Can Cebu beat Manila in fight to host APEC Summit?
by Cathy Rose A. Garcia, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 06/22/2013 8:35 AM | Updated as of 06/22/2013 8:35 AM
CEBU, Philippines - Cebu is hoping to host some of the world's most powerful leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2015.
Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Lito Maderazo said Cebu is up against Metro Manila and several other cities in its bid to host the APEC Summit.
"We are competing with the other cities, but more importantly we're competing against Metro Manila. We're trying to convince the national government that it's too much of a trouble to do it in Manila with the traffic congestion, etc. Because Manila is so important for the entire country, it will be like a standstill there, nobody will move except APEC," he told ABS-CBNnews.com at the sidelines of the Cebu Tourism Congress.
Aside from Metro Manila, Cebu will also be up against Albay, Bacolod, Iloilo, Clark, Subic, Davao, Boracay and Tagaytay have expressed interest in hosting the event.
"For us, this is the right time for us to go out into the region and say 'Cebu is ready. Come take a closer look at Cebu.' It's not only fun to invest in Cebu but it's exciting as well... We have to convince them that Cebu is a better location than Manila," Maderazo added.
Maderazo, a member of the Metro Cebu Development Board that made the pitch to the APEC national organizing committee, said Cebu will benefit from the investments in infrastructure that will be put up for the APEC Summit.
"Whatever billions are spent in Cebu will not go to waste. It's not like building a villa in Subic and after that selling it. We will continue to host international events... Whatever infrastructure they will provide in Cebu it will be utilized and sustainable in the long term. The value or return of investment will be quite substantial if they do this," he said.
Cebu, he noted, is already an ideal place for hosting conventions and meetings and will be able to provide the 4,000 to 6,000 rooms needed for accommodations.
Cebu has already hosted several international events, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in 2006, as well as the Davis Cup and Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry Conference.
'Investing more fun in Cebu'
June is designated as "Cebu Business Month", and this year the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry is ramping up the number of events in the city.
"We thought, why don't we start doing a branding for Cebu as an investment destination? Tourism, ICT, creative industry - these are the economic drivers we're looking at that we would like to develop further," Maderazo said.
Business in the province has been very good. Top property companies such as Ayala Land, Megaworld, Filinvest and Vista Land putting up mixed-use developments and residential developments. Business process outsourcing industry is also creating many jobs for Cebuanos.
"The business environment in Cebu is quite vibrant. We're very bullish. For the first time, we have some real estate construction projects for these condos. ICT-BPO is eighth in the ranking of emerging BPO destinations," he noted.
But there is still a need for a bigger airport and infrastructure for Cebu to continue attracting investors, as well as tourists.
"It's now just about having a bigger airport, having more accommodation facilities and convincing the government there is a need to improve the infrastructure, roads etc," Maderazo said.
Source: Can Cebu beat Manila in fight to host APEC Summit? | ABS-CBN News