Labella pushes for APEC Forum in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Vice Mayor-Elect Edgardo Labella wants the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum to be held in Cebu City on 2015 so that it will help promote the city to other developing countries in the world and also bring economic growth to business establishments.

Labella, who is still serving as a councilor, has already filed a resolution before the Cebu City Council asking President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to allow Cebu City to host the 2015 APEC Forum.

President Aquino has accepted the offer for the APEC Forum to be held in the Phillipines two years from now. APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries seeking to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

APEC was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world, to fears that highly industrialized Japan would come to dominate economic activity in the Asia-Pacific region and to establish new markets for agricultural products and raw materials beyond Europe.

It will also enable ASEAN economies to explore new export market opportunities for natural resources such as natural gas, as well as to seek regional economic integration by means of foreign direct investment.

Under APEC, member economies work together to reduce barriers to trade, ease the exchange of goods, services, resources and technical know-how and strengthen economic and technical cooperation between and among themselves.

Labella said President Aquino have already started scouting for the venue of the forthcoming APEC Forum prompting some local government units like the Albay provincial government to also offer to host the event.

According to Labella, “Cebu City is confident of its capability to supply and or fulfill the needed logistics, accessibility, available accommodations, infrastructure and security for the delegates that will include heads of states.”

Labella said he learned that United States President Barrack Obama might be one of the heads of states that will attend to the APEC Forum.

“Cebu City’s five star hotels can provide Presidential Suites for the visiting heads of states and in terms of accessibility, the Mactan Cebu International Airport assures fast and secure arrival and departure of delegates,” he said.

Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña agreed that the city is capable of hosting the international event but he is afraid that the government will again purchase overpriced decorative lampposts as what the government officials did during the 2007 ASEAN Summit in Cebu City.  (FREEMAN)