In Nantong, the former President will keynote the "High Level Forum on World Mega Cities Development’’ co-organized by the host city and the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) of which Ramos is the chairman.
The forum will be attended by more than 500 delegates, including mayors and chief executives of large cities and metropolitan areas around the world such as Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, Quebec, Lima and Shanghai, as well as representatives of multilateral institutions, CEOs and top managers of companies in the construction, urban development, information communications technology and tourism sectors.
The forum will take up the critical roles of cities and metro areas in globalization and regional economic integration, the various strategic development policies of American, European and Asian cities and the ecological, social and cultural dimensions of urban planning and development.
In Zhuhai, a tourism and manufacturing center of Guangdong Province, Ramos will meet with city officials, particularly those responsible for tourism and travel tour operators, in order to promote efforts to tap the Chinese tourism market.
"With excellent tourist destinations and packages that the Philippines can offer, our country should be able to develop a significant portion of that huge market opportunity,’’ Ramos said.
Accompanying him to Zhuhai-Macau is a 70-strong business group whose specialty is in aquaculture; diving and golf tours; horticulture and SMEs.
In Macau, Ramos is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Chief Executive Edmund Ho of the special administrative region to foster economic, trade and tourism exchange, as well as other mutually beneficial concerns.
Ramos will be back in Manila on Oct. 2.
No regrets - FVR
Former President Fidel Ramos yesterday said he has no regrets having implemented the Smokey Mountain housing and reclamation project, saying it’s better than waiting for the Payatas dumpsite tragedy on July 10, 2000 which killed 137 people to happen again.
In a press conference held at the Dignitaries Lounge of the NAIA prior to his departure for China, Ramos said: "Mabuti hindi nangyari sa Smokey Mountain ito (while showing news and photo clippings of the Payatas dumpsite tragedy). Kung hindi, talagang magpapabilanggo ako."
The Payatas dumpsite collapsed and buried shanties and people living there following a typhoon.
Ramos reiterated that the housing and reclamation projects in Tondo are meant to improve the living conditions of the 21,000 scavengers who live there.
He said the scavengers living in the seven-storey pile of garbage had been condemned to a life of destitution and hopelessness, and it was only during his term that they were offered a chance for decent housing.
He added that the Smokey Mountain project "is the exercise of political will after 40 years of government neglect."
Ramos figured in a heated debate with Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago last Thursday during the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the allegations that the housing project should have been rescinded because R-II Builders failed to comply with the contract to fully finance the project.
Santiago walked out of the hearing and later told reporters that Ramos was "a useless witness."
Ramos, on the other hand, said that Santiago was probably irritated by the voluminous documents that he brought with him to the hearing.
"Of course, I had to put everything on paper when I was called to testify. This is a serious matter."
(Anjo Perez & Louie Perez)
