ASEAN SUMMIT in CEBU

[edgeknife]

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sayang ang effort sa mga ASEAN commitees. tsk tsk. back to normal this time.

[Asean_Summit]

The sun is out today!

As expected. Even officials of Pag-Asa said there is no need to cancel the Summit. This has been some sort of an embarassment. The media from Manila are mocking us... tsk, tsk
This is an occasion to showcase Cebu, hence foreign journalists are pampered like kings, well sadly, they also ended up HAVING A BAD IMPRESSION. What a way to showcase Cebu. Even officials who are involved with the Summit are skeptical of the reasoning for its cancellation.
This is the first time for Cebu to hold ASEAN, the first time for Cebu to hold an event of such magnitude, the first time ASEAN was cancelled. Marc Carnegie is a well known and respected international reporter in Paris, a million times bigger than Bobby Nalzaro, and a correspondent of AFP. He is one of the big shot journalist invited. He wont be writing the article below just to get some attention.

Tears and fears end ASEAN summit

By Marc Carnegie
Agence France-Presse

CEBU--The Philippine dream of hosting an ASEAN summit ended in disarray Saturday, with rain leaking through the roof of a new convention center and delegates jamming the airport to get out of town.

After calling off the annual meeting of regional leaders under the shadow of a looming typhoon and fears of a terrorist attack, the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the show would go on next month.

But as foreign ministry officials from her own administration privately disputed the official explanation of the weather as the reason for postponing the summit, the mood in the island resort of Cebu was gloomy.

"It would have been a big chance for the Philippines," said Jonalyn Cacal, a security worker at the luxurious seaside Shangri-La Hotel, where disconsolate workers were packing up the signs and banners meant to celebrate the summit.

"We have been preparing ourselves on security for so long," she said.

Amid reports of a pending terrorist attack, and warnings from Britain, the United States and other nations that danger was at hand, Arroyo's government insisted that Typhoon Seniang (international code name: Utor) was the only reason for calling off the summit.

"The Philippines is responsible for the safety and well-being of the summit participants in the face of inclement weather," she said in a statement, adding that the summit would be held here in January by ASEAN agreement.

"I thank the leaders for their understanding and support," she said.

But newspapers, journalists and officials questioned the official line, and some said concerns about a possible attack in Cebu were legitimate.

"The real fear was an incident on the fringes of the summit and that fear was very real," said Mike Clancy, one of the organizers of an ASEAN business and investment forum on the sidelines of the political events.

After the last-minute cancellation nations rushed in planes to transport their top officials away -- while for everyone else, chaos was the order of the day.

At the new $10-million convention center, purpose-built to house the thousands of journalists sent in to cover the summit, rain from the storm leaked through the roof and dripped from the lighting fixtures.

Large bouquets of flowers, sent to mark the meeting's success, lay toppled by the wind into puddles of water. One offered congratulations from a local building contractor.

Workers covered the lone X-ray security machine in cardboard and plastic bags to keep the water out.

At the local airport, staff hammered away on typewriters -- no computers in sight -- to make hard copies of tickets for the throng racing to get back home.

Hotels, which had ratcheted up their prices in hopes of a big payday, were besieged by frustrated media companies looking for some kind of refund.

And for the locals, there was a sense that the opportunity to present their island's best face to the international community had been lost.

"Many people are still wondering why," said Maria, a worker at the Shangri-La hotel, who declined to give her family name. She was stacking up chairs that had been intended to seat Southeast Asia's movers and shakers.

"Some say it is the storm, some say it is due to political reasons," she said. "We just don't know."

Ang CICC kabunggkagon. Wala maayo pagdokdok sa kisame ni Teddy Bear.

[edgeknife]

The sun is out today!

OT: sure ka?? wala may sun nigawas karon, unya tugnaw karong buntaga.

[Onins]

OT: sure ka?? wala may sun nigawas karon, unya tugnaw karong buntaga.

Nawala nasad, but twas out when i woke up around 520. The thing is if you look outside, the weather doesnt warrant a cancellation of an important summit. don't you think? do u think?

[pyodor]

While nag sakay ko ug taxi ang driver istoryador kaayo, naa daw cya pasahero sa iya nailhan police or something naa sa government na naghisgut pod about sa summit. According to the police guy na the real reason daw according sa ilang intel ngano wala madayun ang summit is wala diri si GMA. Remember si GMA naa man news na nagpatambal daw ni cya sa hospital sa makati ba to, nga giingon lang na iyang bana ang nasakit? Pero wala daw si GMA diri tua sa US nagpatambal.

so unsay pagsabot ninyo ani istoryans?

[fingolfin]

.. one more day till all the rumours will be answered.

[edgeknife]

Nawala nasad, but twas out when i woke up around 520. The thing is if you look outside, the weather doesnt warrant a cancellation of an important summit. don't you think? do u think?

mao lagi onins. wala nalang una nila gi-cancel ang summit. that's what it came into my mind last friday. tsk tsk. the storm maybe true that will come but sa akong POV, gi-saway ta sa panahon. tsk tsk

[fingolfin]

.. on a lighter note, government officials will now sing ..........BAKIT PA NAMAN NGAYON PA UMULAN. ehehehe.

.. nice view of storm here CLICK ME

[sheka]

i think the summit nadayon.... atik ra na para ma ilad ang terrorist
its not easy to cancel and resked if mga taw involved big people.
it's d best security.. blind ang mga people na it's happening. kesa full attention ang mga people esp ang terrorist...
even if unsa ka tight ang security. daghan ways para ka create ug terror..so the easiest way is to trick!!!!

prepare.. mag dry run and etc.... then at the last minute! booM! cancelled! kahas au pamiliti sa terrorist hehhe

[--Makoy--]

wheres the typhoon?!!!! grabe na kaayo ug kahasol ang dala aning asian bullsh*t, aw summit diay. nauwaw ra gyud na sila kay walay ayo ang CICC.. mao nang resulta kung last minute na molihok..

patay na siguro si mike arroyo maong wala si gloria.. YIPEY!!! if thats the case..LoL..