Albay, Legazpi to showcase economic potentials in APEC meet

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Legazpi City — The province of Albay and this city will be able to showcase as a booming economic and tourism hubs outside Manila in the coming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2015, DFA Undersecretary Laura del Rosario said Thursday.

Earlier, reported here that probably 10 of 63 APEC ministerial meets in 2015 will be hosted in Albay. Some other Philippine provinces and cities will also host several of the APEC meetings, too.

Del Rosario flew here on Wednesday to inspect the sites where the first meet of APEC Summit will be done in December this year.

“The opening salvo of APEC meeting will be conducted in Legazpi where 21 senior officials, along with other foreign delegates and foreign media, will be coming,” she said in a radio interview here.

Del Rosario was met by Bicol Tourism officer Maria Ravanilla and Civil Defense officer Bernardo Alejandro at the airport before heading to Misibis Bay Resort in Cagraray island of Bacacay town.

The APEC is a forum of 21 member-economies that include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

These 21 Pacific Rim countries seek to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region through the APEC. It was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies with the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world.

The Philippines’ hosting of the APEC summit in 2015 was announced in last year’s summit in Russia. The country last hosted the APEC Leaders’ Summit in 1996, or almost eight years ago. (From PNA report by Rhaydz B. Barcia)

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