Apec finance meet set

MANILA, Philippines–The country will host this week the second in a series of meetings related to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), this time focusing on financial policies and programs for the 21-member economies.

In a statement on Sunday, Foreign Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, Apec spokesman, said the Department of Finance will host the series of meetings this week in Tagaytay City.

The meetings include the Asia Pacific Forum on Financial Inclusion March 3-4; Apec Public-Private Partnership Experts Advisory Panel, March 4; Apec Pacific Infrastructure Partnership Meeting, March 4; and Apec Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting, March 5-6.

The Tagaytay meetings come after last month’s Apec First Senior Official Meetings held at the Clark and Subic Free Port Zones.

“Under the Apec 2015 theme ‘Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World,’ these meetings are aimed at promoting discussion on various financial policies and programs affecting the 21 Apec member-economies as well as the regional network,” Jose said.

Delegates to the meetings are expected to tackle issues on financial inclusion, financial transparency and financial resiliency, he said.

These meetings, he added, are “targeted toward the development of a more integrated and harmonious financial network within the Asia Pacific region.”

Jose said the output of the discussions would be part of a roadmap to be called the Cebu Action Plan, which the Philippines would propose and launch during the Apec Finance Ministers Meeting to be held from Sept. 10 to 11 in Mactan, Cebu.

The Cebu Action Plan aims to envision an Apec community that is “more financially integrated, transparent and resilient,” Jose said.–Christine O. Avendaño