Cebu stands to have a good chance of hosting high-profile personalities when the Philippines holds two major international activities in the next few years. These events are the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2015 and the Catholic Church's International Eucharist Congress in 2016.
Buoyed by its successful hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in 2007, Cebu is bidding to host the APEC Summit, an annual gathering of leaders from nations comprising more than half of the world's economy.
So far, Cebu's bid received some favorable feedback. APEC organizing officials have noted that we have the right infrastructure to hold the summit, which will be attended by presidents and prime ministers of powerhouse economies such as the United States, China, Japan, India and Russia.
Meanwhile, officials of the Archdiocese of Cebu are now busy preparing for the Eucharist Congress, which Cebu is hosting for the first time. No less than Pope Frances is invited to attend.
The latest is that the Vatican is sending a delegate to Cebu to inspect the site of the event. The result of the inspection is vital to the archdiocese's effort to have the pope preside over the congress. We are very hopeful that the assessment is favorable in order for Pope Francis to come.
Of course the prime consideration for the success of the two events is how the authorities would handle the peace and order situation. And how ready are they would still remain to be seen.
But with different crimes rocking Cebu of late, public perception is that it would be a tall order for authorities to keep criminals at bay as Cebu prepares to stage the two major activities.
While the APEC Summit and the Eucharist Congress are still years away, it is a must for local authorities to begin implementing concrete measures against criminality to show to the world that Cebu is more than capable of staging these events.