Ramos inspects Subic site for APEC<\/p>\n
By David McDonald<\/p>\n
SUBIC BAY, Philippines (Reuter): He inspected the bathrooms,
\nfussed around the carpet fitters, eyed the shrubbery and checked
\nout the golf course.<\/p>\n
After he had poked around the Subic Bay site of this year's
\nAPEC summit, Philippine President Fidel Ramos -- playing
\nconcerned host ahead of the arrival of world leaders --
\npronounced the venue \"better than all the others\".<\/p>\n
Better than the facilities last year in the Japanese city of
\nOsaka with its medieval castle, better than Bogor in Indonesia in
\n1994 when delegates sported hand-printed batik shirts.<\/p>\n
\"The timing and the venue and the preparations leading to
\nSubic on Nov. 25 is like a god-scripted kind of a scenario
\nbecause Nov. 24, 1992 was the very day when the U.S. navy pulled
\nout,\" Ramos told a news conference at Subic Bay.<\/p>\n
\"I think what we are seeing here is a world-class, 21st
\ncentury set-up\"<\/p>\n
The former U.S. naval base is now a symbol of the Philippines'
\neconomic renaissance, an industrial estate with an attached
\ncountry club on jungle-clad slopes four hours drive north of
\nManila past an active volcano.<\/p>\n
The new Subic is the pride of general-turned-president Ramos,
\nwho turned up on Thursday aboard his presidential helicopter for
\na last-minute walk around.<\/p>\n
The facility is a case study for the kind of market-oriented
\npolicies that leaders of the 18-member Asia-Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) forum hope will turn their informal grouping
\ninto the world's largest free trade area by 2020.<\/p>\n
Mediterranean-style stone villas with shaded balconies
\noverlooking the bay were built specially for the leaders,
\nincluding U.S. President Bill Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister
\nRyutaro Hashimoto and Chinese head of state Jiang Zemin.<\/p>\n
But the VIPs will spend only fleeting moments there, showering
\nand changing and generally freshening up for the summit. The
\nschedules for leaders of half the world's population are too
\npacked to allow room to linger.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, lawns are still being laid and gardeners are
\nplanting hibiscus bushes. When the dignitaries have gone, each of
\nthe 21 mansions will be sold off to private owners. Asking price:
\nUS$4 million, according to market rumor.<\/p>\n
The summit itself will be held in what used to be a U.S.
\nmilitary officers' club, subtly redecorated to hide traces of its
\nAmerican heritage.<\/p>\n
The nose of an old U.S. aircraft once jutted from an outside
\nwall -- the cockpit was used by the disc jockey at the officers'
\ndisco. It has now been transformed into the beak of an eagle,
\nsymbol of the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Ramos appeared ebullient, even though the carpet has yet to be
\nlaid in the summit hall, and the wooden chairs arranged in a U-
\nshape are still bubble-wrapped.<\/p>\n
Only the first hole of the golf course was ready for match-
\nplay, but Ramos teed off anyway. Earlier in the day, Clinton was
\nin Australia getting ready for a round of golf with world number
\none Greg Norman.<\/p>\n
In a dry-run for the big day, Ramos smiled and shook hands
\nwith aides wearing T-shirts saying \"I'm a leader\".<\/p>\n
At one point he stopped at a jungle opening to watch the
\nmonkeys, who were mostly sleeping.<\/p>\n
\"This reminds me of my cabinet,\" he quipped.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ramos-inspects-subic-site-for-apec-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }