All systems go for summit committee on spouses

A special committee for the 12th ASEAN Summit is all set to take charge of the activities of spouses of the heads of state and foreign ministers that will participate in the summit next month. A dry run will be held today to ensure that the activities lined up for the spouses will run smoothly. This as first gentleman Mike Arroyo arrives in Cebu today to personally inspect the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.

Margot Osmeña, wife of Mayor Tomas Osmeña and vice chairperson of the spouses committee, likened the process to that of a mother carrying a child for nine months and eventually bearing it. The committee started preparations March this year.

"It's like having a baby...you labor for nine months and now it's about to come," Osmeña said in a press conference.

Also present in the press conference were committee chairman DFA Undersecretary Francisco Benedicto; Undersecretary Juris Umali-Soliman, Chief of Staff of the first gentleman; Paz Radaza, wife of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza; Linda Ouano, wife of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano; and Tina Sitoy, wife of Cordova Mayor Arleigh Sitoy.

Benedicto admitted the P4 million allocated for the spouses program is not enough for the lavish activities prepared for the spouses, but said the committee is doing its best to compensate for what is needed through the help of the private sector.

Also yesterday, the committee clarified that the reported P2,500 per person budget for the spouses' lunch in Lapu-Lapu city during the first day does not only cover the food but also includes the budget for other miscellaneous items such as the physical set-up, utensils and flowers.

The spouses will have their lunch outdoors following the reenactment of the Kadaugan sa Mactan near the Lapu-Lapu Shrine.

The dinner for the spouses at the Malacañang sa Sugbu on the second day would be held at the ground floor of the building but Osmeña announced no less than the first gentleman insisted he would bring the spouses to the second floor to "show off" the locally-made furniture used to furnish the President's residential area.

Meanwhile, the Mandaue City council yesterday approved during a special session the contract between the city and Cebu Eventsmaker, the group that would provide the city consultancy services for the fashion show that would take place at the Provincial Capitol day two of the spouses program.

The spouses program will commence with a pre-Hispanic atmosphere to greet the spouses at the Lapu-Lapu Shrine where the historical Kadaugan sa Mactan will be reenacted. In the afternoon, the ladies will be whisked to the Malacañang sa Sugbu, which will bear a Hispanic atmosphere that would showcase the different products of Cebu especially the island's world-class furniture industry.

Osmeña said the Malacañang sa Sugbu will be transformed into an elegant dining venue for the visiting spouses. Likewise, the children that the city has rescued from the streets will be singing for them. The next day, the first ladies will unveil the copper-made friendship sculpture at the Family Park in barangay Talamban. A tour of Cebu City will immediately follow, which will start at the Provincial Capitol that would depict the American era. The Fuente Osmeña rotunda will also be opened to the first ladies where they will get a chance to experience the Filipinos' culture of going to the park to taste the traditional "sorbetes".

The city's oldest street, Colon Street, would be transformed into a Chinatown to depict the Chinese' influence on Cebuanos. The Magellan's Cross and Basilica del Santo Niño will be venues where the first ladies will get to see the Sinulog Dance by the candle vendors.

Mandaue City, on the other hand, will sponsor a special meal for the first ladies that would depict the contemporary era and that would also showcase the city's fashion industry particularly its locally made accessories. - Joeberth M. Ocao/MEEV