Solons going to Peru: Down to 8 from 40
By Christian V. Esguerra, Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:45:00 11/20/2008
Filed Under: Summit, Foreign affairs & international relations, Diplomacy, ASEAN, world financial crisis
MANILA, Philippines—Most of the 40 members of the House of Representatives who wanted to join President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on her trip to Peru have changed their mind upon the request of Speaker Prospero Nograles.
Ms Arroyo leaves Manila Thursday to join leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific economies in the 16th APEC summit this weekend.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita Wednesday said the number was now down to eight or 10 lawmakers at most—a day before Ms Arroyo leaves for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, the Peruvian capital.
“From the initial rumor of about 40 (congressmen), I heard there were only eight,” he said. “They were talked to by the Speaker. They volunteered not to go anymore.”
Ermita did not identify the eight House members who still decided to fly with Ms Arroyo despite criticism that the Lima trip would only be a junket for them.
He said there were only five members of the official delegation—Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, Foreign Undersecretary Edsel Custodio and former Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo.
Including administrative staff members and Presidential Security Group officers, the delegation would easily balloon to at least 40 people.
She will share the global stage with outgoing US President George W. Bush, newly elected Russian leader President Dmitry Medvedev, among other leaders, in the summit to be held against a backdrop of global recession.
Crisis fund
In Lima, Ermita said Ms Arroyo would join other world leaders in drafting fresh strategies on issues such as the global financial turmoil, human security, food and energy security, climate change, and corporate social responsibility.
Ms Arroyo was also expected to make another pitch for the proposed $80-billion crisis fund for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the initial details of which were discussed during a technical working group meeting in Manila last week.
The crisis fund was proposed at the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing last October, primarily as an expanded version of the Chiang Mai Initiative, which was mainly focused on bilateral swap agreements.
An existing suggestion was for China, Japan and South Korea—the so-called “Plus 3” members of ASEAN—to shoulder 80 percent of the proposed regional facility, with the remainder taken care of by the rest of the region.
Stopover
Ms Arroyo will have a brief stopover in Los Angeles on Friday to meet with the Filipino community before proceeding to South America. The President will meet with Filipinos based in Los Angeles at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at around 6 p.m., and is scheduled to leave at 8:30 p.m. on the same day for the eight-and-a-half-hour flight to Lima.
Philippine time is ahead of Los Angeles by 16 hours and Lima by 13 hours.
The APEC Leaders’ Summit will run from Nov. 22 to 23.
But two other global events have been scheduled before the summit—the 20th APEC Ministerial Meeting on Nov. 19-20 followed by the APEC Chief Operating Officers’ summit on Nov. 20-23.
A briefer issued in Peru by Malacañang said that President Arroyo’s attendance at the APEC 2008 was timely in view of the global financial crisis triggered by the US mortgage crisis, which has now spread to advanced economies of Japan, the 15-nation euro zone, France, United Kingdom and even Asian powerhouse China.
Coordinated approach
The gathering of world leaders will give nations rich and poor a shot at crafting a coordinated approach to address major issues that affect the region and the world, according to the briefer.
The summit is especially significant because APEC constitutes an economic power bloc in the most dynamic region, representing 49 percent of the world’s trade.
“These global meetings are opportunities for the exchange of experiences in matters of international trade, diplomatic relations, business and investment possibilities both in the bilateral and multilateral levels to spur economic developments and attract more investments in the country,” the briefer said.
Welcome ceremony
Ms Arroyo and her official delegation are expected to arrive early morning on Nov. 22 where a Peruvian welcome ceremony awaits the Philippine President and the 19 other APEC leaders on their different flights at the wing Terminal 2 of Peru’s Jorge Chavez International Airport.
By noontime, Ms Arroyo and the other APEC leaders will be accorded the official welcome and greetings and the APEC traditional handshakes with this year’s host, Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez, at the entrance lobby of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) Convention Center at Pentagonito in San Borja district in Lima.
New commitment
Then, Ms Arroyo will join other leaders in roundtable discussions and meetings which will focus on the “APEC Peru 2008” theme of “A New Commitment to the Asia-Pacific Development.”
The APEC leaders will meet over lunch and resume their roundtable in the afternoon session.
After the first retreat of the APEC leaders, Ms Arroyo and the other APEC leaders are set to meet with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) members for dialogue and interaction.
ABAC is the principal economic and business advisory group composed of think tanks, business and financial experts, investment leaders and CEOs from the Asia-Pacific community.
After the APEC Leaders’ Retreat 1 and dialogue sessions with ABAC, they will be feted with a gala dinner and cultural performance by the Peruvian government at the Caceres Esplanade in the same MOD complex.
On the second day, Nov. 23, Ms Arroyo and the APEC leaders will hold their second retreat at the MOD Convention Center.
At the close of the second retreat at noontime, the APEC leaders will have their official group photo clad in the APEC host economy’s special Peruvian ensemble. They will then issue a “Final Declaration.”
The APEC forum aims to promote sustainable economic growth and development, develop and strengthen the multilateral trade system and increase the interdependence and prosperity of the member economies.
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