EDITORIAL - Some still don't get importance of ASEAN Summit

Militant groups have been very vocal last week about their opposition to the government's expenses for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit this December. These groups said that the money now being spent for the Cebu International Convention Center and the beautification projects should have been spent for the poor. With only less than a month before the summit, it is so sad that there are still some people who don't get the importance of our hosting of the summit.

In any undertaking, whether one as grand as the summit or a simple get-together, there must be some preparation. When we hold parties in our homes for example, we do a little cleaning, we change the curtains and seat covers, we buy flowers or other decorations to brighten up the house, we prepare activities to entertain our guests, and most of all we prepare a good meal. And, since we Filipinos are hospitable people, we always make it a point that our preparations will impress our party guests and thus, we spend.

The ASEAN Summit is just like a party that we are holding here in Cebu. We prepare, we clean, we decorate, we plan activities, we prepare good food to impress our foreign guests. We spend. But unlike the parties that we host in our humble homes where the only things we get after the party are extra pounds from all the eating and probably a hangover from all the drinking, Cebu's hosting of the ASEAN Summit is expected to have far greater results.

For one, being the host of an important event in this part of the world will gather international attention. This international attention that we hope to get from the summit will open doors for investors, tourism, and probably even foreign aid. Our hosting of the summit is an opportunity for the country, and most especially Cebu, to showcase what we have to offer to the world, aside from forging friendships with our ASEAN neighbors. Preparing for an event always entails expenses and that is why the Capitol is spending for the CICC, the national government is spending for road repairs and the different local government units are spending for their own beautification efforts. Heck even private companies are doing some beautification to prepare for the summit! We cannot just host the summit without preparing for it. Our guests are world leaders and they deserve to be given the treatment that is due them. This and all the other aspects of the ASEAN Summit should be understood by all Cebuanos so that we can work together toward our goal to showcase the best of Cebu to the world.