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Inquirer   on post- APEC There is no doubt that the Aquino administration did everything in its power to ensure that the Philippines’ hosting of the 23rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit would be glitch-free.  But outside of the high-profile gathering, social media seethed over the cancelled work and classes as well as domestic and international flights, and the closure of certain roads and rerouting around the Apec venues. Accounts of commuters stranded or walking for hours to reach their destinations, of airline passengers missing their travel commitments, and of ordinary citizens trapped in gridlock are now the stuff of legend. [...]  It was truly unfortunate that Filipinos, especially those in Metro Manila, had to endure such troubles. But there is another side of the Apec event to consider—the stories of those who did the country proud and those who benefited from the conduct of the meetings. [...] B ut apart from the logistical trauma, there was a positi...

Inquirer on three images during Apec Three images from the past week may come to define the 2015 edition of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting, in global public opinion.[…] The first of the defining images...involved Obama, taking part in only his fifth Apec powwow, breaking protocol (and stolid Apec tradition). He gamely served as moderator of what turned out to be the liveliest panel during the Apec CEO Summit[…] The second of the defining images came right after Obama’s session, when Xi addressed the same audience […] But the distance between hope and reality was captured, perhaps unwittingly, in the third of the defining images: Xi’s awkward walk down the red carpet of the Philippine International Convention Center, all but ignored by Mr. Aquino and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who were engrossed in an animated conversation. [full page] Sun.Star Cebu on public transportation and private interest When SM Holdings made a pitch for the operatio...

Inquirer about Apec’s inclusive growth focus Early this week when residents south of Manila found themselves obliged, under a blazing sun, to walk to get to their workplaces, to do important errands, even to undergo hospital checkups and dialysis sessions because major roads were blocked and no alternative means of transport could be had, they angrily wondered why they were being treated so badly. It is not an unfair question; it actually strikes at the core of an exclusionary strategy employed by authorities. Fidel V. Ramos, during whose presidency the Philippines successfully served as Apec host in Subic in 1996, was not gloating when he said that “sadly, the people are not enjoying the event because of so many obstructions, disruptions, restrictions, cancelled flights, and traffic inhibitions.” […] The Apec discussions have been designed to focus on inclusive growth, or how to bring the benefits of open markets to ordinary citizens—presumably including a grimy family of four ...