Twelfth INAP Conference & Symposium

Report from INAP Chairman

The 12th INAP Conference & Symposium was held in Cebu City, Philippines last 09-10 November 2010, with all member ports in attendance except the Port of Qingdao, People’s Republic of China. The event was held for the very first time at the recently opened Radisson Blu Hotel very near to the Cebu Baseport.

Undersecretary Aristotle B. Batuhan of the Philippine’s Department of Transportation and Communications honored the gathering by giving the keynote address during the first day.

While the opening ceremonies highlighted the theme of INAP’s member ports’ relevance to the worldwide port network during the morning session, the afternoon’s activities centered on the General Assembly and the port and city tour given the delegates.

It was the General Assembly that the official turnover of the INAP Chairmanship from the Port of Mokpo to the Port of Cebu, symbolized by the official hand-over of the INAP flag from Mokpo’s CEO Mr. Byeong Soo Choi to Cebu Port Authority’s General Manager Mr. Vicente T. Suazo, Jr., was conducted in the presence of all the heads of delegations and their personal staff.

It was also at the General Assembly that the official announcement of the 2011 INAP hosting was made. Capt. Nihal Keppetipola confirmed that the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, would indeed host the 2011 INAP Conference & Symposium.

After the General Assembly adjourned, the delegates were then given a tour of the Cebu Baseport and the MUSEO SUGUBO or Cebu Museum, where they were given a glimpse of Cebu’s historical and cultural past.

Of special enjoyment was the Welcome Dinner hosted by the Province of Cebu’s first female governor, Governor Gwendolyn F. Gracia, who impressed the INAP delegates with a dance presentation of selected local festivals which embodied the Cebuano spirit and culture, showcasing Cebuano gaiety, grace, agility and religiosity. The evening ended with the same dancing and singing before everyone called it a night.

The second day saw the presentations given by the member ports, except that of the Port of Cebu, which as host graciously decided to refrain from showing its own presentation by reason of time constraints, considering that some of the delegations would be taking early flights back to their home countries.

The closing ceremonies and the Farewell Lunch that followed emphasized the spirit of camaraderie that had arisen during the short time of the event with photographs being taken and promises exchanged of keeping in touch with each other. Till the next INAP... See you all in Colombo! Thank you!


VICENTE T. SUAZO, JR.
Vice Chairman, Cebu Port Commission &
General Manager, Cebu Port Authority