By EUGENE ADIONG
BACOLOD City — This city was not yet included in the list of venues of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit next year.
Iloilo and Boracay Island were already given the green light to host the gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders and stakeholders.
As of this writing, however, the City Tourism Office has not yet received any official communication on the matter from the APEC 2015 National Organizing Committee (NOC).
Still, the city tourism officer here believes Bacolod could very well host the international event.
“I believe Bacolod City has more rooms for guests than Iloilo,” Ma. Elma Gerasmo told Panay News yesterday.
Iloilo’s convention center will be completed next year yet, while Bacolod City already has amenities on Lacson Street, also called the “Tourism Strip,” that could accommodate the delegates, she said.
Media reports quoting Department of Tourism regional director Helen Catalbas said Iloilo and Boracay will be among the major venues.
Catalbas was made to understand that Bacolod, Iloilo and Boracay will serve as venues but, as of now, only the latter two were given the go-signal, reports quoted the official as saying.
Councilor Jocelle Batapa–Sigue earlier said she was glad that the city had been shortlisted.
She said the NOC’s decision was “a big and positive challenge.”
“I am happy that, despite the lack of facilities of all mid-sized cities in the Philippines, Bacolod was shortlisted and inspected,” she said in a text message.
As chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s committee on tourism, she said she will concentrate on the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) industry.
“Bacolod is poised to make it big in the MICE industry in the next three years, as top real property developers like SM and Ayala complete their major infrastructures,” she said.
Gerasmo said that, as part of the city’s preparations for the possible hosting, they were conducting a tourism awareness seminar for Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection since yesterday until tomorrow./PN
