MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday that the first Special Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development to be hosted by Manila in December would most likely be moved to a later date.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the two typhoons that recently hit the country have forced the government to shift all its attention and resources to the rehabilitation, repair and reconstruction of the infrastructure and areas affected by the storms.
“Because of what we are experiencing in the country today, we need to have all hands on deck for relief and rehabilitation efforts,” Remonde said.
Congress has appropriated a total of P12 billion for the relief and rehabilitation of the areas damaged by storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” at a time when the government is tight on funds.
Remonde noted that the cost for hosting the NAM meeting was initially P450 million but this was eventually reduced to P100 million.
Nevertheless, the damage caused by the two typhoons resulted in unexpected expenses on the part of government so it would appear to be more prudent to postpone the event to a later date.
Remonde said that the meeting would not be scrapped but merely postponed.
“At this stage, all resources and manpower is focused on rehabilitation efforts. That is why there is a serious review about this,” he said.
Remonde added that Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo is now sounding off to the NAM member-nations about the plan to postpone the meeting in order to get their feedback.
He pointed out that the Philippines was asked to host the special meeting, which the President promptly accepted as a high honor for the country.
“The NAM is one of biggest and most influential organizations in relation to the United Nations system. NAM has a big role in the promotion of world peace,” Remonde said.
“The hosting of the meeting has a huge potential for helping the country attain peace, especially in the southern Philippines,” he added.
Last Thursday, Malacañang, through the International Press Center, issued a media advisory for the application to cover the special NAM meeting in Manila this Dec. 1 to 3.