Cebu gears up for big events this weekend

Cebu will play host to the advisory board meeting and conference of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) this weekend.

These big events, to be held in Shangri-La Hotel on Mactan Island, would be graced by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who will also join officials of Shell Corporation and Ford to announce the ethanol fuel distribution and manufacture of flexi-fuel vehicles Friday morning.

On the same day, Arroyo will meet with 30 chief executives of the top international corporations to discuss how to make the Philippines more competitive for the global outsourcing demand. Major agreements and initiatives by various multinational corporations based in the country will be revealed during the meeting.

On Saturday, the President will deliver a keynote address at the opening of the 10th anniversary conference of the APEC Business Advisory Council. The conference, which will tackle the state of global training system and the progress of globalization and integration of the Asia-Pacific region, will last until Sunday.

Likewise, Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati, economics and law professor at the Colombia University, is also expected to deliver a speech after Arroyo.

Former president Fidel Ramos will also deliver his speech during the second day of the conference on Sunday. After Ramos, Dr. Supachai PanitchPakdi, secretary general of the United Nations Conference on Trade Development, will also give his message to the participants.

During the two-day ABAC conference, top world economists will give lectures and presentations to delegates from the business, academe and government sectors of the various APEC economies.

Discussions will focus on global trading system, particularly the rise of free trade agreements and World Trade Organization.

Meanwhile, the regional police office will deploy security personnel to secure at least 300 conference delegates and their family members who will also visit several tourist spots in the region.

Regional police director Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio told The Freeman last week that they were already preparing for the activity.

Police consider the security preparation for the event as "dry-run" for the Task Force Cebu Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. - Wenna A. Berondo with Edwin Ian Melecio