Albay pitches Misibis for APEC

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines  â€“ The provincial government of Albay wants to host the 2015 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum at the world-class luxury island hideaway of Misibis Bay.

“Albay is officially bidding to host the APEC Summit 2015 principally at Misibis Bay. We will make a pitch during the presentations at Asian Institute of Management on May 27-28,” Salceda announced yesterday.

Salceda said Albay is the perfect host for APEC because the province has 592,616 persons or 45 percent of total population living on the Pacific rim.

“This is the highest concentration of population on the Pacific and the biggest aggregate number of people,” he said.

Salceda pointed out Albay has the two major cities of Tabaco and Legazpi that also has two international seaports fronting the Pacific Ocean.

“Albay truly is the only Pacific province of the Philippines,” he said.

Salceda is proposing the APEC summit to be held in Misibis Bay, a private tropical hideaway built on a pristine stretch of beach along the southern tip of Cagraray Island in Bacacay town in Albay.

The five-hectare island resort can be reached via a 50-minute flight from Manila to Legazpi, then a 45-minute scenic travel by land, or a 15-minute ride on a helicopter, or by fast watercraft in 30 minutes.

He said Albay is putting its best foot forward since it was considered the third largest metropolitan unit of the Philippines, after Manila and Cebu due to its unique Pacific stature, the trading center of abaca and copra.

“Now, we want to position Albay back on the world map given its tourism, trade and investment attractions and as a showcase of the positive developments of the Aquino administration.

“We have ample water, power, well-built infrastructure, world-class facilities and meeting capacity, iconic endowments and the world’s best model in emergency response and disaster risk reduction,” he said,

Salceda said the holding of the APEC in Albay would also be an opportunity for the Philippines to showcase its achievements in climate change adaptation, particularly with the province’s Climate Change Academy and the Albay Provincial Security and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) as United Nation International Strategic Disaster Response (UNISDR) senior global champion in disaster risk reduction.

“Albay also offers not only touristic but experiential and sectoral values, including 600 megawatts of geothermal power for green energy and successful mass relocation,” he said.

Salceda said Albay is also a gateway to Almasorca – acronym for Albay-Masbate-Sorsogon-Catanduanes – tourism development program that was essentially patterned after the Yucatan tourism alliance.

“This not only diversifies but also expands the range of touristic experience for APEC participants,” Salceda said.

APEC was established in 1989 to further enhance economic growth and prosperity for the region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community.

APEC’s member economies are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States of America, Vietnam and the Philippines.

It is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Unlike the World Trade Organizations or other multilateral trade bodies, APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants.

Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus and commitments are undertaken on a voluntary basis.

APEC is an intergovernmental grouping that operates on the basis of non-binding commitments, open dialogue and equal respect for the views of all participants.