
She said the local organizing committee constantly coordinates with its national counterpart in the preparations.(PNA)