Palace takes over CICC
December 2, 2006 | 12:00am
The Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), which will be the venue of a number of meetings for the upcoming 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, was finally turned over to Malacañang yesterday.
Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., the secretary general of the National Organizing Committee (NOC) and the chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee (COC), however said the turnover was more like a "figure of speech."
There was no ceremony whatsoever to officially signify the turnover of the said facility, but only the conduct of the dry run for the arrival of the 14 heads of state and eminent persons.
"In a way, yes (we are now taking over CICC) but it's a figure speech. Turnover means we are now here like as you've seen. We were doing our dry runs, etc.," he told reporters after the simulation exercise at past noontime yesterday.
What signaled the turnover of the said facility was the deployment of hundreds of personnel from the Presidential Security Group (PSG) at around 7:30 a.m. yesterday.
They are now in charge of the security hand in hand with the capitol security force as well as with the police.
Paynor yesterday said the function rooms at the CICC, including the International Media Center (IMC), are now under the National Organizing Committee (NOC).
"We are now preparing all of these rooms in accordance to the usage," he said.
Part of the preparation is the setting in of tables and chairs in coordination with the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), which will showcase their designs by allowing their free use for a month.
At around 8 a.m. yesterday morning, around 400 people took part in a massive clean up of the CICC premises and the building.
Only those rooms where work is still ongoing for finishing touches have been left uncleaned by the capitol employees.
At around 10 a.m. yesterday, Ambassador Paynor led the simulation exercise for the arrival of the 14 heads of states and four dialogue partners. They came on board a fleet of BMWs backed by security cars coming from the respective hotels where they would be billeted.
Paynor had announced during the last of the series of joint NOC and COC meetings, conducted on November 29, that the opening ceremony for the 12th Asean Summit is going to be held at CICC on December 10.
What was conducted yesterday was the dry-run for the event on the night of December 10. here only the most important person (MIP) plus five of his or her aides, two ministers, country officer, senior economic officer, assistant secretary general of the Asean Affairs and the ambassador, all from each of the 10 member countries of the Asean will be allowed to pass by the front door.
Paynor will attend to each of the heads of state and lead them inside CICC where they will be met by 3 Cebu congressmen and 3 mayors at the lobby, who in turn will usher them inside their respective function rooms.
The rest of the staff and delegates will have to pass by the rear entrance.
But prior to the arrival of the MIPs at CICC, the first to arrive would be the 10 Eminent Persons, composed of previous presidents of the Asean member countries and/or the previous chairmen of the Asean summit led by former Philippine President Fidel Ramos.
Ramos was the president of the Philippines when the country last hosted the summit in 1996.
When Paynor was asked as to the specific number of Asean meetings that will be held at CICC out of the total 90 to 98 meetings, Paynor told the reporters he could not disclose it for security reasons, but that one thing is certain there will be "many" meetings that will be conducted there.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal has been requested to lead the blessing and inauguration of the CICC on December 8.
On the other hand, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who is also the co-chairperson of the COC, said Capitol will assist in every way for the successful hosting of the summit, which will be held from December 10 to 14.
Aside from allocating P515 million for the construction of CICC, it will also spend for the dinners it is going to host for the eminent persons and Asean leaders.
"Things are now slowly taking shape. We are now getting closer to the summit days. And as we go closer, things get clearer on what to do. Kining tanan mobunga ra unya sa atong mga daghang preparasyon og kasakit," she said. - Cristina C. Birondo
Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., the secretary general of the National Organizing Committee (NOC) and the chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee (COC), however said the turnover was more like a "figure of speech."
There was no ceremony whatsoever to officially signify the turnover of the said facility, but only the conduct of the dry run for the arrival of the 14 heads of state and eminent persons.
"In a way, yes (we are now taking over CICC) but it's a figure speech. Turnover means we are now here like as you've seen. We were doing our dry runs, etc.," he told reporters after the simulation exercise at past noontime yesterday.
What signaled the turnover of the said facility was the deployment of hundreds of personnel from the Presidential Security Group (PSG) at around 7:30 a.m. yesterday.
They are now in charge of the security hand in hand with the capitol security force as well as with the police.
Paynor yesterday said the function rooms at the CICC, including the International Media Center (IMC), are now under the National Organizing Committee (NOC).
"We are now preparing all of these rooms in accordance to the usage," he said.
Part of the preparation is the setting in of tables and chairs in coordination with the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), which will showcase their designs by allowing their free use for a month.
At around 8 a.m. yesterday morning, around 400 people took part in a massive clean up of the CICC premises and the building.
Only those rooms where work is still ongoing for finishing touches have been left uncleaned by the capitol employees.
At around 10 a.m. yesterday, Ambassador Paynor led the simulation exercise for the arrival of the 14 heads of states and four dialogue partners. They came on board a fleet of BMWs backed by security cars coming from the respective hotels where they would be billeted.
Paynor had announced during the last of the series of joint NOC and COC meetings, conducted on November 29, that the opening ceremony for the 12th Asean Summit is going to be held at CICC on December 10.
What was conducted yesterday was the dry-run for the event on the night of December 10. here only the most important person (MIP) plus five of his or her aides, two ministers, country officer, senior economic officer, assistant secretary general of the Asean Affairs and the ambassador, all from each of the 10 member countries of the Asean will be allowed to pass by the front door.
Paynor will attend to each of the heads of state and lead them inside CICC where they will be met by 3 Cebu congressmen and 3 mayors at the lobby, who in turn will usher them inside their respective function rooms.
The rest of the staff and delegates will have to pass by the rear entrance.
But prior to the arrival of the MIPs at CICC, the first to arrive would be the 10 Eminent Persons, composed of previous presidents of the Asean member countries and/or the previous chairmen of the Asean summit led by former Philippine President Fidel Ramos.
Ramos was the president of the Philippines when the country last hosted the summit in 1996.
When Paynor was asked as to the specific number of Asean meetings that will be held at CICC out of the total 90 to 98 meetings, Paynor told the reporters he could not disclose it for security reasons, but that one thing is certain there will be "many" meetings that will be conducted there.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal has been requested to lead the blessing and inauguration of the CICC on December 8.
On the other hand, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who is also the co-chairperson of the COC, said Capitol will assist in every way for the successful hosting of the summit, which will be held from December 10 to 14.
Aside from allocating P515 million for the construction of CICC, it will also spend for the dinners it is going to host for the eminent persons and Asean leaders.
"Things are now slowly taking shape. We are now getting closer to the summit days. And as we go closer, things get clearer on what to do. Kining tanan mobunga ra unya sa atong mga daghang preparasyon og kasakit," she said. - Cristina C. Birondo
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