Cebu to host 2006 ASEAN Summit

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday announced that Cebu will be hosting next year's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

She made this statement during her speech at the grand opening of the Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa at barangay Punta Engaño, Lapulapu City.

"With all these new hotels, five star hotels, now Cebu can host next year's ASEAN summit. It's going to be a great summit not only for ASEAN but also for us, because Cebu is what we want to showcase and Cebu is indeed the showcase of what Philippines can be," Arroyo said.

The president was the guest of honor for the grand opening of the new hotel facility and she also took the time to address certain concerns like the threat of avian influenza or bird flu.

Arroyo, who got an overwhelming majority in the province during last year's elections, said that Cebu is a strong island because of its leaders who are doing their best to make it as it is. "Cebu can be our model for a strong republic."

Arroyo added that to strengthen our republic, is not only muscle, it means establishing a government of national unity by initiating consultation of this idea to the major political parties.

"The rest of the world looks to us for this kind of unity that they have seen in the countries around us. But the principle of government of national unity is not meant to please the opposition but to consolidate the nation behind our economic take off," Arroyo said.

The President clarified that this is not power sharing since power sharing is only applicable in the parliamentary system, which will have to wait until our Constitution is amended.

But in the meantime, it is sharing public leadership and responsibility for the common good.

Furthermore, the President said that in order to strengthen our Republic we shall also introduce, through the help of policy makers a more democratic and a more participatory mechanism for maintaining dialogue with the people in lieu of militant demonstrations and rallies.

VISIT TO OLANGO

The president also took time to visit the Olango island wildlife sanctuary right after she arrived to the airport from Manila. This is part of her government's efforts to prove that the country remains free from the dreaded bird flu.

She stayed in Olango for about 10 minutes to talk with the local leaders and environment officials and even did some bird watching before going to the Hilton Resort.

Arroyo was joined by Cebu governor Gwen Garcia, Lapu-Lapu City mayor Arturo Radaza, 6th District Rep. Nerissa Son-Ruiz, Environment Secretary Michael Defensor, Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano, Rep. Eduardo Gullas, Rep. Red Durano and other local officials.

During her speech at the hotel, she congratulated the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for preserving the bird sanctuary.

"We went to the island because Olango is one of the three most important bird sanctuaries in our country and it is very important for us to protect our country from the avian flu," Arroyo said.

She noted that for the last two years the Philippines has been saved from bird flu.

TOURISM CONCERNS

The president is also pushing for the improvement of the peace and order situation, infrastructure, and increasing tourist arrivals in the country.

She said, the government is expecting 2.7 million tourists to come to the Philippines this year, which is 22 percent more that the tourist arrivals last year.

In 2004, she added, half of the 2.5 million tourists who came to the Philippines came to Cebu. "This year of the 2.7 million tourists we expect 75 percent to come to Cebu because of the beautiful white beaches and the diving spots."

She however pointed out that the country needs to make sure that we address the current political and economic crisis since this will also drive tourists and tourism investors away. She explained that the political turmoil in 1983 drove Hilton away from the country.

OTHER CONCERNS

Arroyo said that Cebu now has stable power with the operation of two major projects of the National Transmission Commission, which she just inaugurated. She said that the two projects, the Leyte-Cebu Interconnection Upgrading Project and the Mactan-Cebu Interconnection Project, will make sure that Cebu will have no brownout for the next five years. She added that power rates here are also competitive because of the use of geothermal power and therefore, free from tax.

But to make the nation as strong as Cebu is as an island, she said that it must begin with reconciling with God. "With Avian flu around us, we have terrorism, we have destabilizers, we have high oil prices, we must turn to God. That's the first thing we have to do, reconciling with God."

She also urged the government officials to focus on "ordinary people we must serve," ordinary citizens and the businessmen who have a lot of things to do to the government."

She also asked the businessmen to help the Committee on Effective Governance, which she just launched, to help the entrepreneurs and fix the frontline services.

"We must keep a physical environment, a bureaucratic environment that is conducive to work relation with the end goal of being in the first world in 20 years when our SK will already be the main players in our society. And to do this I want to mobilize the whole of Philippine society starting with the pillars of business in Metro Manila, Davao and Cebu such as the CCCI." Arroyo said. - Wenna A. Berondo and Mitchelle Calipayan