ILOILO CITY, Sept. 3 (PNA) — Iloilo City’s July and September hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will ultimately bring two-pronged benefits to the metropolis.
Former financial analyst Jose Rey Delfin, who attended the July 23-24 “Fostering APEC’s Infrastructure through Long-Term Investment and Capital Market Development” meetings as one of the delegates from the City Government, said the local economy would be directly benefited.
“We can already foresee the big turnout of tourism receipts, local business revenues. The over-all trickle-down economic benefit of direct spending,” he said.
This goes the same for the scheduled meetings this September: Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum on Sept. 22 to 23; ministerial meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises on Sept. 21 to 25; and ministerial meeting on Food Security and Blue Economy on Sept. 28 to Oct. 6.
“The meetings will solidify the position of the city as Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) center with a portfolio that includes successful hosting of APEC meetings. Second is knowledge of the latest on financing infrastructures involving public-private partnership modality,” Delfin said.
He said under the leadership of Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog, the city was pursuing mega projects that would impact the growth of the city of Iloilo in a big way.
It is of importance that the city of Iloilo is adept on the latest in financing mega infrastructures.
“The July APEC meetings alone have produced great benefits to the city in both short term and long term economic growth,” he said. (PNA)