ASEAN SUMMIT in CEBU

[tolstoi]

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CEBU CITY – Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita signed Presidential Proclamation 1208 declaring Jan 12 to 15 as special non-working holiday for government offices and academic institutions.

The declaration is part of the government’s preparations for the 12th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Officials of the National Organizing Committee (NOC) also assured the success of the 16-nation gathering in Cebu from January 10 to 15.

With less than a week to go before the historic summit opens, the Cebu Organizing Committee (COC), jointly chaired by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia and Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Jr. announced that all preparations are now in place. Paynor is also NOC secretary general.

The COC met Thursday to discuss the final details of the preparations.

Garcia said the Cebu Provincial Government is ready to host the summit, which was postponed last month due to typhoon "Seniang." The summit was originally scheduled on Dec. 10-15 last year.

"We can do it. We will do it again, with more fervor this time. All systems are go," Garcia said during the COC meeting held at the Provincial Capitol here.

Paynor said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is the chair of the 12th Asean Summit, is being updated from time to time on the homestretch preparations for the event.

Ten leaders from the Asean and six from its dialogue partners will attend the summit. The ASEAN members are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The six dialogue partners are Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand.

This will be the second time the Philippines will host the Asean Summit since the grouping was founded in Bangkok in 1967. The first was in 1987.

The newly completed Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) is now 100 percent complete, according to Cebu Provincial Government Engineering Consultant Ernesto Viernes.

Earlier, Ambassador Vic Lecaros, Summit Spokesman, said most of the summit-related activities will now be held at the CICC.

However, as originally planned, the leaders’ meetings will be held at the posh Shangri-La Mactan Island’s Resort and Spa.

The National Power Corporation (Napocor) has assured enough electricity for the duration of the summit. (Sunnex with reports from OPS)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2007/01/04/palace.declares.jan.12.15.a.holiday.in.cebu.for.as ean.summit.(6.50.p.m.).html
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2007/01/04/palace.declares.jan.12.15.a.holiday.in.cebu.for.as ean.summit.(6.50.p.m.).html

[edgeknife]

at least 2 days ra for me. kay sa among office, mag-forced leave man mi. better than the whole days of ASEAN summit.

[Black kangaroo]

Did i made a comment naming you as communist?!..i know what you mean about usk2x sa buwis, but look at the brighter side lang sad..kung daghan ta ug investors tungod sa pag showcase sa Cebu atol sa summit maka benefit pud ang tanan Cebuano kay maabalik man ang buwis gigasto..ka limaon pa gani cguro...naay daghan pundo para sa basic services ug infrastructure in the long run.

mag pa concern2x pa kintahay ka sa mga kabos..tan awa sa imo kaugalingon kung tinuoray ba imong gipang yawit!

Hoy! Mr. Antoliano ayaw cgeg pangaway dha! hehehe

[nab_uang]

CH ready to assist summit delegates watching Sinulog

The Freeman 01/05/2007

The city government is ready to accommodate the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit delegates who would want to witness the annual Sinulog festivities.

City Public Information Officer Nagiel Bañacia, the city's representative to the Cebu Organizing Committee of the ASEAN Summit, told The Freeman that the city is now preparing for possible assistance to delegates who would choose to stay behind after the summit to witness the Sinulog.

Bañacia said they are already anticipating that some delegates would stay especially the international media considering that they would be made to witness the opening of the Sinulog on the afternoon of January 12.

"We will try our best to accommodate, it is our pleasure to accommodate," Bañacia said.

Accommodation would include VIP seats at the grand stand of the Cebu City Sports Center where the final performances of the participating Sinulog Mardi Gras contingents would happen on January 21.

Aside from this, Bañacia said the city would give the guests transportation from their hotels to the Sinulog venues, and personnel to assist them.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña said yesterday that the city is placing itself in a "very flexible position" should the delegates would want to stay to witness the Sinulog.

At least 43 contingents participated in the Sinulog Mardi Gras last year with the participation of four new contingents from Passi City in Iloilo, Masbate City, Eastern Samar and the "Bag-ong Ozamiznon" from Ozamiz City. It was, however, a little short of the other year's 48 contingents.

The Sinulog Mardi Gras kicked off at around 9:00 a.m. and contingents said to have traveled the parade route relatively slow and several onlookers observed that there were wide gaps between contingents on the road.

So far, the out-of-town contingents that have already registered to join the Sinulog include the Tawo-Tawo Festival contingent from Bayawan City and the Sinanduloy Cultural Troupe of Tangub City.

The augmentation force of 1,420 military and police personnel from all over the country has already returned to the city to act as guards to streets and key areas where summit activities will be held.

There are no significant changes from the original security plans and the dry run on the ceremonial routes would start tonight.

Senior officials of the participating countries would start arriving on January 9, although the police anticipate that some would already arrive as early as January 8.

The heads of state, meanwhile, are expected to arrive on January 12, as their meetings would start on January 13. The other meetings with the dialogue partners would commence on January 14.

The summit was called off last month just two days before it was supposed to officially start on December 10. The NOC stood firm that it was Typhoon Seniang that caused the postponement but some suspected it was triggered by terrorism threats and the political storm brewing in Manila. - Joeberth M. Ocao/LPM

[innocent_06]

anyone knows here if the roads are blocked during the ASEAN SUMMIT...is there any rerouting done?

[baron]

^ I think the rerouting originally planned will just be the same since I have not heard of any new changes. The organizers are also busy with tight security measures to secure the delegates. With the Sinulog, I am very much sure the delegates will be entertained accordingly.

All is set. Hopefully, the ASEAN Summit will bring us more positive results.

[SamuraiArcher]

na-a pa amn daw summit sa Feb right? ila mani gitawag ug twin summit....

[jancemsy]

bro gi declare jud ni na halidays this coming 12 & 15? apil b ani ang mga private companies??

[INFRACTION]

sana more investors in cebu than manila.... because of this summit

[nab_uang]

Honda, BMW reorient drivers for ASEAN Summit delegates
The Freeman
01/06/2007

Less than a week before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit starts, two car companies had to conduct new orientation sessions for police personnel assigned to drive vehicles for the summit delegates.

Honda and BMW had to train 77 police personnel yesterday to replace those from Luzon who were no longer made to come back to Cebu. The two car firms have lent cars to the government to be used as transportation of the summit delegates.

At least 41 police personnel have been assigned to drive the Honda Accord units while over 74 policemen were assigned to drive the BMW units.

Arturo Briones, of Honda's marketing-sales department, told The Freeman that the summit's National Organizing Committee has replaced all the 41 police personnel they had trained before the original schedule of the summit last month. Of the 74 personnel assigned to drive the BMW units, the NOC has only replaced 36.

The police personnel underwent orientation and test-driving yesterday at the ASEAN Summit Cebu Task Force headquarters just across the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City. The task force headquarters also shelter the vehicles to be used by the spouses of the heads of states, and the official patrol cars of the security personnel.

The policemen originally assigned to drive the Honda cars came from the National Capital Region and Regions 3 and 4. The new drivers come from Regions 7, 8 and 10.

Briones said the orientation was necessary for the drivers to know the salient features of the Accord, Honda's latest model. Aside from this, the car company also wants to make sure that the drivers are capable of driving at the required speed of at least 100 kilometers per hour.

Briones said they would also want to ensure that the cars would be handled well because the vehicles already have waiting owners. Honda had to cease accepting payments for the vehicles after the summit was put off last month.

Each Accord unit was priced at P1.6 million but Honda has given the buyers of the 41 units a P500,000 discount. The buyers may also get along the special ASEAN Summit car plate.

Also yesterday, the members of the augmentation force who returned to Cebu for the summit were required to have the serial number of the firearms recorded and the patrol car earlier assigned to them returned to their custody.

The other day, Malacañang has declared January 12 and 15 as special holidays for government offices and schools in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu. The local governments had initially recommended to also include January 13 and 14 as special holidays, but the Cebu Organizing Committee deemed it inappropriate to exclude these days, as they fall on a weekend.

The summit, which will officially start on January 12, will be preceded by a series of meetings to be attended by senior officials like the economic and foreign ministers. Over 52 meetings would be held at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort and the CICC.

The augmentation force of 1,420 military and police personnel from all over the country started returning to Cebu to act as guards to streets and key areas where summit activities will be held.

Senior officials of the participating countries would start arriving on January 9, although the police anticipate that some would arrive as early as January 8. The heads of state are expected to arrive on January 12, as their meetings would start on January 13. The other meetings with dialogue partners would commence on January 14.

The summit was called off just two days before it was supposed to officially start on December 10. The NOC stood firm that it was Typhoon Seniang that caused the summit's postponement, but some suspected that it was triggered by terrorism threats and the political storm brewing in Manila.

Incidentally, the postponement came just a day after the United States, Britain and Australia warned of a possible terrorist attack in Cebu during the summit, although their respective advisories did not necessarily say that the threats had anything to do with the summit itself.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who inspected the CICC and the newly built Most Important Person Lounge at the Mactan Cebu International Airport last month, had expressed satisfaction over Cebu's preparations for the event. - Joeberth M. Ocao/LPM