MANILA, Philippines – The Clark Freeport Zone, Subic in Zambales, and Cebu City were all considered in an “alternative” scenario for the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting from November 18 to 19, 2015.

But ultimately, Palace Spokesman Herminio Coloma Jr told Rappler, Metro Manila was the only mega city that could host the number of delegates flying to the country for the yearly meet.

Some 10,000 delegates from all over the world, 3,000 of them professional journalists, are in Manila this week for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, one of the last in a series of almost 44 meets held in the Philippines.

“This magnitude requires a level of housing or lodging accommodations that is now available only in Metro Manila. Truth to tell there has not been a commensurate increase in the number of such similar facilities in the other capitals,” added Coloma.

It also required sacrifice on the part of Metro Manila residents, who had to deal with more than their usual dose of everyday traffic woes. (WATCH: APEC, inclusivity and Manila traffic)

Other meetings were held in various cities and provinces. Clark was host to the First Senior Officials’ Meeting in February, the Second Senior Officials’ Meeting was held on Boracay Island in May, Finance officials met in Bagac, Bataan in June, Cebu was host to various meetings from August to September, and Senior Disaster officials met in Iloilo in September, to name a few.

For the Economic Leaders’ Meeting, 20 presidents, prime ministers, or their representatives are flying into Manila for the 2-day event. Each contingent is easily a hundred-strong, with some reaching thousands: security personnel, support staff, and Cabinet members in tow. 

Different hotels in Metro Manila, mostly those in the Pasay and Manila areas, will be the temporary residences of the economic powerhouses. For media, at least 5 hotels have been officially accredited for the APEC meet.

Filipinos – a former president and 2016 aspirants included – have questioned the Philippines’ decision to host the meet in Manila after road closures and traffic rerouting schemes caused major traffic jams in the already-congested mega city. 

The last time the Philippines hosted an APEC meet in 1996, it built 21 two-storey villas costing between $1 to $2 million each. Economic leaders used the lofty houses for several hours. 

Reusing those structures was discussed but Coloma pointed out that most of the villas had been sold to private owners. “Even with 2-3 years lead time, those were not the types of venues considered appropriate by the economic leaders,” added Coloma. 

Heavy traffic, said Coloma, was expected to be a “serious problem” during APEC but urged Filipinos to “look at it from another perspective” and to “understand this from the perspective of long-term national interest.”

“This is one week in the life of a nation,” he added.

The next big event the Philippines is set to host happens in 2017, this time for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet. – Rappler.com