Cebu, Bohol eyed to host ASEAN Summit meetings

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu and Bohol will be hosting some of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit next year.

Judy Gabato, officer-in-charge at the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas, confirmed this yesterday in an interview at the sidelines of the 1st Cebu Tourism Summit.

Gabato revealed the National Organizing Committee (NOC)  visited on Wednesday some of the establishments in Cebu that were also used as venues for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings last year.

"Cebu is ready to host some of the ASEAN meetings," she said. 

She also announced that Bohol has also been picked as one of the venues for the meetings.

"This is really positive for us," she noted. 

Tentatively, she said these meetings to be held in Cebu and Bohol will happen in April next year. 

She said this will again bring tourists in Cebu.

Last year, Cebu hosted some of the meetings of the APEC Summit, bringing thousands of delegates from various countries.

As of this writing, Gabato had no details yet as to how many delegates will be participating in the upcoming ASEAN meetings in Cebu.

Chairmanship

On September 8, President Rodrigo Duterte formally accepted the chairmanship of the ASEAN Summit for 2017.  Duterte introduced the Summit's theme next year which is "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World."

"During the Philippines' chairmanship, we will highlight ASEAN as a model of regionalism and a global player with the interest of the people at its core," Duterte earlier said in his speech when he assumed the ASEAN chairmanship Laos which is this year's host.

"We will pursue initiative and enhance cooperation in global partners to ensure that ASEAN citizens live in peace, stability, security and growth, all while remaining ASEAN centrality unity and solidarity we will maintain for all times," he added.

"The Philippines is ready and willing to steer and guide the association, but crucial to the realization of our goals is the cooperation and support of all ASEAN member-states and our dialogue partners," he said.

The ASEAN Summit 2017 coincides with the 10-nation bloc's 50th anniversary.

Under Article 31 of the ASEAN Charter, "the chairmanship of ASEAN shall rotate annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of member states."

ASEAN is a regional organization comprising 10 Southeast Asian states which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic integration amongst its members. Since its formation on August 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the organisation's membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.  (FREEMAN)