If one person who knows absolutely nothing about APEC would read through social media postings about it today, he or she would most likely think that it has something to do with either a traffic summit, a beauty pageant of world leaders, or a ranting revolution against the Philippine government. In the interest of those who would like to understand what the APEC is really all about, including myself, it is worth finding out why this event is taking place and why of all places it is happening here, right now, in the Philippines.

What is APEC?

APEC stands for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a forum composed of 21 member economies including:

Australia – November 1989
Brunei Darussalam  – November 1989
Canada – November 1989
Indonesia – November 1989
Japan – November 1989
South Korea – November 1989
Malaysia – November 1989
New Zealand – November 1989
Philippines – November 1989
Singapore  – November 1989
Thailand – November 1989
United States – November 1989
Chinese Taipei – November 1991
Hong Kong, China – November 1991
People’s Republic of China – November 1991
Mexico – November 1993
Papua New Guinea – November 1993
Chile – November 1994
Peru – November 1998
Russian Federation – November 1998
Vietnam – November 1998

To be specific, it is a regional economic forum that was established in 1989 mainly to ensure smooth movement of good, services, people, and investment across borders involving member economies. Special note has to be given to the use of the word “economies” rather than countries to emphasize the members’ participation as economic entities, more than anything else. This simply means enabling more economic cooperation and free trade particularly across the Pacific rim region.

Why APEC 2015 is Being Held in the Philippines

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is held annually and is attended by heads of government or their equivalent in economic concerns. The location of the meeting is rotated among members. The first meeting was held in 1989 at Australia. The Philippines first hosted an APEC meeting in 1996 at Subic. APEC 2015 is currently being held at Manila, Philippines.

There are a lot of contradicting views with regards to the wisdom in our country hosting this high-level meeting given the realities about the cost, especially when we are still reeling from the effects of recent natural disasters. There is also the matter of suitability of our existing infrastructure, not to mention security issues. So why is it being held here? Because it is simply the Philippines’ turn to host it.

APEC 2015 in the Philippines

The Philippines, as the host economy for APEC 2015, has identified its priorities to include the following:

  • Investing in Human Capital Development
  • Fostering Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs)
  • Participation in Regional and Global Markets Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities
  • Enhancing the Regional Economic Integration Agenda

APEC 2015 has the theme: Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World. This was further explained as to mean the promotion and advancement of inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific Region. The effort seeks to help residents of the region participate in the growing economy by creating employment opportunities and jobs as well as bridging the gap between member economies for trade, investment, and capacity to carry out projects.

My Say

Filipinos need not debate about whether we should be hosting such an important event like the APEC 2015. Being a member of the forum, we should be accepting of our responsibility to host it when it is our turn, in the same manner that we expect to reap national economic benefits from the alliance. We can never be fully ready for any event but that doesn’t mean we have to pass up the chance if this will benefit the country.

The social media ranters’observations are not exactly baseless. The anecdotal quips about APEC are funny specifically because there is a ring of truth in them. Focusing on the entertainment side of the event like observing the most good looking leaders and their fashion statements helps most people bear real frustrations with the state of our country. At best, we can only hope that all debacles observed during the APEC 2015 will make the Philippine government realize that there is so much to be done. That will be the day when we can host a prestigious event without the need to disrupt school and work schedules or hide the eyesores because everything is in place and we have nothing to hide. But of course, this can never be possible without each one us doing our part.

It is possible that we may not immediately feel the beneficial effects of current APEC initiatives but it would be worth the effort if future generations will benefit so that all these meetings for cooperation would not have been in vain. Then and only then can we claim that all these preparations were not only for show.