Cebu now ready for the 12th ASEAN Summit

The Philippines, specifically Cebu province, is all set for the hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Dec. 10-14.

"All systems are go here for the Summit," ASEAN Summit Spokesperson Victoriano Lecaros said in an interview this morning over ANC Channel.

Ambassador Lecaros said physical and security matters are in place and Cebu is ready to host 16 leaders of the ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners despite the limited time given the Philippines to prepare for the regional event.

He said other host countries have at least two years to prepare for the top-level meeting, while the Philippines had only a year to do it after Myanmar declined to serve as the summit host for political reasons.

He added that the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) started only last April and in just a matter of nine months, it is now a world-class international convention center.

The CICC, one of the venues of the ASEAN leaders’ meetings, is now complete and everything is in place, including media and communications facilities, Lecaros said.

He added that the heads of states/governments and their delegations would be safe and secure as a composite of marines, police, coast guard and members of the Presidential Security Group have been deployed to make sure that peace and order is maintained during the summit.

"The whole world is watching Cebu now," he said as he stressed that the Philippines would definitely benefit from hosting the summit.

"There are long term benefits particularly in the tourism sector that Cebu and the country will gain from this event," he said. (PNA)