A team from the National Organizing Council (NOC) of the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to conduct a coordination meeting and ocular visits on Sept. 26 to 28.
ASEAN 2017 NOC Director General for Operations Marciano A. Paynor Jr, in a letter addressed to Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, informed the latter that the council has chosen Iloilo City as one of the sites for the meetings.
“I hope that you would welcome this opportunity to host these meetings in your city which will have a critical role in the national hosting. The Philippines shall host as part of its endeavor to intensify community building through enhanced regional cooperation and integration among its member countries,” he said.
The meetings that will be convened by various lead government agencies will be attended by high-level delegates such as ministers and senior officials.
The coordination meeting and ocular visit will help determine the possible engagement sites and specific arrangements for the ASEAN meetings such as airport facilities, hotel accommodation, conference venues and tourism destinations.
Meanwhile, Mabilog encouraged the support of the Ilonggos in the preparation as he mentioned that the “good news manifests our growing reputation as ideal convention destination.”
The city already experienced successful global hosting that attracted thousands of delegates and visitors of several meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2015.
ASEAN is composed of 10 member-countries that include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. [via PNA]
