President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been continuously pushing the tripartite wage boards to take up wage increases in various regions and wages have in fact been adjusted in some cases.

This administration believes in working closely with business and labor to come up with win-win options on the matter of wage and non-wage benefits.

CEBU CITY -- Nine foreign ministers, including those from Japan and South Korea, will fly in Wednesday, in the first wave of arrivals for the 12^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit set Jan. 10-15.

Five trade ministers, two senior officials and one economic minister from Thailand are also scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Central Command (CENCOM) has declared all summit venues as no-fly zone as part of the security measures to assure the safety of all visiting heads of state and delegates.

The 32-kilometer no-fly zone and the 70-km space restricted zone include the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, the airport area and the different venues of the summit such as Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in Mandaue City, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, and Marco Polo Plaza in this city.

The foreign ministers arriving tomorrow are Win Nyan of Myanmar, George Yeo of Singapore, Dato Seri Syed Hamid Albar of Malaysia, Dr. Nur Hassan Wirajuda of Indonesia, Namhong Hor of Cambodia, Thonglun Sisoulith of Laos, Nitya Pibulsonggram of Thailand, Katsuhito Asano of Japan and Song Min-soom of South Korea.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, who is already here, will welcome his counterparts.

Also coming are Trade Ministers Tha Soe of Myanmar, Lim Hng Kiang of Singapore, Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz of Malaysia, Nam Viyaketh of Laos and Kim Hyun-chong of South Korea; Singapore senior official Peter Ho and Thai senior economic official Krirk-Krai Jirapa-et.

The rest of the foreign ministers participating in the summit are scheduled to fly in Thursday, along with five heads of state including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Jetting in from their respective countries are Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam and Lt. Gen. Soe Win of Myanmar.

On Wednesday, the Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) gets underway along with the ASEAN Summit preparatory meeting and the Special ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting.

Secretary Romulo will also hold a press conference at the main press briefing room of the CICC.

CEBU CITY--They arrived here last month as members of their country’s 10-man delegation to the 12^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit that was called off because of typhoon Seniang.

But instead of heading home immediately after the aborted summit, the Indian business group went on a tour of the Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) in Mactan Island, and impressed by what they saw, two of them decided to invest in the MEPZ.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Luis Cruz said that after last month’s ASEAN business and investment summit, the Indian businessmen proceeded to the MEPZ, where they saw for themselves the operations of the export zone.

"Right then and there, two of the businessmen who are engaged in the ICT industry, decided to invest in Cebu," Cruz said.

He said this sidelight of the ASEAN summit experience here is likely to be replicated several times over as businessmen of the other ASEAN member-countries and ASEAN’s dialogue partners are introduced to the rich prospects of investing in the country through the Jan. 10-15 gathering of world leaders.

"What I’d like to focus on is the economic benefits that we will derive from the Cebu summit. This is just one example. Of course, I have not talked to other participants in the business and investment summit," he said.

Another example cited by Cruz was the feedback he got from two overseas Filipinos, one of them based in the United Kingdom and the other in Malaysia.

The Filipino expatriate in Britain, whom Cruz did not identify, is engaged in the shipping industry.

"I can see that while the summit was postponed, we can already see the benefits that are starting to trickle into the Philippine economic sector with the intention of these businessmen, not only in the region, but also those outside the region, to invest in the Philippines," Cruz added.

Meanwhile, the National Organizing Committee headed by Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr. has reiterated that the Philippines is ready to host the postponed 12^th ASEAN Summit this week.

CEBU CITY--President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made an unscheduled visit Monday to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), site of the 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Jan. 10-15.

The President was on her way to Cagayan de Oro City but her flight was diverted to Mactan International Airport because of heavy rains.

From the airport, the President went straight to the CICC for a look-see of the Summit venue and other preparations for the regional meeting.

She was accompanied by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia and Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., secretary general of the ASEAN Summit National Organizing Committee (NOC).

Members of the local and foreign media already in Cebu for the ASEAN Summit were taken by surprise by the President’s presence at the CICC.

CEBU CITY – A coincidence? Yes, but a remarkable one.

The two Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders Summits hosted by the Philippines--held 20 years apart from each other—took place at a time when the sitting president was a woman.

The first time the Philippines chaired the ASEAN Summit was in 1987 when Corazon Aquino was the president.

This time, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will chair the 12th ASEAN Summit on Jan. 10-15 this year.

It so happens also that both women hail from Central Luzon -- President Arroyo is from Pampanga, while former President Aquino comes from next door province of Tarlac.

Both have acquired the surnames of their husbands that begin with the letter "A."

Both were catapulted to the presidency through military-backed people power revolutions: Aquino on Feb. 22-25, 1986, that ousted a dictator and Arroyo in January 2001, that toppled a popular actor-turned-reviled president.

Another striking coincidence was that the venue of the two military-backed civilian uprisings was E. delos Santos Avenue, more popularly known as EDSA.

A series of coup attempts also hounded the administration of the two women presidents. Both leaders, however, survived the coup attempts.

Cebu also played important, if distinct roles, in the lives of the two women.

Mrs. Aquino was in Cebu City at the height of the first EDSA people revolt.

CEBU CITY–Spouses of the heads of state attending the 12th ASEAN Summit will have a chance to get a glimpse of Cebu's colorful history, culture and arts during their two-day visit here.

Margot Osmena, wife of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena and co-chairperson of the spouses committee, said the ASEAN leaders' spouses  will discover the richness of Cebu's culture made even richer yet distinctive by American, Spanish and Chinese influences.

"Our visitors will see the province's rich culture and history. We will also showcase Cebu as a festival island," Osmena said.

She said the cultural program prepared for the visitors from the other ASEAN countries and the regional grouping’s dialogue partners was a product of nine-month planning and labor.

"We are trying to do our best to make sure that the program would be something that the Cebuanos would be proud of," she added.

The program will culminate on Saturday, Jan. 13, with the re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan, called "Kadaungan sa Mactan," to be followed by a pre-Hispanic cultural presentation and sumptuous lunch at Mactan-Lapu-Lapu Shrine.

At 8 p.m. on the same day, First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo will host a dinner at the Malacanang sa Sugbu, which will also showcase the different products of Cebu, especially the province’s world-class furniture and accessories.

Osmena said the Malacanang sa Sugbu will be transformed into an elegant and formal dining venue for the visiting spouses.

The next day, the spouses will go on a guided tour of Cebu’s historical landmarks starting with the unveiling of the bamboo sculpture at the ASEAN Friendship Park in Talamban.

The copper-made sculpture features 10 big bamboos, representing the 10 ASEAN member-countries, intermingled with six small bamboos representing ASEAN's dialogue partners—Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and China.

The sculpture showcases the "unity and spirit of the ASEAN and its dialogue partners," Osmena said.

The spouses will also plant trees at the Friendship Garden.

From there, the ASEAN leaders' spouses will go to the Provincial Capitol, a structure rich in American influence.

Osmena said the design of the Capitol building was patterned after the capitol in Texas, USA.

Members of the Sinulog contingent, including the past and present Miss Cebu, will participate in the parade wearing American-inspired dresses.

The spouses will then head to Fuente Osmena, which will be transformed into a Sunday picnic environment with vendors selling balloons, cotton candies and others.

They will also pass by Osmena Boulevard where dancers wearing Filipiniana costume will line the streets to showcase 10 of Cebu's festivals.

Upon reaching Colon, the oldest street in the Philippines, the spouses will find themselves in Cebu’s Chinatown. The streets will be adorned with Chinese lanterns.

Along the route in Colon, students will be performing different Chinese dances like dragon and lion dances.

The last stop will be Cebu's famous landmark—the Magellan Cross-- where candle vendors will perform the Sinulog dance.

CEBU CITY--Senior officials, foreign and economic ministers of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will start their ministerial meetings tomorrow to tackle issues that will further enhance cooperation, peace and economic development in the region.

The two-day ministerial meetings will be held at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) and the Mactan Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa in the run-up to the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit on Jan. 13-15.

Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros, spokesman for the 12^th ASEAN summit, said that the ministerial meetings will focus on various international and regional issues, review and discuss proposals to transform the vision of an ASEAN Community into a reality.

Simultaneous meetings by the ASEAN senior economic officials and the special ASEAN standing committee (ASC) will be held at the CICC tomorrow morning, Jan. 10.

This will be followed by the meeting of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam senior officials and the special ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in the afternoon.

Parallel meetings with the ASEAN senior officials and economic ministers will be held the following day, Jan. 11 at Shangri-La Hotel.

ASEAN senior officials, foreign and economic ministers will also meet with their counterparts from China, Japan, South Korea and India.

The ASEAN leaders, on the other hand, will also hold separate summits-- ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit.

Aside from the main summit meeting, the ASEAN leaders will also hold other summits, including the annual ASEAN sub-regional grouping’s summits such as the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area, the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Grouping.

National Organizing Committee (NOC) secretary general Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr. earlier said some 50 meetings are still to be conducted during the Jan. 10-15 schedule, and the figure may still rise depending on the issues that still need to be threshed out.

More than 90 meetings were listed for the Dec. 10-15 summit, which was postponed because of Typhoon "Seniang."

Before the original summit was postponed, ASEAN economic ministers had already signed six agreements consisting of four intra-ASEAN documents and two ASEAN-China accords.

CEBU CITY--Officials today described as "successful" the final-dry run of traffic in preparation for the Jan. 12 formal opening of the 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) here.   

Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., secretary general of the National Organizing Committee (NOC), told a press conference that the dry-run "met most of our expectations," particularly in the management of traffic in major routes to be used by the convoy of vehicles for leaders of ASEAN during their stay in Cebu.

Except for one minor accident involving a motorcycle-riding policeman, everything went smoothly as planned, Paynor said.

The unidentified policeman suffered a minor injury in the accident that happened in front of the Mandaue General Hospital.

Retired Maj. Gen. Leo Alvez, assistant secretary general for security, said the minor mishap would not in any way hamper the preparations for the summit.

"The dry-run came out okay," Alvez said, adding that since it has been "raining the past few days, some accidents were expected to happen."

He stressed that he did not foresee a major problem ahead.

NOC and security officials earlier said that at most traffic would be delayed by not more than one hour when ASEAN leaders start to move out of their hotels or from the conference venues.

Some major city thoroughfares will be temporarily closed as part of security arrangements for the visiting leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners.

Alvez also expressed confidence traffic would be orderly throughout the summit.

Plane passengers flying out of Mactan International Airport (MIA) have been advised to arrive at the airport two hours ahead of their scheduled flights to avoid delays due to the traffic rerouting.  

One area to be closed to vehicles at certain times of the day is the Marcelo Fernan Bridge connecting Mactan Island and Cebu City.

CEBU CITY—Timor Leste or East Timor will have no problem joining the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to officials of the 12^th ASEAN Summit.

In a press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) here this afternoon, Summit Spokesman Ambassador Vic Lecaros said that as the youngest nation in the region, "it is just a matter of time" before East Timor would become a full-fledged member of ASEAN.

Lecaros said that the attendance of East Timor Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta means that "ASEAN is good enough to join in."

He said that since East Timor shares the same characteristics as the rest of the members of ASEAN, the former Portuguese colony would "not be an odd man out among us."

Lecaros said that East Timor, through Prime Minister Horta, would first sign the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, which is the first step toward joining ASEAN.

According to Lecaros, the other five nations that joined ASEAN went through the same process.

CEBU CITY – The Philippines is expected to make a strong push for counter-terrorism measures and regional community building during the 12^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit which opens here on Jan. 10.

This was indicated by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Luis T. Cruz, who said the Philippines hopes the summit will be remembered as a watershed in the campaign for the establishment of a borderless community in the region.

Cruz, who is also the Director General for ASEAN Affairs, said that at no time has the need for expanding cooperation and networking among the ASEAN members been more important than now in the face of increasing terrorist threats not only in the region but in the world.

He added that on the regional level, the Cebu Summit should be remembered as an event that highlighted common efforts to build a regional community.

Cruz said that among the possible issues will be taken up is a convention on counter-terrorism, with the extradition of terrorists and criminals among member countries as one of its important provisions.

The ASEAN convention on counter-terrorism is one of six documents endorsed by the ASEAN Ministers meeting during the preparatory meetings held last month before the Summit was called off on account of Typhoon "Seniang."

The others are the Cebu Declarations on the Blueprint for the ASEAN Charter, Towards One Caring and Sharing Community, on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015, on the East Asian Energy Security and on the Protection and Promotion of Rights of Migrant Workers.

Cruz stressed that neither the weather nor the threat of terrorist attacks would deter the country from successfully hosting the summit.