Philippines to host 2015 APEC meeting

MANILA -- The Philippines will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in 2015, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura del Rosario said that in the APEC Leaders' Week in Russia on September 2-9, it will be formally announced, through the Leaders' Declaration, that the Philippines will host the summit three years from now.

The meeting of the 21 APEC leaders next year and in 2014 will be hosted by Indonesia and China respectively.

"We're waiting for the issues of Indonesia and China because whatever agenda item they have that are very useful to us, we will carry them over. So that's why we're happy that we were hosting after China," Del Rosario said.

She said the government has yet to decide the specific place in the country where the APEC summit will be held.

The last time the Philippines hosted the APEC meeting was in November 1996 in Subic town in the northern province of Zambales.