In the early 1990s, not long after the founding of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), a decision was reached by the member-economies to annually select the host for the future meeting of the APEC Leaders two years before that event. APEC’s members are called ‘economies’ rather than ‘countries’ in order to get around China’s objection to the membership of Taiwan and then-British colony Hong Kong.
At their 1994 meeting, the APEC Leaders, i.e., heads of states, decided that the Philippines would be the host for the 1996 Annual Meeting. It clearly was a great honor for the Philippines to be hosting the 1996 Summit so early in the organization’s life. President Fidel V. Ramos, who was into the fourth of the six years of his term, was absolutely elated that the APEC Leaders would be meeting in the Philippines during his presidency.
Fidel Ramos had every reason to be very pleased for the roster of APEC Leaders includes the heads of state of the US, Russia, Japan, Australia, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand and Mexico. Next to the annual summit meeting of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the APEC Leaders meeting is the most prestigious and the most star-studded regional gathering in the world.
Without a doubt the standout figures at the 1996 Leaders Meeting would be US President Bill Clinton, Russian President Oleg Medvedev and Chinese President Hu. Clinton would go on to win a second four-year term in office. Medvedev would change places with Vladimir Putin. The premiers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand would thereafter become victims of the vagaries of domestic politics. Prime Minister Lee Kan Yew was a virtual fixture in Singaporean politics.
No sooner was definitive word received of the Philippines’ having been chosen as the host of the 1996 Leaders Meeting than the machinery of the Ramos administration sprung into action. President FVR immediately appointed point-men for the key aspects of the forthcoming event, to wit, security, logistics, finance, trade and economics and coordination with the other APEC governments. The Cabinet members who were given point-man responsibilities were the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Interior and Local Government, Finance, Public Works and Highways and Trade and Industry and the Director-General of NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority). The security point-man was backstopped by Vice President Joseph Estrada, to whom FVR had given security-related responsibilities.
Apart from security, the other principal concerns of the host of an APEC Leaders Meeting are physical facilities and showcasing. The host economy must provide first-class conference facilities and housing for the Leaders, their wives and the members of their delegation. It also must exploit every opportunity to showcase the nation’s progress and achievements not only in the realm of trade and economics but also in the realm of social development. Given the membership profile of APEC, no comparable opportunity exists for a country like the Philippines to place itself in a favorable light and to put its best foot forward.
The tremendous construction job that had been done almost exactly two decades earlier for the joint annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank had put in place not only a world-class conference venue—PICC (Philippine International Convention Center)—but also around a dozen five-star and four-star hotels offering a total of close to 6,000 rooms. Metro Manila was ready for another large international conference.
Where to house the Leaders and their wives was the only physical infrastructure issue needing to be addressed. Since the Philippines wanted to showcase what it had accomplished in Subic, the US Naval Base that had been returned to this country in 1991, FVR and his advisers thought, why not house the Leaders in the Subic area? That is exactly what was done.
Villas, not mere beachfront houses, were constructed for President Clinton and his fellow-heads of economies to reside in during their brief sojourn in this country. No expense was spared for the 21 Subic villas, which in time provided the backdrop for the end-of-conference photo-op session in which the Leaders jointly waved to the assembled world media wearing identical shirts typical of the host economy. The Government has sold some of the villas; some are currently under lease.
Besides Subic, Ramos administration showcased Cebu City, the nation’s second largest metropolis. The administration of President PNoy Aquino—he will be attending his last APEC Leaders Meeting—has been more ambitious. APEC Ministerial and Committee Meetings had been held in Legazpi City, Iloilo City and Boracay in addition to Cebu City.
With less than two weeks to go before the start of the Leaders Meeting, the Philippines is ready. Everything that matters is in place. The Aquino officialdom has thoroughly studied all the past Leaders Meetings—including the 1996 event—and has learned the lessons, good and bad, from them.
Will the Philippines’ second turn at APEC Summit hosting be crowned with success? That outcome must be the wish of every Filipino who wants his country to shine in the world.
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